Queen of The Suits
by Scarlette Shizuru
Summary: They thought only the boys' middle school team was a revolution in tennis. But what other abilities do the girls have? What makes them tick really? "THE DAY I FALL IN LOVE WITH ATOBE IS THE DAY PIGS FLY AND BUCHOU FALLS IN LOVE WITH A STATUE!" CHP 68 up! I don't own Prince of Tennis! Only the OCs!
1. Return to School

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 1 – Return to School

"I can't believe our break's finally over."

"Yeah, I think time sped away too fast."

Many chatters and murmurs sounded off in the prestigious school Hyotei Gakuen's campus. Female students flooded the campus with the latest of gossips, some of the male students strode in like arrogant brats that they are and many of the others were doing things like throwing around stories of their vacation times. All of a sudden, they heard a car pull up and everyone fell into a deep silence. Watching the doors stiffly open, the students were definitely sure who the person was. "Atobe-sama's here!"

A purple haired student stepped out of the car with an arrogant smirk. "Ore-sama is glad to see Hyotei again. The place hasn't changed nah, Kabaji?"

The big underclassman brought out Atobe's things with his. "Usu," –he continued to walk behind Atobe.

Students cleared the pathway just for this boy and most female students swooned over him. The male students were whispering about all his achievements and Atobe was just absorbing it all in. "Arn~, ore-sama is glad that he managed to keep his popularity. Somehow, there's only one thing that is missing that's making this school, incomplete…"

He didn't know his wish would come true the very moment he took ten steps forward. The whole school fell into a deep silence and this time, the boys were going wild. "Look, it's them!"

Turning around, Atobe saw the people who had taken his popularity instantly. A group of girls walked in with prideful auras surrounding them which demanded respect and honor from the other students. Boys swooned instantly while some girls were glaring at them. "The Hyotei girls have arrived!" Some even managed to yell. "The Queens of Tennis are finally here!"

"The Hyotei Girls' Tennis team, they're here!" One alerted the other students who began crowding behind him.

"I wish the captain would look at me." One of the boys sighed dreamily.

Another one whistled at the sight. "Yeah, the captain's a goddess and the vice captain's a beaut too."

"The genius is a knock out in the looks department. I wish she would give me chocolates." Another one had his jaw gaping at her.

Atobe rubbed his temple when he watched the female tennis team strut their stuff going towards Hyotei. Kabaji tapped on Atobe's shoulder. "Kurenai-san… is Ohtori's classmate?"

"Yeah," the king of Hyotei snorted while turning away, "she's also vice president of the student council. Very revered by the students in every grade and how she manages to do that is a wonder. Some of the regulars are even third years and they follow her without questioning her. Quite impressive but ore-sama is not fond of her personality."

The female Hyotei tennis team was the most phenomenal team in the entire Kantou region. They were known for their aggressive style of play and honourable code of play as well. They were composed of five third years, two second years and two first years. The third years were: Uchiha Isane, Shimohi Rin, Hikifumi Haruka, Sanada Momo and Yamaguchi Hitomi. Most people would believe that one of these people would believe that a third year was leading them but it wasn't that way in Hyotei because in the team, they were led by the lower grades: Second Year students Nagisaki Mai and Kurenai Shizuru and the first year students Kobayagi Ayane and Getsugan Kiyone.

Uchiha Isane, towering shy third year student from Hyotei Gakuen, she is a recent singles player but formerly used to play alongside the other seniors. Her only problem is that she often gets the butterflies when she is down to the match point in a very important set which is why it is advisable for her to play aggressively. She is an excellent baseliner and often makes her opponent run for her. Isane has silver blue hair which is short like a boy's but with a fringe leaning to the left and covering her one of her emerald eyes.

Shimohi Rin, a medium height energetic and cheerful doubles player for Hyotei. Though she may sometimes seem naive, she is very analytical using her serve and volley style and though at times, her insight is not powerful enough. Her doubles partner is Hikifumi Haruka, the one who has the largest amount of stamina among the Hyotei players. Rin has long jet black hair which is pony tailed thrice to keep it in one place and a pair of intimidating auburn eyes. She is also part of the debate team in Hyotei and has won many competitions.

Hikifumi Haruka, the lanky, serious and somewhat hot tempered player of the Hyotei girls is also the girl with the most amount of stamina. She is also quite the mimicker and also very formidable with her counter puncher style. She has a very good amount of control over the ball and often does this to confuse her opponent. Some say that her control over the ball rivals to that of Kaidoh Kaoru of Seishun Gakuen. Haruka has pale pink hair tied in a ribbon while she has her light chocolate eyes.

Sanada Momo, the quiet, traditional and the all-rounded player for the girls' team, she is also the cousin of Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu's Sanada Genichirou and moved to Hyotei to stay away from prejudice. Because of often being compared to her much more talented cousin, Momo moved to Hyotei to make herself a good name and master what she calls the Anti-FuuRinKaZan technique which she names the Elemental Slayer. Tying her hair up with a ribbon, Momo makes sure her violet coloured hair stays away from her face.

Yamaguchi Hitomi, a reserved player in both ways. She rarely plays because she is also the manager of the team and makes sure she manages the diet correctly. She is also a data player like Inui and Yanagi from Seigaku and Rikkai Dai respectively. The only thing she doesn't do is make weird juices because she nearly got expelled for that if not for her captain's intervention. Originally, she was just a weird girl from the chemist club until the captain saw her love for tennis and recruited her as manager and reserved regular player. Despite her huge glasses, Hitomi makes sure her blonde hair compliments her look so she doesn't look geeky.

However, the third years are not the ones most of the schools are worried about.

Hopping unto Ayane's shoulders, the sandy haired smaller girl punched the air. "Yay, we're gonna win our first Nationals Title, right Yane-_chan_?"

Getsugan Kiyone, the shortest member on the team and one of the best doubles player. Though she is the shortest, the fact that she has the best amount of control over the ball even exceeding the control prowess over Haruka is good enough for her opponent to think twice. Because of her amazing accuracy, she is a fine doubles player due also for the fact that she doesn't have physical strength to send shots from the base line. She and her partner, Vice Captain Kobayagi Ayane are known as Hyotei's Hearts and Clovers Pair or in the girls' district: the Golden Pair of Hyotei. Her other title is known as "Queen of Clovers".

"But still, I'm sure there are a lot of good opponents out there, Kiyone-chibi-chan." The lanky red haired girl messed up the smaller girl's hair.

Second year student Nagisaki Mai is the lanky tensai of the team. She is very graceful and flexible seeing that she can play both doubles and singles. Usually, her doubles partner is either her captain or someone like Momo but when she plays singles, she knows how to humiliate her opponent. She has a unique style of play which is called Jazz Tennis which infuses her grace as a dancer into her style making her more unpredictable than she already is. She often plays Singles Two or Doubles Two when she has the chance or when her captain is in no mood to play singles. Her nickname is known as the "Queen of Spades."

This time, a medium height tangerine haired first year flipped her hair. "Yeah but we'll beat them either way. We are Hyotei's best after all."

Kobayagi Ayane, a first year student and also the other half of the Hearts and Clovers pair. Unlike her doubles pair however, she has a heavy amount of strength but she is the worst in playing at the net. She often cannot control her strength and often makes shots go out if playing by the net. Thus her captain found a solution: by pairing her up with Kiyone, their captain saw that they become the best doubles players in the Kantou district among the females. Being the vice captain of the team, Ayane often worries over her teammates and places their safety as top priority. Her title because of this and her strength is known as the "Queen of Hearts".

"Now, we shouldn't get overconfident. I know we may be the best in Kantou district doesn't mean we have the right to get cocky." A tall brunette strode next to them with a faint smile on her face.

Next to the vice captain was the captain of the Hyotei girls' team, Kurenai Shizuru. She is a very powerful player despite her weak façade and yet the only problem is that she is flat footed. This causes her stamina to deplete almost twice as fast as normal and she had a former knee injury when she played a different sport thus limiting her capability. However, that doesn't mean that she is limited. Her style of play is an all rounder and she can easily adapt to doubles play. She is often in singles one and her games usually end with a six games to love. The only time it had ever reached seven was when she decided to give the opponent five extra games. Her rank was none other than the Queen of Diamonds.

"But buchou, everyone knows who the top ladies school is right?" Ayane shot a glance at her ever calm buchou.

Shizuru could only sigh at her teammates' overconfidence. "Just remember to always watch out for mistakes you might make."

"Oi, Kurenai-chan," A voice called out from behind her.

The captain turned around to see two boys coming up to her, bowing with a soft smile. "Shishido-senpai, Ohtori-kun, it's pleasant to see you both again. How have you been?"

Shishido threw his hands at the back of his head. "I told you to stop being so damn polite, it's almost scary! Geez, you and Ohtori have the same problem. Now I know why you're classmates. Anyway, I'm fine. Atobe's just being Atobe again. Being flashy and all."

A soft laugh escaped from Shizuru. "I guess but that's what makes him Atobe. Am I right?"

The mere mention of his name made Ayane's blood boil. "I hate that jerk. He's nothing but an egotistical, narcisstic, arrogant, annoying, loudmouthed, obnoxious and spoiled brat!"

Shishido smirked. "I'm surprised. Most girls swoon over him. I think this is your first time meeting him right?"

"No!" Ayane was clearly spouting off.

"Arn, now what did ore-sama ever do to you, Kobayagi?" A deep voice called from behind her.

Ayane unlike other girls didn't swoon at him. "Well, I can name a whole list! You wanna stay and see how long it is, Atobe!"

She really didn't like the guy; no matter what happened, she would find at least an hour to insult him or even just a few minutes. Otherwise, her day wouldn't be complete. "Arn~, ore-sama would really like to see how long you can stay angry at him. Besides, what's there not to like about ore-sama?" Atobe had this deep drawl in his voice.

Before Ayane could spout off again, Shizuru dropped her hand on the vice captain's shoulder with the "stop-making-a-scene" smile. "I'm afraid we're going to be late for morning practice. Vice Captain Kobayagi, I believe we should be heading towards the courts now."

Seeing that smile, the tangerine haired vice captain cooled down immediately. "Yeah, we'll continue this later, Atobe."

The vice captain stomped off while Shizuru bowed politely. "I'm sorry for whatever she said, Atobe-senpai. Kobayagi-san tends to be like that when she's woken up very harshly."

Atobe dismissed it frigidly. "Ore-sama doesn't mind. You just head off to your practice, Kurenai-san."

Shizuru smiled and walked away while the male regulars could see that Atobe was irritated by her. "Can't stand her being better than you now can you?" Oshitari folded his arms with a smirk.

Atobe stormed off. "Kabaji, let's go."

The bigger kohai followed after him while Oshitari continued to watch Shizuru's fleeting figure. "Are you going to keep tabs again this year?"

The blue haired kansai prodigy looked at his acrobatic doubles partner. "I've lost count since Shishido beat up a lot of guys but then again, it's sad that she can't tell whether or not they're good. She has this weird tendency to believe that everyone's good. Then again, that's why there are a lot of fan boys."

Gakuto poked Oshitari. "Well, if no one's decent enough then you get her. I mean - who wouldn't want one of the salutatorians to be their girlfriend?"

Oshitari followed his doubles partner and Shishido while Ohtori waited for Hiyoshi to arrive.

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"I hate Atobe, damn it!" Ayane fired another powerful backhand towards her doubles partner, Kiyone during morning practice.

The smaller girl dodged it. "Hey, watch where you're firing! You could kill someone you know!"

"Tennis is not a tool which you can use to vent your anger on, you know." Mai hit another forehand towards Momo. "Besides, you've been saying this ever since we met in summer camp. The mere mention of his name makes your blood boil. What the heck did he do to you anyway?"

Ayane didn't respond but continued to pile drive her poor partner who was no good in power play. Shizuru began playing against Isane while watching her teammates. "As far as I'm concerned, Atobe-senpai never did anything to you. But then again – I have no reason to pry into your life."

Kiyone smirked while sending a top spin. "For all we know, you could be in love with narcisstic jerk. I can imagine it now: Atobe Keigo and Kobayagi Ayane, in bold red letters. Don't forget to invite me to your wedding, m'kay?"

"What, say that again, Getsugan Kiyone?" Ayane fired a heavy forehand towards Kiyone which made the latter run for cover.

"Eep, help me, buchou!"

Shizuru pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kobayagi, Getsugan," –she felt a migraine coming on, "fifty laps around the courts, now."

Ayane stared agape. "But she started it!"

"_Buchou_, she wanted to kill me!" Kiyone whined.

Shizuru's glare became more frigid. "Sixty laps, then."

"But…!" The two tried to protest.

Mai laughed at the sight of the two. "You two better go before she makes you guys run more laps."

Watching the two sigh in defeat and run laps, Isane smiled while she sent another shot. "Wow, you sure know how to punish them. They're the best doubles pair yet they fight each other like anything. Besides about that topic, there are other guys here. Do you have anyone in mind, Kurenai-chan?"

Shizuru sent a top spin drop shot across the net perfectly. "Not really, please call me Shizuru-chan by the way. It's weird for a senpai to call me by my last name, Uchiha-senpai."

Mai danced towards the net while sending an awkward angular shot towards her opponent. "Ne, Shizuru - why do you believe everyone's good?"

Shizuru returned Isane's high speed serve. "That's because they all are. We are created to be good in nature after all."

"You've been studying too much Theology. I mean - some of your fan boys may have something else." The female prodigy laughed while another shot came from her side.

Hitomi played a volley against Haruka while she watched Haruka and Rin play. "Haruka-san, there's a ninety percent chance of it going in if you shorten your form by a mere two inches."

Haruka smirked. "Show me what you got, Rin!"

Rin somersaulted backwards. "_Kuwee~_, here I come," with this, she fired another shot going to the base line.

Hearing the bell ring, Shizuru knew class was going to start in the next thirty minutes. "Everyone, get changed and head to class. We'll resume training in the afternoon."

With a harmonious "yes" coming from the girls, Shizuru packed her stuff to head towards her classroom.

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Shizuru entered the classroom while drinking from her water jug. Training had to be stricter and harsher now since the prefectural games were coming up and she had to keep up her game. "How was training, Shizuru-chan?"

The brunette found a towering kohai waving with a smile. "Oh, hi Ohtori-kun, was I late?"

"Wow, you sure are diligent." Ohtori laughed sheepishly. "Shizuru-chan, you just came in and not many people are here yet. You're barely late."

Shizuru began turning her history book open. "Alright, so, there is no quiz today right?"

Ohtori couldn't believe how diligent his classmate was. "Shizuru-chan, there's no quiz. You don't need to study."

Shizuru let out sigh. "I just want to make sure. Anyway – how's your practice going, Ohtori-kun?"

"It's nothing much really. I haven't really improved much lately but I intend to make my Scud Serve better." Ohtori scratched his head sheepishly.

Shizuru laughed softly as classes began to start and Ohtori took a seat next to her. "Say, Shizuru-chan, do you have any worthwhile rivals in tennis?"

The brunette looked at a notebook which contained some of her old strategies and math notes. "Yes but none of them are within the Kantou Region really. Yukimura's sister seems to be very good but she's anything but like her brother from what I hear. Seigaku's girl team isn't the boys' calibre either from what I've heard. I'm just playing it by ear for now though it's best not to underestimate them. They could have a few tricks up in their sleeve too."

Ohtori shrugged. "I guess." Then he remembered that the girls' had a district game today. "Hey, Shizuru-chan, don't you have the district games today?"

Shizuru couldn't believe that she had forgotten all about that. "Oh yeah but, wasn't that tomorrow afternoon?"

"They moved it to today, didn't Atobe-senpai tell you?" Ohtori now was clearly confused.

Shizuru sighed. "I guess I'll be hearing some yelling today then."

Ohtori didn't know where that came from. "Huh? Who's yelling at each other?"

"Trust me, once Kobayagi gets a wind of this, she will not let Atobe-senpai escape." Shizuru waited for the bell to ring while she continued to take notes.

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Mai on the other hand sat next to Hiyoshi who was staring at the board. The tensai had no idea how to deal with the silent boy but she just chose to take down notes. "Hiyoshi-san, please hand me my eraser will you? It's near your left foot."

Grunting, Hiyoshi just kicked it over. "Pick it up yourself."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry for asking you to pick it up, Mushroom Head."

Glaring at her, Hiyoshi looked away while letting out a snort. "You're worse than I thought, you cherry head."

Mai didn't like being called a "cherry head". "Well excuse me because at least you're calling me a cherry head just because my hair is red! Your hair is in the shape of a mushroom cap!"

The ace of Hyotei turned away while Mai shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "He's such a stupid idiot."

All of a sudden, the bell rang and the genius let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, I don't need to listen to the mushroom head anymore."

"NAGISAKI-SENPAI, DID YOU KNOW HOW BIG AN IDIOT ATOBE IS!" A loud voice screamed from outside her classroom.

Mai knew who that was instantly. "Ayane-chan, you didn't have to broadcast it you know. There are some who are his fan girls."

"Ya-ah, screw them! I can scream at their mighty "Atobe-sama"," –she rolled her eyes, "whenever I want! I can insult him anytime, anywhere!"

The prodigy of the girls' team didn't know how to respond how to Ayane's comments. "Ayane-chan, relax. Buchou might have forgotten all about it too."

"I don't think so because buchou sent in the roster a week earlier!" The vice captain slammed her fists on the table causing people to jump. "Atobe's just too damn busy caring about himself!"

Kiyone trailed behind Ayane. "So, do we head for the courts now, Nagisaki-senpai?"

Mai shook her head. "Lemme find Shizuru first. For all you know – she probably is waiting for us at the place itself or outside school."

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It took them at least an hour to get to the place and they were lucky that they were five minutes early. Shizuru had already found a court to practice in before their matches started. "Alright, we might have to shock ourselves into the game today but take it slow – I don't want you guys throwing your health away for a game. Tell me if your body cannot handle it and I will switch you out. Yamaguchi-senpai," –turning towards her bespectacled upperclassman, Shizuru did a rundown, "is everything and everybody in top shape?"

Hitomi adjusted her glasses. "According to my calculations, as long as Mai-chan, Ayane-chan, Kiyone-chan and you win your matches, we can simply slack on the first two."

Shizuru looked at them. "Alright, but that doesn't mean that I will allow you to hold back your potentials. Play with everything you have. Our first match is against Yugetsu Chuu and I'm not planning to have our team get wasted by some unnamed school, is that clear? Show them what a Nationals calibre player really is."

Ayane cracked her knuckles. "I'll scare them that they'll forfeit."

"I'm sure Yane-_chan_ and I will make them cry. We're the strongest pair," Kiyone gave her a toothy grin.

Mai flipped her hair back. "Their players probably won't be even worth our time."

"Shizuru-chan," a voice called out and there, Shizuru saw Ohtori waving and Gakuto bouncing towards her. "Good luck in your game, but I don't think you need it though! You're already so good!"

Oshitari smirked. "You'd probably make us look bad if you were guys. Then again – at least I get to watch you play." The kansai prodigy's eyes shot a glare at one of the fan boys who were oggling at the girls' legs.

Shizuru bowed. "Thank you for the compliments but flattery is something I highly discourage. The good luck, I'll take though."

"Arn~, show them that they are not worth playing against." Atobe knew that Shizuru was no ordinary player.

Ayane was ready to scream at the male captain for not saying anything about the change of schedule but Shizuru held her back once again. "You bet on it, Atobe-san!" Rin flashed a huge grin.

"For once," Shishido looked at another group of girls, "I'd say that Seigaku really sucks."

Hiyoshi saw the Seigaku girls' team enter. "Well, compared to Shizuru that is. Mai is completely useless in the team."

The prodigy fumed at the Hyotei ace. "Well, that's completely out of line for someone who doesn't play Singles often enough."

Kiyone gasped while watching Seigaku girls' walk in with a couple of more guys with them. "Buchou, the one walking there," –she pointed out, "isn't that Seigaku's Echizen Ryoma?"

"Seigaku's freshman prodigy Echizen Ryoma," Hitomi flipped through her notebook, "he's an all-rounder and a very powerful tennis player. He's a freshman, his birthday is on December 24 and he loves his dear cat, Karupin. His special moves are the Twist Serve, Drive A, Drive B and Split Step."

Shaking her head, Haruka let out a sigh. "When will you ever stop stalking people, Hitomi-chan?"

Rin looked at her captain with a grin. "So, let's go kick some butt, _kuwee~_!"

Walking towards the courts, the girls faced Yugetsu Chuu and their first match was Doubles Two played by Yugetsu Chuu's Schleiden Mayumi and Toumanari Yuna against Hyotei Gakuen's Hikifumi Haruka and Shimohi Rin. "Doubles Two players, please proceed to the court."

Rin stretched her legs. "Let's begin and show these guys how it's done, yeah!"

Haruka stretched her arms with a smirk. "We're going to show them that we're no ordinary doubles pair either."

Momo watched the match with disdain. "Such stupidity, I can't believe that they have a foreigner to play for them."

"Technically, she's not a foreigner," Isane watched the game proceed, "she's half Jap and so, she can't be foreign now can she?"

"I guess."

The match then started. "For the first game, doubles two: Yugetsu Chuu's Schleiden-Toumanari pair versus Hyotei Gakuen's Hikifumi-Shimohi pair! Game start, Hikifumi to serve!"

Yuna extended her hand. "Let's have a good game."

"Yeah, we should." Haruka also shook hands.

Rin extended her hand. "Kuwee~, let's have fun!"

Mayumi swat her hand away. "Hmph, you should go play in Whimsy land, you loser."

Rin stuck out her tongue while watching Mayumi walk away. "You're a meanie!"

Haruka spun her racquet. "Your call, choose a side."

"Smooth."

However, it landed on rough while the doubles pair retreated towards their places.

Haruka bounced the ball a few times. "Are you ready to beat them?"

"Yeah, let's do this, _kuwee_~!" Rin lowered her stance to start their formation.

"They're using the Australian formation already?" Momo glanced at Shizuru.

The brunette watched silently at the two as Haruka fired the ball with great accuracy. Heading down the corner of the service line, the two people of Yugetsu Chuu had no idea what to do. "Mayumi, go hit the ball!"

"I'm on it!" Mayumi jumped to catch it which flew over the net.

Twisting her body, Rin hit the ball in an awkward angle to the point even Yuna didn't know how to return the shot. "Che, you call that acrobatic play? I'll show you acrobatics!"

Yuna slammed the shot towards Haruka who returned it with much ease. "Is this all you are capable of?"

"Don't be so sure!" Yuna fired another heavy shot.

Rin threw her entire body forward. "You should not assume so fast, Toumanari-san~!"

Returning the shot, Rin made the ball land exactly on the doubles line corner near the baseline. "15-love!"

Yuna clucked her tongue. "Not bad, for someone who's a net player."

"I'm not as weak as you look, kuwee~!" Rin flashed out a grin.

Haruka smirked. "This is where the game begins." Firing another serve, she knew that she wanted to end this game early. "Let's do this, Rin!"

"You got it!" Rin jumped high in the air and smashed it down.

Mayumi cut the shot right under. "Hmph, don't be so sure, kiddie."

Haruka flicked it over the net followed by Yuna's pile driver and then Rin followed up the attack with a hard back hand. However, Rin greatly underestimated Yuna's strength and the racquet was blasted off from her hand causing the girl to falter in her shot. "15 all!"

"Wow, she sure knows how to make me look bad." Rin sheepishly scratched her head.

Haruka looked at the mark on the court. "She knows Rin can't return big shots like that without risking an injury. I don't have many ideas right now but the only thing I can think of is that we watch their strategy first."

"What's the matter?"

The two Hyotei girls looked at the Yugetsu doubles pair. "You're taking forever," yawned Mayumi while flicking her blonde hair, "stop talking to yourself and dance a little!"

Brushing her pale pink strand away from her eyes, Haruka prepared another serve. "Alright, don't be so hasty about it!" Sadly, it didn't go over the net.

"Fault!"

Rin turned back to her partner whom she noticed was getting very anxious. "I can't let her keep guarding me. I got to find a way somehow."

The serve hit the net again. "15-30!"

Haruka shivered at what was going on. She was too busy thinking about what strategy they should use now. "Where should I serve now? I can't let Yuna fire another shot again."

"Hey."

She saw Rin with a thumbs up. "I'm okay. I just need to clarify a few things. Just leave it to me, okay?"

Haruka knew it was a big risk. "Can you handle her shots?"

Rin positioned herself at the net. "You betcha, go on and fire. One more thing though..."

Her partner gave her an awkward look. "Serving with accuracy is cool and all but - I think it takes too much time. Sure, it gives you points easy but what happens if the opponent knows what to do after a shot like that?"

Seeing her point, Haruka knew that this was Rin's way of calming her down. "Thanks, Rin. Don't fall back, alright?"

"You bet!" Rin shifted from left to right while eyeing their eyes.

Mayumi twirled her racquet. "Hurry up! You're taking too much time over there!"

Resuming a serious face, Haruka let the ball crack off her racquet. "Like they always say, haste makes waste!"

Mayumi sliced the ball right under. "Think a power serve's gonna stop me?"

Skidding across the court for a volley, Rin managed to jump after it. "Gotcha!"

Yuna gave her a pile driving forehand. "I wonder if you can return this!"

"Another power shot," Haruka went behind the base line and sent it back. "I've noticed something though, is doing a forehand all she knows?"

Deciding to test her theory, Haruka glanced at Rin who immediately got the message. "You got it!"

Mayumi ran towards the left to block a volley only to have Rin fire a backhand shot. However, something went wrong because Yuna's backhand was actually more powerful than her forehand. Exploding off from her racquet, Yuna fired a shot towards Rin who tried to stall it but fell backwards instead. "15-40!"

Rin's eyes widened while getting up. "I see stars~..."

"You can't take hard shots like that, can you? Did you think that my backhand was my weak point? If you can't master backhand but only master forehand, then you're only half a player." Yuna smirked while setting down her racquet near her. "Is this all Hyotei Gakuen has to offer?"

Rin stuck out her tongue. "I'm just getting warmed up, don't bother!"

Seeing how many times Rin flew back, Isane turned to Hitomi. "How did her shots get that hard?"

"By prolonging the presence of the ball on her racquet, she managed to increase its strength though she only has a split second to do this." Hitomi adjusted her lenses. "Her strings also is put at a certain tension somewhere around sixty maybe. She also has a thicker string for her racquet around 15 if I'm seeing correctly. Rin is a control player; her racquet uses an seventeen because she's not a power type."

"But isn't seventeen...?" Isane looked at Yuna's racquet. "Her racquet is right down the middle, how can she do that!"

"The second to the thinnest string and the more loose it is, the longer it will stay on the racquet but because it's also leaning to the stiff side the more speed and power it will gain," Hitomi continued to gather data. "There's a ninety percent chance however that Rin will be flying towards the wall more often. But, there's a ninety percent chance that Hikifumi and Shimohi will win the match, six-four."

Isane stared at her as if she grew another head. "How can you say that if Rin won't be able to return shots from Yuna!"

"Who said that she had to keep firing at Yuna then?"

Isane stopped for a moment and watched the game continue. Another power shot came from Yuna causing Rin to stumble back again. However, Haruka this time managed to back her up. "Rin, don't hit shots that you can't return!"

Mayumi smirked while slicing. "You're nowhere near Yuna-senpai's strength. She's gonna make you fly a lot more, Shi-mo-hi~."

Rin returned the ball with a forehand. "How sure are you? She's nowhere near the net!"

Smiling maliciously, Mayumi dodged the shot and Yuna drove it down the line and even with Rin's acrobatics, she couldn't send it over. "Game, Schleiden-Toumanari pair, 1-0!"

Rin spat out the dust she had in her mouth. "Yeesh, I can't send it over. She's like a golem, kuwee~!"

Haruka looked at the marks on the court. "She's so petite yet she can fire shots like that. Rin's going to have no chance against her if she's at the net."

"Oi, Haru-chan?"

The girl turned to her partner. "I'm sorry for not being able to return it."

Haruka shook her head. "It's alright. No harm done, it's just a warm up after all. Just think of this game as a match with Ayane and Kiyone on their worst days."

Rin gaped. "Her strength is at least one-fourth of Ayane-chan's!"

"Which means - there should be an opening. How do you play against Ayane then?"

She hesitated for a moment to think. "I- I don't know. I haven't had much time to pay attention on how to play against her."

"Do you need time?" Haruka knew this was a risk but they had no other choice.

"Yeah, maybe." Rin walked towards the baseline. "I'm not very fond of moving back but I think I might get something from here."

Haruka positioned herself at the net. "Alright, just tell me when you're ready to go for net."

It was Yuna's serve now. "Alright, I'm not going to make you guys able to return this!"

Her serve exploded like a cannon and despite Haruka's efforts in moving back, the ball flew high into the air. "Out! 15-love!"

Rin saw Haruka trembling. "Haru, are you okay?"

Gripping her wrist, Haruka picked up her racquet. "Even one swing... my wrist would have been done for."

"Do you know why now Yuna-senpai is called an "Amazon"?" Mayumi smirked.

"Her racquet is what gives her the extra power." Haruka eyed Yuna's racquet. "Her strings may be wide but her racquet head is so stiff to the point it gains more strength."

"Moron."

Haruka looked at Mayumi who tousled her hair. "That's only one part of it though. It's basic physics: she only has a split second to prolong her shot and put more power into it. It will take her at least two seconds to make shots like that. Then again, I don't think you guys will even react fast enough."

Rin overheard the conversation and started to get a feel of it. "Her strength is monstrous but I doubt she can keep it like that forever."

The two headed back to the baseline while Yuna chided. "Why did you tell them that?"

Mayumi jeered at them. "I don't think they'll beat your strength, Yuna-senpai. Just give them four aces and then we'll have our second game."

"You underestimate your opponents too much, Mayumi." Yuna prepared for another ace.

Her serve made a soft sound but it disappeared. "Where did it go!"

Haruka began looking around until she felt something touch her foot. "30-love!"

Yuna pointed her racquet at them. "Are you guys done warming up?"

Rin gulped. "Haru-chan..."

"I know." Haruka felt her body tremble from the first shot she received.

Ayane was watching the game. "That girl, Amazon Yuna? She makes Kiyone look like Hercules."

Kiyone glared. "Hey, I'm not that weak!"

Mai continued to watch another ace pass through. "This is the third ace. Hikifumi-senpai's body hasn't adjusted to the level of power yet."

Shizuru saw another ace fly past her doubles pair. "Hikifumi-senpai's just coming up with a plan. Give them a little time."

"Game, Schleiden-Toumanari pair, 2-0! Change Court!"

Rin was breathing heavily. "Haruka, why...? Why can't we return it?"

"I just need a little more time. I'm sorry, Rin." Haruka followed her to the other court.

Mayumi jeered. "They're breaking down. That's a good sign at least their shots are the least of our worries."

Yuna's face remained impassive. "Don't be so sure. We're actually lucky."

"Huh?"

"We didn't face Hyotei's Ace Doubles Pair: the two first years over there." Yuna pointed out. "She can match up to my strength despite being a half inch shorter than I am. If she were to play with her partner, we would have lost six games to love. These two are just the sub doubles pair. They're not their trump card yet."

Mayumi ignored that. "Whatever, if the third years are easy to beat, so will the first and second years."

"I now see why you were put in doubles."

Rin was up for service. "Alright, don't keep complaining m'kay?"

Her service was none other than the amazing Twist Serve except less lethal than the Echizens' versions. Spinning and bouncing awkwardly, the ball went towards the doubles line after landing in the service area. "15-0!"

Haruka looked at Rin with worry. "Rin, don't!"

"I'm fine, I can handle it." Rin fired another Twist Serve.

Mayumi this time managed to return it. "Don't speak too soon!"

Yugetsu Chuu was a lot better than they had expected but that didn't mean that Haruka was running out of ideas. "Rin!"

Jumping towards it, Rin hit the ball from in between her legs. "Yahoo!"

Yuna fired another heavy backhand. "Bring it on!"

Haruka's eyes widened. "That's a Jack Knife but how!"

"Don't freeze, Haruka!"

She noticed Rin jump towards the ball and deflect it back. Same thing happened however, the shot was too strong for her. "15 all!"

Mayumi clapped hands with Yuna. "Hmph, you sure showed them. That's only the beginning, brats."

Rin glowered. "Look who's talking, _kuwee_!"

"It's alright. Let's just play our best." Haruka tried to calm down the two parties.

Yuna glared at Mayumi. "You should watch your actions, Mayumi."

"Ah, whatever Yuna-senpai." Mayumi didn't really bother listening to her again.

Another rally ensued with Yuna smashing a heavy ball. "15-30!"

Rin fired another Twist Serve which Mayumi returned. "That won't work on me, Hyotei brat!"

Haruka watched the games add up. "If we keep playing at this pace, we'll lose six games to love. Yuna's shots are too strong to return and even by simply deflecting it my wrist took a beating. Rin's nowhere near her strength either and her stamina's going down."

Rin's twist serve required a lot of stamina. "No, no, no, I can't stop now. Don't fall...!"

Yuna forced them to do so many errors that the points just came to them naturally. Mayumi sliced the ball with a smirk. "You guys are just all show."

The ball slid past them marking the third game. "Game, Schleiden-Toumanari, 3-0!"

Haruka looked at Rin who was beat. "Haruka, what should do we now?"

"I haven't seen an opening so far." Haruka then glanced at her. "I think it's time I pulled out my move."

"But I thought you were saving that for the Prefectures!" Rin stared aghast.

Haruka eyed her. "Do you have any other plan that can beat them?"

Rin wanted to say yes but quickly stopped herself. "No."

"I know you're worried about me but," Haruka shook her head. "I want to win this game. I'm sorry for sounding so victory hungry."

Rin shook it off immediately. "I got your back then, ai-bou~!"

Haruka smiled. "Thank you."

Mayumi now started with her serve. "Don't expect mercy from me!"

The ball slid a few inches above the net and because she wasn't a power player, this gave Haruka and Rin a fighting chance. "Here I go!"

Standing in a different stance, Haruka eyed the shot carefully. "Dragon's Tail."

The ball spun differently and because of the spin it looked like it was going linear. Yuna planted herself into the ground. "Let's see about tha-huh?"

Without realizing it, the ball had descended even faster than before but it didn't roll on the ground. It bounced away from Yuna which caused her to miss. "0-15!"

Mayumi gaped at the two. "What the hell was that!"

The Hyotei regulars turned to Hitomi. "By attacking the ball differently and causing an abrupt spin on the ball, Haruka change and control where it goes. The reason for its name is because though it looks like a regular linear shot, it actually curves away when it touches the ground."

"Just like a dragon's when it waits." Haruka finished.

Yuna didn't seem to be intimidated. "But that abrupt spin puts pressure on your ankle now doesn't it?"

Haruka called her bluff. "No, in fact, my ankle was not really involved in this."

"We'll see about that." Mayumi positioned to serve again.

The serve bounced off normally while Haruka returned it with a forehand" again. Yuna followed it up with a powerful forehand which Rin was forced to lob. Mayumi was high in the air. "Looks like Hyotei were just a bunch of jerks after all."

Her smash exploded on the court but Rin stepped back far enough. "You talk so much!"

Yuna sent a sinker shot back towards them. "Tell me, how will you do your Dragon's Tail now?"

"Thanks though for sending me a sinker shot." Haruka positioned herself again.

Mayumi took a step back. "Alright, show me what you got!"

The dragon's tail came but with a whiplash motion, the ball bounced up into the air smacking Mayumi under her chin. "Hey!"

"Did you think that a dragon's tail moves only in one motion? If you did then, that's your problem." Haruka finished it with a smirk. "0-30!"

Yuna smiled. "Clever, by using my power against her, you did a top spin and you were able to make the ball spin hard enough to bounce high causing a whiplash motion."

Rin's eyes widened. "How did she know that?"

Haruka didn't say anything while Mayumi glowered. "You're dead, Hyotei!"

Another serve sounded off while Rin aimed right at the corner of the court while throwing her entire body forward. "Gotcha!"

Mayumi dived for it but fell instead. "Love-40!"

"Tch," Mayumi wiped her lip while glaring at the two. "That was a lucky shot!"

Rin grinned. "It wasn't luck; it was pure acrobatics!"

Mayumi served it again but this time much faster. In the middle of the serve, it increased speed and power. "Haruka, we have a problem!"

Haruka stood at the receiving end of the serve. "No problem. This serve's a sinker and Rin, you forgot what I'm best at."

"Oh yeah," Rin grinned impishly, "you're the control expert!"

Haruka used another Dragon's Tail shot. "Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair, 1-3!"

Yuna saw their sudden improvement. "You were holding back the entire time?"

"No, we're just the type to cruise for a few moments." Haruka gave her a thumbs up.

Mayumi hissed while Yuna put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's alright because we'll be taking the next game."

"Jack Knife again?" Mayumi's eyes glinted.

"I might have to."

Mayumi's demeanor changed while she set herself at the net. "Alright, let 'em have it!"

Haruka didn't like the look in Mayumi's eyes. "Rin, get ready."

Rin lowered her body. "You got it."

Haruka bounced the ball lightly. "Hopefully, they won't be using heavy shots again. We were able to get the fourth game from them but I don't know how we're going to keep this up."

The ball cracked off and the rally began. Mayumi sent it towards the edge of the court but Rin sent it right back at her with a volley. Yuna took her position from behind Mayumi with her backhand ready. "I think my Jack Knife should end this."

Her shot sailed across the net and sent Rin flying again even farther than before. "0-15!"

"Rin!" Haruka ran towards her partner. "You okay?"

"Yeah!" Rin flashed a wide grin, jumping up to her feet. "No worries!"

Mayumi jeered. "You're probably too skinny. Maybe that's why your shots stink."

Rin glared. "Wait til you see what happens later, you ninny!"

Yuna put her hand on Mayumi's shoulder while bowing. "I'm sorry for my partner's rudeness. I'd like to continue the match."

"Yeah, we should continue it." Haruka dragged Rin away from Mayumi.

Rin was aghast by Haruka's politeness. "The nerve of that girl saying that my shots stink! I'll show her real acrobatic play later on!"

Haruka couldn't believe that Rin was getting reckless again. "Watch out for your stamina, Rin."

"Don't worry about me. I can last til tie break." Rin bent down at the net while Haruka took her position to serve.

Mayumi faced Rin at the net. "Let's see how long you'll last, brat."

"Look who's talking." Rin glared while she heard Haruka's serve crack off her racquet.

Yuna sent it back heavier than before. "I think it's time I brought out my higher level Jack Knife, don't you think?"

Haruka managed to deflect it but with much effort. "Her shots keep increasing in power, there's no way I can send it back like this all the time!"

Rin volleyed her shot over but Mayumi smashed it right back at her. "Your shots are too high, brat."

The boys' tennis team were also there watching and Atobe glanced at Shizuru. "Kurenai, is this all your doubles two pair can do?"

"Haruka's making a plan, Atobe-senpai. Watch her style of play and you'll see why." Shizuru remained focused on watching.

"0-30!" The Jack Knife once again plastered through their defense.

Haruka knew this wasn't getting anywhere. "There has to be an opening. Forcing her to net play isn't much of an idea since her shots get even stronger there." She served the ball again and Mayumi volleyed the shot on Rin's left side.

However, she underestimated Rin's flexibility when she then jumped towards sent back her volley. "15-30!"

Mayumi spat. "Che that was luck! I'll make sure you don't get past me again!"

"Oh yeah? Don't spout off so much!"

Right after Haruka's serve, Yuna fired another Jack Knife heading straight right in between Haruka's legs. "15-40!"

Haruka this time increased the speed of her serve and Yuna couldn't react on time so Mayumi was forced to do a drop shot right over. Rin dived for the ball and sent it cross court. Despite the distance, Mayumi was able to cover the distance and ran for the ball while doing a pile driver right down the line. "You sure that can stop me, Shi-mo-hi~?"

Rin backhanded her next shot. "Yeah, wait til I have you running all over the place, idiot!"

However, Rin's backhand was all Yuna needed for another shot. "You just gave me the perfect shot." Her Jack Knife exploded onto the court leaving the two frozen in shock. "Game, Schleiden-Toumanari, 4-1! Change court!"

Rin gaped at the score. "This is the biggest loss we've had so far."

Haruka put her hand on Rin's shoulder. "I think we should stop fooling around."

"Yeah. You're right." Rin flipped her racquet around her wrist. "I think we've been playing around too long."

The two prepared for another shot while Yuna served again. "This time, I think my service should be a lot faster so, you better keep up."

Without any hesitation, Yuna's serve exploded off like a cannon but this time, Haruka fired the shot which sounded off like a bullet. "People have serves and shots like the Scud Serve and the Bullet Serve but Haruka-san's is something people should watch out for," Isane looked at her captain who was watching the match carefully. "

"Hikifumi-senpai has an excellent amount of control and they were just warming up on how to deplete the opposing's strength." Shizuru continued to watch the game while Haruka did another Dragon's Tail.

"0-15!"

Mayumi stared in shock while Haruka and Rin got their first point. "How... how could they easily return your shots now!"

"They were toying with us. Waiting for the right moment to strike, like a predator and prey. In this case," Yuna gripped her racquet tightly, "we're the prey."

Haruka tousled her hair back. "You thought we were that pathetic? Now that is sad - believe me, a lot of people do that."

Rin grinned. "If you can't beat us then, you're no match against the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair then!"

Yuna fired another shot. "Let's see you try and return this!"

The ball curved and wobbly bounced off the floor making it bounce very low. "Kiyone-chibi often sends serves like that so, being on the receiving end," Rin bent down and sent it back, "is no problem at all!"

Haruka saw that Rin was not going to stop. "Rising Counter," –she watched the ball fly across the net, "good job."

Rin flipped through the air and smashed the ball down. "Shi-mo-hi Torpedo~!"

Like the description and name, the ball exploded onto the court and bounced high. Mayumi frantically began looking around. "Where the hell did it go?"

Yuna heard something bounce lightly behind them and saw that Rin's shot had landed exactly on that small corner at the baseline. "0-30!"

Mayumi spat out dust. "Shoot, if this keeps up, we're not getting anywhere!"

"Don't give up just yet, we still have a comfortable margin."

Yuna fired another Jack Knife and Haruka danced backwards. "Now, Rin!"

Throwing her body forward, Rin used her whole body weight for a huge shot. "_Kukuwee_, here I come~!"

Gakuto stared at Rin. "Geez, she knows how to make Kikumaru look good. I'm still better than Kikumaru though."

Rin didn't like the sound of Gakuto's comment. "Get a grip, coconut head! I'm still working on my technique here!"

Haruka positioned herself for another shot while Oshitari smirked. "Dragon's Tail, she's going to do it again."

Atobe watched them progress almost instantly. "They were losing the first four games on purpose. Normally, people would rush to finish."

"They weren't losing on purpose, Atobe." Shizuru's soft voice cut in.

Ayane gulped while she watched Rin and Haruka get their second game. "You do know that Shimohi-senpai just came from a fever right?"

Hitomi pat the vice captain on the head. "We know but, I made sure she took her meds before started playing. It's been almost a week now."

The vice captain's eyes widened. "What if the fever comes back? What if she suddenly just collapses on the court!"

Kiyone knew that her partner was not only hot tempered but quite motherly also despite only being in first year. "Geez, you're going to grow white hair by the time you're third year. I liked it better when you started ranting on how much you hated Atobe."

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi, 2-4!"

Rin began her service. "Alright Haruka, we better work on our little dragon thing!"

Haruka lowered her body at the net. "We ought to stop playing around. It's almost annoying. An art is not something that should be rushed but something to be marveled at."

Rin cut the ball when she served thus forcing it to spin unevenly. "What the-?" Yuna's eyes widened.

Mayumi dived for the ball. "That's not going to stop us!"

Haruka sliced it under and it simply just flew off to one side and rolled right there. "Dragon's Retaliation."

Yuna clucked her tongue. "So this is why you're called the Twin Dragons of Hyotei. But there's a catch: you can't play doubles with other people now can you?"

Haruka and Rin exchanged glances and then turned to them. "We can."

"15-0!"

Mayumi returned Rin's Twist Serve again. "Time to show you something new, it's an unnamed technique though."

The ball swung around the pole and Haruka sighed. "Get your facts straight, there is a name for this technique."

"There is?" Mayumi stared in horror as Haruka returned it with her famous technique.

Haruka sniggered. "Yeah, it's called the "Boomerang Snake". I've dealt with this attack a lot of times. The Dragon's Tail was created to counter the Boomerang Snake."

"Because there is more spin on the ball, the Dragon's Tail is more lethal though it is a lot stronger when used against a sinker shot." Hitomi continued to collect data. "There's a ninety nine percent chance that the next four matches will be won by Haruka-san and Rin-san."

Kiyone put her hands behind her head. "Boy, I can't wait to play. They should have dished out their techniques before it got this bad."

Shishido grumbled. "I'd rather watch them clobber Seigaku, that's what."

Ohtori looked at Shizuru. "Shizuru-chan, what position are you playing?"

"Singles One." Shizuru sounded quite abash.

Gakuto glomped her. "You don't need to sound so humble! There's a reason why you should be arrogant! I mean - you're the best ladies player in Hyotei!"

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "No thanks, I'd rather not have her sounding like a mole diva," – while referring to Atobe while directing with her head, "over there."

Jirou was now getting excited in watching Rin play. "Go, Rin-chan, go!"

Rin back flipped into the air and sent a linear shot that was almost impossible to do. "Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi, 4 games all!"

Atobe watched the match with a smirk. "That was fast."

Oshitari was too busy looking at something else. "This is better than cable."

"That's because you're looking at their legs, Yuushi!" Gakuto whined while still clinging on to the Second Year captain.

Shizuru smirked. "Now, finish them, Hikifumi-senpai, Shimohi-senpai."

Rin smashed the ball again. "You got it, buchou!"

"Don't worry much because we've gotten the game all sewn up!" Haruka did another Dragon's Tail.

Yuna and Mayumi didn't like the sound of that and before they knew it, they had closed the margin on them.

The umpire declared, "Game and set, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair! Six games to four!"

-This is my first PoT story that involved something like this! I'm not much of a drama romance person. Please review!


	2. Strutting Their Stuff

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 2 – Strutting their stuff

"Geez, they weren't so hard after all." Rin kicked back and slung her jacket over. "Yugetsu Chuu isn't all that they claim to be, _kuwee~_."

Haruka snickered until her face became serious again. "Actually, I had a hard time. Rin, they nearly had us. If it wasn't for the fact that I brought out my Dragon's Tail and Dragon's Retaliation technique then we would have lost big time. Not only that, don't go reckless like that again alright?"

Rin slumped on the chair. "I guess you're right. I mean – we'd be soooooo dead by now if we didn't do anything right! So, who's the next player anyway?"

"Yugetsu Chuu's Sunamyou Shina and Hyotei Gakuen's Uchiha Isane, please come to the court."

Isane dropped her jacket down. "Alright, wish me luck!"

Gakuto whistled. "Go, Isa-chan! Show them what you're made of!"

Moving towards the court, Isane faced off in Singles Three against Yugetsu Chuu's Sunamyou Shina. "So, you're Uchiha Isane I suppose?"

"Yeah, that's me." Isane looked at her opponent who looked like a midget compared to her.

Shina stared at her height. "You're so big…"

Isane scratched her head. "Ehm, I know. I get that a lot."

Shina shrugged and spun her racquet. "Choose one."

Isane's eyes watched the racquet carefully. "Rough?"

The racquet landed on smooth and Shina skipped towards the baseline. "I serve first okay? Don't fall back now!"

Uneasily making her way towards the baseline, Isane prepared to receive the serve. "She looks so different from the last two. Yuna's at least five feet four and Mayumi's even taller than Shizuru and she can't even hit power shots like Yuna. Well," –looking at Yuna's tightly packed and muscled arms, "I guess that's why she's strong but she's so small and I can't even hit that hard."

"Hey, stop dazing out!" Shina served with a singsong voice.

Isane hit it with a forehand cross court. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

Shina backhanded it and Isane did a top spin on the ball. "Wow, you're so good in baseline and net! It's so cool!"

"Huh?" Isane didn't understand why Shina was complimenting her at a time like this.

"But," Shina volleyed the ball across right past Isane, "I'm still better!"

Without having much time to react, Isane was forced to dodge the shot which narrowly missed her leg. "15 love!"

Rin was intently watching the match. "Waah~, she's weird!"

Haruka glanced at her doubles partner. "That's part of her strategy but I think the voice and taunts are just part of her personality. Not all of them are stone faced, Rin."

"Wow, she plays like me!" A curly haired boy chirped from behind the two.

Shishido stared at him awkwardly. "This is the first time I saw Jirou get excited over something aside from Marui."

"You can see from her playing style." Hitomi continued scribbling down. "Isane-chan isn't quite adept in dealing with volley players. She's more the baseliner and she's not the type to run. I think I should give her some of my Yamaguchi Running Special 2.0," –her glasses glinted, "hmmm, quite good data."

Ayane gave her senpai a droll stare. "Senpai, do you remember the time you made the juice you nearly got expelled?"

"I made sure this one is edible." Hitomi gave her a business smile. "I had Kurenai-chan try it and she's still alright."

Kiyone's jaw dropped. "You tried to poison Kurenai-buchou!"

Mai gawked at her captain who was calmly watching the match. "Is that why you vomited for three days?"

"My stomach couldn't digest the nuts properly. There were some nuts that she didn't blender properly." Shizuru's eyes watched the ball fly across towards Isane.

The red haired genius shook her head in complete disapproval. "Geez, why do you always subject yourself to Yamaguchi-senpai's poisons?"

"It doesn't matter." Shizuru remained focused on the match. "I'm fine and that's all there is to it."

Shina volleyed again towards Isane. "Yay, here I go!"

"Oh no, not another volley shot!" Isane dived for the ball and it came out to be a lob.

Gakuto slapped his forehead. "Uchiha, you're a crazy wimp! Why did you give her a chance shot!"

"Eh? Gomenasai," Isane shrank at Gakuto's retort.

Ayane pointed to Shina. "Focus on the game, Uchiha-senpai!"

Isane looked at her opponent who was up in the air and smashed the ball towards her. "Ah!"

"Score: 30-love!" The arbiter declared.

Isane's body shivered with nervousness. "Oh man, she's so fast with her volleys! I can't even get her shots when she volleys."

Shina cocked her head to the side. "You okay?"

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." Isane positioned herself again and Shina sent a fast serve down the line.

With amazing accuracy, Isane returned it towards the corners and Shina attacked the net. Her volleys were getting faster and faster and so were her smashes. "40 love!"

Breathing heavily, Isane stood up again only to see a cheekily jumping Shina. "Okay, one more point!"

"How could she be so cheerful at a time like this?" Isane looked at the score with her eyes widening with horror.

Because she wasn't paying attention, Shina aced her completely. "Game, Sunamyou, 1-0!"

Isane looked at the ball that rolled beside her. "Oh. I forgot."

Mai swat her head. "Isane-senpai's going to get squashed! She better get on the offensive right now!"

"She is on offensive." Momo stated while watching Isane's form tremble slightly. "Her opponent is just one heck of a defender."

They all turned to Momo. "You notice Isane-chan's sending all her shots to places that Shina supposedly can't reach?"

Kiyone recalled Isane's first game. "Yeah, but how is Sunamyou-san being able to send her shots back without a problem?"

"It's something called "insight". Atobe-san and Shimohi-san have it too, don't they?"

They looked at the captain who sat on the bench with a smirk. "Shina's gifted with insight and precognition. She can anticipate the opponent's movements before one can even do it. Your friend's not going to make much progress against Shina. I see she's pretty afraid to touch the net."

Rin paled. "But that's impossible, didn't she get over that fear!"

"This has always been Isane-san's problem." Hitomi tilted her glasses, "her inability to cope with fast shots such as volleys and smashes."

Mai's fists turned visibly white. "She was okay when Naomi-buchou was our captain! Why did she end up this way, she was winning the past few days wasn't she!"

"It was during her Singles Three game in the Nationals." Shizuru watched Isane tremble violently in front of her opponent. "We faced Shitenhouji back then remember?"

Mai's eyes widened. "She still remembers!"

Isane fired another cross court ball which was returned by Shina's backhand. "Aww, you're not playing properly!"

"I have to keep her away from the net!" That was the only thought running through Isane's mind right now.

Shina got even more cheery when she saw Isane struggling. "Mou~, I think I should do it now. Check me out: Golden Lance head snake!"

With her muscles tensing up, Isane jumped forward as she watched the ball roll down the net with her arm outstretched. "What the, how did that-?"

"Score: Love 15!"

Ayane turned to Kiyone. "You can beat that right?"

"Che, you really underestimate me, Aya-chan." Kiyone snorted with a scoff.

"Like a snake it crawls on the ground," Oshitari tilted his glasses while he was watching Shina use it again after Isane's second serve, "she's not bad for a singles player."

Jirou jumped excitedly. "Wow, that's such a cool move! It's like Marui's Tightrope Runner!"

Isane sent another cross court back hand but Shina jumped towards the net and did it again. "Wheee, this is fun!"

"No!" Isane jumped towards the net and accidentally threw her racquet and found herself face to face with the ball. "Score: Love-30!"

Shizuru stood up and went to the Arbiter. "Excuse me, is it okay if I have a moment with my team mate?"

"Sure." The Arbiter then requested a timeout but didn't know why Shizuru requested this but Isane trudged towards the bench.

Isane looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, buchou. I'm just so scared. Every time someone volleys, I can't even run after it. My body freezes the moment it happens."

Ayane goofily grinned at her senpai. "Don't worry. You can do it, Isane-senpai!"

"I'm sure it's just an old flashback." Mai pat her on the shoulder. "You just need to force her back to baseline like you usually do."

Isane gulped. "That's exactly what I did the last time but…!"

The score board in the Nationals flashed in her head and she trembled even more violently. "She lost that game." Gakuto turned up from behind Isane. "She's always been afraid of approaching the net because of that. No matter how aggressive her play, if the opponent finds out that going towards the net is Isa-chan's worst fear," –Gakuto shuddered, "she's going to get a dish of humiliating pain. I mean – Isa-chan's just going to break like a piece of glass on the court."

"Isane-senpai," Shizuru stood in front of her upperclassman with her racquet in hand. "I know you can do it. It's not the opponent that brings you down but the fear of defeat that does."

The silver haired player looked at the racquet in her younger captain's hand. "Thank you, Kurenai-buchou."

"Show her what the Queens of Hyotei live up to. You may have been a former queen but that doesn't change the fact that you were one." Shizuru maintained her honorific tone.

Taking her racquet from her captain, Isane moved towards the court and Shina was dancing around with her racquet. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," readying herself at the baseline, Isane smiled. "I just need time to cool down."

Shina served. "Okay, don't hold back!"

The ball flew straight at Isane who gave it a hard backhand which forced Shina to move back. "I'm going to take you down now. I'm not going to be a burden to my team mates."

"Yay, you're becoming a great challenge! Bring it on!" Shina gave her another volley; forcing Isane to take a few steps forward.

Isane fired another forehand cross court which was returned by another volley by Shina. "Why have I always been afraid to approach the net? I mean – I wasn't like this before."

"Go Isane-senpai!" Kiyone hollered from one end of the court.

"Don't fall back!" Rin cheered from the bleachers.

Isane smiled at the encouragement of her team mates; it made her feel so much better. Firing another cross court, Isane forced Shina to the baseline. "Hopefully, I won't freeze again. I just hope that nothing else would happen when I approach the net."

"Wow, you're pretty deep in thought!" Shina hit another volley while Isane waited for it to bounce towards her.

She didn't understand how or why Shina was this childish but she looked like a first year to her. Most of the girls' teams were comprised of third years but this first year student from Yugetsu Chuu was so much different. Despite being Nationals material, Isane felt widely uneasy when she played against a net player. "Alright, I'll end it right here!" Firing another cross court, Isane hoped that it gained her a point only to hear something else. "Not so fast!" Shina smiled with her singsong voice.

Looking at the even court, Shina was there in an instant with a childish grin. "I don't just play volley you know!"

The ball whizzed past Isane's ear and landed right on the line, "Love 40!"

"That's the," Isane's emerald eyes widened in shock, "Rising Counter?"

Shina did a 'v' sign. "You bet!"

Isane's body tensed again the moment Shina started using the Rising Counter. Serving again, Isane this time increased the speed a little. "If it's too fast, maybe there's a chance that she can't volley. She'll be forced to move back and I'll just have to top spin her every time. Her baseline play doesn't seem to be at par with her volley play."

"I'm surprised that your Regular is still determined to win." The captain smirked at Shizuru. "She's only half a player; she's beyond terrified to be near the net. Why is she even a regular? Shina's going to beat her in a score of six-love maybe in around twenty minutes the way things are going."

Ayane started advancing towards her. "Why I ought to-!"

Stopping the tangerine haired vice captain with a movement of her arm, Shizuru gave her a faint smile. "Just wait and see. Isane-senpai has many more tricks up her sleeve."

"Yeah," Mai smirked while leaning against the wall. "There's a reason why Isane's always took the baseline."

Isane backhanded another cross court to the left corner while Shina returned it with a forehand. "Wow, you're pretty neat! No one's ever tried forcing me to the baseline before! You know what – lemme tell you something," –she knew this was going to scare Isane witless, "I've never lost a point especially to aggressive baseliners."

Isane suddenly froze. "Huh?"

The ball curved in a ninety degree angle and Isane's retaliating forehand just made it to the net. "Game, Sunamyou, 2-0!"

"That's just a bluff." Hitomi folded her arms, "There's no one who could do that except Yukimura of Rikkai Dai. Not many people can play at his calibre, Isane."

Isane didn't like what Shina just said. "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said," Shina continued to be childish, "I've **NEVER** lost a point especially to aggressive baseliners."

Isane suddenly just dropped her racquet while she looked at the first year opponent who was impish and cheerful about it. She had never come across someone like this in her life. Most of her opponents were third years and Isane had defeated them all until that day in the Nationals a year back. They were first runner up and all because she had lost that match against that first year student also from Shitenhouji. This match just brought more flashbacks and gave her even more jitters than before. "I-I can't do this anymore… I…"

"Don't lose hope." ("Kesshite kibou wo utte haikenai") A soft voice came from the bench. (A/N: Please correct me if my Japanese is wrong)

Isane looked up to see her captain with her arms calmly folded and her auburn orbs staring at her. "As long as you still have a racquet and you have your stamina, there is still a chance that you can win."

Wobbly standing up, Isane looked at the first year who was giggling at the outcome of the match. "Five shots," –she stated with a giggle.

The third year student looked at Shina who began to serve. "I will finish you in five shots!"

Ayane's eyes widened at the first year. "Don't tell me she has that…"

"Saiki Kanpatsu? A first year student has it? That's crazy!" Kiyone could've sworn she felt her jaw hit the ground.

Mai sighed defeated while pointing out to the two first years. "That's downright impossible - her state of mind is not mature enough to hold it. Secondly, her mind has to be in a state of calmness and freedom. If I were to describe the _Saiki Kanpatsu_ as the soft blowing wind, this girl has a mind with a hurricane in it."

"Eh, but," Ayane pointed at the court, "then please explain why at the fifth shot, Isane-senpai just froze."

Mai saw the ball whiz past Isane once again and land on the corner. "15 love!"

Atobe brushed his hair back. "Ore-sama didn't know that Uchiha is a sucker for bluffs."

Shishido grumbled. "If this keeps up, Uchiha's going to humiliate you guys. Why didn't you put Momo in Singles Three anyway?"

"I wanted her to get over that fear." Shizuru glanced at Atobe and Shishido.

"Fear of?" Ohtori was completely puzzled.

Shizuru turned away from the two. "Fear of rushing towards the net. She always played doubles with Naomi-buchou or Vice Captain Ferero a year back. In every game, they were the doubles two pair during my first year in Hyotei."

"Come to think of it," Hiyoshi recalled the Nationals Game for the girls, "she always played doubles. Who were the Singles players anyway?"

"I was Singles Three," Mai tried recapping, "Shizuru played Singles Two and occasional Singles One and Naomi-buchou always played Singles One or Doubles Two."

Shishido raised an eyebrow. "How long has Uchiha been playing Singles?"

"She's been playing for almost a year now." Shizuru continued to watch another backhand go to the corner. "Isane-senpai was the one who asked me to help her play Singles. This is a way to train her. If she doesn't start playing Singles soon, when will she learn?"

Shina fired another fast volley. "Aww, you're slowing down!"

Moving back, Isane fired another shot far away from the net. "This is getting worse. If I don't do anything, how will I face Naomi-senpai? How will I face Ferero-senpai too?"

"Shina's the perfect opponent for Uchiha-san, don't you think?" The captain of Yugetsu purred while watching the first year student volley against the third year student.

Mai clucked her tongue. "Well, I'd like to know what slot you're playing in."

"I'm in Singles One of course, a spot reserved only for the captain." She flipped her hair away.

The vice captain couldn't help but snicker. "Good luck then."

"That's a bluff," –she raised her eyebrows, "your captain doesn't look like much. Also – did you know that Shina's won three Junior Tournaments in a row?"

Kiyone shook her head "She's not gonna last against Isa-_senpai_! She's gonna fly~!"

"Every style has a flaw in it." Momo continued to watch, "This one's just disguising it very well."

Isane heard the _Shinigami's_ words while she was slapping herself mentally. "How could I have been so stupid? I just have to wait for an opening and score."

She then did a pile driver on one of her forehands and this time, Shina made a mistake: it was too high and too weak a shot. "Found it!"

With a devastating back hand top spin, the ball sailed over the net and landed right on the left corner on the service box. "Score: Fifteen all!"

It was Shina's turn to freeze. She had just said that no one was able to score a point against her and Isane managed to slip one in. "Th-that was just luck! I won't let you again!"

Isane noticed the girl shivering in nervousness. "You've never lost a game, have you?"

"What?" Shina was flabbergasted by Isane's words.

Isane pointed her racquet at her, shaking her head ruefully. "There's a difference between experiences then. I've lost countless of Singles games before I got to who I am today. I had a similar game to yours and because I had no experience in playing against net players, I was devastated. You're just starting your career as a university tennis player now only, while I have," –she positioned herself to receive a serve again, "been playing for a lot longer than you have ever imagined. You've relied too much on your precognition and insight to the point you've lost your ability to strategize."

Shina sputtered. "That's not true! I've played Singles a lot more than you have!"

"But tell me: how many players have you played against? What styles have you encountered? That's what makes you a real player." Isane had a rueful smile curve up on her face.

Ayane shuddered at the thought of facing Isane. "Even though she's shy, the fact that she's blunt is what makes her scary."

"It's pure truth though." Hitomi tilted her glasses while continuing to jot down some data. "What Isane is saying is correct: the girl never had played in a team before so, there's more pressure while this is her third year playing as a member of the Hyotei Gakuen Girls. Sunamyou Shina, first year student of Yugetsu Chuu, though she had won Junior Tournaments, she had never faced someone who is Nationals material or calibre. She may have faced countless of aggressive baseliners but she has never met someone break her down mentally like that."

Atobe smirked. "Ore-sama thinks that Uchiha just found her key to victory."

"Don't be so sure yet." Mai pointed at a furious Shina. "There's a reason why she was put in Singles Two. The game's just beginning."

Shina's eyes became bloodshot while she began her service. "You're not going to get away from that!"

Isane's face turned into shock while returning it with a backhand. "What in the world-?"

Kiyone frantically shook Shizuru. "Shizu-_nee_, isn't that the…!"

Shishido's face cringed at the sight. "Can't Rikkai Dai's Kirihara do that?"

Atobe smirked. "Let's see how far Uchiha can go now. Bloodshot mode is usually activated when a player breaks down mentally or undergoes a certain degree of emotion. Yugetsu Chuu's captain did say that the girl was born with Insight and Precognition. Let's see how far it will take her though Ore-sama doubts that Uchiha will win the match now."

Isane did one pile driver and then Shina appeared right near Isane ready to do a volley. "I HATE YOU!"

The ball slammed right into Isane's eye causing the girl to keel over backwards on the ground. "Isane-senpai, are you okay!"

Turning towards the umpire, Shina let out a hiss. "What's the score!"

"S-Score: Th-30 - 15!" The Arbiter was completely terrified of a vicious Shina.

Smirking in delight, blood dripped on the floor and Shina's look became more glowering. "You… you… I hate you… why do the bad guys always have to win! I'm the good guy!"

"You cannot allow yourself to be driven that far," Isane slowly stood up while wiping the blood from her eye. "I can see it... I know how it's like to keep on winning and lose for the first time. But, there will always be someone stronger than you."

Gakuto gaped. "That's something new, a shot with effects of the knuckle serve. Man, this girl's nuts."

Oshitari watched Isane wobbly move towards the baseline. Though she had the upper hand in terms of experience but the first year was more powerful in terms of power, which one would win now? "I think Uchiha should pull out before she gets more broken bones. This one's hell bent in making Uchiha a scarred piece of mass tissue."

Shina served again and before Isane could return it, the ball spun at her racquet and bounced up to knock Isane in the chin. "You… you…!"

Shizuru looked at Yugetsu Chuu captain who didn't do anything to stop the rampaging first year. "You encourage this kind of tennis?"

"It is her style after all. Why do you think she never lost?" The captain had a placid look in her eyes.

Disgusted by her ethics, Shizuru turned away only to watch Isane struggle against the violent first year. Despite Isane's calm way of tennis, there was nothing she could do against the violent first year so far. The longer the game was played, the more violent Shina became. "Come on, how long are you going to be like that! Why aren't you dead yet!"

Isane fired another backhand. "She's so unstable and unpredictable now. It's so difficult for me to send shots because she sends them thrice the original power."

Shina kept volleying again and again. "Why? Why? Why!"

Seeing the frustration and impulsiveness in her eyes, Isane decided to take advantage of it. Aiming another forehand towards the baseline corner, Isane decided to end the match as early as possible. "Sunamyou-san's no ordinary player, I'm glad that none of my kohai had to play her. It would have been a disaster if they did."

Haruka saw the ball increase in speed. "Isane, dodge the ball!"

Without having much time to react, Isane was thrown backwards and hit the bleachers hard. Coughing out blood, Isane slowly slipped onto the ground.

Haruka gripped the rail tightly. "Isane-chan, that's enough!"

Looking up, Isane saw that Haruka was worried about her. "Don't' worry about me. I'm fine, really."

Hitomi stared at Isane's bloody state. "_Au contraíre_, you've cut your playing time down by five minutes."

"I look that bad huh?" Isane giggled a little while hearing the score, "40-15!"

Shishido looked at Shizuru who had concern written all over her face but Isane shook her head. "What the hell is she doing?"

Isane positioned herself in the baseline again. "Alright, serve at me, Sunamyou-san."

Without any hesitation, Shina fired a serve which echoed loudly on the court.

Everyone froze in their places because as Isane attempted to return it, the ball cracked her racquet string and sprained the third year's wrist.

Crumpling on the floor, Isane hissed slightly at the pain while Shina picked up the ball again. "Warning for on court violence," the arbiter sternly told Shina.

"Oh I don't care," –licking her lips, Shina served again, "I just wanna win!"

The serve increased in speed because of her bloodshot mode and Isane saw the ball coming. "Uchiha-senpai, use the frame of your racquet!"

Without any second though, Isane picked up her racquet and backhanded the ball. Shina became more bestial and more violent on the court. "This shot will be your last!"

She underestimated Isane greatly because the silver haired third year sent it back at the same power. "What in the world-?"

Isane bit the pain. "Ow, that hurt."

"Score: 40-30!"

Gakuto's eyes widened. "But how did Isane manage to do that kind of shot with only they frame! Isn't it supposed to be weaker!"

Hitomi explained to the magenta haired acrobat. "Your shot's power depends where you hit it. Isane-chan uses often the ends of her racquet and the more amount of force she puts into her swing, the stronger her shot. She applied that same principle to deflecting Sunamyou-san's shot. However, the limitation is – her injuries sustained from Shina's brutalities, how long will she last?"

Shishido turned to Shizuru. "Are you going to pull her out or what?"

"No, she won't," a weak voice came from the court.

They found Isane wiping blood away from her lip. "This is the first time I've found someone who's more than willing to give me a run for my money. Give me a little more time, Shishido-kun."

The capped regular turned away from her grumbling. "Don't blame me if you get killed."

Isane smiled and turned towards Shizuru. "Captain, will you stop me?"

Shizuru's auburn eyes steely looked at the rampaging first year. "Finish this match in thirty minutes. Other than that – I will drag you off the court, Uchiha-senpai."

"Thank you."

Returning to the court, Isane brought out a spare racquet she had kept over the years. Calmly adjusting the strings, she now had to face a very bloodthirsty and violent Shina. "W-wow, I've never seen anyone... g-go... t-this far..."

Shina licked her lips. "Shall I paint you in a lovely red too?"

Isane shuddered at the image of the violent little girl. "I don't understand how you can play so violently. But, I'll try to make sure that I won't lose!"

Shina fired another serve. "I wonder how many bones I should break in your body!"

Isane sidestepped to give back with a forehand. "Tennis is not a tool to vent your hatred and anger on, Sunamyou-chan."

"Shut up!" Shina was beyond sane now.

Isane backhanded the ball with a top spin but what scared her was that the strength was beyond her already. "The question is: how could someone do this much damage?"

Another backhand flew towards her while Isane sliced the ball under. "I have to force her back. If I get her too close then…!"

Shina appeared above her with a maniacal grin. "End of the line!"

With a vertical smash, Shina slammed the ball into Isane's chest and sent the third year tumbling on the floor. "Game, Sunamyou, 3-0!"

"That little brat's going to pay," the vice captain's teeth seethed.

Haruka's eyes began to water. "Isane-chan, that's enough. You're going to destroy yourself!"

Gakuto began yanking out his hair. "Isa-chan, unless you want to die, forfeit the match! This ain't worth it!"

"This is worth it." Isane slowly got up; tightly gripping her racquet.

Watching the girl cough out blood, Shizuru decided to step in. "Uchiha-senpai, your body can't take another beating. Drop the match."

Isane glared at Yugetsu Chuu's captain. "I can't let that girl over there get away with what she made Shina-chan do. I will win the match."

Shizuru didn't bother stopping her senpai anymore; she knew the act itself was unforgivable but Isane wouldn't listen to her even if she dragged her off the court. "Uchiha-senpai, you do know that she can kill you in her crazed state right? I cannot afford to lose a regular."

"Then, replace me if I get hospitalized."

Everyone's eyes widened at Isane who was more than determined to deal with Shina. "I have to play this match. I'm sorry, Captain."

A tennis ball shot at Shizuru but she was fast enough to dodge the shot. Isane turned to Shina who was licking her lips in delight. "Come on, stop yabbering already and get on the court!"

"She's getting so vulgar; it's as if she's altered completely." Isane watched Shina's bloodshot eyes beadily stare at them.

Positioning herself for a serve while Shina started running on fours for some strange reason, Isane began checking where she should aim. "Should I aim in between the legs? Should I aim at the corners?"

"What's taking you so long! Hurry up!" Shina's shrill voice echoed.

Isane didn't seem intimidated anymore. "Here I come!"

Serving as hard as she could, Isane awaited Shina's attack while the first year student then bit her racquet handle and swung it like a dog. Bewildered by her sudden change of style, Isane returned it with a backhand but Shina leaped high to smash it, "Love 15!"

Gakuto hid behind the fence. "Wow, this kid's even worse than that Kirihara guy."

Ohtori hid behind Shishido who stared in horror while watching his classmate get beaten up by a first year. "This is scary..."

Isane gave her a forehand again but then Shina backhanded it back at her right down the line, "Love 30!"

"What's the matter with you? You were better awhile ago or maybe it was because I was stinking awhile ago!" Shina gave her another forehand towards Isane's legs.

Sidestepping, Isane was forced to lob the ball. "Uchiha, you did it again! You gave her a lob!" Gakuto was really going insane.

Shina flashed a toothy grin and smashed the ball inches away from Isane's body. "Score: Love 40!"

"She's not as bad as Kirihara." Oshitari stated while continuing to watch the game. "Kirihara would have busted and rearranged her face if he wanted."

Kiyone shivered at the sight of Shina. "Wow, she looks almost as bad as Yane on a bad hair day..."

Gripping her tennis skirt, Shizuru saw that she was risking Isane's health but the girl had chosen to play despite the injuries. "Uchiha-senpai, I'm sorry I wish I knew this would happen."

"Don't be. I chose this path," Isane winked at her captain while she did another cross court shot.

Another shot however whizzed right in between Isane's legs. "Game, Sunamyou, 4-0!"

The silver haired regular could barely keep her eyes open but what could she do, her body had taken a heavy beating from Sunamyou Shina. "What now…?"

After being completely exhausted, Isane dropped to the ground.

Haruka and Ayane ran to the court. "Oh no, Isane/Isane-_senpai_, wake up!"

Gakuto propped up Isane's body against one of the benches. "Wow, it must've taken her all her will to keep awake."

Atobe looked at the score. "Most people would rather forfeit than play a game like that."

The umpire saw that Isane could no longer continue the game. "Game and set by default, Sunamyou, 4-0!"

Shina grinned maniacally while leaving the court; making her way towards her captain. "How'd I do?"

"You're lucky you faced none of the Queens." The captain searched the Hyotei bench.

Shina became puzzled. "Huh?"

"The one with red hair, she could have beaten you even if you did do your violent style."

Shina hissed at Mai who was busy tending to Isane's wounds. "I'll play her next time. What spot does she usually play in?"

"I'd say Singles Two." The captain however wasn't paying much attention to Mai but more in searching for the captain. "So, which one of you is the captain?"

Ayane picked up her racquet and the next match was doubles one. "Kiyo-chan, let's show them what we're really made of."

"Heck yeah, we should." Kiyone smirked while bring her racquet behind her.

"Doubles One players, please report to the court now!"

Atobe smirked. "You're doubles one?"

"Why you got a problem with that, your great and almighty highness?" Ayane glared at the king of Hyotei.

Atobe turned to Shizuru. "Are you sure you haven't lost your mind, Kurenai? These two are your best doubles pair?"

Ayane grabbed Atobe's jacket. "Listen to me, brat. You ought to know where you spout off! At least I know how to play doubles and a little bit of singles! Unlike his high and mighty highness ore-sama, he only knows how to play Singles!"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Ore-sama has always been better at Singles but he knows doubles as well."

"Che," –swinging his arm away, "so says the idiotic jerk who believes that he's king of the world and can twist women around his finger." Ayane marched off grumbling. "Go wallow in your egotistical stupidity, jerk. Better yet, go get your useless fan girls to go worship you. They make themselves useful that way."

"Hey, can we hear some cheering for us from up there?" Kiyone pointed her racquet towards the bleachers where many of the Hyotei students were.

"THE WINNER WILL BE HYOTEI! THE WINNER WILL BE HYOTEI!"

Ayane shook her head. "You just wanted to do that, didn't you?"

"It sounded cool." Kiyone shrugged.

The two first years went to the court and saw Yugetsu Chuu's players who looked exactly like each other. "Oooh, we're going against identical twins?" Kiyone chirped.

"It doesn't really matter." Ayane put her racquet over her shoulder. "The thing that really matters is if they can play doubles the way we can!"

One girl with light auburn hair extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Suzumiya Suzune! Glad to meet you!"

Kiyone didn't like the cheeriness in her voice. "Waaah, she has so much sugar!"

Ayane spun her racquet. "Alright, bring it on!"

One of the players stood in front of her and Ayane could only stare at the girl's height. "Wow, you're even taller than Isane-senpai and I thought she was a giant."

"Spin the racquet please." The voice came out surprisingly squeaky like.

It took all of Ayane's will not to laugh at her. "Okay, choose: smooth or rough?"

The taller one poked Suzune. "You pick which one."

Suzune's eyes watched how many times it spun. "According to the amount of strength placed on the racquet, I'd say rough."

Fair enough, the racquet did land on rough and Kiyone retreated to the service area. "Okay, here we go!"

Ayane went to the baseline and got ready to receive. "Alright Kiyone, this is our battle now! We're gonna have to him hard with everything we got! Don't you dare fall back!"

"Why? Why are you trying to impress mole-_san_" Kiyone whined while pursing her lips.

Ayane fumed at her doubles partner. "Of all things, why do you expect me to want to impress him?"

Kiyone cheekily grinned. "I know! Maybe it's because you like him!"

"Haha, very funny, I'm laughing so hard that I'm dying." Ayane rolled her eyes while preparing to receive the service.

Suzune looked at the taller girl. "You can do it, Rima-chan! Just hit it hard!"

Nodding at her sister, Rima tossed the ball and fired her service. The ball landed right next to Ayane which allowed her to backhand towards the left side followed by Suzune's volley. The volley was pretty high and Kiyone was able to twist her body and smashed the ball at the right side but Rima returned it with a pile driver. "Rima-chan," –the net player prodded, "I need you to hit harder than that!"

Ayane glanced at Kiyone who nodded at the girl. Rima sent in a hard forehand aiming for Kiyone but the shorter girl sidestepped and Ayane hit it with a very hard backhand which sped right past them and exploded right on the baseline, "Love 15!"

Suzune's eyes widened while Ayane and Kiyone resumed receiving stance. "These two are serious! I've never seen anyone hit a backhand like that."

Kiyone's had this wide cheeky smile while Ayane had a smirk on her face. "We're going to end this quickly, right, Kiyone?"

"Aww, I wanted to have fun," Kiyone pouted impishly.

Rima served again and this time, it was much faster than the first one. Ayane returned it with a forehand down the line followed by Suzune's drop shot which Kiyone adroitly returned with a slice. It took them awhile for them to decide where they should aim because the ball spun on the floor before bouncing. "Wait, where's the ball going?"

Ayane saw that Kiyone's shots were scaring them already. "They haven't seen anything yet if they think that's scary."

When the ball finally bounced up, Rima sent a pile driver towards Ayane who sent it back as if it were nothing. "How can she hit like that when she's not even a muscle builder?" Gakuto stared agape.

Shizuru looked towards Hitomi. "You've been having her lift weights, haven't you? Kiyone's always had a natural knack for controlling her hands very well."

"According to my data, Ayane's strength has increased by at least five percent. She should be able to perform hard hitting shots as well. Her speed was something that she could not easily improve on but her strength always came naturally to her since she is the powerhouse of this team. If trained properly, she could have at least half the strength of Kabaji." Hitomi continued to design another training regimen for Ayane. "Kiyone-chan on the other hand, I often make her do crochet so that her wrists would gain more control and also, her reaction time is much faster."

Gakuto gaped and Atobe tossed his head back. "Ore-sama didn't know that Kobayagi could be such a gorilla."

Hearing his comment, Ayane fired a heavy backhand which exploded the racquet away from Suzune. "I heard that! Look who's talking you gay mole diva! You're more girl than guy!"

Suzune picked up her racquet but found her hand still trembling from the impact, "Love 30!"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Arn~, often fixing oneself is not gay, Kobayagi. Besides, ore-sama has always looked stunning, nah, Kabaji?"

Kabaji gave his usual reply, "Usu."

"You're asking the wrong critique, you egotistical pompous brat!" Ayane felt a vein pop at the back of her head, "Kabaji-san says nothing but "usu" to you!"

The kansai prodigy whistled. "She's the only one who's willing to argue with Atobe while playing a game."

Shishido shrugged while setting his things aside. "Well, we can now prove that there is a girl out there who hates Atobe's guts like anything."

Knowing that the argument could get long, Kiyone yanked Ayane's sleeve. "Quit yelling at your hubby and let's play!"

"He's my hubby? Oh no, no, no, Atobe is anything but a hubby let alone MINE!" Ayane glared with fangs at the smaller girl.

Shizuru pinched the bridge of her nose and Mai handed her a box. "Need some cereal?"

"Yeah, I think I will." Shizuru got some into her hand and started popping them into her mouth.

Ayane was fuming during the entire game and Kiyone smirked at her opponents. "Yay, Yane-Yane's gonna kill you."

The two didn't know what she meant but Suzune smiled. "Are you sure you're not bluffing?"

"Maybe," Kiyone readied herself at the net, "you should just see it for yourself. Yane-Yane's never in a good mood."

Rima didn't take the bluff seriously and fired another serve. Kiyone volleyed it across while Suzune sent it to the back. "I really need a stress reliever right now!" Ayane exploded her forehand like a missile and the Yugetsu Chuu players didn't have much time to react either, "Love forty!"

Suzune looked at Kiyone who shrugged. "She wasn't joking. Her doubles partner's shots sound like they come from a cannon or a missile launcher."

Ayane placed herself at the baseline again. "Alright, time to take the first game, Kiyone."

Kiyone returned Rima's service with a volley. "You got it!"

Suzune twisted her body and the ball didn't bother bouncing after she had hit it. "What in the world-?"

The ball bounced away from Kiyone but she didn't feel rattled. "Twist Shot, not bad."

Suzune eyed the first year student. "You don't seem the least bit rattled."

"That's because she's got me to cover her!" Ayane fired a shot towards the very edge of the baseline.

Rima returned it with a less lethal force. "You're really powerful but I'm sorry, we have to start winning this game."

Ayane prepared a double fisted backhand. "I'd like to take my chances with this then!"

Her backhand was more powerful than her usual ones and her whole body lifted off the floor. "She used the Magnolia Blade, her version of the Jack Knife." Kiyone watched the ball explode onto the other side of the court and not even bothering to bounce high anymore. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 1-0!"

Clapping hands with each other, Kiyone moved to the baseline to serve. "You sure scared them."

"I just wanted them to know who exactly they were dealing with." Ayane cheerfully moved towards the net.

Kiyone pouted. "Aww, you did quick kill. I thought we do it painful and slow?"

"Yeah but ever since that Sunamyou girl, I think it's best we do quick kill and finish them off." Ayane examined the two sisters who were also discussing strategy. "The most dangerous among the two of them would be Suzune, she's more your alley, Kiyone."

"Really, how come you say that she's the most dangerous?" Kiyone didn't get where this was going.

Ayane explained carefully. "In doubles, there are two kinds of players: a playmaker and an applicator. A playmaker is the one who makes the plan and strategy while the applicator on the other hand is someone who constantly follows the playmaker or just does what he or she believes is in accordance to the strategy."

"Oh well, I'll pretend I understood that," Kiyone was trying to process whatever Ayane was telling her.

Ayane looked at Suzune's body language. "Yeah and Suzune's telling her to pile drive you later. Once you're done serving, return one baseline shot, I don't mind if it's a cord ball."

"Then, I rush the net and you take baseline again?"

The vice captain pat Kiyone on the head. "Yep, that's right, Chibiko."

Kiyone whined when Ayane began ruffling her hair. "Don't call me "Chibiko"!"

Laughing softly, Ayane knew she couldn't let her guard down here. The Magnolia Blade would win them the point and Kiyone hasn't pulled out anything yet. Hopefully, this game would be a classic six games to love match. "Alright, time to rock down the house. Ready?"

Kiyone readied her serve. "Yay, here we go!"

Her service wasn't as strong as the others but she did make up for it when she was near the net. Hitomi began scribbling. "Kiyone's service still needs work and her skills at the baseline need much more work than ever. Her volleying can be dealt with later. Ii data…"

Haruka stared at her data obsessed classmate. "Seriously, I'm still in shock on how you can take data like that."

"I am analysing their playing style so I know what I can do with their training regimen. Now, if only Kiyone had increased her training weight load by two percent then perhaps, her skills as a baseline player would increase a slight bit." Hitomi tilted her glasses. "Also, I have to make her try out my Yamaguchi Volleyist Remix 5.6.1. It may help her in becoming a better volleyist."

"Or it would most likely poison her," Momo shuddered at the thought of Kiyone drinking a bit of Hitomi's concoctions.

Haruka slapped herself on the forehead. "Seriously, why do you want to poison our kohai? I mean – they're our best players."

"It will make them better players. Shizuru takes it in just fine." Hitomi continued to scribble down.

Oshitari stared at Hitomi write and make more devious concoctions. "She probably pukes at home. Maybe that's why she's thinner than the rest of them."

Creating extra spin in the ball, Kiyone confused them easily and scored a point against them, "30 Love!"

Ayane gave her a high five. "Try another one okay?"

Kiyone started her service. "Don't underestimate my control skills!"

Suzune darted for one of Kiyone's short shots only to have them pile driven by Ayane right down the line, "40 Love!"

Hitomi took in more data. "Kiyone's effectiveness as a volleyist has now increased to eighty percent. This game belongs to us."

Rin shifted and began cheering. "Go for it, Kiyone-chibi!"

Sending another baseline shot, Rima was surprised that someone could keep up with her. "I'm surprised that you two haven't exchanged words yet except in insulting each other."

Ayane exploded the shot again with a forehand. "Eh, we do that all the time, don't worry."

Sending top spins after them, Kiyone confused them almost completely. "Good luck running after them!"

Suzune couldn't believe that someone younger than her had this kind of control. "What in the world- I can't predict where the ball will bounce!"

Ayane exploded another backhand towards Rima. "I guess Yamaguchi-senpai is right, my arms did get big but my power made up for my lack of speed."

Rima returned it with a less lethal force. "Suzune-chan, what do we do now?"

Suzune couldn't believe that the two were completely countering their strategy. They weren't even exchanging words with each other. "How could these two play like this? They're only first year!"

The vice captain knew that they had to make sure that they made up for Isane's loss. Glancing at her partner, Kiyone understood her immediately and the two then entered a different formation. Suzune didn't even understand what formation that was. "What in the world is that formation? I haven't seen that anywhere!"

Mai crossed her legs. "That's not Australian is it?"

"No, it's a different formation. It's the most basic one. Well, it's their most basic one," –Shizuru smiled, "This is what they call the Waltz Formation."

Isane looked at her captain. "What does this do?"

"This formation for the both of them fully utilizes Ayane's strength and Kiyone's speed." Hitomi then began to explain, "Like a waltz, there is a beat and Ayane utilizes all her strength in order to have Kiyone follow the pattern. In the eyes of the other doubles players, they look like they're moving slowly but they're actually rotating in roles."

Shizuru continued. "In a way, this helps Ayane train for net play and Kiyone for baseline play. It also confuses the opponent upon where to hit because if they hit too close to the net, Ayane would be more explosive about her shots. Kiyone on the other hand will do a short top spin which is something they want to avoid also. The good side to this formation is that: the longer they use it, the more they will increase in rhythm and speed. This is the formation that got them into the team because even I don't know how to do a formation when I play doubles. The only one I know is the Australian and the Side to Side formation."

"But every formation has a flaw right?" Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow at Shizuru.

Shizuru shrugged. "I'm not sure about this one because I've played doubles against them before and, I lost."

"You lost in doubles?" Momo gaped at the fact that her captain had lost to the two of them.

Atobe smirked. "So, there is something that Kobayagi is actually good at."

"If they keep this up then, they're a step closer to achieving Synchro." Oshitari tilted his glasses while he saw another rally ensue.

Mai watched the two freshmen play their doubles. "They kind of achieved it in a way but it's not perfect yet."

"I agree," Haruka saw Ayane send another pile driver, "but they're actually progressing a lot faster than Rin and I ever have."

Another volley landed another point for Ayane and Kiyone, "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 2-0! Change court!"

While walking towards the other end, Suzune replayed the formation carefully. "It's like a waltz, isn't it? This formation of yours was based of a waltz, wasn't it?"

Ayane didn't seem to mind that she discovered it. "Yeah, so it was based of a dance. Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Suzune went to the baseline to serve, "not for me that is."

Ayane played the match in her mind, "Wait a minute, if we continue to use the Waltz formation that means," –looking at the back, she informed Kiyone immediately. "Rima can pile drive Kiyone and she can't deflect it right back. They found a niche in the pattern. I guess they're not that brainless after all."

"Looks like Kobayagi just found something out." Atobe rested his chin on his hand. "She's not a gorilla after all."

"Atobe, I'm sure your lovely fan girls wouldn't want to have your face bruised and bloodied now don't they?" Ayane heard his comment loud and clear while returning one of Suzune's serves, "Love 15!"

Kiyone grinned cheekily while waving her arms in the air. "Yane always gets a bad mood wing because of him. I'm actually beginning to believe that they're going to get married to each other in the future."

Feeling a whack on her head, Kiyone saw Ayane glowering right at her. "Say that a lot louder and you will never volley properly again!"

"But it's true!" The smaller one protested defensively.

Suzune began her service. "You guys shouldn't be so distracted you know. The game's starting."

The shot then multiplied into several balls and whizzed right past Kiyone. "What in the world was that!"

"Score: 15 all!" Ayane winced at the shot. "I could've sworn I saw that somewhere."

Kiyone gave the server a droll stare. "What was that?"

Rin began shaking Hitomi. "There were like ten balls coming at the both of them, what in the world just happened?"

Mai bit her lip while recalling the pathway of the ball. "She created a spin on the ball. By clipping it at the top part of the racquet and adding an extra spin to it, it created a bigger illusion. When it hits the floor, it looks like there are several coming at the face. This style is probably used to freeze opponents in their track."

"I guess she's planning to ace them in this game." Momo observed Suzune bouncing the ball again.

Kiyone jumped towards Ayane. "Sooo~, what do we do now, Yane-Yane?"

Ayane scratched her head, rubbing her eyes as she did so. "We might as well watch what the shot can do until we have a good idea on how to return it. We might have to drop a game."

The sandy haired volleyist gaped at her, stamping her feet. "But I don't wanna!"

"Have any better plan?"

Kiyone couldn't say anything because she wasn't much of a play maker so she had to go with Ayane's plan. "I trust you, Yane. I just hope we can find it before they cover up our lead."

Ayane watched Kiyone's back while waiting for another shot. "Think you can replicate the technique?"

"No problemo, give me three minutes. That technique will be jot down in my head in no time, Yane!"

Ayane watched the doubles player play again. "Then it looks like we have to drop a game then."

Another serve came in and Ayane let the ball hit past her, "30-15!"

Mai looked at the floor and glanced at Shizuru. "I shouldn't tell them now, should I?"

"It's best that they learn about the technique on their own." Shizuru watched the two avoid another serve, "40 – 15!"

Kiyone began waving her arms in the air frantically. "I don't wanna reach seven six, Yane!"

Ayane looked at the floor and then at the sun. "Hold up for a moment, I don't think we need to drop a game."

"Yay, what do we do now," Kiyone bounced up and down towards the vice captain.

Ayane smirked and motioned her. "I'll be on the receiving end this time. You stay at the net."

Not knowing what Ayane was up to, Kiyone did exactly as she was told. "I trust your judgement on this one, Yane-chan. You're the playmaker."

Smiling and making her way to the baseline, Ayane tapped Kiyone's shoulder. "You know what to do."

Kiyone knew what that tap meant. "Alright, I didn't know that we were going to dish this one out but okay, they were asking for it anyway."

Suzune, feeling that they were bluffing did the service again. "I don't think you can return it!"

Kiyone watched the ball fly past her and she closed her eyes. "Yane," –she was praying deep down inside, "I know you can do it."

Smirking with delight that the service was the one she wanted, Ayane looked down on the ground and planted her feet on the ground. "I'm going to sink the shot. Hope you don't mind."

With another Kobushi Katana (Magnolia Blade), Ayane fired the shot back at them. "Return ace, 40 – 30!"

Suzune dropped her jaw. "But, how did you do that!"

Kiyone understood what Ayane had done. "The floor showed what was not there?"

"Yeppers," Ayane did a 'v' sign, "you got that right! Now, let's continue the match and pummel them some more now shall we?"

Kiyone lowered herself down at the net. "Yeah, bring it on!"

Suzune fired a normal serve which Kiyone sliced under. "Whoo hoo, give me everything you got!"

Rima gave her a pile driver followed by Ayane's Magnolia Blade which ran down on the line, "Deuce!"

Kiyone turned to Ayane. "Wow, you sure came up with one fast analysis on the serve. How did you do that?"

The vice captain shrugged. "I don't know. I just used common sense?"

Laughing lightly, Kiyone faced the net again and found Rima gripping her wrist. "Uh-oh, looks like someone didn't make it out properly."

"I'm fine." Rima smiled while removing her wrist band. "This thing was just tying me down. Now, we can play."

Ayane looked at the fallen wrist band. "Ah-ha, weights! Great, now I have another powerhouse to play against!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "Geez, I liked it when things were easy."

Suzune served once more which was returned by Kiyone's underspin. Rima fired a heavy forehand towards her and Ayane was able to rival her power. "I've played against Kabaji a few times! This is nothing compared to his strength."

Rima continued to give her heavy forehands. "Hm, interesting, you didn't seem to be the running type either."

Ayane returned her shots with more backhands. "Yeah, you have Suzune to do the running for you."

"Same thing," Rima let a drop shot reach Kiyone, "you have Getsugan-san to run for you."

Kiyone gave her a short forehand. "I don't run for her all the time, just when I don't want to run."

"Advantage: Kobayagi-Getsugan pair!" Suzune began with her service again. "You're impressive for a first year."

Kiyone volleyed towards her with a top spin. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself considering you're one of the very few who can score points against us."

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 3-0!" The score was shouted out when Ayane's backhand reached the baseline edge.

Rima smirked while handing Ayane the ball. "Your service, I'd like to see how strong you are."

Ayane went to the baseline to start her service. "I don't think you'll break our service game though. But, I'd like to see some effort."

Positioning herself to receive her serve, Suzune watched Ayane carefully and noticed that Kiyone was just sitting on the floor. "Why are you just sitting there?"

"I don't wanna interfere in Yane-Yane's fight." Kiyone lazily sat at the middle of the court.

Rima positioned herself at the net and the service flew faster than normal and crashed at the middle, "15-0!"

Shizuru looked at Hitomi. "How fast was that?"

"160 km/h," Hitomi scribbled on her notebook, "the trajectory of the ball was well placed and well planned and…" She continued to mutter incoherent things.

Haruka looked away with a sigh. "She always makes things so complicated."

They saw another serve explode on to the court, "30 Love!"

Another ace exploded in. "40 Love!"

Rin looked at Isane. "You can serve faster right?"

"Somehow, yeah," Isane sheepishly scratched her head. "But Ayane is pretty strong for a first year student. I guess Hitomi-san really made her carry heavy weights."

Hitomi continued scribbling. "Kobayagi-chan has been lifting twenty pound dumb bells everyday. This has always been implemented in her training regimen because she needs to compensate for one thing we all have and she doesn't."

Atobe looked at Ayane's playing style. "She's a sinker person. She can't do top spins now can she?"

"Unfortunately, no she can't." Hitomi tilted her glasses to further analyse the game. "But, her strength is something that makes up for her ability. Why do you think she's in doubles?"

Hiyoshi watched Kiyone top spin another shot. "Getsugan makes up for her inability to do top spins and under spins."

Another serve just exploded on to the other side. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 4-0!"

No one could believe that Ayane was clocking her serve at an average of 160 km/hr at her level. "See? This is why I said good luck in returning her service. Isane-senpai does faster though by 20 km/hr." Kiyone yawned while she saw Rima picking up the ball to serve.

Suzune couldn't believe that they weren't even scoring a point. "It looks like we're going to go down here, sis. But, we might as well give them a game they won't forget."

"Yeah, you're right. Play to the extreme." Rima blasted a serve towards them which Ayane easily returned.

Kiyone volleyed another shot. "You guys aren't a bad doubles pair. Just work a lot harder at it, yeah?"

Suzune gave her an awkward look when she volleyed again. "What do you mean? I mean – we haven't scored a single game against you."

The smaller girl fired another backhand towards Rima. "Well, you did score a couple of points and let me tell you this: not very many get to score against us even if it's just a single point in one game."

Rima did a forehand towards Ayane. "You guys play well for first year students. How long have you two been playing together?"

"I don't know. I kinda lost track." Ayane shrugged while backhanding the ball towards the edge of the doubles line.

Suzune did a top spin forehand towards Kiyone. "Well, I hope you can become the best doubles players in Japan then."

"Conquering Japan's best doubles players won't be easy but it will be fun!" Kiyone smirked while she backhanded it, "Love 30!"

Rima did a forehand towards the edge of the baseline. "Yeah, you're one pair who's given us the best game in our lives as third year players."

"Thanks, that's nice to know." Kiyone did another smash and slammed it past the two Yugetsu Chuu players, "Love Forty!"

Ayane did the Magnolia Blade right down the line. "Yeah, you guys aren't so bad yourselves."

The ball slid past them both and exploded on the court. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 5-0!"

The captain of Yugetsu Chuu stood up and left the two while Ayane looked at her with disgust. "What the heck is her problem? Some captain she is."

"She's always been like that." Suzune tried to get them to ignore her. "Please don't mind her. She just wants to play against your captain."

Kiyone snickered at the thought. "Good luck with that though."

After several rallies, Ayane ended the game with her Magnolia Blade exactly on the line cross court. "Game and set, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 6-0!"

-I'm sorry if this is so long! I had to squeeze in Ayane's and Kiyone's game. Up next is the game of the tensai and captain, please review!

-Also, I'd like to thank Frog-kun for helping me write this story.


	3. Rising of Hyotei's Matchless Stars

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 3 – Rise of Hyotei's Matchless Queens

"So, you've lost doubles two and you, my best doubles pair had lost doubles one against a couple of first years," the Yugetsu Chuu captain paced around while glowering at her team mates, "how could you have not played well against a bunch of first year students! Secondly, Shimohi Rin and Hikifumi Haruka have no chance against your strength! Explain yourselves!"

Suzune remained stoic despite her captain's harsh tone. "They're not ordinary players, buchou. You saw those two first years. We couldn't even score a point and they played without exchanging any words with each other."

Rima looked down at the floor. "The only time they exchanged words was when the other one was fighting with the guy over there."

"You should have taken advantage of that! What about you two- Yuna, you're the powerhouse of this team and yet you still lost to a weakling like Shimohi? Get real!" She shrieked while snatching her racquet from her bag.

Shina licked her lips sadistically. "You're not worthy to be regulars if you play that way."

Mayumi shuddered at the little girl. "Geez, why did we recruit her? She's a nut case and she nearly killed someone!"

"Who's playing next by the way?" She turned to see her older sister playing Singles Two; bowing mockingly, "Ah, you shouldn't go easy on that girl ne, onee-sama?"

The sister shook her head in total disgust. "How you became captain is beyond me but I dislike your ethics as a player. I just hope that these Hyotei players are merciful enough to forgive you."

"Hmph, tennis will always be a battlefield and we will make our mark in the finals. We'll use all tactics no matter how cheap and dirty they are." The captain took her place at the coach's bench while watching her sister step on to the court.

On the other bench, Ayane treated Isane's black eye. "Sheesh, that first year really did a number on Isane-senpai. I don't think Isane-senpai can play in the next round."

"She was trying to teach her something and she risked her health for it." Haruka shook her head in disappointment. "That Shina girl is somebody we should really watch out for. Someone could get killed by simply playing her."

Rin looked at the captain with disdain. "Their captain's a prick and she's even worse than most dark horse captains. I don't even know her name, _kuwee_."

Hitomi hid her anger behind her thick lens glasses. "There's a one hundred percent chance that Shizuru-chan will be playing their captain."

Mai picked up her racquet, with her amber eyes flashing. "Good, that means she can teach her what tennis is all about."

Gakuto saw the fury burn behind Mai's eyes already. "Wow, I think you can send someone six feet under with your glare."

Shishido glared at the Yugetsu Chuu captain tousle her hair around. "That girl needs to be taught her place. Shizuru-chan, you better show her where it is."

Picking up her red and black racquet so she could warm up, Shizuru looked at the body language the Yugetsu Chuu captain was giving towards the other player. "Mai, don't get careless. I think you shouldn't hold back on this one. Things might get a little messy here."

The red haired prodigy grinned at her captain. "Thanks for worrying about me, Shizuru. But, I think this match is something I wouldn't throw away anyway."

Shizuru watched the prodigy step to the court to face off with Yugetsu Chuu's player. "So, who are you exactly?" Mai scratched her head sheepishly.

"I'm Motomiya Kumiko; I'm a third year student." She bowed down to Mai. "I heard much about your prowess as a tennis player. It's a great honour for me to play you."

Mai felt a little flattered by her statement. "Hehe, don't knock it. I don't have a position in the team except for being the second matchless queen. The one who you should be bowing to is our captain, Kurenai Shizuru. By the way, may I ask you something?"

Kumiko seemed a little puzzled by Mai's statement. "What is it?"

"That captain of yours, is she your sibling?" Mai saw the resemblance between the two of them.

Kumiko saw that Mai was switching her eye contact between her captain and her. "Yep, she's my younger sister. She's a younger by a year but we're basically in the same year. Why are you asking?"

"Well, let's just say that: my captain's going to beat your sister with a humiliating score." Mai grinned mischievously while she spun the racquet. "Which do you choose, smooth or rough?"

"Smooth." Kumiko didn't know what Mai meant but she didn't like it at all.

The racquet fell on rough and Mai took her place in the baseline. "Get ready to see who number one really is!"

Returning the serve with a forehand, Kumiko knew what Mai's reputation was in Hyotei. "One of the matchless queens of Hyotei, Nagisaki Mai, is also known as the prodigy, am I right?"

Mai fired another backhand right down the line. "Hmm, so my achievements have reached that far huh? Wow, that's so comforting."

"I must say that you're quite the player. They say that your senses are quite enhanced, including your sense of sight, am I right?" Kumiko did a top spin towards the left.

Mai stopped the top spin easily and sent it back with a short backhand. "Thanks for the compliments but really – flattering me at a time like this? You have to do better than that."

Kumiko watched the ball slide towards her and sent it up. "Oops?"

Mai cocked her head to the left and went for the smash anyway. "Geez, you're worse than I thought."

Shifting her expression, Kumiko was glad that Mai had decided to smash. "Tch, you're careless and rash too."

"Huh?"

Kumiko positioned herself in a very different position and awaited the smash to come down. "This is something I call – the Roundhouse Return."

Making a full three hundred sixty degree circle, Kumiko spun around and sent the smash flying behind Mai's head and landing exactly on the baseline, "Love 15!"

Looking at the mark that she made, Mai turned to Kumiko with a smirk. "Not bad, that's something I didn't expect but I can tell you this: I will counter it in the next time you use it."

"Really," Kumiko started getting arrogant, "I'd like to see you try."

Mai changed her position of tennis also; making her toes more pointed and her form more relaxed, the prodigy began her service. "Dance me if you can, Motomiya-san." (Song based, sorry)

Kumiko gave her a pile drive cross court. "Good luck in chasing that, Nagisaki-san."

However, much to her disdain, Mai did a couple of dance steps and with elegance; the prodigy sent it back with double the power of Kumiko's recent shot, "15 all!"

"What in the world is that tennis?" Kumiko was shocked by Mai's ending position which looked like a Jazz dance step.

The prodigy flicked her hair back with a smirk. "Simple, I call it Jazz Tennis. You guys going with violent tennis, I go with dancing tennis so, stop minding it and get ready to get pummelled."

Hiyoshi shook her head. "She's always been so aggressive with her style. She likes fast games and she's going to increase the pace bit by bit."

Oshitari moved his glasses up a little. "Knowing her, she's going to bash this girl good so Shizuru won't need to play but I don't think Shizuru-chan's going to like that now is she?"

"In all my years in working with her as Student Body president, once Kurenai has a devious plan, she will make it work no matter what." Atobe watched Mai score another backhand against Kumiko.

Gakuto stared at Atobe strangely. "How did she suddenly get so evil?"

Ohtori nodded in agreement. "Atobe-san, Shizuru-chan wasn't that evil to begin with."

Shishido rolled his eyes. "You make Shizuru-chan sound like some devious witch which she is not to begin with."

"That's because you like her don't you, arn~?" Atobe raised an eyebrow at Shishido who was twitching.

The capped regular raised an eyebrow. "She's my sister; I know her better than you."

Gakuto hooted with laughter. "Wow, that's such a big difference! I remember the first time you became friends! You actually followed her around to see whether or not she won't fall down the stairs or something!"

"I was first year, coconut brain!" Shishido tried to silence Gakuto in order to make sure Shizuru doesn't hear anything.

Oshitari looked at Shizuru watch the game intently while Atobe now had him caught. "You like her too, don't you? It seems like almost every man is under Shizuru's charms."

Tilting his glasses, Oshitari rolled his eyes at Atobe. "Atobe, check your sources again."

Atobe scoffed while turning to watch the game. "You always hung out with her. Practically, you've become her bodyguard asides from Shishido. Not only that, not many girls receive gifts from you on White Day. She's one of the very few."

Gakuto gave Oshitari an awkward look. "You're charmed too, Yuushi? Well, I have to admit: she does pass your standards."

Momo overheard their conversation. "Guys, quit ogling our captain and watch Mai. She might need a little support. Hyotei's been cheering and you guys are just talking about how someone became a succubus from Hyotei. By the way, Shizuru-san is anything but like that." Snarling at her two classmates, Momo was very protective over her kohai captain.

Hiyoshi put his hands behind his head. "It looks like cherry head's turning this game into another classic."

Mai didn't like that comment about her. "I heard that, mushroom head."

Another forehand done by Mai made a mark right on the left singles line, "30 – 15!"

Realizing how badly she had miscalculated, Kumiko turned around to face the red haired prodigy. "Wow, you're not the prodigy of Hyotei for nothing. You certainly live up to your name, Queen of Spades."

Mai didn't know where she had heard of that title. "Now, where did you hear about that?"

"I do my research and I've seen your games. Your opponents are nothing compared to me. They made you look like a genius though but I beg to differ, you're nothing but a big fake." Kumiko explained while continuing to hit the ball with a devastating backhand pile driver.

Mai didn't like the sound of that. "Well, let's see you prove that theory!" Backhanding the ball, Mai sent it in an awkward angle.

Kumiko did a drop shot with a smirk. "I'd like to see you rush the net then."

Dashing towards the net in an instant, Mai sliced the ball even more than last time. "You think you can outrun me? Think again, Motomiya-san!"

"But you know what they say: 'rush at the net and die at the net'!" Sending a baseline shot, Kumiko knew that Mai won't be able to hit the shot.

A smile curved up on Mai's lips. "Really now...is that the best you have?"

Kumiko was then shocked to find Mai at the baseline already and slamming a forehand right at her feet, "40 – 15!"

"She's pretty fast, for someone who doesn't even join the track team." Gakuto watched Mai dash towards the ball again. "Game, Nagisaki: 1-0!"

Atobe observed Kumiko who was preparing for her serve. "I doubt Mai's going to have this easy. That Kumiko girl seems to be just playing with her and not taking her seriously."

Shishido watched Kumiko bounce the ball. "If I remember right, Yugetsu Chuu is known for the violent style of play right?"

"That's the thing and you do know Nagisaki is not exactly what you call violent either, arn~?" Atobe tousled his hair while watching Kumiko fire her service.

Mai backhanded the ball and Kumiko lobbed it high into the air again. Taking it as a challenge, Mai leaped high into the air and gave a backhand smash and this time, Kumiko brought out her Roundhouse Return with a lot more power than last time. Knocking Mai in the chin, the shot dropped down at the baseline while Mai crashed on the ground face first. "Mai-chan, are you alright!"

The red haired prodigy knew that it was her first year Vice Captain Kobayagi Ayane worrying about her. "Yeah, it's not much really. Besides – she won't hit me again. That shot is good as mine. Also, you know what they say: no pain, no gain."

"You sure about what you're doing? I mean – you could get killed and-!" Ayane was about to begin ranting and she was getting wary among the Yugetsu Chuu players.

Mai gave her a wink while declaring. "If I lose this one, I know we're still going to win anyway."

Kiyone looked at where Mai's eyes were focused on and she realized that their buchou had yet to play. "Oh yeah, I forgot about Shizuru-nee-san."

Hitomi began calculating on her notebook while muttering. "Even if Mai loses this match, there is a one hundred percent chance we will no matter what happens."

"Yeah yeah, that's our _kohai_ for you," Rin grinned at her doubles partner.

Haruka glanced at the ever calm Shizuru who was watching Mai return Kumiko's service. "Well, Yuugetsu Chuu's nothing compared to what we've seen in the Nationals. "

Mai looked at her captain who gave her the look that stated coldly. "Finish her off."

"Hm, you're being quite evil and cold today, ne, Shizuru?" Mai gave her an underspin which Kumiko lost her footing and couldn't return the shot, "15 - 30!"

Kumiko glared at her younger opponent while Mai remained smug. "You think you got me figured out? I think – you're going to have a problem if that's the case."

"I never could get proper data from two of our best players." Hitomi mumbled while scribbling down more things.

Ohtori smiled while watching Mai play full out. "These two were always the best female players in the batch: Nagisaki Mai and Kurenai Shizuru. They've always outdone even the stronger players in high school back in their elementary days."

"As in they've been playing ever since elementary school?" Shishido raised an eyebrow.

Hiyoshi continued the story for Ohtori. "These two were actually matchless as a doubles pair also. Before in the elementary division, they played as a doubles pair here. Kurenai was a transferee from another school and she and Mai-chan hit off famously. They started playing doubles tennis together until Kurenai started getting too good for doubles so they taught her how to play singles. Kurenai's actually a good volleyist and Mai-chan's always been an excellent baseliner. They've always treated each other like sisters even until now."

"What's with the first name with the suffix, Hiyoshi?" Oshitari couldn't help but tease while watching Mai backhand Kumiko again.

The second year ace turned away with a snort. "It's nothing; Mai-chan just goes to the dojo to train every week. Besides, it's always about tennis."

Gakuto laughed at the scowling second year. "Keep looking like that and you'll look like Shishido."

Shishido wanted to strangle the third year student. "Shut up, Gakuto."

"Game, Nagisaki: 2–0!" Mai had a smirk on her face while she twirled her golden-pink racquet on the ground.

Kumiko couldn't believe that she was being outdone by a second year student. "You play as if you've played in tournament before."

"No, I haven't played much as a singles player really. I played doubles in tourney but never as a singles player. I think you're just a bit ignorant to what you're facing." The red haired prodigy positioned herself to bring out her Jazz Tennis again. "Besides, once I use my Jazz Tennis: there's no hope for you anymore. This game will end quickly like a Jazz song."

Kumiko put up her racquet. "I'd like to see you try, Cherry Head."

Feeling a vein pop at her head, Mai began fuming at the comment. "No one is allowed to call me "cherry head" except "mushroom head"," –referring to Hiyoshi, "over there!"

The rallies intensified almost instantly because Mai's footwork increased every moment, "15 Love!"

"30 Love," Kumiko at times lost her footing and crashed on the ground allowing Mai to drop shot her. "I can't keep up like this! Her tennis keeps increasing in speed!"

Mai gave her a deep forehand at the baseline. "It seems like you wanna go a little faster, ne?" A sardonic smile appeared on the prodigy's face.

Kumiko felt her legs get numb while Mai's expression hardened. "This is for Isane-senpai!"

A smash came down right at the right singles line. "Game, Nagisaki: 3-0!"

Staring in horror, Kumiko trembled in front of the furious second year student who backed up again to receive her service. "I think it's your turn to serve, Mo-to-mi-ya-san~." Mai waved her finger in front of her with a childish smile.

Kumiko looked at her captain who started giving her signals. "That doesn't look good," Mai watched the captain exchange silent language with her sister.

Kiyone watched the hand signals cluelessly. "Shizuru-nee-san, what is she saying?"

"Attack the bleachers and make your shots hard and sharp." Shizuru stated simply while glancing at the prodigy; speaking to her with a simple look. _"Don't leave any room for power shots. Drive her in and volley her quick. Finish her in ten minutes. You have five minutes left, Mai."_

The prodigy understood what her captain had said; she knew that of all things: Shizuru hated violence in tennis or in anything. "_Maa,_ looks like I have to call it in early," Mai shrugged while winking towards the captain. "Three minutes is all I need."

A smile curved up in the captain's face. "Alright then, just don't take forever."

"I won't." Mai received Kumiko's service with a top spin.

Rushing towards the net, Kumiko did a powered volley shot which Mai sliced under with a backhand. "That ball won't go to you, you know."

Mai's prediction came true and Kumiko dived for it only to miss, "Love 15!"

"Do you want to know why we're called the Queens of Hyotei?" Mai flipped her hair back with a prideful smirk. "It's simple really, it's because: first of all, Getsugan Kiyone and Kobayagi Ayane have never lost a doubles match. Secondly, I have never lost a singles match and last: Shizuru has never lost an official singles game and never had a set exceed six games."

Kumiko snorted. "That's the worst lie I've ever heard."

"I've played until seven games and won, Motomiya-san." The red haired prodigy glared at her. "But you're captain's going to have hell to go through when she plays against Shizuru."

Kumiko recalled the last top spin that Mai did. "You knew that the ball wouldn't go to me because you have motion sight, don't you?"

Chuckling darkly, Mai retreated to the baseline again. "Way to go, Captain Obvious. Why do you think I was able to counter your Roundhouse Return?"

The older Motomiya sister watched Mai reveal her secret. "The truth is – that technique doesn't belong to you and the real name of the technique is the Higuma Otoshi. I know several people who can do techniques like that like Oshitari Yuushi-senpai and Seigaku's Fuji Syuusuke. By quickly rotating your body, you use centripetal force to absorb the force of any overhead smash; you then return the ball with a lob that almost always lands on the opponent's baseline. Why almost? It's because, there are some ways to completely avoid it or how to nullify the return like changing its trajectory. I'm not an idiot, you know."

Kumiko now understood why Mai was called a "prodigy" while noting. "So you knew all this time that I was using a technique like that?"

"You were trying to bait me into making strong shots so you would have an excuse to lob the ball and score," Mai continued to explain while receiving the service. "But unfortunately, that strategy will only work on either Kobayagi-chan or Isane-chan but not me. I'm not a powerhouse."

Kumiko watched another underspin change in direction. "Love Thirty!"

Mai lowered her body once more to receive the service. "No matter what you do, I will end you completely with every top spin and under spin technique I know."

As predicted, Mai began hitting cord balls on purpose to force it to change trajectory and weaken the shot before it could cross the net. "So this is Hyotei's female genius, Nagisaki Mai." Kumiko failed once more to return a cord ball shot towards Mai. "Game, Nagisaki: 4-0!"

Oshitari tilted his glasses to analyse Mai's game. "She's unpredictable; she can control the ball almost as well as Getsugan."

"Not quite," Atobe smirked, "Mai's doing simple top spins and under spins, the younger one can do a lot more powerful spins even at her age. That Nagisaki Mai – she is your counterpart after all."

The bespectacled blue haired kansai prodigy watched Mai take another point from Kumiko. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course, ore-sama has always been right." Atobe's eyes focused on Ayane who was still tending to Isane.

Gakuto noticed a shift in his captain's look. "You seriously are eyeing Kobayagi?"

Atobe shook himself out of his daze with a steely look. "Just watch, Mukahi."

Mai did another cord ball which forced Kumiko to run for it. It was lobbed high enough for Mai to hit it with a smash and she decided to test her theory. "Let's see on how beating the Higuma Otoshi actually feels like. Oshitari-senpai always has to look flashy with all that stuff."

Smashing it against the net, Kumiko chortled at Mai's carelessness. "You silly person, what kind of shot is that?"

Mai sniggered in reply. "A cord smash, that's what."

The ball deftly landed right by the net in front of Kumiko. The said girl could only stare in shock as the arbiter declared the score, "15-0!"

Mai continued to attack quickly; increasing her pace every moment she had the chance. "You know, I used to be a total baseline player before," she admitted offhandedly.

Kumiko fired a cross court shot that she thought Mai couldn't catch. "So, what happened to you then?"

The red haired prodigy remarked off handedly. "I became better, faster and stronger. You've fallen into my trap."

"What are you-?" Kumiko suddenly felt her legs freeze and she fell flat on her face while Mai volleyed it right on the line.

Jirou squeaked in shock. "Wow, her rhythm is so fast! It's like she's dancing!"

"Cherry head always had the tendency to do that: charge them like a bull. Strategy didn't seem much to her because she toss the ball anywhere she wants and she can quicken and slow down the pace whenever she wants to. That's her style. I think she's been watching too much bullfights on TV." Hiyoshi slapped his forehead with a sigh.

Oshitari continued to note. "Jazz dances have always been the quick type of thing; making more moves complex and making the rhythm even deadlier than before. I guess this is what happens when Mai joins the Dance Club of Hyotei; she made it something that we now call Jazz Tennis in Hyotei. But it's actually quite a strategy but it does take a huge toll on stamina."

"That is why I made Nagisaki-chan work on it." Hitomi gave him a business smile. "Her stamina may not be like Haruka-chan's but she tries and besides with the way she's playing," –she watched Mai do another top spin backhand, "I don't think she needs to waste much of her energy. She'll finish this match in a few minutes."

Another top spin made its way into Kumiko's side of the court. "Seems like this game's really going to end in three minutes, ne, Motomiya-san?" Mai sweetly remarked.

Firing another shot towards the baseline, Kumiko grunted. "Don't be so sure, you cocky genius."

Mai jumped high into the air with a cord ball smash. "Well, now I'm sure because I just took the fifth game."

"Game, Nagisaki: 5-0!" The arbiter declared; looking a bit shocked at the slaughter Yugetsu Chuu was receiving.

Kumiko's eyes narrowed at the smirking genius while handing her the ball with a hiss. "You're not going to get the next game."

"_Au contraíre_," Mai tousled her hair with a smirk, "I think it's you who will not get the next game."

Hitomi quickly began scribbling down while muttering to her notebook. "Nagisaki Mai has to fix her French accent, it sounds very horrible."

Isane sighed sheepishly. "Mai-chan never paid attention in French class right?"

"I don't think so." Rin sniggered at the genius, "She may be a genius but when it comes to languages, she stinks."

Beginning her service, Mai teased. "Well, it's been quite a match and I feel bad that I have to end it but - that's the way Hyotei rolls."

Slamming her service back with a forehand pile driver, Kumiko was desperate to make her eat her words. "Don't say things you'll regret later!"

Despite Kumiko's constant shrieking, Mai's smirk didn't seem to vanish. "Heck, I say things when I want to say it and like I said: 'That's the way Hyotei rolls'."

With sweat pouring down her face, Kumiko felt her heart race every time Mai gave her trick shots. The fact that Mai could catch the volley in an instant was also terrifying and she kept on quickening the pace recklessly. Despite her efforts to slow down the pace, Kumiko saw that it wasn't Mai who slowed down but her. This had been Mai's plan all this time: breaking her into pieces. Shivering nervously, Kumiko felt her racquet slip out of her hand the moment another pile driver landed on the baseline exactly at the corner, "15 -0!" The umpire couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Honestly, I thought you had the highest threat rate but I guess, I misjudged you." Mai's shoulders slumped with a sigh. "I'm lazy to run today."

With a bewildered look, Haruka glanced at Hitomi who was noting something down and mumbling. "I must make Mai's laps double their normal amount."

Isane turned to her buchou while lowering her head shamefully. "S-Shizuru-chan, I'm sorry for playing recklessly." Her tone was a bit bitter and remorseful.

"I'm glad you tried." Shizuru told her suddenly.

Not knowing what she meant, Isane waited for her captain to explain. "At least you tried to teach her what real tennis is about. I believe that you can rush the net now?"

Smiling at her captain, Isane resolved anew. "I'll heal up even before the week is over. I promise I'll work hard, buchou!"

Shizuru nodded with approval while did a final pile driver on the line. "Game, Nagisaki: 6-0!"

Walking towards her teammates, Mai suddenly jumped Kiyone from behind. "Yeah, I'm so cool! I did a classic six games to love match!"

Hissing like a cat, Kiyone threw Mai off her back. "But that's still a loss! If you spoke less, you wouldn't have to make people wait! Besides, Yane-Yane and I finished faster than you! Shizuru-nee-chan's been sitting on that bench because you're too busy showing off! People grow old every second you know!"

Mai stood over the shorter one with a snarl. "I wasn't showing off, brat!"

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

Seeing that the fight was going to go on longer than ever, Shizuru began twitching at what the two were doing. "Both of you please. Keep quiet. I mean now."

The two quickly shut up and lowered their heads apologetically. "We're sorry, buchou! We won't do it again!"

Their captain wasn't the only one getting annoyed. "You guys are so noisy! What happens if you two get a sore throat the next morning! What happens when you end up getting sick because of all your yelling? Would you guys stop fighting over such pointless things?" Ayane began scolding them openly.

Kiyone muttered while pouting impishly. "She's such a mommy. Maybe if she and Atobe get married, they're going to have a lot of kids then."

Ayane grabbed her doubles partner's collar. "What did you say! THE DAY I MARRY ATOBE IS THE DAY PIGS FLY AND SHIZURU-DONO GETS A STATUE FOR A BOYFRIEND!"

Shizuru raised an eyebrow at her. "Me get a statue for a boyfriend?"

"Waaah, Ayane-chan's going to kill me, buchou!" Kiyone began flailing her arms around.

Haruka held the two apart while trying to calm down the sizzling doubles partners. "Guys, please don't fight like that okay? Buchou's going to grow white hair and she looks better with brown hair don't you think?"

Kiyone kept quiet immediately. "I'm sorry, buchou."

Ayane sighed and looked at Isane. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

Isane gave her a smile. "Y-yeah, don't worry so much about me, Kobayagi-chan."

Just wanting to make sure, Ayane bowed down to Shizuru. "Buchou, can I please take Isane-senpai to the infirmary? I think she might have a few broken bones here and there and she might bleed even more if we don't get professional help. Mai-senpai and I only did first aid."

"Go ahead." Shizuru's tone slowly became glacial. "I think someone needs to know what it's like to anger the Queens of Hyotei."

Mai grabbed Shizuru's wrist before her captain stepped on the court. "Shizuru, watch yourself out there. I know you're strong but there are times that power gives you a new personality. Don't use violent measures; I mean – she's only a first year and she hasn't played against anyone like Isane-senpai. It's normal for someone to break."

"But is it appropriate to watch your regulars get turned into a mass of scarred tissue?" Shizuru's grip on the racquet tightened.

Mai stared at Shizuru straight in the face. "Don't break her down hard, buchou."

"I just might have to," Shizuru walked to the court with a very powerful aura emitting from every side of her body.

Momo watched Shizuru's kind façade vanish from her face. "The girl's won't even be worth Shizuru's breath."

"Oh no, buchou might regret it or something! She might start getting remorseful and all! This isn't her style!" Ayane began ranting again.

Mai put her hand on Ayane's shoulder. "Let me handle buchou, you go take Isane-chan to the infirmary."

Kiyone shivered at the sight of an angry Shizuru. "Do you think… Shizu-_nee_…?"

"She wouldn't resort to low tactics but," Mai shook her head, "buchou has a gift called "empathy" she can feel emotions and even find secrets about that person. Also, buchou can be very lethal about that and she will break this girl down. After what that girl allowed the first year student do to Isane-senpai, she's not going to forgive her. Once someone in her team or anyone for that matter related to her gets hurt, she will humiliate them so bad that she'll make them never touch a racquet again."

Kumiko went to the benches with a sigh. "I'm sorry; I couldn't get a win off her."

The captain propped herself up with a snort. "That's because you're so pathetic next to her. Nagisaki made you look like a fat pup out there."

Mayumi didn't like the way she had insulted her older sister. "These girls aren't ordinary middle school players, buchou! Did you see the way those four girls played doubles? Once or twice they exchanged words but that's it!"

Yuna knew this was getting too far. "Shina may have won but she won it through violence. That's not tennis anymore!"

"Sure it is," Shina swung her leg innocently while she looked more sardonic, "it's just my style of tennis."

Rima turned away in disgust. "Why did I even join this team? You guys do nothing but hurt people!"

Suzune stood up with her sister. "I agree and I have to admit: those two first years showed us what it's like to enjoy tennis! I know Kobayagi-san kept screaming at Getsugan-san but she did have a reason. They were quite funny though."

The captain snorted while getting off the bench. "You guys are just a bunch of losers, that's why!"

"It's not their fault," Kumiko snapped at her sister, "I think we're really outgunned here! Most of these players went to the Nationals before! This isn't a child's game! This is what's in the Nationals!"

The captain shoved her sister aside. "You should know how to respect your superiors! You're only vice captain anyway!"

Yuna clucked her tongue. "I hold deep respect for Hikifumi-san, she and Shimohi-san showed what it's like to make a great doubles pair!"

Suzune added. "Kobayagi-san and Getsugan-san aren't even identical twins and they played as if they had telepathy. This proves one thing: their skills are beyond ours!"

"If their skills are beyond ours," the captain pointed at Shina, "Then why did she win against that Uchiha girl!"

"It was out of default," Kumiko shot back defensively, "if Uchiha-san wasn't so badly injured, perhaps she would have won the match 7-5!"

Shina sneered. "I doubt it though because Uchiha-san was scared of the net."

"But she conquered that fear in the end," Yuna stated slowly, "in fact, she scared you."

Shina slammed her senior against the wall. "Shut up!"

The captain didn't seem to care while she walked on the court. "I'll be starting my match now. Bye."

00000000000000000000000000000

Rin cheered her captain on. "Alright, time to show Hyotei's ace card!"

Haruka jabbed Rin in the ribs while coaxing the girl. "Rin, your manners..."

"Mou~, Haruka-chan, I'm sorry!" The raven haired girl pouted while sitting on the bench.

Momo stared at the captain who was warming up on the sidelines. "No matter what that girl does, that captain of Yugetsu Chuu won't even make Shizuru think twice about her injury."

"Singles One: Yugetsu Chuu's Motomiya Atsui and Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru, please report to the court." The arbiter declared while the two captains faced each other.

Atsui twirled her hair with a smirk. "So, you're their captain? This brunette hussy is your captain?"

Shizuru's face remained stoic with a faint smile. "I'm sorry; I believe we haven't been formally introduced. I've heard that you're afraid of top spins?"

Atsui drew back in horror when Shizuru revealed that. "W-where did you find that out?"

Shizuru spun her racquet. "Never mind that, we should get to business since you seem so determined in finishing me off. Now, which one do you choose: smooth or rough?"

"Rough." Atsui seethed through her teeth.

Seeing the racquet land on rough, Shizuru took the racquet and went to the baseline. "I can't forgive her for what she has done to Isane-senpai. This girl would resort to even using a little girl to do the dirty work. I can't allow that anymore."

Atsui threw the ball in the air mockingly. "I'll go easy on you first because I don't think you can handle a high speed serve!"

Watching the serve descend, Shizuru returned the serve with twice the speed towards Atsui which burst right past the latter. "Return ace, Love 15!"

Grabbing the ball, Atsui served again this time even faster. "Don't bother in trying to butter me up, freak!"

Shizuru was calm in returning it. Waiting for the perfect shot, Shizuru returned it with a single handed backhand which landed right on the line of the court, "Love 30!"

"I don't get it. Why does everyone use two fisted backhands while nee-_san_ only uses one?" Kiyone turned to Hitomi.

Hitomi spoke to Kiyone as if a teacher explaining to a student. "Bjorn Borg was the first one who popularized the two fisted backhand. His grip was extra long unlike our racquets now but buchou well – because she's more of finesse and style, she uses only the single handed backhand."

Mai helped Kiyone understand the concept. "It's like Ayane-chan using the Jack Knife almost in every shot because of her two fisted backhand while buchou uses the what I dub as the Sword Draw backhand. Shizuru draws her racquet down from the ground like a sword from its guard. To her, it's basically one of her natural shots. She won't put any spin on it first and then she will."

Another backhand spun right on the singles line while Shizuru portrayed a beautiful single handed backhand. "Come at me with all you have."

Atsui couldn't believe that she was losing to a second year student while firing another serve. "I won't let you get past me!"

Shizuru fired another forehand right at the corner of the baseline and Atsui tried to deflect it only to make it a lob. "Yeah, chance ball!" Rin called out.

The younger captain jumped high into the air and made a devastating smash on the court. "Game, Kurenai: 1-0!"

Landing gracefully on the ground, Shizuru faced her. "May I offer a little advice…"

Atsui cut her off while turning away. "Spare me the junk because I don't need advice from someone younger than me."

Waiting at the baseline, Atsui saw that Shizuru had fired the ball straight at the middle. Atsui parried it with a backhand but with an amazing forehand, Shizuru sent it to the corners again and Atsui returned it with a volley. "I got you now!" Dragging her racquet on the ground, she threw dirt into the captain's eyes forcing the Hyotei captain to falter in her shot and was forced to lob. "Shizuru, it's a smash!" Mai pointed into the air.

Atsui was high up in the air with a grin. "Let's see how you like it when you're blind!"

The ball aimed directly at Shizuru's face and circling around it, the Hyotei captain clipped the ball on top. Atsui was going to hit but missed when the ball suddenly returned to Shizuru. "I suggest you take my advice: racquets, tennis balls and even your own teammates are not meant to be used to hurt people." Shizuru's tone was very glacial now.

"Like I said," Atsui glared at the younger captain, "I don't need your crap."

Watching her walk away, Shizuru looked at her racquet for a moment. "Never falter, that's one thing you shouldn't do." She reminded herself quietly. "Also, you should never lose hope."

Shizuru began her service again and aimed for the corner of the service box. Atsui jumped for it and gave her another pile driver while Shizuru sliced it right under the ball. "So, you're an all-rounder. Quite the player, I'd say. You look like you're hiding something from me."

Giving her a backhand, Shizuru remained silent. Her eyes watched the ball fly from her racquet as she remained expressionless. Fuming in anger, Atsui did a powerful forehand aiming for Shizuru's knees. "Let's see you try and return that!"

Time seemed to slow down for a moment when Shizuru had a faint smile. Vanishing almost immediately from the line of fire, Shizuru backhanded the ball right down the line, "30 Love!"

Rin's eyes widened. "What was that?"

Mai smiled. "That's only her basic speed."

"You're the quiet type," Atsui smirked when Shizuru picked up the ball again to serve. "But the fact that you just give me that face just irritates me! Hope you lose!"

Shizuru bounced the ball several times before taking a look where to aim. "Ah."

With a monotonic reply, Shizuru fired the service so fast that not even Atsui had much time to react. Falling back on her butt, Atsui screeched. "What in the world was that?"

"An ace," Shizuru replied as a matter of a factly.

Atsui slammed her racquet on the court. "That's crap! There's no such thing as an ace! Lucky serve would be more like it!"

The arbiter sternly scolded, "Motomiya-san, warning for racquet abuse and profanities."

Atsui clucked her tongue while returning to the baseline. "Che, I'd like to see you do that-!"

Without letting her finish, Shizuru silenced her with another ace. "Game, Kurenai: 2-0! Change court!"

Walking towards the other side, Atsui snatched the ball with a growl. "Let's see you return the next shot!"

Shizuru said nothing and continued to make her way to the other side while Atsui sent in her service. "Return this!"

The ball flew so fast that it disappeared in an instant but Shizuru mumbled. "There is no such thing as a ball that disappears into thin air." Countering it with another spin, Shizuru sent the ball back except this time when it bounced; it curved in a seventy five degree angled direction and disappeared, "Love 15!"

Atsui felt her jaw drop when she found the ball by the net already. "What was that?"

"Her signature move - something that was created out of inspiration," Mai commented with a smile, "the Gliding Dragonfly."

Rin's eyes widened. "What does that do?"

The cherry haired tensai explained to her teammates. "Instead of making it roll towards the opponent, when it bounces, it curves away and disappears. Shizuru puts a powerful spin on the ball by sliding it with a certain amount of strength. Unlike the Zero Shiki drop shot of Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu and the Tsubame Gaeshi of Fuji Syuusuke, this one requires no spin from the opponent. It just gets stronger if you hit it towards her with a spin. But, it's already undefeatable even if the shot is just a sinker because at times – it just stays in that position, it doesn't bounce towards the opponent."

Kiyone shrugged her shoulders. "Won't she get tennis elbow with the way she plays?"

"As long as she keeps her form, Kiyone, then, she won't get any." Momo reassured the smaller one.

Haruka tried to keep up with Mai's explanation. "So, because of the heavy amount of spin on the ball, it disappears and rolls towards the net, right?"

"The speed of the spin is what makes the shot disappear into thin air but when even if you have motion sight, it tends to have you dizzy." Mai sheepishly admitted, "I learned that the hard way."

Hitomi smiled while she watched Shizuru do another backhand calmly down the line. "I'll need another set of notebooks for data taking."

Kiyone cheered her on. "Go go, nee-_chan_, take her down hard! Squish her like a lemon!"

"You can see in her eyes that nothing will get past her," Mai smiled while she watched her former doubles partner do another drop shot.

Momo acknowledged her prowess. "Hyotei values several things: first is leadership, second is power and third and most of all - virtue."

Shizuru flew high into the air and gave her a vertical smash that whizzed right past Atsui's ear, "Love 40!"

"I'm sorry for making you miss the game, Vice Captain Kobayagi." Isane ruefully bowed down while the doctor bandaged her arms. "I'm sure you would have wanted to watch Shizuru-buchou's game."

Ayane shook her head. "It's alright, they'll be fine. They have their pillar of support with them. I'm supposed to be here because I care about you guys. Senpai or not, I would've gone anyway. Shizuru-senpai can handle herself with grace and decorum. She makes Atobe look like a twit when she does things."

Isane laughed at Ayane's comparison. "Why are you not fond of Atobe-san?"

"Simple," Ayane stood up and began ranting, "he's nothing but egotistical! Everything's about him! Nothing else! He thinks he's so beautiful, he thinks he's all that! I never knew a guy who carried a mirror in his pocket just so he can stare at himself anytime anywhere all freakin' day! I mean – buchou's pretty but even she doesn't do that! You're also pretty, Isane-senpai. I know you don't have a mirror in your pocket. Sure you have lip balm but the days are humid! You have a proper use for that thing! I bet he even has lip stick!"

Isane couldn't help but giggle. "He doesn't have lip stick but mirror, yeah, he does."

"Annoying, egotistical, pompous, narcisstic, vain, arrogant, loud mouthed," Ayane was coming up with more adjectives than normal, "haughty, ignorant, overbearing, conceited, disdainful, fashion-challenged, spoiled, bratty and irritating jerk! He has no class, asks Kabaji when the poor guy only says 'usu' to whatever the so called 'ore-sama' asks and even won't go to the supermarket alone! Doesn't anyone do his groceries or whatever in his house!"

The silver haired senpai watched Ayane seat herself again angrily. "Kobayagi-san, Atobe-san isn't as bad as you think. He did contribute a lot to Hyotei."

"Yeah, like what exactly did he contribute! A couple of pink walls and flowery set ups?" Ayane shot back in annoyance.

Isane decided to explain it to her. "Did you know that… buchou's only scholarship?"

"Huh?" Ayane didn't know where that came from.

Isane knew that this got her attention. "Atobe-san one day found her in a no namer school with the best grades and so, because he found her grades amazing, he sponsored her. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be here. She'd be in a no namer and be making a name for that school. If she didn't come here, who knows? She could have ended up in Yugetsu Chuu."

Ayane was horrified. "I'd rather have her anywhere but there!"

"I know but Atobe-san isn't as bad as you think. Why do you think Shizuru-chan is very polite to him even if he demands something from her?" Isane explained it carefully.

"That still doesn't justify how bratty he is!" Ayane pouted with annoyance.

Isane sighed; this was going to take awhile and she was never fond of hospitals either.

"Game, Kurenai: 3-0!" The arbiter declared while watching an exhausted Atsui makes attempts against Shizuru.

Shizuru stood calmly while Atsui gripped the net angrily. "You're supposed to be nothing by now! I've volleyed, smashed, forehanded and backhanded you and you returned them with that technique of yours, I don't even know what it is!"

"You chose violence over skill and finesse," Shizuru explained calmly, "that's why you don't understand my technique and style."

Atsui rose to her feet and shoved Shizuru back. "Shut up, you know nothing!"

Shizuru watched her head towards the baseline to serve but she turned around with a soft whisper. "I believe it's you who doesn't know anything."

Hissing angrily, Atsui fired a powerful service which then vanished the moment it hit the ground. Searching frantically, Kiyone began to panic, "Where did the ball go!"

Mai shot up from her chair. "Shizuru, watch out for your eye!"

Hearing Mai's warning from the sidelines, Shizuru knew where to expect the ball. "I said this once and let me tell you again: 'There is no such thing as a ball that can disappear'."

Atsui smirked at Shizuru. "But there is something called a ball that can hit people now is there?"

The ball appeared right under Shizuru's eye and in an instinctive notion; the Hyotei captain backed up and sliced it down. "But tennis balls aren't meant to be weapons now were they?"

Shizuru's shot glided past the net and stop there at one point to bounce, "Love 15!"

Atsui hissed in annoyance while she sent another ball to attack Shizuru under the eye again. However, she was ready for it and giving her a powerful backhand, Shizuru attacked the corners, "Love thirty!"

Oshitari seemed to be very interested in Shizuru's game because he hadn't peeled his eyes off her yet. "Yuushi, how long will you stare? Is there some magical writing on the court, Yuushi?"

The kansai prodigy turned to Gakuto and dismissed his stupidity. "I wasn't staring."

Shishido scowled. "You were looking at Shizuru's legs weren't you?"

Oshitari was appalled by Shishido's accusation. "Shishido, you make me sound like a pervert."

Ohtori watched another slice get past a frustrated Atsui. "Well, Shizuru-chan is pretty…"

Shishido clamped the taller boy's mouth shut. "Choutarou, don't give him ideas!"

Atobe rolled his eyes with annoyance. "Ore-sama doesn't know what you see in Kurenai asides from the fact that she's VERY forgiving. She could get killed with that attitude."

"She's pretty." Gakuto started listing. "I mean, sure her Geometry's not the best but she tries!"

Shishido pointed out. "She's easier to approach?"

Oshitari riled up Atobe. "Simply put, she doesn't overdo things."

Jirou got excited as Shizuru did her famous shot again. "She did it again! She did it again! It's the Gliding Dragonfly!"

Hiyoshi muttered under his breath. "Gekokujou…"

Mai watched her captain play her all. "It's been awhile since I last saw buchou this way. Despite that face, you can see that she's a bit... sad."

Watching Shizuru easily prevail over Yugetsu Chuu's Motomiya Atsui, Momo understood the reason why Shizuru became captain. "We always thought that Naomi-_senpai_ was crazy when she first handed the captaincy to her. She always played every game as if it were her last. I could see that she smiled every time she played tennis but back there – when Shina hit Isane-chan, she swore to make the captain pay. She didn't use violent means but she did use methods that were damaging enough."

Shizuru did another Gliding Dragonfly (Subera Kagerou) which Atsui couldn't return. "Game, Kurenai: 4-0!"

Atsui slammed her fist in the ground. "You little prick, how is it that you can keep using that technique again and again?"

The Hyotei captain didn't reply while she began to bounce the ball. "She's always so serious. I wonder, when will she the match?" Rin scratched her ear.

"Normally, Shizuru would apply less pressure and mental damage to her opponents but, I think she's never going to forgive Atsui for whatever she's done." Mai watched Shizuru fire a bullet fast serve.

Haruka stared at Shizuru. "Isane-chan and Ayane-chan serve faster than she does right?"

"Yep but, Kurenai-senpai always had skill over Ayane-chan and Isane-senpai." Kiyone noted while Atsui failed to return Shizuru's serve.

Mai watched Shizuru with a smirk. "She's going to end this game in three more serves. I don't think she wants to prolong this anymore."

Atsui could only stare in horror while Shizuru fired two more bullet serves on the court. "Who exactly are you?"

Shizuru bounced the ball and gave her a straight reply. "I'm sorry; this game ends now."

SMASH.

The serve was strong enough to not make a bounce. "Game, Kurenai: 5-0!"

Huffing in annoyance, Atsui picked up the ball and began her service. "Good luck in returning this serve."

Jumping high into the air, Atsui fired a service right at the middle of the service court but Shizuru instinctively moved back to weaken the shot and sliced it. "I've returned it, what next?"

"This!" Atsui did a powerful volley which would have knocked out Shizuru's racquet if not for her quick reflex.

Shizuru backhanded the shot with a top spin. "I'm sure there is a reason why you became captain, why is it you are one?"

Atsui lobbed it by accident. "Darn it, will you stop talking!"

Shizuru leapt high into the air. "You let yourself be distracted, this is why I'm going to win."

A smash exploded on to the left court giving Shizuru the point, "Love 15!"

Atsui jumped for another driving backhand from Shizuru. "Love Thirty!"

Mai began packing her bags cheerfully. "I think buchou will be finish in the next thirty seconds."

Rin watched Shizuru pull out another Gliding Dragonfly. "Yep, this game's ours."

Atsui fell flat on her face when Shizuru did a pile driving forehand down the line. "Game and set, Kurenai: 6-0!"

Momo felt her eyes widen. "Not even a single point."

Mai clapped her hands. "Yeah, that's Shizuru for you!"

Walking towards Atsui, Shizuru decided to help her up. "Are you alright?"

Slapping her hand away in disgust, Atsui marched away. "I don't need help from a haughty queen like you."

Shizuru moved away from the court when the score was announced. "Game and match, Hyotei Gakuen: 4-1!"

Haruka cheered while Rin glomped her doubles partner. Mai was dancing. "We're fire, we're sizzling, and we're turning up the heat! We're turning up the heat so we can't be beat! Olei, olei, olei, olei, olei!"

After their usual courtesy bow, Shizuru headed towards the gates. "I think we need to check on Isane-senpai and Kobayagi-san. I'd like to know the results of her treatment. Also we need to prepare for the next school, we were nearly caught flat footed just now but, we're going to have train harder than ever. Understand?"

The team stood in full assembly. "Yes!"

With their captain, Kurenai Shizuru leading them, Yamaguchi Hitomi as their manager and Kobayagi Ayane as their vice captain, they knew this year would be different. Momo looked at her team mates composing of: Captain Kurenai Shizuru, Vice Captain Kobayagi Ayane, Genius Nagisaki Mai, Control Master Getsugan Kiyone, Researcher Yamaguchi Hitomi, Baseliner Uchiha Isane, the Twin Dragons: Shimohi Rin and Hikifumi Haruka and she, traditional old Sanada Momo. "This year is going to be so much more different."

-That's chapter 3! Please review!


	4. Similar Rivalry

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 4 – Similar rivalry

"Her body isn't as bad as it looks." The doctor lowered his stethoscope while explaining to Shizuru carefully. "She's mostly full of bruises but I think she can still move around though – it's very unadvisable to go for strenuous activities for awhile. How did she get all these injuries?"

Ayane began explaining. "There was a girl from another school who began hitting her with a tennis ball. I know you might not believe me but it's true. That's how Isane-senpai got all those bruises."

Shizuru bowed gratefully. "Thank you for tending to one of our team mates, she was critically injured from her match and we're glad to have brought her to you before anything bad had happened."

"I'm glad to be of help. I mean – it's just quite surprising how tennis in your division suddenly got very brutal, Ayane. How did that happen?" The doctor folded his arms and asking for an explanation.

Isane meekly admitted. "The opponent I played against was mentally unstable. Actually, I have to admit: we were both unstable at that moment in the game. I refused to touch the net and she froze the moment I scored a point and went wild when I continued to play. I guess I overlooked my limits."

The man shook his head in defeat. "You're so reckless to the point you nearly got yourself a couple of fractures. You're lucky enough to not get any dislocations."

Ayane tried to explain it to the doctor. "The players there used violent means to get a win from us but buchou managed to silence them pretty good, it seems. By the way, guys, this is my uncle Akimaru. He works as a diagnostician here. Uncle, these are my teammates from the tennis team. The one with the brown hair is Kurenai Shizuru-senpai, my captain, I'm sure you know Isane-senpai, the shortest one is my doubles partner, Getsugan Kiyone, " –this earned her a glare from her doubles partner though, "the one with red hair is Nagisaki Mai, the resident's prodigy, the one with pale pink hair is Hikifumi-senpai, the one with black hair is Shimohi-senpai, the one with glasses is Yamaguchi-senpai and the one who's standing behind Yamaguchi-senpai is Momo-senpai."

He turned to Shizuru. "She speaks so highly of you, I'm glad that you're an excellent leader. You look after your teammates often."

Shizuru shook her head. "It's part of my duty as captain of this team. Also, my team members are like my sisters. I cannot just sit back and watch them get hurt by someone I don't know."

Kicking the chair towards his seat, Akimaru continued to prod. "So, how was your game?"

Ayane punched the air. "We won like always, 6-0! They were just like those dark horses we used to fight with before in elementary."

Kiyone quietly looked down. "If we played against Shitenhouji, I don't think we'll win."

Haruka pointed out. "Even though we won, we still have a lot more to work on. We can't be content with our skill level, when we enter the nationals, we might get slaughtered again like last time."

Rin tried to be more optimistic. "Yeah, we got slaughtered but I don't think Shizuru-chan will have much of a problem. She took down the captain by herself last year. We can't keep relying on her for that. Secondly – we may be good as doubles players and we may be nationally ranked but do you think we can handle another dark horse team?"

Hitomi skimmed through her notes. "Judging from our performance today, we would have won all five games if not for Shina's mental breakdown. Secondly, we're not used to violent tennis like theirs. We could end up going up against many more teams that are like that."

"There are also a few more teams I'm actually wary about," Shizuru looked at the list of competitors.

Mai looked at the list. "I don't see why you should be scared, Shizuru. I mean – we're national ranked so, who are the teams that you're wary about?"

"There's Rikkai Daigaku which is headed by Vice Captain Sagara Kaguri and Captain Yukimura Ai," Shizuru didn't like being caught off guard, "there's Seigaku also…"

Ayane snorted. "We don't have any reason to be scared of Seigaku so, why are you wary about them? They were no threat to you last year."

Shizuru showed her the list of names. "Recognize one of them?"

Taking the list, Ayane skimmed through the paper. "Nada, I don't know anybody here."

Mai took the paper and began looking through it. "I don't know any of them. Why is it you're terrified?"

Shizuru sighed; why didn't her teammates feel the least bit of uneasiness? Were they that dense? "Do you know who is helping these girls reach the best of their ability?"

Ayane didn't know why her captain was suddenly getting wary about a team she had beaten before. "Well, no because I only joined this year and secondly – buchou, you beat them before didn't you?"

"I did but their captain really pushed me to my limit and there's another girl who we should be afraid of. She's also of National's Calibre and if you make a slight mistake," –Shizuru shuddered at the thought, "she could humiliate you on the court, literally."

Isane knew who exactly she was talking about. "Souma Fuuka, the current captain of the team and also, someone of Shizuru-chan's calibre. Though buchou won 6-4 to her last time, you should've seen the game. Buchou was forced to create another technique just to get past her. Her injury sealed up the technique though."

"Unless you're strong enough in the mind to forget that she can return shots even with the lowest possibility of coming back," Hitomi continued to calculate, "then, none of us have a chance against her except Buchou. She would probably play in Singles Two or Singles Three to surprise us though so, I suggest positioning buchou somewhere there."

The uncle was pretty much interested. "May I see your injury?"

"It's an old injury from a sport I played years back," Shizuru pointed at her knees, "I dislocated my knee a few years back and sometimes, I get chronic attacks from it but I manage to play."

Examining the knee, he was pretty impressed by the recovery rate because her knee looked like it didn't suffer anything at all. Most of them would be still a bit swollen. "How far has it been since you last dislocate your knee?"

Shizuru didn't really keep track. "I think it was about a year ago maybe. Somewhere there, I think around one or two years."

Tilting his glasses up, he leaned back with a sigh. "I'm just wondering – how does it manage to get so violent in such a classy game?"

Haruka shrugged. "Beats us, I guess sometimes our opponents are too unstable for their own good."

Ayane began examining Isane's bandages. "You sure they're on properly?"

"It's okay because you don't need to worry so much about me, Ayane-chan." Isane waved her hand dismissively.

Kiyone sat down next to her captain while the uncle handed out cookies. "Anybody want some?"

"Can I?" Rin shyly looked at it at first and he gladly gave it to her.

The moment she got the cookie, she began eating it as if she had never had cookies in her whole life. "Mm! Yay, I got a cookie!"

Kiyone tried to grab it but had Ayane yank down her jacket to sit down again. "I want one!"

Ayane flicked the little girl's nose. "You're gonna get fat! Stop eating so many sweets! I still have the ones you kept from last years Trick or Treat!"

Hitomi muttered while scribbling down. "I must triplicate Rin's training menu to burn off the sugar she had just ingested."

"Well, I might be able to attend your next game. So, who's your next match going to be and when?" The uncle nudged Ayane.

Ayane looked at her captain who had the paper of teams that were still in. "Buchou, who's our next match?"

"We're only in the preliminaries and so, our next match is Fudomine Chuu." Shizuru skimmed through the paper, "If we win and doubtless that Seigaku wins their other match, we have to play against Seigaku. Our match will be tomorrow afternoon again. Same time, same place."

Kiyone whined. "But we just put our feet up after our match with Yugetsu Chuu!"

"I don't think Isane-senpai will be playing Singles Three for a time being so, Momo, you're taking her place." Shizuru eyed her other senpai who nodded in agreement. "Mai, you'll probably play in Singles Two like always and I will play in my Singles One but, when Seigaku comes up, we have to hit them hard and strong in the first three games. Hikifumi-senpai and Shimohi-senpai will be playing Doubles Two and Kobayagi-san and Getsugan-san, shock the people in your doubles one match. Show them no mercy and make sure they have no chance of retaliation."

They all nodded while the uncle warned. "From what I hear, there are many dark horse teams now. My son's playing in a different school not as well known as yours but, he said many of these dark horses tend to get very violent. I want you all to be careful and if Uchiha-san has to play, I suggest you have her on reserve."

Shizuru was going to do exactly that. "We're not going to let them even get to the reserves matches. We'll beat them in either three straight games or five straight games. We won't let them score a single match against us."

Ayane punched her fist into the air. "Yeah it's because Kiyone and I are the best doubles pair in the Kanto District!"

"You also have National calibre players like Shizuru-chan and Mai-chan," Haruka continued to mention.

Isane swung her legs lightly. "We're not likely to be defeated; we're going to win the Prefectural games!"

Hitomi looked at her watch. "I hate to be rude but, I might have to go. My parents could be looking for me."

"Okay, see you, Yamaguchi-senpai." Shizuru allowed her to leave and she looked at her watch too. "I think we've taken too much of your time. Thank you for allowing us to stay here in your office."

The uncle waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright, no need to apologize. Any friends of Ayane are good friends of the family too."

Ayane slung her arm around Shizuru. "Yeah, we come here anytime and raid his fridge. He's not even supposed to have cookies in here and so, Shimohi-senpai will be very useful!"

Laughing softly, Shizuru slung over her tennis bag and bowed. "Thank you for allowing us to use the room for awhile."

"It's no problem," Her uncle smiled, "you better go. I think your parents might be looking for you."

At this, Shizuru's face became more melancholy. "Ah, right."

When the door lightly shut behind her, Ayane poked her uncle. "Hey, don't mention that!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." The uncle sheepishly scratched his head.

From outside the room, Shizuru could hear the conversation going on inside. "Yes, it's true. I don't have any parents."

Walking home from the hospital, Shizuru listened to the people rushing by past her. She remembered the happy face Ayane had when speaking to her uncle. It reminded her on how she used to be like that. Everything was so bright, so colourful and so cheery.

Until everything in her life began to crumble down, she then realized that there was one last thing she had left: her tennis.

Shizuru knew she had to remain strong for her team otherwise everything else would crumble. She was their pillar of support and she couldn't falter. She couldn't let her guard down and she couldn't lose hope no matter what happens. She always had to find ways on how to beat the odds. While she was deep in thought, Shizuru felt something touch her left foot. "Huh? Who's playing at a time like this?"

Picking up the ball, Shizuru saw a toddler coming towards her with a bright cheery smile. However, Shizuru's eyes widened in fear when she saw a car coming towards the toddler who seemed completely oblivious about the car coming towards him. Throwing her tennis bag aside, she leaped over the rail that blocked the sidewalk and grabbed the boy before the car could hit him. What unnerved her was that the car didn't even bother stopping to check if they were okay and it didn't even bother swerving. "I didn't know that there were still jerks like that on the road."

The toddler was whimpering in shock while she ruffled his hair. "You okay, little guy?"

Nodding weakly, the boy gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me back there, nee-san."

Shizuru's act of bravado attracted a crowd almost immediately and when they saw that she was a Hyotei student (let alone a regular of the Hyotei Girls Team) murmurs began to erupt and the mother came in. "Natsume, where have you been?"

The boy's eyes gleamed in delight. "Mama, I'm over here!"

She took the boy from Shizuru while thanking her. "Thank you so much for saving Natsume! I didn't know he ran off! He was just at the park a few moments ago!"

Shizuru didn't really expect this big a fuss. "It's no big deal. You don't need to thank me."

Kissing her little boy's forehead, she then offered. "Why don't you have dinner with us? I think it's the least I can do."

Shizuru shook her head; declining it politely. "It's alright, I don't want to imp-."

"You're not imposing anything," The woman smiled while taking Shizuru's hand, "I think you should have dinner with us, I insist."

Shizuru was about to say something until she thought it was much wiser to not reject the offer. Anything to get her away from the crowd is good enough. "Um, okay. Let me get my tennis bag first."

Though the place they had dinner in wasn't what Shizuru expected it to be, the dinner was amazing. Well, she did bring her to a five star restaurant which was in a hotel and Shizuru was more than just abashed to order something to eat because the prices were so atrocious. "I… um…"

"It's alright. You can order anything you want, dear. I'll pay for it." The woman smiled while the little boy was swinging his legs on his chair.

Shizuru felt even more abashed to order. "I…I actually don't know what to get really."

"Oh, okay, I'll get you something." The woman whispered their orders to the waiter and Natsume cheekily smiled. "Thanks for saving me again, onee-san!"

Shizuru waved her hand in protest. "It's no big deal, really. I just did what I thought was right."

"Not many people care for people when they run on the road nowadays, let alone –children." The woman ruffled the boy's hair and then extended her hand. "I'm Renhou Mitsuru, I should thank you again for saving my little boy," –her face then became rueful, "he's all I have left."

"Ah," Shizuru was unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry."

The woman smiled kindly. "You shouldn't be sorry. May I ask what your name is?"

"Kurenai Shizuru," the brunette stammered slightly because of her being completely out of place in a high class restaurant.

The woman introduced herself further. "I'm Renhou Mitsuru, owner of the Renhou Industries in Chiba. This here is my son, Renhou Natsume."

The boy greeted her cheekily. "Hello, Shizuru-nee-chan!"

"My husband died recently and I chose to take my maiden name again," the woman continued to explain, "I see you're a tennis player from Hyotei Gakuen."

"Ah," Shizuru then again started sounding monosyllabic because she was completely clueless upon what to say.

The meals came in and Shizuru's eyes widened when she saw what her food was: she had never eaten Lobster in her life. "This… this is too much."

"Come on, it's okay. Eat up." The woman saw that Shizuru was getting more uncomfortable.

Shizuru put her hands together while saying softly, "Itadakimasu." (Thank you for the meal, let's eat now.) (A/N: Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not from Japan.)

Natsume had a plate of pasta while the woman had a steak. "So, where are your parents?"

"I," Shizuru disguised her sadness when she mentioned her parents and lied, "usually walk home from school because they come late at night."

"Oh I see," the woman continued to slice a piece of steak, "so, are you a regular from the tennis team?"

Shizuru nodded as easily as she could though she felt completely stiff. "Y-yes, I am."

Natsume jumped in his chair. "I wanna see you play! Can I? Can I, mama?"

His mother smiled while patting his head lovingly. "Of course you can, you are in Hyotei Gakuen also. So, I'm sure you have the right to watch."

"Oh," Shizuru then realized that his clothes looked familiar, "you're from the elementary division?"

Natsume gave her a cheeky grin. "Yep, that's right! I'm gonna tell my classmates all about you! I'm sure they would love to see your game!"

The mother laughed softly at her son's reply to Shizuru. "Would you like me to bring you home?"

"Oh no," Shizuru didn't want to impose much further, "I walk home. It's okay really because my house is not far from here."

()()()()0000()()()()

Rin hung from upside down while sucking on a lollipop. The TV started showing a gymnastics match while the girl started watching the graceful movements. Swinging back and forth, Rin then managed to land on her bed while reminiscing on the game that had recently passed by. Haruka had only managed to bring them out in the end because of the Dragon's Tail like she said. However, the black acrobat could only stare at her hand.

_That infinite possibility... does it even exist?_

Haruka had often told her about it and with a sigh, Rin swung up again while trying to understand what the Pearl Dragon had meant. At one side, medals from the gymnastics competition adorned her wall while a silver medal sat quietly in the corner in a glass case. Getting down from the bar above her bed, Rin opened the case as she shined the medal with her pajama shirt.

"_Kuwee_~, what am I lacking," Rin pouted while tapping her chin but came up with an idea. "I know!"

Running out, Rin switched into her jacket while walking towards a huge arcade. "When stressed, consult the whack a mole machine, kuwee!"

Before she could enter however, a voice caught her off guard. "Rin, what are you doing here?"

Spinning around, Rin jumped at the voice. "Haru, where have you been?"

Haruka looked at her watch while wiping away the sweat. "Jogging, and shouldn't you be at home?"

"I got stressed so," Rin scratched her head sheepishly. "Yeah, when stressed - consult the whack a mole machine!"

Haruka sighed while smiling sheepishly. "There is one place that could help sort out your mind."

Rin stared at her with a quizzical look. "Huh, where would that be?"

Haruka turned to her, offering her a hand. "Wanna jog with me?"

Pouting while folding her arms, Rin pursed her lips. "You know my stamina sucks!"

"That's why," Haruka laughed lightly. "We're gonna start training. We have to find that 'thing' remember?"

Infinite possibilities of doubles, Rin heard the voice echo in her head again. "Yeah, but where are we going?"

"You'll see," Haruka cheerfully noted as she sprinted off. "Come on, don't get left behind."

Rin huffed and puffed after Haruka as the pink haired girl stayed next to her.

"Come on," Haruka beckoned. "It's only been thirty minutes."

Rin gasped for air. "Thirty minutes was my limit - but wait, we were never going anywhere were we?"

"Actually," Haruka admittedly scratched her head. "I got lost on the way."

Rin gaped at her Doubles partner, pointing at an apricot tree nearby. "What, you mean we've been running in circles? No wonder I saw that tree ten times!"

Haruka tried to calm down the frantic acrobat. "Rin, it's okay! We're not lost! I know where we going!"

"You do," Rin suddenly stopped panicking. "But you said we were lost."

Haruka sat on a bench nearby. "Do you remember this place?"

Rin glanced at the road and saw the cracks that lined the asphalt. The streetlights let off a mute glow while the Dragon Pair engulfed themselves in silence. Biting her lip as she sat, Rin stared sadly at the cracks while playing with the shell bracelet on her wrist.

"This is where," Rin sadly turned to Haruka. "This is where the Stadium Pair ended."

Haruka shook her head and began to smile. "No, this is where the Twin Dragons were born."

Rin, quizzically staring at Haruka, found the pink haired dragon getting to her feet.

"That match today reminded me of a lot of things," Haruka then dangled a key chain in front of Rin. "So, you ready to take on the world, Rin?"

Brightening up considerably, Rin jumped on Haruka. "Yeah, we're gonna win!"

()()()()0000()()()()

Ayane on the other hand was at home doing her homework like always. She examined the roster that her captain had given her. "Wow, buchou's really serious about tennis. But, I guess it can't be helped. She's gotta be a role model for all of us. Besides, this is the only way we can make buchou feel normal around us; there's something there that we don't know about. Even though she acts tough and all, I can't just watch her break into smaller pieces. I want to help her; she's not only my senpai and captain."

At that very moment, Ayane heard the phone ring. "Hello, Kobayagi residence."

"Hey, Ayane-chan, it's me, Nagisaki-san." A curt voice answered the phone.

Ayane was taken aback by Mai's sudden call. "Nagisaki-senpai, how can I help you? Is there anything you need?"

"Actually, I just wanted you to know something: did you see what happened on TV? It said there: Renhou son saved by Hyotei Regular student." Mai chose her words carefully.

Ayane was shocked. "I know, I heard about it. The kid nearly got hit by the car! The kid could have been run down by that ignorant jerk!"

Mai knew that Ayane wouldn't pay attention to the news but more to the victim. "Ayane, focus on the topic. Did you hear who it was who saved the kid?"

"Nope, I heard nothing because I killed the TV so I could make dinner."

Mai sighed through the phone. "Never mind but we're going to have a lot of reporters tomorrow. Just be prepared to single out who are scouters and who are actually paparazzi."

"Yeah but, she seemed pretty worried about Seigaku this year. Mind telling me why?" Ayane never understood why Seigaku was so feared to the point even Shizuru was wary.

Mai exhaled sharply. "It's a long story: when Hyotei didn't have you two as in Getsugan-chan and you yet, Shizuru and I were under another captain who went under the name Kotetsu Naomi and another vice captain, Ferero Lulu. At that time, Seigaku's captain was this girl named Souma Fuuka and she flattened Kotetsu-senpai in ten minutes. The reason: No matter what kind of spin Kotetsu-senpai gave her, she returned it efficiently with double spin and doubled strength. That's why buchou's a little wary of her. She doesn't want anyone to feel humiliation. If someone should suffer it, it should be her – or so she thinks."

Ayane could've sworn her eyes rolled out of its sockets. "She's that good?"

"One of the very few who could give Shizuru a run for her skill, Souma Fuuka. Even Yamaguchi-senpai said it herself that we don't have a chance against her except buchou. Actually, I think you have a chance against her but she doesn't play doubles and you don't play singles either." Mai groaned in annoyance.

The vice captain looked at the roster. "Buchou gave me the roster for both games: the one for Fudomine is so differently set from the one for Seigaku. Here, she put you in Singles One for Seigaku but in Fudomine, you took your usual position. Kiyone and I are doing our usual Doubles One but for the one for Seigaku: Kiyone and I are doubles two while she is in Singles Two. Why is that?"

"It's either," Mai scratched her head, "she knows that Fuuka only plays Singles Two because she can't handle pressure or she's trying to corner the captain into a corner. Souma didn't like taking Singles One until the latter part of the season."

The current vice captain looked out the window. "I wonder how buchou's doing. I mean – why is she so... perfect? It's weird..."

"Not many of us have a mother's love to live with," the red haired genius laughed, "I can't believe she has five of them in one house! How many step siblings does she have anyway?"

"Wait, what do you mean she has five," Ayane nearly screamed into the phone.

Mai changed topic right away. "We'll leave that for another day. For now, let's focus to the task at hand."

"There's nothing to do," Ayane protested. "Honestly, stop evading the damn question!"

Mai threw her hands up with a sigh. "Look, I respect my friend's privacy. If we thought we got dirt then, you should wait until you get to her house. They're not exactly the greatest people in the world."

"Anyway, I think we should just ask Shizuru-senpai about the roster tomorrow as in the one for Seigaku. I don't exactly get it either." Ayane yawned a little.

Mai chuckled at one end. "Burning the midnight oil tonight?"

"Yeah," Ayane yawned again, "I just want to finish this so, I could hit the sack and sleep."

Realizing how late it was, Mai decided the same. "Then I guess I shouldn't disturb you. Good night."

()()()()0000()()()()

The next day, Ayane, Kiyone and Mai found paparazzi at Hyotei's gate. "Che, this must be about ore-sama's greatness, AGAIN!"

Kiyone shook her head disbelievingly. "Wow, mole diva really pulled out all the stops this time~!"

"Sure he's arrogant but I'm sure he has little common sense," Mai felt her brain pop because of all these people. "Then again, he did prefer throwing money around."

"Arn~, ore-sama didn't call for any of this but if they want to interview him, he's right here." A deep voice purred from behind.

Seeing Atobe come in with the other Hyotei regulars, Ayane pointed a finger accusingly in his face. "What's all this junk doing in Hyotei! Get rid of it, you narcisstic mole diva!"

"It's not Atobe-senpai's fault, I think it's more mine."

They found Shizuru amidst the crowd with a little boy clinging on to her. "You heard about the news yesterday right?"

Shishido recalled seeing the news yesterday. "Yeah, 'Hyotei Regular saves Renhou heir'. It's amazing how news gets out this fast."

Ohtori's eyes widened. "Shizuru-chan, were you the one who saved…?"

Sheepishly nodding, Shizuru didn't know exactly how to clear this one up. "Well, it's a long story. I'll explain it to you in the classroom."

Atobe snapped his fingers. "Ore-sama demands that all reporters, scouters and paparazzi get out of Hyotei, right now!"

The Hyotei regulars stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "They're not going to leave, Atobe." Gakuto sniggered.

"You might want to retract that statement, Gakuto." Oshitari pointed at the people leaving and now all that was left were the entire student body of Hyotei, the teachers and some other school personnel.

Atobe flipped his hair up with a smirk. "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina." (Be awed by ore-sama's prowess)

Ayane twitched at what he had just said and stepped on his foot. "Be awed by ore-sama's prowess, my foot! Go awe some people with your uselessness!"

Twitching at her comment, Atobe turned to face the vice captain of Hyotei. "You didn't have to step on ore-sama's loafers, Kobayagi."

"Well, someone has to teach you where to put your ego and when not to show it like – never!" Ayane stormed off again.

Kiyone dropped her shoulders after hearing Ayane's snapping. "Geez, she never knows when to miss a day."

Mai shrugged. "I guess it's good for her blood pressure if she does have a problem there."

Seeing Ayane stomp off, Shizuru could only pinch the bridge of her nose. "Great, I didn't want to deal with this early in the morning."

"Shizuru-nee-chan," a little voice peeped from below, "who was the angry lady?"

Shizuru let out a sigh and smiled at the little boy. "That was my vice captain, Kobayagi Ayane. She's very quick to anger."

"I think 'quick' would be an understatement." Shishido watched Ayane fume with Kiyone trailing behind her. "She blows the moment he's breathing or something."

Mai folded her arms with a smirk. "They fight like a married couple, don't you think?"

Hiyoshi couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, they kinda look it."

Jirou was sleeping on Kabaji's shoulders again while Atobe snapped his fingers. "Let's go, Kabaji."

The bigger kohai trailed behind him while every girl in Hyotei seemed to faint the moment Atobe crossed paths with them. "Ayane's going to hit the roof again," Hitomi noted while walking in, "I must choose a stronger partner to withstand her shots otherwise someone will snap their wrist from the amount of power Ayane puts, ii data."

Haruka came in with Rin. "Boy, Atobe-san sure knows how to make an entrance."

"Yeah, he knows how to strut it like a girl. That's what." Rin sniggered at the way Atobe had entered Hyotei.

Oshitari shrugged. "Well, this is Atobe that we're talking about and nobody else. I mean – he wouldn't be Atobe if he didn't do this right?"

Ohtori watched more girls chase after Atobe. "But, Atobe-senpai still has other good traits."

Shizuru then remembered what she had to do. "Oh by the way, this is Renhou Natsume. He's the heir of the Renhou Industries and he's an elementary student here."

Shishido smirked. "I knew you weren't the type to just stand there and watch a kid get scrunched up by a car."

"I guess I'm that easy to read huh?" Shizuru laughed a little; seeing that Shishido had figured out everything.

"No, I've just known you long enough to be able to conclude that. Besides, you're pretty good with kids anyway." Shishido dragged his school bag along with him.

Ohtori heard the ball ring. "Oh yeah, we might be late for class, we better go!"

Shizuru placed her things on her desk while looking at the roster for both games. "There's a big chance that Souma-san would play Singles Two but, why do I have a feeling that she'll play Singles One?"

"Aren't those the female regulars from Seigaku?" Ohtori loomed over to Shizuru's desk.

Putting the paper back into her filler, Shizuru began taking notes. "Yeah, they're from Seigaku. Thing is – I don't think we're ready to face them. Well, I know I can handle it but what about Ayane and Kiyone? They've been winning every doubles match and this time, if they lose, they're going to break."

Ohtori pat her on the head. "You shouldn't worry so much, Shizuru-chan. I know you care a lot for your teammates but have a little more faith in them, the same way they have faith in you."

Smiling a little, Shizuru knew that worrying was pointless now. "You're right. The best thing we can do is just play our best and hope for the best and get ready to face the worst."

"Also, don't forget what you always tell them, Shizuru-chan." Ohtori chirped cheerfully.

Shizuru laughed; how could she have forgotten? "Oh yeah: Never lose hope. I ought to learn how to take my own advices."

Ohtori laughed with her. "Yeah but, you're right too in trying to expect things. I mean – Seigaku has good players this year."

"And so I hear, the famous Echizen Ryoma joined Seigaku." Shizuru added while sorting out her things.

Ohtori set his notebooks down and placed more papers on his desk. "Yeah but he's not the only one, including their captain. He's a really skilled player! He was invited to the Junior Sanbatsu Camp before. I think their captain's name was Tezuka if I remember right. Atobe-senpai was ranting on how he'll be beating him the other day."

Knowing that Atobe would do something like that, Shizuru ignored the details about Atobe but the name Tezuka lingered in her mind. "Captain Tezuka of Seigaku, that's quite a familiar name around here. Seems like he might be training these girls too if he's that good and he's good enough to make Atobe-senpai rant like that. I want to see him play one day."

"Kurenai-san, are you still there?"

"Kurenai-san, please pay attention!"

The brunette was shaken out of her trance when the teacher beckoned her to the board. "Would you like to do this equation?"

Seeing a very long sentence, Shizuru held her breath as she noted the long equation held several radicals and variables. "Okay..."

Watching her write the solution, her classmates stared in awe while Ohtori quickly scrambled for notes. Though staring into space for awhile, Shizuru had to erase her solution several times before getting it right. All her classmates were looking at where her solutions were going and then she simply boxed the answer at the end of the process.

"Hmph, I expect you to listen next time," the teacher pointed her stick towards Shizuru's chair. "Take your seat."

Shizuru took her seat next to Ohtori while she continued looking and organizing the roster.

()()()()0000()()()()

Ayane and Kiyone were in the same class but the shorter girl was falling asleep. "Kiyone, please don't sleep," –the vice captain begged, "We need to know this lesson by Friday!"

Kiyone slapped her hand away; mumbling. "I want my sleep!"

Looking at her doubles partner, Ayane wasn't sure how to wake her up inconspicuously without making a fool out of herself. The first thing she wanted to do was simply just nudge her awake but the girl refused to get up. The second thing was hitting her with paper balls but she didn't want to waste paper. So, she decided to do something else. "Teacher, Kiyone-chan has a stomach ache. May I please take her to the bathroom? She might need to puke."

The teacher didn't seem to mind that Ayane was trying to cover up for Kiyone. "Go ahead, just come back in two minutes."

"Two minutes is all I need," the vice captain mumbled while hauling Kiyone over her shoulder to get her up, "to wake sleeping beauty over here, up."

Dragging her to the bathroom, Ayane finally dunked Kiyone's head into the sink full of cold water. "Waaah, someone's trying to drown me!"

Ayane shook her head disbelievingly. "How you managed to sleep through math without having the teacher slam her pointer down on you is a miracle."

Kiyone grinned. "Same here on how you manage to scream at Atobe every time you cross paths with him. Yane's really in denial yeah?"

WHACK.

Delivering a well placed slap on Kiyone's head, Ayane resisted the urge to scream. "I will never fall in love with a narcisstic jerk like him. Let alone a man who calls himself ore-sama all the time!"

Her doubles partner, Kiyone dried her face with a paper towel. "Say, what time is it?"

"It's last period, why?" Ayane then remembered that they had a game today also. "Oh yeah, game against Fudomine Chuu, today!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "You have COS."

"COS, what's COS?" Ayane stared at her as if her doubles partner had grown two heads.

Kiyone knew she was going to get kicks out of this one. "COS means Completely Oblivious Syndrome. Well, I can't blame you – that's why I'm your doubles partner!"

Resisting the urge to scream at her, Ayane gripped the marble. "Hah, says the person who can't even remember people's names right! Kiyone, let's just head back to class."

Skipping gleefully out of the bathroom, Kiyone counted. "Three, two, one…!"

Right on Kiyone's mark, the bell rung for dismissal and the classrooms were deserted in the next ten seconds.

()()()()0000()()()()

Picking up her tennis bag, Ayane saw Shizuru and Mai passing by their classroom. "Buchou, Mai-senpai, are we heading to our game today?"

Mai had her tennis bag slung over her shoulder. "Yeah, Fudomine Chuu was going to be playing us today but I think we might have a problem."

"What?" Ayane didn't like hearing things like that.

Kiyone had a donut from her lunchbox and continued munching. "Why – they ran away?"

"Running away is a bit too harsh. I'd rather say that Fudomine decided to pull out from this tournament and Seigaku is in another block, we're not playing against them." Mai exhaled sharply.

The two doubles pair's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! THAT CAN'T BE TRUE! SAY IT AIN'T SO!" The two first year students bellowed in horror.

"Apparently, they were getting too rowdy for the coach's ability to control so, we win by default." Shizuru pressed the bridge of her nose while adjusting the position of her tennis bag. "We're lucky that Seigaku's in another block so we don't need to face them now but the Kantou Regionals, I'm sure we have to go against them."

Ayane shook her head. "No way in the world! We can't keep changing the roster left and right!"

Kiyone whined while grabbing Shizuru's jacket and began tugging it. "Today was supposed to be Fudomine! So, that means if we start in the Kantou Regionals, Seigaku's going to be our opponent? Why are we stuck with Seigaku?"

"They were pulled out," Shizuru rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing and wincing at the noise. "The match though luckily will be postponed to tomorrow like scheduled. Though, I suggest watching Seigaku's game today. I think we might get a few pointers when we watch them play. Luckily because they didn't see us play, they don't know exactly what we're capable of. They're not sure of you two yet so, lay low on the bragging okay?"

Ayane and Kiyone exchanged glances when their five other senpai had entered the room. "I heard the game against Fudomine was cancelled," Haruka folded her arms in disappointment.

"Stupid coach, he should have known that they're not that easily controlled!" Ayane almost shouted while slamming her fist on her table.

Momo twitched at the crack it created. "I pity your table now."

Hitomi scribbled on the notebook. "Even if we did play, there would be a one hundred percent chance that we would be facing Seigaku in Kantou. I need more data on them though."

"I think Yamaguchi-senpai is on the right track." Shizuru curled her hand into a fist despite having a lady-like smile. "We can't go shooting in the dark."

Mai narrowed her eyes at the thought. "Keep an eye out for Doubles One, Singles Two and Singles One players. We might need that and for all you know, Souma Fuuka could be there somewhere. I just hope that we could get some good look at her style of tennis."

"Souma Fuuka is an all-rounder like Shizuru-chan and Sanada-san," –this earned Hitomi a glare from Momo, "she has a powerful swiping like serve that can devastate the opponent and paralyse them."

Shizuru concluded. "She gives them the yips with her calibre of play. She knows how to cut off senses with different kinds of shots."

"Yeah man, somebody worth beating the crap out of," Ayane punched her fist into the air.

Mai folded her arms and continued the explanation. "It's not that easy, Souma Fuuka is on the same level as Shizuru so we can't just throw anyone in there. Most of all, putting someone against her can risk the person getting hurt. We can't afford another player to get smashed. I know what it's like... and..."

Ayane tugged her collar, gulping. "Hell no, you didn't... lose did you?"

Mai stiffly nodded while remembering the event that year. Shizuru had played Seigaku's tensai at that time while she took on whom they called the ace of Seigaku but not a rookie. If she remembered right, she was the youngest on the team of regulars. "Souma Fuuka was a second year when I played against her, I had to forfeit because I couldn't even see where I was going anymore."

"How many times has Shizuru-senpai played against her?" Kiyone shivered at the news and data about Souma Fuuka.

"Officially, they played against one another for about thrice," Mai recounted all their matches. "But I'm sure they challenged each other outside of the tournament."

They all gaped at their captain who folded her arms and took a seat in one of the chairs. "Souma Fuuka's style is somewhat mental breaking. If you don't seal off your emotions against her, she will use them against you and crush you with it. She was one of the very few who drove me to my limit. I had to drop two games just so I could recover from the shock. The thing is – if you don't fight her fast, she'll take you down you faster than you can ever imagine. Her first debut as a tennis player was against Kotetsu-senpai, she plastered her in two sets, best out of three: 6-0, 6-0, straight."

Shuddering at the thought, Momo leaned against the wall. "I remember Kotetsu-senpai training you to play against her one time."

"Yeah, I had to seal off my heart or she's going to use all sorts of emotional attacks against me." Shizuru recalled every detail she had when she played the game against her. "Kotetsu-buchou told me to look like a complete statue and seal off my heart because it really does a number on you when you play against her unprepared."

Momo summed it up. "So, you needed to look like my stone faced cousin from Rikkai Dai just to beat her?"

Shizuru sighed; why did they use such comparisons? "Yes, I had to have Sanada-san's stone face so she wouldn't see anything."

Rummaging through her things, Rin pulled out a piece of paper. "By the way, I got a little message from Atobe-san. He wants to meet you in the council room later."

Shizuru began looking through the paper and nodded. "Alright, I'll go meet with him. You guys wait for me outside the gates; I'll go with you guys to watch Seigaku's game."

00000000000000000000000000000

Heading towards the council room, Shizuru couldn't keep her mind off what had occurred in her house that night. She could still feel it but the captain pushed it to the back of her head. But no matter what she did, a dark voice echoed in her mind.

_"One day you'll shatter, Shizuru. You'll reveal the 'true' you or the one you dub as your 'dark side'."_

Slapping herself lightly, Shizuru managed to drive away the thought as she looked towards the tennis matches ahead. All the rosters were still in the first draft and she couldn't pull up possible solutions; Hitomi remained to be their only hope. Being the manager, Hitomi took charge of assembling the roster and the confirmation comes from the captain and vice captain.

"Maybe talking to Atobe-senpai might be much more help," Shizuru smiled ruefully.

Reaching for the doorknob, Shizuru let the door swing open lightly and there sat Atobe in a business like posture. "Kurenai, sit down."

Closing the door, Shizuru took the seat in front of her. "You called for me Atobe-senpai?"

"You do know that the Kanto Regionals are nearby am I right?" Atobe raised an eyebrow.

Shizuru nodded while he continued. "You're doing the prefectural games now but ore-sama thinks that there is one team that you seem not to be taking seriously."

"I am very well aware of what Seigaku and Rikkai Dai have to offer. However – this is only the Tokyo Prefectural Games therefore, Rikkai Dai is not around." Shizuru brought out the roster for the Fudomine and Seigaku games. "One roster is for Fudomine which we will not be able to use due to the sudden drop out but Seigaku is a different matter."

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Arn~, ore-sama never knew that Kobayagi would be playing doubles two with Getsugan. Why is that? Care to elaborate for _ore-sama_?"

Shizuru remained composed. "The Seigaku this year are quite powerful like last year and we're not going to lose to them. They don't know what Kobayagi and Getsugan are capable of yet so, we best catch them off guard. Mai is playing Singles One because I know she can handle captain level players. It's Souma Fuuka that I am aiming for because she is one of the very few players whom I consider a rival."

Seeming satisfied with her answer, Atobe gave her back the papers. "Ore-sama expects you not to fall behind him."

"Like what you always say or how I would rather say it," Shizuru stood up and flipping her hair in his same manner, she turned around with a charmed smile, "Kisaki-sama no bigi ni yoina." (She just copied him except she referred to herself as queen or empress of Hyotei)

Oshitari whistled at the comment while the second year captain saw herself out. "She does it way better than you."

Standing up abruptly, Atobe snapped his fingers. "Come Kabaji, we have to go practice somewhere."

"Usu," the bigger kohai followed after him.

Gakuto turned to Oshitari. "Hey Yuushi, are you going to go practice?"

"Maybe then, head off to the courts and help Shizuru out. I wouldn't want her growing white hair early," Oshitari chuckled lightly as he picked up his tennis bag.

Gakuto grabbed his stuff. "Well, what are you waiting for? I don't want Rin beating me!"

Shishido tugged Ohtori. "Come on, we're going with Shizuru-chan."

"We are?" Ohtori tilted his head in an angle.

Shishido smirked. "Yeah, there might be some guys who don't know what happens when they flirt with her too much."

Ohtori seemed to understand what his partner meant. "Shishido-senpai, what if we get caught and suspended?"

"Only the devil cares on what happens," Shishido scoffed while fixing his cap and jacket.

"Um," Ohtori sighed, realizing he couldn't stop Shishido. "Okay but don't beat up too many people!"

()()()()0000()()()()

Upon reaching there, the Hyotei girls were early enough because the game hadn't started yet much to their relief. Hitomi had two notebooks and a camera in hand. "I'll record as much data as I can. I don't want us to lose to Seigaku and want you," –referring to Shizuru, "to start sounding like Atobe-san saying how he will beat Tezuka and all that. It's almost annoying."

Laughing lightly, Shizuru began walking towards the vending machine. "Anyone want a drink or two?"

Ayane's eyes lit up. "I want a Royale Orange Soda!"

Kiyone jumped around. "I want Coffee, Coffee, COFFEE~!"

Hitomi pat Kiyone on the head. "You cannot take coffee because you are a growing girl. With all the soft drinks you're taking, you're actually stunting your growth because your bones won't absorb enough calcium. You have to drink your milk, Chibiko-_chan_."

Kiyone fumed at her senpai, stamping her feet. "But I want coffee!"

Being all motherly again, Haruka coaxed her. "I don't want you getting short, Kiyone. Buchou, please get her some milk if there's any in the vending machine."

Kiyone started puffing her cheeks and glaring. "GIVE ME MY COFFEE!"

"No," Haruka tried to reason with the younger girl. How did Ayane keep her at bay with her coffee addiction?

"But I want mpf," Kiyone had a bun shoved into her mouth as she started chewing. "This is... a coffee bun~!"

Haruka stared at Momo incredulously. "Momo, she's gonna stay short!"

"It makes her keep quiet," Momo shrugged while popping a can open of iced tea. "Besides, she might wail again if we don't get her coffee."

Mai looked at her watch. "It looks like the match won't start in the next twenty minutes. I'll go with you, Shizuru."

Rin began searching around. "We'll call you if starts, okay?"

Leaving the court area, Mai and Shizuru headed towards the vending machine which was a three minute walk from the court. "Say," Mai inserted her coins into the slot, "Shizuru, why is it that you seem so edgy now? As in – you normally don't get riled up that easily. In the Yuugetsu Chuu game, you looked like you wanted to rip the captain from limb to limb. Are you alright?"

Shizuru picked out the soda from the vending machine. "Yeah, it's just – I couldn't forgive what she had done to Isane-senpai and we both know that we're very close to her."

"Shina is just a first year," Mai opened her can of cola, "but you didn't have to release your rage on Atsui. She wasn't really the target."

Shizuru popped open her can of apple juice. "But – she allowed Shina-san to hurt Isane-senpai and actually encouraged it. As a captain, I will not stand by to see her get torn into pieces."

"Excuse me." A voice said from behind them. "I want my Ponta."

Turning around, Mai saw a short capped boy in a blue jacket. "You're Echizen Ryoma of Seigaku, aren't you?"

Lifting his cap, he smirked. "So? Your point is?"

Shizuru looked around but saw no sign of the Seigaku girl regulars. "I'd like to know where your girls' team is – I've wanted to watch their game."

Echizen lazily put in his coin into the slot. "They're over there they -."

"Ochibi, where have you been?" A voice yelled from behind while Echizen felt something attack him.

Another voice rang out. "Echizen, you're always out to get Ponta, can't you stay in one place for once?"

Echizen's reply was simple. "Mada mada dane, senpai-tachi."

Mai saw a black haired teen and a bouncy red haired teen cling on to Echizen. "Are you guys from Seigaku?"

"Yeah, I'm Kikumaru Eiji!" The red head gave her a 'v' sign. "Wait, are you from Hyotei?"

Mai looked down simply. "Ah, yeah, we're from Hyotei. Look, we're not spies from Hyotei. We're just here to see who the teams are."

"Kikumaru, Momoshiro," a deep voice addressed them from behind. "What are you doing here?"

Echizen pointed to his senpai. "Buchou, they're harassing me."

"Echizen, why I oughta…!" Momoshiro was about to give him a noogie.

Kikumaru whined. "Ochibi, you're so mean!"

They were about to continue teasing him until they saw a glare from Tezuka. "Fifty laps, now."

Letting go of Echizen, the two ran off to do their laps while Tezuka ordered Echizen. "Head back to the team, the games are about to start."

"_Uisu_," Echizen walked away towards the benches.

Tezuka bowed down politely. "I'm sorry if they caused you any trouble."

"It was no big deal," Shizuru smiled lightly at him. "They're quite a nice bunch really."

Tezuka didn't know what to say; no one had said something like that about them before. Normally, Echizen would be called a cocky brat, Momoshiro was noisy and Kikumaru was over-energetic.

"Buchou, you're too kind to tell him that they're a bunch of monkeys, aren't you," Mai sighed sadly at her friend.

Shizuru shook her head. "No, I mean it. They seem to be pretty good players."

Tezuka looked at Shizuru for a moment. She looked so familiar to him but he couldn't remember where. "Did I see her somewhere before?" He thought while looking at her again.

"Hey," Mai stared him straight in the eye. "I know Shizuru's pretty but staring is really rude and if I were her brother, I would have socked you."

Shizuru nearly face palmed, staring with shock at Mai. "Mai, he wasn't staring at me!"

"Buchou, you can never know what a man is thinking," Mai sighed as she gathered the cold drinks in her arms. "I'll go give these to them okay? Catch up later."

With Mai leaving, Shizuru bowed down in apology before extending her hand. "I'm sorry for my friend's behaviour. My friend tends to be very protective of me. I'm Kurenai Shizuru."

"Tezuka Kunimitsu." The bespectacled captain shook her hand when he noticed her uniform. "You're from Hyotei?"

"Ah, yes." Shizuru smiled while shaking his hand. "I'm just here to see who's in the tournament this year. My team mates are over there though. What are you here for? Supporting your team here?"

"Ah." Tezuka didn't know what he felt inside but it felt that there was something more to her than meets the eye.

Shizuru offered to walk with him. "Since we're heading the same way, would you like to walk with me?"

Tezuka didn't seem to mind while they walked together in complete silence. "She looks familiar but why can't I remember where? Kurenai Shizuru, where have I heard that name?"

"You're a skilled tennis player," Shizuru remarked offhandedly. "I hear a lot about you from Atobe-senpai."

"Ah, thank you." Tezuka didn't know what to say or how to react to that. "It's very kind of you to say so."

Shizuru however noticed something that not many people would. "But, I bet you could have been more powerful if your left arm wasn't sealed up."

Tezuka for the first time in his life was caught off guard. She didn't even know him and she knew that right away by just looking at him? "Your left arm has quite a heavy amount of power in it. You're a southpaw like Echizen Ryoma-san too, aren't you? Consider it a strange gift but, I can tell by just looking at people."

"It seems to be a very useful gift." Tezuka simply said while still completely baffled that Shizuru knew that he was dominantly left handed.

Shizuru looked down apologetically. "I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy or anything."

"It's alright, you're not being nosy." Tezuka replied simply when Shizuru started walking a little faster. "It takes experience to know something like that."

Shizuru continued to ask. "I hope you don't mind me asking but, you're the captain of Seigaku right?"

"Ah." Tezuka could see that she was being a little uncomfortable with all these answers he was giving her.

Shizuru looked at him with a smile. "You know, I would love to play against you one day. If there was a tournament where both girls and guys could go against each others in Singles, I would definitely want to play in it. It gives me a chance to see different styles of tennis and helps me train my own."

Tezuka looked at her jacket. "You're a regular?"

"Yes, I'm a regular of the Hyotei tennis team. Why?" Shizuru didn't know that he only realized that now.

Tezuka gave her a monotonic answer. "I was just wondering."

"Oh," Shizuru looked at her watch and beckoned, "we better get moving if we want to see the game. It's about to start."

Increasing their pace, Tezuka and Shizuru then found the court where the Seigaku regulars began to play.

Another forehand shot in to the doubles line. "Game and set, Kogarasu-Hitsuma pair: 6-4!"

Seigaku had won their second doubles match and was moving on to Singles Two. "Saa~, you seem a little distracted today. Is there something bugging you, Tezuka?" The blue eyed prodigy of Seigaku prodded his captain.

"Fuji, just continue watching the game." Tezuka wanted to remain focused.

Fuji however knew better than that. "Tezuka, you're looking at Hyotei, aren't you? Specifically, you're watching the tall 5'7ft brunette standing in the middle of the group."

Now, Tezuka was starting to wonder if he was that easy to read. "Fuji, I do not need that right now."

"Kurenai Shizuru, 5'7ft, Blood Type: B positive, she's an all-rounder," Inui suddenly opened his notebook with his information about her, "she's a powerful tennis player despite only being in second year in Hyotei. This is her second year in becoming a regular and she's the captain of the team. Her favourite food is a small cup of strawberry yoghurt and her most favourite subject is Literature. She is also English literate and an avid bookworm. She is also the Vice President of the Student Council of Hyotei."

Tezuka chose to ignore all the other pieces of information except one. "She's captain of the Hyotei team? No wonder she spoke that way. She's the captain of the National calibre Hyotei team."

"Souma-san was talking about that recently," Fuji remarked offhandedly. "Wasn't Kurenai-san the only one who beat her? Though she did get one match against her, it seems that this Kurenai-san is much stronger than she looks."

Tezuka simply nodded while watching the pair get off the court and walk towards Souma Fuuka who was sitting down with her legs crossed. "Not bad a game if you want to beat a couple of no namers. I need you to do better! Hyotei Gakuen is a powerful school and I don't want the guys to outdo us! Understand!"

The two stood erect at the coldness of Souma's voice. "Yes buchou!"

Momoshiro gulped. "Wow, she's getting scarier everyday. She's almost going to go military on her team."

Kaidoh smirked. "Fsssh, that's because you're pathetic, Momoshiri."

"What did you say!" Momoshiro grabbed Kaidoh's collar.

Kaidoh didn't bother hesitating. "I said you're pathetic, baka peach!"

Oishi tried to break up the fight. "Guys, please don't fight in front of everyone!"

Fuji looked at Tezuka with his usual innocent smile. "Saa~, should we make them run laps?"

Tezuka didn't waste any time at all in sending them off. "Momoshiro, Kaidoh, 30 laps, now!"

Watching the two leave, Fuuka laughed lightly but then her expression changed when she saw Hyotei's captain standing at the sidelines. "Kurenai Shizuru of Hyotei Gakuen…"

Shizuru's eyes seemed to say the same. "Seishun Gakuen's Souma Fuuka…"

Both teams noticed their captains' aura growing bigger while they had a silent battle. "Wow, I didn't know that their rivalry was that strong." Ayane stared in awe.

"Wow, this is... really creepy," Kiyone laughed while clinging onto Ayane and climbing on the vice captain's shoulders. "They look like statues!"

"I think we've seen enough for today, let's go home." Haruka nudged her captain.

Shizuru held her ground, smiling gently to her team. "You guys can go. I'm staying here to watch."

Hitomi continued scribbling down. "I need this information so I can implement the adjustments to your training menu."

Mai waved them off. "You guys go home, I'll wait with Shizuru."

However, the team disliked leaving their buchou so, they chose to stay. Souma Fuuka now stood up to take her place in Singles One. "Hmm, it seems experience has taught her a thing or two about pressure." Shizuru continued watching.

Her opponent looked terrified and she shivered at the sight of Souma Fuuka, who was merciless. "I will take you down. If you can't handle it, then get off the court."

The girl didn't bother moving and Fuuka turned around mumbling. "This is your loss."

Starting her service, Fuuka made her service explode like a missile which marked the court with a big black dot. "The game now begins."

For the next three shots, Fuuka had aced the girl quickly winning one set. Ayane's eyes widened when she saw Fuuka play. "Wow, she's… this is National's Calibre?"

Shizuru nodded. "This is where the going gets tough."

Fuuka broke the girl's service in two minutes followed by another four aces in her game. "In other words," Hitomi continued to gather data, "Souma Fuuka-san will make short work of this girl."

"Game, Souma: 3-0!" Fuuka walked towards the baseline to receive the service. "What are you waiting for? Serve!"

Trembling violently, the girl dropped her racquet in total fear. "I… I… forfeit!"

Fuuka stood up and walked off the court. "Game and match by default, Seigaku: 4-0!"

Rin's body trembled the moment she heard the score. "She didn't even stand a chance…"

Hitomi closed her notebook. "This gives us more the reason to train. We will not falter against any of the teams in Kantou!"

Shizuru turned around. "Everyone, I will have to double your training menu tomorrow! I don't want any complaints, is that understood?"

"Yes!" The captain's face couldn't have been any brighter when she heard their answer.

-That's chapter 4! Sorry for no epic tennis match, but please review!


	5. Heading Towards Kantou

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 5 – Heading Towards Kantou

"Seriously, are you sure we're going to do all this?" Haruka's eyes widened at what she was seeing.

What was in front of them was the boy's tennis team and it was a joint agreement between both captains to play against each other to see if they were in perfect shape and everyone knows what happens when Ayane and Atobe are in the same place. "I am not training with that narcisstic and egotistical brat!"

Shizuru tried to pacify her vice captain. "Kobayagi, you won't necessarily play against Atobe. You would be playing doubles anyway. I'm more prone to playing against him since I'm a Singles player. So, the singles players here are Mai, Momo-senpai, Isane-senpai and I while the doubles players are Getsugan, Yamaguchi-senpai, Hikifumi-senpai, Shimohi-senpai and you. So, I think your best trainer would be Mukahi-senpai and Oshitari-senpai, they make good doubles partners."

Ayane realized then that her buchou had a point. "Oh yeah, mole diva over there doesn't know how to play doubles."

"Arn~, ore-sama does know how to play doubles." Atobe flipped his hair.

The vice captain hooted with laughter. "Yeah, sure you do. You know how to play doubles with a mirror, that's what!"

Kiyone stifled her laughter while the regulars couldn't help but burst out laughing. "She's right about that, Atobe!" Gakuto rolled on the floor laughing.

Ohtori tried his best not to laugh. "I'm sorry, Atobe-senpai. But there is a truth to what Ayane-chan says."

Oshitari sniggered at his captain. "Yeah, as far as we're concerned, you're a Singles player only. Shizuru here was a former doubles player so she knows what it's like and Ayane's one half of Hyotei's best pair. Basically, I may be one of the better doubles players but even I'm not sure if I'll get a win from Getsugan and Kobayagi."

Atobe didn't like where this was going. "Ore-sama is not only half a player!"

"Sure you aren't," Ayane continued snickering, "you're one fourth! You can't play doubles properly which means you can't even coordinate!"

Atobe shot back at his freshman. "Ore-sama can coordinate with people just fine!"

Rolling on the ground laughing, Ayane couldn't even get herself to stand up. "Yeah right, as if you can coordinate with someone else! The only one whom you can probably coordinate with is Kabaji but then again, you've never played doubles before so – what's the point? I guess there's something even the great 'ore-sama' can't do!"

Oshitari slapped his forehead. "This better get somewhere."

Gakuto pat his doubles partner on the back. "Don't worry, Yuushi! I can handle Getsugan anytime, anywhere!"

Kiyone impishly grinned at what he said. "Yay, I get to beat up coconut head! I wanna see swirlies!"

Shizuru turned to Shishido. "I heard that you got your place back in the regulars."

"Yeah," he grumbled, "I just have to play doubles now but I don't mind."

Ohtori smiled shyly. "He's been improving so much ever since. He makes a great doubles partner!"

Scratching his head sheepishly, Shishido picked up his racquet. "Then, we better get started now shouldn't we?"

"Ore-sama wants a challenge against the captain." Atobe walked on to the court waiting for Shizuru's response.

Shizuru smiled at her senpai. "It would be an honor to play against you, Atobe-senpai."

Seeing that the matches had started, Ayane grabbed Kiyone. "Come on, we're going to find out who are going to be good doubles players in the future!"

"Is it okay if we try for awhile?" Ohtori walked up to them.

Shishido balanced his racquet on his finger. "Yeah, we need a little warm up. Think you can give us a good game?"

Ayane pointed at Shishido with her racquet. "For someone who's an ex-regular and a former singles player, you sure got some guts in challenging Kiyone and I."

Gakuto challenged Rin like always. "I'll show you the meaning of there's always someone better than you!"

Rin smirked. "Hah, are you saying you're the best? I'd say more like the worst!"

Oshitari tilted his glasses while facing the red haired dancing prodigy. "Hope your Jazz tennis can show me a trick or two. But, I think I'll be playing against Haruka-chan first."

"_Maa~,_ we'll see about that. Besides, most people I play end up in a crying heap." Mai brought out her black and blue racquet.

Hiyoshi muttered while walking towards Momo. "I will overthrow you, Sanada-senpai."

Momo bristled at her last name. "Good luck in trying to beat me, Hiyoshi-kun."

Moving towards the court, they held it like they normally did in tournaments. Doubles Two match first followed by Singles Three, Doubles One then Singles Two and One. "It looks like we're playing first, Rin-chan and guess who our opponent is."

Rin twirled her racquet with a smirk. "I know who our opponents are: its Coconut head and Oshitari-_san_!"

Moving towards the court, Gakuto hissed at his female acrobatic counterpart. "Whatever, you're just saying that because I'm better than you!"

Oshitari shrugged while spinning his racquet. "Choose one: smooth or rough?"

Haruka watched it spin for a few moments. "Rough."

Landing on smooth, Oshitari tossed the ball to Gakuto. "You're serving."

"You got it!" Boy, did he sound very confident.

Rin positioned herself at the net while Haruka was at the baseline. "Don't let them unnerve you okay, Rin? Even if Gakuto sounds like a police siren, block him out."

Lowering her center of gravity a little, Rin gleefully spun her racquet a few times. "This should be a good work out!"

Kiyone took her seat in the umpire chair. "Okay, Doubles Two match: Hyotei's Hikifumi Haruka-senpai-Shimohi Rin-senpai pair versus Oshitari Yuushi-senpai-Mukahi Gakuto-senpai pair! Game start, Mukahi-senpai to serve!"

Gakuto bounced the ball lightly. "You're going down, Shimohi."

Rin lowered her body. "Let's try that formation, ne, Haru-chan?"

Preparing to receive Gakuto's serve, Haruka was also in no mood to go easy on the two boys either. "Yeah, I think we should. We can't let Seigaku overtake us now can we?"

Gakuto's serve bounced lightly while Haruka gave it a good pile driver right down the line. Oshitari returned it with another strong shot while Rin dived for it; displaying her acrobatics. "This should be a lot easier than expected, show me what you got, Mukahi!"

"Sure, I'll even let you have the delight of watching my famous move!" The magenta haired acrobat somersaulted into the air and gave it a hard smash.

"15 Love," Kiyone watched Rin try and deflect it only to miss and crash on the floor.

Gakuto landed from the air; jeering. "See? You can't even return my Moonsault now can you?"

"You wanna bet on that?" Well, she knew she couldn't at first until she had enough time to figure out the technique.

Gakuto served again and he and Oshitari switched places very easily. Haruka gave them another deep shot. "We can't let them get a point again. We're not as tight as Marui and Jackal but I know we've got some art. Are you with me on this one, Rin-chan?"

"You bet!" It was quite obvious of what she would tell her doubles partner.

Flying overhead, Gakuto sent the ball back down again with his Moonsault but then, Rin had an idea how to return it. "Alright, time to volley!"

Not even allowing the ball to bounce, Rin reacted fast enough to send the ball back at Oshitari. To have been deceived like that on the court was not a very comfortable feeling. "Damn, I didn't know she would get this good! She only saw my Moonsault once!"

Oshitari sent the ball back with a drop shot. "Don't mind that anymore, Gakuto. Just do your acrobatics."

The magenta haired acrobat stretched out to return another shot while Rin really did her acrobatic play. "I'm not allowing you to show off, coconut head!" She was in no mood to be outdone by Gakuto.

Kiyone saw the ball fly fast but she didn't choose to be umpire for no reason. "At least I can train my eyes so I can watch fast balls and return them. Mai-nee-chan was gifted with motion sight and buchou just looks at how the person swings it and recognizes it right away. I want to develop something that I can consider my own."

Because Kiyone was umpire, Ayane couldn't play and so, there was another match between Hiyoshi and Momo. The two had very similar styles. "I'm not going to let you win. I have my own Gekokujou too; there's someone I need to surpass and I'm not going to allow him to get all the glory."

Hiyoshi positioned himself for Enbu tennis right at the start. "I'm not going to let you win either."

"Pick one, smooth or rough?" She wanted to get right down to business.

Hiyoshi stared at it for a moment. "Rough."

The racquet fell on smooth and this allowed Momo to start the service. Retreating to the baseline, she closed her eyes with a thought. "Sanada Genichirou, you may be my cousin but I won't let you hog all the glory from my parents and our family! I will make them proud!"

Ayane sat at the umpire's seat. "Singles Three match begin, Hyotei's Sanada Momo-senpai versus Hiyoshi Wakashi-senpai! Game start, Sanada-senpai to serve!"

Wincing at the use of her last name, Momo bounced the ball a few times while eyeing Hiyoshi. "Get ready to get plastered, boy."

Hiyoshi knew one thing: Momo was known for her traditional style of play. Hopefully, his Enbu Tennis would be good enough to compensate for it. "Gekokujou…"

"You're starting to become irritating with that line, boy." Momo fired her service and Hiyoshi quickly reacted to it.

The two exchanged fast rallies not even allowing one to go near the net. Momo positioned herself to begin her attack. "I won't lose to Genichirou-san, never!"

Seeing that Hiyoshi had fired a smash towards her left side, Momo twisted her body and recoiled like a spring sending the ball fast. She didn't even allow the smash to bounce on the ground, "15 Love!"

Hiyoshi smirked. "That wasn't half bad, Sanada-senpai."

Twitching and cringing at the mention of her surname, Momo picked up the tennis ball while tossing her hair back. "You should know what to call me by now, boy."

"You're Sanada Genichirou's cousin aren't you?" Hiyoshi continued to rile her up. "If you were his sister, you'd look more like a statue."

Unfortunately for him, she didn't take the bait. "I know he looks like a cement figure but get a grip. He's just a rock because he just wants to be cool and all."

Hiyoshi received her service with ease. "He's really like that?" With a smirk, he fired another pile driver which Momo managed to slice.

"You should know that I'm not like one of those girls," Momo fired another cannonball pile drive down the line.

Hiyoshi repelled it with a backhand. "I know. I just want to see if you're good enough to match up to Atobe-_buchou_."

Atobe, passing a glance at Shizuru, smirked. "Is this all Sanada's cousin can do?"

"Momo-senpai is more than capable in handling Hiyoshi-san, Atobe-senpai." Shizuru continued watching her players play against each other.

The violet haired senpai proved Shizuru's point because she scored another point against Hiyoshi. "You could learn a lot from me. For all you know, I might be better than Atobe-_san_."

Hiyoshi received her serve once more with a powerful backhand. "I'd like that because that means I know I'll be ready to face Atobe-_buchou_."

"Don't get too cocky, Momo-senpai." Shizuru warned her. "Hiyoshi-san's pretty good for a second year student."

Momo did a backhand smash. "Thanks for the advice, Kurenai-chan!"

Hiyoshi bolted forward to return the ball with a drop shot while Momo did a top spin for the killer shot. "Hmmm, you might be right but I still think that I have to Gekokujou Atobe first."

"Good luck with doing that then!" Momo did another fast volley against Hiyoshi.

"40 – Love," Ayane exclaimed while she watched Momo serve again.

Realizing that holding back wouldn't help at all, Hiyoshi played at his full power. "Gekokujou, Sanada-senpai, I can't let you win."

On the other court, Gakuto flew to one end to block the shot from crossing the net while Rin gave it another forehand. "You look so cute when you do that," Oshitari drawled with his famous kansai accent.

Blushing madly, Rin promptly missed the backhand that was sent towards her, "15-40!"

Haruka saw that her partner was about to turn into jelly. "Rin, don't fall for it! Oshitari's doing that to destroy the Dragon Dance!"

"Why? Are you jealous that I'm flirting?" Oshitari knew he was getting the upper hand.

Flirting happened to be one of Oshitari's fortes. "W-well," Haruka too began to turn into a pinkish colour, "not really. Anyway, getting back to the game, I think you should take us seriously!"

The kansai prodigy shrugged. "Sure, whatever you say, Haruka-chan."

Clearly irritated, Haruka positioned herself at the baseline. "Don't let Oshitari's cheesy lines get to you okay? I know he's hot and everything but drop that for now, Rin-chan."

"Okay," half-heartedly positioning herself at the line, Rin knew that Oshitari was just too hot a guy to ignore.

"I don't really think that way of you but," Oshitari hit another forehand aiming towards Haruka, "but it's the way how to play the game." He was deep in thought until he heard Gakuto yell at him. "Yuushi, watch out!"

Without having much time to react, he fired the ball up in the form of a lob. Rin jumped high into the air. "Yay, you gave me a chance ball! Thanks a lot!"

Gakuto slapped his forehead. "Yuushi, why did you give her that shot?"

Somehow, Oshitari had never felt so pressured in his life. He turned to his _kohai_ who calmly watched her teammates while Atobe simply smirked at him. Taking a look at the other side, Oshitari discovered the difference. It also proved why Atobe easily got riled up every time Shizuru approached him kindly or even tried helping him.

The fact that she was a captain and Atobe was always finding some way to mock her infuriated him for once in his life.

Twisting himself around and using the centripetal force around him, Oshitari just did something that Rin didn't expect: the Higuma Otoshi. The smash flew up high into the air and landed exactly on the baseline right there and then, "30 -40! Looks like Oshitari-senpai just had a trick up his sleeve after all!"

Haruka stared at him as if he grew a second head. "Oshitari, what in the world was that?"

"Higuma Otoshi," the kansai prodigy recovered to his normal stance while shifting his glasses, "a technique that can nullify smashes in an instant. As long as I have enough centripetal force, I can neutralize the smash. Didn't you see this in any of your matches?"

Mai pointed out. "That girl I went against, Motomiya Kumiko used it remember?"

Rin thought back for a moment and then snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, I remember that now! Motomiya-san used that technique which she called the Roundhouse Return!"

Slapping her forehead with a sigh, Haruka stared at her partner stupidly. "Rin, you should be more observant of things. Mai just played her yesterday and you forgot?"

"I didn't really watch." Rin always had short attention span when it came to things like that.

Oshitari positioned himself again at the baseline. "Well, I might be using it a few times. Feel free to fire smashes at me."

Gakuto gave them a cocky grin. "It looks like we're going to take you down!"

Breathing in deeply, Haruka went to Rin and put her hand on her shoulder. "Relax a little okay, Rin? I know it's been awhile since you've had a chance to show off against Mukahi Gakuto-san but I suggest you relax yourself am little. You're getting a little impulsive."

Rin sheepishly scratched her head. "Sorry about that, I just hate it when Mukahi-san starts yabbering on how good he is as an acrobatic player."

Gakuto puffed up. "But that's because it's true: I am the best acrobatic player!"

Scowling at her classmate, Rin received his service again. She sprinted faster now because she didn't want Gakuto to surpass her. Back flipping for a shot, Rin sent it to the baseline where Oshitari returned it with a backhand. Haruka lunged towards the left to receive it and spin it harder than before. "This is the Dragon's Tail."

Exactly what had happened during her game between her and Yuna, the ball went linear but Gakuto jumped towards it. "I know the weakness to that shot of yours, don't bother!"

Unfortunately for the magenta haired acrobat, he sent the ball up way up high. "Oops, I'm sorry Yuushi!"

A smirk appeared on the kansai prodigy's face. "No, it's alright, I don't mind at all."

Seeing the look on his partner's face, Gakuto knew why and saw Rin fly high into the air. "You're in for it now."

Haruka knew what to expect. "Rin, cord smash!"

Hearing her doubles partner's orders, Rin smashed the ball directly at the white line of the net. However, because of not enough power, the ball couldn't go over. "Deuce," Ayane gaped in awe.

Oshitari looked at the ball roll away from him and his partner. "If that went in, I wouldn't have been able to use the Higuma Otoshi. It seems like Mai figured out the shot and told these two."

Rin landed gracefully like a jaguar with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time, Haruka."

"No need to be sorry," Haruka pat her on the head, "what matters is that we know how to avoid the Higuma Otoshi. Otherwise, we'd lose if you kept smashing towards Oshitari-kun."

Rin nodded slowly; Haruka was right because now he had the Higuma Otoshi to back him up and Gakuto wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing either. Leaping to her left, Rin received the service followed by Gakuto's volley which Haruka was able to follow up with the Dragon's Tail again. Oshitari this time had a plan up his sleeve. "S-S-A-S," with a flick of his wrist, Oshitari sent the ball spinning away the moment it bounced off the floor.

Haruka caught it with her technique. "I've seen that technique many times, Oshitari-kun. Don't bother using it against me."

The kansai prodigy was a little miffed that she could return it. "I'm impressed; you actually managed to neutralize its spin with a counter spin."

"I may not be Getsugan Kiyone but I try to at least have her control over the ball," Haruka sent another spinner towards Oshitari.

Expecting this, Oshitari did another S-S-A-S and sent the shot spinning away. "I guess but thanks for giving me back a top spin though."

The ball vanished due to the heavy spin and landed behind Rin. "Waah, where did that come from?"

Haruka managed to analyse it before Rin panicked. "Because of the amount of spin I put, he reinforced it with his own thus making a super spin out of it so, it manages to create an illusion that it disappears. That's why it managed to vanish from your line of sight, Rin."

"Oh," Rin nodded while she positioned herself at the net again. "I won't it let get past me again!"

Oshitari saw the determination with a smirk. "Now this is more like it, I've been waiting for a match like this."

Gakuto, flipping up in the air landed with an arrogant smirk. "I'm not going to let you out stage me!"

Rin and Haruka exchanged glances and fixed themselves into their next formation. "That's something I haven't seen before," Oshitari commented while watching the girls get a lot more serious, "you girls play as if this is a tournament match. Mind telling us what this formation is?"

Haruka brushed her hair back with a smirk. "It's new and we haven't really used it so, hope you two don't mind being our guinea pigs for this formation. After all, an art has to undergo several tests before it is considered one."

"We're gonna take you down," –twirling her racquet over her wrist, Rin lowered her stance, "whether you guys like it or not."

Oshitari pushed his glasses up a little. "Don't say things you can't do, Rin-chan."

The black haired girl received Gakuto's serve with a volley while Oshitari sent a baseline shot towards Haruka who returned it with her two fisted backhand. "I don't get it," Gakuto was up in the air when he returned the shot, "you girls use a two fisted backhand like guys. Are you sure you haven't switched genders or something?"

"I think that's something we should be asking you, Mukahi-san." Haruka gave him another forehand which sped past him and Oshitari.

"Deuce," Watching the match, Kiyone had a bright expression while she tried to restrain herself from cheering.

Shishido popped open a can of soda. "This is getting good; no one's ever given Gakuto a run for his money except Atobe and that Seigaku red head guy. Though with the way he's jumping, the red head's gonna beat him sooner or later."

Gakuto heard what Shishido had said. "Ya-ah, shut up! That will be the day dogs have the ability to use calculators!"

Rolling his eyes, Shishido sauntered towards Ohtori. "Too bad we can't play yet; the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair is busy supervising the matches."

Ohtori however didn't seem to mind. "Ah, it's okay. But, I really want to see Shizuru-chan play! I mean – she's a Nationals Calibre player and her leadership is pretty good! Maybe she can match up to Atobe-san in a tennis match."

Shishido gambled a little. "I bet she can make Atobe cry with the way she's training."

Ohtori wasn't sure whether or not he should agree with his senpai. "Yeah, she's getting better everyday! We can't let her overtake us!"

She's also getting insanely stronger everyday, Shishido mumbled to himself while watching her intently watch the match. Her eyes followed the pace of the ball and her whole lady-like gentle demeanor threw itself out the window if it involved a tennis match. "I bet she's going to bring Hyotei to the top. Sure Atobe's also National Level but he's got Yukimura and Tezuka to worry about. Shizuru's blazing through the tournament as if it were just a track and field contest."

"Arn~, ore-sama's best doubles pair seems to be staring somewhere else. Could it be at Kurenai perhaps?" Atobe's narcisstic voice cut through their thoughts.

Ohtori didn't know how to lie. "I… Uhm…" (Aww, he's so cute! He's so innocent!)

Shishido scowled while pulling Ohtori's ear. "We were thinking of a new formation, Atobe. Just get your head back into your clouds and swim there for all I care."

Smirking at the silver pair, Atobe's eyes fell upon the first year umpire of singles three. She had that arrogant look despite her being a first year. She didn't bow to anyone except Shizuru let alone, she wouldn't even bow to him. She'd rathe jump into a lake full of hungry and rabid sharks rather than stare him in the face. "Kobayagi Ayane, how you managed to hate _ore-sama_ will so much conviction truly amazes him."

Jirou yawned a little. "When do I get to play, Atobe-san?"

"Don't bother falling asleep, Jirou. Go stare at something else," Atobe ordered; he didn't want his magic volleyist sleeping on him right now.

Jirou actually did find something to stare at. He found Kiyone swinging her legs while she was supervising the match that Hiyoshi was playing against Sanada Momo. "Getsugan-san isn't that bad looking. Her being short's a good thing. At least, she's not as annoying as those other rabid fan girls that I see in the campus everyday. She's the only one who knocks sense into them without trying, literally."

Hitomi began scribbling onto her notebook. "Shizuru-buchou, how do you think we'll fare against Seigaku at this rate?"

The said girl didn't answer but the data girl found the girl's fist turning visibly white. "At this rate, we won't even beat Rikkai Dai. Hikifumi-senpai, work on your footwork. Shimohi-senpai, watch your stamina. Stop making reckless shots unless you really need to gamble for the shot."

Haruka nodded at her captain. "Don't worry about me. I got this covered, _buchou_."

Rin jumped high into the air while slamming down another shot. "Yeah, my stamina's A-OK!"

"Advantage, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair," Kiyone clapped her hands joyfully for her two senpai.

Rin looked at the court with a sigh. "Oshitari-kun doesn't seem to be pulling out all the stops yet."

Haruka shook her head. "He isn't but somehow, I think its best that he doesn't. That way – we can work a lead over them pretty easily."

Rin hit the ball from in between her legs and the ball darted over the net while Gakuto tried to return it only to have it hit the net. "Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: 1-0!"

Before he knew it, Oshitari saw Haruka and Rin pull out a new formation. "This is something new. I haven't seen this formation yet. What do you guys call this one?"

Haruka smirked before resting her racquet on her shoulder. "It's something we have unnamed. It's a formation we haven't given a name to yet."

Gakuto took it as a bluff. "Yeah right, I bet it's some useless formation that won't even work. I bet you just renamed it from some other formation!"

Wincing at Gakuto's comment, Rin began warming up again. "I'll no – rather we'll prove it to you that it's not some lousy formation a grade school student came up with!"

Gakuto laughed at Rin and turned to Oshitari. "Let's show them that we're the best in Japan, Yuushi!"

"Actually, it's the Marui-Jackal pair that's the best." Haruka noted while remembering the male doubles tennis ranks.

Gakuto huffed up. "I knew that!"

Rin gave Gakuto a droll stare. "Che, as if you knew about it, Mukahi! If you did, you wouldn't be saying you're the best in Japan when you guys clearly know that it belongs to Marui and Jackal right?"

Pouting like a small child, Gakuto seethed at Rin. "You're going down, missy!"

The black haired girl put up her finger and beckoned him to come. "Bring it on, you raspberry coconut sherbet."

Haruka shook her head with a sigh. "Rin, stop insulting him! We should just start playing."

"Oh right, sorry about that." Rin retreated to her position.

Haruka now began her service and Gakuto lunged for the ball with his acrobatics. Rin countered with her own style and often used Haruka like a stepping stool. Flipping high into the air, Rin sent her shots fast and Oshitari moved towards the net as her smash came down. "You forgot what I can do, didn't you, Rin-chan?"

Rin didn't seem intimidated by Oshitari's warning. "It's your gamble, _kuwee_."

Performing another Higuma Otoshi, Oshitari didn't know what to expect until he realized that there was a reason why Rin jumped so high into the air. "She knows! Gakuto, get back to the baseline!"

Gakuto apparently still didn't get it. "She knows what, Yuushi? Rin isn't that smart, you know."

"I'll show you who's better now!" Rin was still high in the air and with a devastating back hand, Rin made the ball fly right on the left corner of the service box. Tossing her hair back, Rin gave them a goofy grin. "You don't have enough time to do another Higuma Otoshi consecutively, don't you?"

Oshitari smirked while he took the ball for their service. "I guess so. So now you know the Higuma Otoshi's weakness, what next?"

"You haven't figured out my Moonsault yet!" Gakuto boasted like always.

Haruka waved her finger in front of him. "Tsk, tsk, Rin may not have figured it out but I have. The Moonsault takes a lot of time to prepare, doesn't it, Mukahi-san?"

On the other side, Momo and Hiyoshi were still playing it out. A smash descended on to the left side of Hiyoshi's court. "Game, Sanada-senpai: 1-0!"

Growling inwardly at himself, Hiyoshi couldn't believe that Momo wasn't the least bit exhausted despite the long rally of thirty shots. "How… how can you still stand that way?"

Momo wasn't breathing heavily but taking deep breaths. "You as a martial arts practitioner should know this kind of thing. The heavier you pant, the more energy you expel because your body tends to tense up right away, am I right? You're not even playing me at full power are you?" Pointing her racquet at him, Momo demanded. "Come at me with everything you have. You're insulting me if you don't even bring out your unorthodox style of tennis. I know you use Enbu tennis, I'm not that stupid. You feel uncomfortable whenever you play tennis in that position thus cutting your reaction time in half."

Hiyoshi was a little surprised when she figured that out. "I guess I can't hide it that well now, can I?"

"To a trained eye," Momo changed her style of tennis, "it's quite easy to spot but to those who don't know much about martial arts - once they see it, they will exploit it."

Hiyoshi tossed the ball up into the air. "Here I come!"

"Bring it on, Hiyoshi Wakashi!" Momo darted forward to receive it and pile drove it down the line.

Her theory was right because Hiyoshi started moving faster and Momo now felt the thrill of the game. "You should have done this awhile ago, boy. Unfortunately, I'll have to end your little charade here and now!" With a fast backhand volley, the ball flew right in between Hiyoshi's feet, "Love – 15!"

Hiyoshi stared at her blankly. "Is that all you have?"

"I only use all my techniques when the game calls for it, boy." Momo returned to the receiving area, "But, your style needs to be used otherwise you will lose 6-0 to me."

The second year ace of Hyotei continued to stare. "Sure, as if I will."

The ball flew fast but Momo reacted quickly and positioned herself in a different position. "I was never comfortable with bending my knees, I always got used to holding my racquet," –the ball came at her and she cut through it like a kendo sword, "like a blade."

The ball cracked off her racquet and sped towards Hiyoshi who took a few steps back to receive the shot. Giving her a backhand, Hiyoshi darted towards the net while Momo gave him a forehand that headed straight down the line. Managing to stretch out for it, Hiyoshi sent it back as a lob and crashed on the floor while Momo took this chance to lightly tap the ball and gain her point, "Love – 30!"

Hiyoshi couldn't believe that he was getting done in by a girl and someone who was simply Sanada's cousin. If she was nothing compared to Sanada, the mere thought of having to face the emperor made the boy shudder in fear. An angry Sanada Genichirou of Rikkai Dai was not a very good enemy to have. "What's the matter? Scared of Gen-chan?"

"Wait, w-w-what did you just call him?" Hiyoshi nearly burst into fits of laughter.

Momo swat the ball back nonchalantly. "Gen-chan, that's what everybody calls him back home. He's such a sass as in believe me, I don't know what's wrong with him but seriously, he's a sissy compared to me. I mean – what's with the 'tarundoru' all the time? Ugh, that line of his just makes me want to put his head through a toilet."

Atobe overheard that and he couldn't stifle his own laughter. "You're talking about Rikkai Dai's Sanada Genichirou? He's ninny and a sissy? That's hardly believable."

Momo did another backhand. "Believe me; you don't want to know half of it."

Oshitari happened to get interested. "Pray do tell, Momo-chan."

"Sorry, that's my blackmail material only," Momo smirked evilly. "Go ask Hitomi-chan, she might have some info since she stalks people."

Hitomi adjusted her glasses. "You didn't have to be so blunt."

Suddenly, a smash came in from Hiyoshi's side, "15 – 30!"

Momo cocked her head towards the boy. "Wow, you finally got one in." Her voice was stoic as always.

Hiyoshi hissed at the older girl. "Che, I did a lot of that just so I could score a point. But I'm not holding back anymore, Sanada-senpai."

"Ohhh, so you're really going to do that now? I think you should have done that a few leagues back, boy." Momo positioned her racquet like a blade once more.

They heard a loud and angry snarl from the other side and found Gakuto getting pissed off. Rin had returned all his shots and even copied the Moonsault after five times while Haruka had easily returned Oshitari's S-S-A-S. "How did you do all that? You didn't even see the Moonsault once!"

"I did see it, you blind coconut sherbet!" Rin glowered at the shorter acrobat. "How do you think I beat it, you moron!"

Oshitari looked at the score. "One game to love and they're in the lead love - 15, wow, we're being humiliated, Gakuto. I think we need more work and less insulting don't you think?"

Gakuto continued to glare at Rin. "But she stole my special move!"

"But you made it so that means you can beat it, right?" Oshitari coaxed him like a teacher talking to a dense student.

Gakuto slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that! Thanks for the smart thinking, Yuushi!"

The kansai prodigy started to wonder. "How did I end up with an idiot like him? But, I guess it would be boring it he weren't an idiot."

Gakuto wanted to pull out his own hair. "I'm gonna get you for this, Shimohi!"

Rin deftly twirled her racquet over her wrist while sticking her tongue out. "Come and get me, Mukahi!"

Haruka shook her head in disapproval. "Rin, not too much violence otherwise, you know what Shizuru-chan will do to us right?"

This made the said girl's face pale. "Yep," gulping in horror, Rin didn't like that. "I remember that day."

Oshitari looked at Shizuru who had a pleasant smile on her face. "I can't imagine her doing anything horrible."

"Trust me because she made us run laps til our legs fell off!" Rin whimpered at the memory.

Haruka lowered her head. "It wasn't just us but all the members were told to run a hundred laps around the school."

Kiyone shivered her in her chair. "Not only that, Yamaguchi-senpai made that evil juice of hers! It gave me stomach cramps for days!"

"Enough with that," Oshitari took the ball from Rin and began his service. "I think we should be getting on with the game."

Haruka received his service with the Dragon Tail. "I hope you don't mind if we try to end this early."

Gakuto noticed that their formation was a lot more different than before. "Hey Yuushi, didn't you notice they're like…dancing now?"

"Reminds me of one of those Shintoism rituals back at the," Oshitari slapped himself on the forehead, "duh, that's where their title came from. The twin dragons of Hyotei: Hikifumi Haruka and Shimohi Rin, why am I so dense? I completely forgot about that. That's where the formation's coming from."

Gakuto recalled Rin's movements which were flowing and was able to compare them to a dragon. "Yeah, she did start moving so differently. I guess it's their formation. Why don't we have one, Yuushi?"

"We don't have one what?" Oshitari raised an eyebrow.

"A formation, we never had a doubles formation except our usual back and front formation," Gakuto recalled the doubles matches he's had with Oshitari.

Come to think of it, he's right. Oshitari only realized now that Gakuto and he never perfected one formation. They just used the basic back and forward formation whereas Rin and Haruka had time to create a very special formation for their use only. Apparently, their formation took complete symphony and harmony with each other.

Exactly like a dragon dance in the Shinto rituals.

With a smirk, Oshitari released another service. "I think we can start making one, Gakuto. I don't think you want to lose to Rin-_chan_, right?"

The magenta haired acrobat knew exactly who that was. "Alright, time to rip them off, Yuushi!"

Rin dived for the ball and recovered her stance immediately. "Haruka, are we going to make them cry or what?"

"You're evil but," Haruka received Gakuto's volley with a forehand, "I like that idea. Rin, aim high!"

Somersaulting into the air, Rin saw Haruka drive a smash on purpose to force Oshitari bring out his Higuma Otoshi again. "I don't think I'll use it again though," Oshitari let it bounce past him and Gakuto drove it in with a backhand to where Rin was supposedly standing, "15 all!"

Landing on her two feet, Rin couldn't believe that they saw through it. "Wow, that's something new. Being serious and all makes me get cramps and everything."

"Yeah, not many people do that. But, the more challenging it is, the better right?" Haruka had a twinkle in her eye.

Oshitari prepared to serve. "It's time to counter attack, Gakuto."

Gakuto twirled his racquet deftly and caught it again. "Yeah, we'll beat these whiny guys in no time!"

Rin snorted at his comment while getting ready to connect another shot. "Ready, Haruka?"

"I'm not going to lose here because if we do, we have another doubles pair to beat!" Haruka positioned herself for Oshitari's service.

()()()()0000()()()()

"So, what do you think of their performance so far?" Shizuru looked at Atobe who was watching Oshitari and Hiyoshi carefully.

Atobe turned away with a snort. "They're just playing around. Moreover, ore-sama wants a match with you."

Shizuru bowed with a faint smile. "Very well, Atobe-_senpa_i. But I will not hold back."

Oshitari saw Shizuru bowing down to Atobe and he sent a shot too hard that it went out, "15 – 30!"

"Of course, it's a simple as this: Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina, Kurenai." Atobe flipped his hair like always with his usual arrogant smirk.

Shizuru looked at her piece of paper which held the roster while watching Hiyoshi and Momo rally. "Sanada Momo-senpai, I remembered what you told me. You didn't want to live in Sanada-san's shadow anymore. You wanted be known as Sanada Momo, not Sanada Genichirou's cousin. You're getting there, Momo-senpai. Just have faith in your own skill as a tennis player."

Momo fired another backhand towards Hiyoshi who didn't have enough time to catch it. "Game, Sanada: 2-0!"

Breathing heavily, Hiyoshi felt his entire body falter and Momo was still standing. "So, that's your weakness: you were only trained to handle short matches, weren't you, Hiyoshi-san?"

Hiyoshi tried to mask it. "I'm fine, I just fell backwards. That's all."

She didn't buy it. "You can't lie to me, Hiyoshi-san. I know what's happening to you: you can't plant your body properly for an accurate shot which is why most of your forehands are hitting the net. As of now, your legs must be screaming at you to stop running. Your vision should be clogging up by now."

"Tsk, she knows." Hiyoshi looked away in total embarrassment. "I can still play! I will not stop til I overthrow you."

Momo shrugged. "It's your funeral. If it's one thing I've learned in Rikkai Dai during my earlier days is that, one should persevere even against their weakness. To play with no regrets has always been a moral code that Rikkai Dai has lived up to."

Hiyoshi stood up to receive Momo's serve. "I'm not going to lose to a girl."

Gently bouncing the ball, Momo began pin pointing her targets. "I guess the corners are my best bet. Hiyoshi was never gifted with motion sight anyway."

The moment the ball cracked off her racquet, Hiyoshi darted forward towards the corner to receive it. "I didn't know you liked attacking the corners, Sanada-senpai."

Momo ignored the fact that he had just used her surname. "It's rare that someone was actually worth fighting all out on but - keep playing. You might get to see something else."

Hiyoshi smirked while sending a long backhand towards the singles line which Momo easily caught. "Burst like the sound…"

"Burst…? Like the sound…?" Shishido turned to Shizuru.

Hitomi began explaining again. "Oto – this is a technique that Momo-chan invented to counter Sanada-san's Fuu but with more destructive power. Her shot rattles because of the prolonged stay on her racquet and she deftly spins the ball towards the left in order to create a soundwave strong enough to cause disorientation to the opponent. With her accuracy, it aims right at the ear of the opponent and lands right on the baseline."

Fair enough, Momo sent it whizzing past his ear which created an incessant ringing sound in Hiyoshi's ear. Groaning in pain, Hiyoshi collapsed to the floor as it landed exactly on the baseline, "15-0!"

Hiyoshi struggled to get up again while he stared at her. "That's it. I'm not going easy on you."

"You shouldn't have in the first place." Momo began her service.

Hiyoshi darted forward to receive, Momo then set it back with another forehand and when he sent her a long shot, she simply closed her eyes. "Guided like the leaves…"

With a flick of her wrist, the ball simply toppled over the net and rolled towards Hiyoshi, "30-0!"

Ohtori gulped. "What was that…?"

"That was the Aoba, a simple drop shot that Momo had made to counter the Rin of Sanada's FuuRinKaZan. She doesn't use any power but she does reflect back the power of the opponent." Hitomi began scribbling. "When one mentions to her on how much she is like Sanada, she brings out these techniques."

"It's a way of venting out her frustration?" Shishido raised an eyebrow.

Ohtori shook his head. "I hope she doesn't have anything that will kill him."

Hiyoshi stared at the ball for a moment. "A simple drop shot? Is that all it does?"

Momo got ready to serve. "You want to know the next one? I wish you luck in trying to return it."

Hiyoshi resorted to his Enbu Tennis again but Momo was prepared with another technique. "Uncontained like water…"

It was a devastating smash that rendered him defenceless because despite him blocking it, his racquet was knocked out of his hand and the ball managed to break a hole through it. "The counter part of Ka – Tsunami or Sui as dubbed. Momo uses a heavily enforced smash by returning it with twice the normal power rendering her opponent completely defenceless," Hitomi had her usual business smile.

Shishido then began counting. "So, there's the Oto, the Aoba and the Sui, what's next shot called? Is it called "Nadare" now?"

Momo fired another shot which began creating images of several balls coming at Hiyoshi's face and unable to return them, the second year was lucky enough not to get hit square in the face. "40 – 30, that's the way to go Momo-senpai!" Ayane stared at awe with Momo's balanced style of play.

"Unlike most players, Momo can change her style in the middle of the game which makes her more deadly. She can be an aggressive baseliner for a moment then, she becomes a net player and then a counter puncher so basically, she's an all-rounder but on a weaker scale. Unlike Shizuru-chan, she makes things a lot more lethal and wants to break her opponent's minds while Shizuru's style is more on strategy rather than rushing in like a bull." Hitomi continued taking data. "Hiyoshi is completely helpless against Momo because she's been playing Sanada every time she has the chance."

Ohtori watched Momo score another point against Hiyoshi. "So, Momo-senpai is basically National's Calibre because of her cousin?"

"Yup, and she's not going to stop until she beats him." Hitomi watched Momo deal a smash towards Hiyoshi again. "Game, Sanada: 3-0!"

Hiyoshi was really exhausted now and Momo was just getting warmed up. If she was this hard, what if he played Sanada? That was even worse in his opinion. She didn't even let him take a single game from her. He looked at his senpai who was barely breathing heavily but taking deeper breaths than normal but she managed to conserve her stamina so far while he was on the verge of collapsing. Feeling his hand become numb, Hiyoshi tried to tighten his grip but Momo knew that his body could no longer take the damage she was dealing.

"If you can't handle it," Momo pointed her racquet at him. "I suggest you forfeit."

Hiyoshi let the hiss seethe past his teeth. "Forget about it."

"Suit yourself." Momo returned to the baseline to receive Hiyoshi's service.

Gakuto and Oshitari were fairing pretty fine for now. Gakuto flipped high into the air and sent his shot towards Rin who promptly missed it. "Game goes to Oshitari-Mukahi pair: 2 - 4!"

The magenta haired acrobat, landing gracefully on his feet sniggered at the black haired acrobat. "That's all you've got, Shimohi? You sure got no game!"

Hissing softly to herself, Rin stood up while tilting her neck in different angles. "You haven't seen anything yet!"

Haruka pony tailed her hair while she started twirling her racquet. "I've tried the Dragon's Tail but Oshitari-kun's seen right through it already. I might have to use the other one but what good will those shots do? I'm sure as a tensai of the Hyotei team he can figure a way past it only after seeing it five times."

"Is there something wrong?" The blue haired kansai prodigy drawled.

Haruka changed her position. "Rin, I know you're not fond of me doing this formation but we might have to use it."

Rin stared at her with horror. "We're going to do that one? But, the last time we did it, we ended up not walking properly for a week!"

"It's going to take this formation to finish these guys. I don't like it when people retaliate and find a way through our Dragon Dance formation." Haruka assured her. "It just ruins all the hard work we poured into it."

Gakuto stared at them as they renewed their formation. "How did they come up with all these formations in one sitting?"

"Gakuto, they had enough time. They're third year so, they've been playing for quite awhile and because Haruka's pretty creative and Rin's pretty athletic, it's easier for them to create formations." Oshitari felt like he was a teacher explaining to the densest student in Hyotei who happened to be his doubles partner; Gakuto could be so dense and stupid sometimes.

This time, the moment Rin started her service, Gakuto lunged forward not knowing what to expect. She knew that he had no stamina control and she knew exactly how to wear him down. She fired a volley cross court which Gakuto sent back and when she sent it towards her left again, Gakuto sent it back and this time, Haruka sent a shot landing directly in front of Gakuto. Oshitari didn't know what they were getting at. "What exactly are they doing? I," –then, it hit him like a lightning bolt, "Gakuto, stop chasing the ball! You're going to run out of stamina that way!"

Gakuto didn't listen however and Oshitari soon found him heavily breathing. He had forgotten that Haruka had the highest level of stamina among them and Rin wasn't exactly that energy wasteful either. Haruka had trained Rin to easily contort her body with less effort and Rin wasn't short like his doubles partner either. Because of this, her strides were much longer and she wasted less energy. That was Gakuto's problem: he was short and reckless. Those made him lose stamina so much faster than ever. "Gakuto, that's enough already! I'll handle the next-!"

"Nu-uh, Yuushi, you guard the baseline! The net's my territory!" Gakuto blocked another drop shot given to him by Haruka.

He couldn't believe how reckless Gakuto was being. The magenta haired acrobat had completely volleyed every shot given to him and he wasn't even using any accuracy. Haruka was dropping the shots on purpose until she decided to use it. "I got you now, Mukahi-kun. I'm sorry."

Slicing the ball, Haruka made it jump to one side and it rolled right there; not even leaving the place where it jumped. "This is the Dragon's Retaliation."

Gakuto hated shots like that. "Darn it, I hate it when you do that!"

"Yes, it's an irritating move but it is useful, isn't it? I think it's time we sealed this game," Haruka fired another service that Oshitari returned with a backhand.

Rin somersaulted into the air and fired a forehand straight down the line which Gakuto promptly returned but Haruka was there to back up Rin with the Dragon's Tail, "15 – 0!"

Oshitari looked at how the Dragon's Tail was done. "It's somewhat similar to the S-S-A-S but how do I return it? It keeps bouncing in awkward directions that even I can't catch. Gakuto can't catch it and obviously, he's probably going to kiss the dirt before he even sends it over."

Gakuto dusted himself after falling on the floor several times. "What do we do now, Yuushi? Have you tried everything?"

"If I try F&D, Rin will be able to catch it. The S-S-A-S is already returnable by Haruka but there's a higher chance of it going in. The Higuma Otoshi, Rin also saw through it after Mai gave her a couple of hints. Wow, we're running out of ideas." Oshitari was in deep thought while he tried to figure out a plan.

Rin walked over to Haruka. "Yay, we're beating them!"

"Although I feel that we're being a bit too hard," Haruka noted the heavy sweat pouring down Gakuto's face. "Shizuru-chan would kill us if we started toying with them and not taking them seriously,"

Rin looked at Shizuru who was watching the match between Momo and Hiyoshi and heard Ayane declare from the other side. "Game, Sanada: 4-0!"

"Poor Hiyoshi, he's getting clobbered," Rin whimpered while hiding behind Haruka. "Why's Momo so scary?"

Haruka tossed her hair back. "What do you expect? This is Sanada Momo that you're talking about. Never compare her to Sanada because their both in different classes. Sure, Sanada's a strict uptight statue but she's something better because she plays well without being such a statue. She shows emotion from time to time and she even laughs with us. Her cousin's a complete rock!"

Oshitari whistled. "Hey, are you girls going to serve or what?"

Rin glared back at the prodigy. "Yeah, give us a minute, you pansy!" Turning to Haruka, Rin waited for her command. "What do we do now then?"

"We just play our best. Think that we're playing against Marui-Jackal. They're the best pair to set as a standard." Haruka knew that Marui and Jackal were in a class all by themselves in doubles.

Rin set herself by the net. "You got a good point. But seriously, I cannot imagine Gakuto as Marui!"

Haruka stifled her laughter. "Just don't try to imagine Oshitari-kun bald."

Rin would have rolled on the floor laughing if not for Haruka's service. Oshitari returned it with a flat shot which was followed by Rin's fast volley with Gakuto. There was no bounce at all and Rin made sure that she wasted every bit of energy in Gakuto's body. She knew that once Gakuto collapses, Oshitari would soon follow. The man wasn't exactly like Jackal or Kaidoh. "So, Gakuto will have to fall first?"

"He's got a lot of willpower because he's still jumping around like a monkey." Haruka sent another baseline shot which Oshitari returned with the S-S-A-S.

Rin tried to back hand it but missed by a fraction of an inch, "15 all!"

Kiyone swung her legs lightly with a pout. "When do I get to play, Hikifumi-senpai?"

"You'll have you're turn, Rin and I just need to finish off these two." Haruka told the little girl kindly.

Oshitari raised an eyebrow at the two. "Finish us off?"

"Yeah," Rin threw her head back with a cheeky smirk, "you bet your lame butts. We're going to show you what Shizuru's been training us for."

Oshitari saw that Shizuru was not watching his match anymore but still, he wanted to impress her. "If I'm going down, then, I won't go down without a fight."

"You shouldn't, after all," Haruka fired her service. "Doubles is an art that doesn't involve surrender."

With sweat pouring down his face, Oshitari fired a forehand towards the baseline which Rin sent a back hand towards the corners of the court. Gakuto however contorted into a different angle so he could return it while Haruka did a baseline shot while Gakuto did a drop shot but Rin fired it up into the air for a lob. Gakuto sailed into the air. "It's time to show you my Moonsault!"

Rin planted herself firmly into the ground while watching the ball descend down from a smash and using her acrobatics, she hit it before it could bounce, "30 – 15!"

Another forehand flew into the left side right past Gakuto, "40 – 15!"

Oshitari found Gakuto unable to stand and he raised his hand. "It looks like we have to concede. Gakuto's sweating like a pig."

Haruka wagged her finger disapprovingly. "Okay, I guess he's broken a new limit. Though, I'm surprised by Rin's progress considering-."

THUMP.

She found Rin sleeping on the bench and she let out a sigh. "I guess it just mattered on their will power to keep playing."

Kiyone leapt off the umpire chair with glee. "Yay, I can play now! Yane-chaaaan, let's play doubles with Ohtori-senpai and Scowling-senpai!"

Shishido felt a vein pop. "I'm not scowling-senpai!"

Ayane held up her hand. "Wait, let me finish this match. Hiyoshi's going down!"

Momo fired the Sui again towards Hiyoshi which caused him to keel over backwards. The impact was heavy on his racquet; it was like she doubled her power the moment he fired a shot. "You can't start with that shot now can you? You need an opposing force to absorb and double your own strength."

Momo gave him a droll stare. "You only figured that out now? You're pretty slow, Hiyoshi. I guess I'll have to do the Oto and the Sui often then."

Another rally ensued only to end with Momo's forehand going right on the line. "Game, Sanada: 5-0!"

Hiyoshi stood up to begin his service and the moment the ball left his racquet, he rushed towards the net while Momo fired a long shot but he was fast enough to react with his Enbu Tennis. His shots were getting faster but Momo still exceeded him in skill and experience, "Love 15!"

Momo fired another Oto right next to ear causing him to fall backwards, "Love Thirty!"

Ayane yawned a little. "Come on, hurry up! I'm getting old here!"

Momo pointed to the court Kiyone was in. "She's been waiting for you. I'm almost done anyway, double break point."

Hiyoshi kept firing recklessly and Momo strategically feinted and did a smash, "Love Forty, match point!"

He couldn't believe that he was getting beaten this badly. But, what could he do? Momo already had created such a big gap and he was already tired and frustrated. "Giving up so soon, Hiyoshi?"

The brunette shook his head. "You wished!"

"Good," Momo waited for his service to come to her, "I like it when my opponents still have their fighting spirit but the end is nigh, I'll end you here."

Hiyoshi fired a weak service due to his fatigue. With her backhand shot, she sent it towards the corner only to see Hiyoshi collapse after the service. "Game and match, Sanada: 6-0!"

-That's Chapter 5! Sorry for late update! School work. :P


	6. Duel of the Silver Pair and the Prodigy

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 6 – Duel of the Silver and the Prodigy

Hiyoshi couldn't believe that he got busted by Sanada Momo. What could he expect? She was pretty good among the girls and not many could just topple her down. The only one who could probably do that is Mai, her captain, Atobe and maybe some of the other tennis players in his batch. But definitely, she wasn't that easy to beat. He had considered putting Momo on his Gekokujou list the moment she flattened him in the game. Everyone was there including his favorite first year girl.

Getsugan Kiyone but lucky enough for him, she was umpiring Oshitari and Gakuto's game against Rin and Haruka so, there wasn't really much of a problem.

Momo got off the court and was talking to her captain who nodded at her performance and also got a little bit of criticism. "I guess if Kurenai-san is going to push her that hard then, Atobe's going to do a lot worse and we're not even going to beat them. I bet she's one of the few who can give Atobe a run for his money."

"How bad was it," Momo put her racquet behind her head.

Shizuru let out a sigh. "Would you like the truth or would you like me to lie?"

Momo laughed at her captain. "I played that badly huh?"

"You played pretty well," Shizuru took out her racquet and headed towards the court, "though I advice you not to pull out all your techniques all so suddenly. It gives the opponent time to analyse them and create a counter attack. You're lucky that your opponent was just Hiyoshi-san otherwise – if it were Oshitari-senpai or Atobe-senpai, I don't think you would have won that easily."

Momo let out a small sigh while watching Kabaji and Mai. "Wow, I can't believe I'm playing you."

"Usu," Kabaji used his usual reply.

"I take it because your mind has to be blank enough to absorb almost anything," Mai leaned on one leg.

Atobe smirked at Shizuru. "Nagisaki will have quite a hard time with Kabaji, arn~."

"I know but, I'm sure she does have a few plans up her sleeve." Shizuru knew that Mai didn't have much upper body strength like Kabaji or Ayane but she could hold.

Atobe looked at the girls and many students that were crowding the tennis courts. Many among them were Atobe-sama fan girls. "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina," he snapped his fingers in the air.

All the girls surrounding the tennis court area except a few girls fainted on the spot. Ayane slapped her forehead. "Lousy idiot, he can't even stay humble for a moment in his useless life!"

"You know, if he weren't arrogant now, who would you argue with? Who's going to be your hubby?" Kiyone wondered aloud while Ohtori and Shishido snickered at the background.

Ayane fumed right away. "Getsugan, you better shut up about that narcisstic, arrogant, egotistical, brainless, selfish and annoying little brat right now before I pummel you through the floor!"

"Yeah, yeah sure, I know you won't do that. I'm your doubles partner and Shizuru-senpai won't like violence on the court." Kiyone smiled sweetly.

Shishido deftly balanced his racquet on his finger. "Do you girls mind start playing doubles before I get off this court and geld you where you both stand?"

Ohtori knew that Shishido too was a bit violent. "Maybe we shouldn't provoke them, Shishido-senpai."

"Bring it on, scowler! I'm not going to lose to a drop out like you!" Ayane had a smirk plastered on her face. "By the way, you be referee okay, Yamaguchi-senpai?"

Hitomi silently took her seat at the umpire's chair. "This would be a good opportunity for me to get data. Doubles One, Kobayagi Ayane-Getsugan Kiyone pair versus the Shishido Ryou-Ohtori Choutarou pair will now begin. Game start, Kobayagi to serve."

Kiyone stared at Ayane as if she had grown a second head. "Are you crazy? Do you want Ohtori-senpai to kill you with his Scud Serve?"

"He wouldn't. Ohtori-senpai's kind, right?" She smiled at the taller silver haired kohai.

Ohtori began scratching his head. "Well, um…"

Shishido tugged his jacket. "That's it, Ohtori, you're being too kind. They're making you look like a dweeb, get some backbone in!"

Ohtori nodded sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Shishido-senpai."

"Che," Shishido grumbled while taking his place at the net. "Damn, you and Shizuru have the same problem: you're too kind and you don't know how to tell what mockery is from a tease. How did I become your friends anyway? Well – Ohtori I know how but Shizuru…somehow, I don't understand that part."

That's because she's like a doll. A perfectly messed up one at that.

"She is not," Shishido fixed his cap while lowering himself down at the net. "Well, her mannerisms are that of one but that doesn't mean she has no willpower of her own. It takes a lot of determination to lead a dysfunctional pair like these two."

But, how sure can you be that doll version of her is real?

Shishido recalled all those moments he had with Ohtori and Shizuru when he first met them both. Shizuru came in a neatly pressed uniform with a patented smile as if it were programed into her brain. While Ohtori stammered more, Shizuru wouldn't even flinch at the sight of danger. In fact, Shishido remembered how red her eyes looked that day. When the _senpai_ began bullying Ohtori for being "Godzilla", Shizuru simply stood in front of them with a lady-like smile but her eyes sparkled differently.

Shizuru became someone of very little words until Shishido knocked some sense into both of them.

At first, Shishido became very wary with making friends with someone like Ohtori and Shizuru but in the end - they became inseparable. Much to the capped boy's surprise, Shizuru did have a weird liking to heavy metal rock music even if she didn't look it. When they had Guitar Hero in his house, Shizuru and him played Through the Fire and Flames on Hard Mode with the guitarin which they ended up blinding themselves and needed Ohtori to put eye drops. The first time he gave her a pair of drum sticks - she kinda went crazy with it. Shishido chuckled at the memory as he recalled that he placed the sticks in a case safely tucked under his bed. All their memories were in a metal box under his bed.

Whoever made the proverb of not judging a book by its cover was correct.

Because of his strong attachment to the two, they often became a target for bullying. Not because of Shishido being a troublemaker but Shizuru being someone who would tolerate being hit and not let out a peep and also Ohtori who was freakishly tall for his age. Boys from his batch stoned Ohtori a few times and even hit Shizuru with brass knuckles to which he wondered how they managed to sneak it in. However, on that day - that didn't matter.

Oh yes, he came home bruised that day but he was content.

That incident caused him to receive a month's worth of suspension. At first, Shishido did it because he hated guys picking on people who were not of their calibre but the two gladly offered to tutor him while he stayed stuck in his house on weekdays. The funny part is - he scored better on his tests when they taught him rather than the teachers who often complained to his parents that he would sit there and stare while tuning up so tech deck skateboard toy that his brother bought from one of his trips.

_It's not my fault that they're boring_, Shishido snorted while forehanding another shot.

He couldn't believe that despite Shizuru being a doll-like person - she happened to scamper away at the sight of one place: a beauty salon. Last time Mai grabbed her along, Shizuru threatened her that she would cut her hair and stole his cap just to look like a boy and escape.

"Man, they're so contrasting to the point I don't get it," Shishido's head was a little too busy in the clouds.

"Shishido-senpai, look out!"

The boy didn't have time to react and the ball flew past his ear landing exactly on the doubles line, "15-0!"

Ayane cringed at Shishido's daze. "Hey, what are you dazing out for, you slacker? Get your butt in gear!"

He hated that word. He was anything but a slacker. "Shut your trap, you should show more respect for your seniors!"

"I don't bow down to anybody, slacker! I don't bow down especially to those who were thrown off the team the first time!"

Kiyone cheekily grinned while latching on to Ayane's shoulders. "Yeah, I thought that once you lose - you stay dead."

Ayane gave her a high five. "Yeah, that's right. How did you rise from the dead?"

"Oh well, who cares," Kiyone glanced at Shishido who was fuming at the orange haired vice captain of Hyotei. "He's just some other guy we have to kick down so that we can get stronger. I mean - if he goes down - everything else does too, right Yane? Can we squish him llike an orange? Please, please, please?""

"Sure we can," Clucking her tongue, Ayane returned to the baseline to serve again. "Don't let people take advantage of the fact you're spacing out, Shishido!"

Her serve was fast but Shishido hit it back with double the power. "Alright, this shot will be your last!"

Ayane fired it back with a backhand. "Bring it on, cap boy!"

Shishido returned it with a forehand while Kiyone returned it with top spin drop shot. "Wow, you're getting fast, Shishido-senpai!"

The ball went far back and Ohtori returned it back with a backhand; right down the line, "15 All!"

Kiyone clapped her hands joyfully. "Alright, looks like we got a challenge for ourselves, ne?"

Ayane didn't like the sound of that. "Are we seriously going to get a challenge out these guys? Seriously – Shishido's a slacker and the only one who's good enough here is Ohtori. They're only half a player, Kiyone. Don't get intimidated or excited over something as stupid as Shishido."

Shishido hated it when Ayane just had to insult him. "Why don't you show a little respect for once?"

"Me? Show respect to you? You've gotta to be kidding." Ayane hooted with laughter. "The only one who has ever gained respect from me is Kurenai-senpai, Nagisaki-senpai, Uchiha-senpai and many of the female regulars. I don't listen to a drop out!" She fired another service towards Ohtori who sent it back with a hard back hand which Kiyone was forced to lob. With the ball high in the air, Shishido managed to jump up and smash it down the line but since Ayane was far enough, she waited for it to come down and bounce properly before returning it. "I think it's time I used my Blade of the Magnolia, don't you think?"

This was her version of the jack knife; physically and potentially weaker, this move allows Ayane to pile drive right down the line without much effort. However, it can equal a normal Jack Knife but is far away from the Master's Jack Knife. Shishido however revealed something very new to the whole group because the moment it bounced he brought out a powerful shot. "Is that what I think it is?"

Kiyone's eyes widened. "It's the Rising Counter! How did he know how to do that?"

"That's what happens when you're at the receiving end of Choutarou's serves. You tend to come up with new things." Shishido had a smirk across his face.

Ayane fired it back at him. "Yeah sure, I've seen that move a lot! Isane-senpai uses it too!"

Shishido fired another backhand at her but Kiyone managed to cover her with an under spin. "Think you can keep up with my top spins and under spins? Good luck with that!"

Though they were only a newly created pair, Shishido and Ohtori were doing pretty well as doubles partners. The two were playing just fine against Ayane and Kiyone who were ranked as National's level doubles players despite being first year. They showed much promise as a doubles pair. "Ore-sama didn't know Shishido would be so good in doubles, arn~."

"Shishido-senpai always persevered in everything he wanted to do. He won't sit back and let Kobayagi-san insult him like that." Shizuru continued watching the doubles match.

Jirou's eyes widened. "Look at how Mai-chan's playing!"

They all snapped their heads towards the Singles Two play and Mai was playing against Kabaji. His shots exploded from his racquet and Mai could do nothing but avoid it. "Game, Kabaji: 1-0!"

Sweating, Mai felt her heart race with her breathing becoming ragged every time. "Kabaji-_kun_'s weight contributes to the amount of power required for his shot. His power seals me at one point and makes sure I stay in one place. With that kind of power, he could actually make King Kong look like a sleazebag. Power's the main game considering that if I use a technique he'll copy it right off. But," -her amber eyes glinted. "That doesn't mean he doesn't know how to use it properly."

The ball whizzed past her and she was nearly forced down to the floor if not for her stable stance. "15 Love, Mai, are you sure you want to continue playing Kabaji? He's handing your butt to you."

"I have too, there's a time when one should lose and when one should win. I can't keep winning forever. I know my records are clean of any losses so far but there will have to be a time where I'll lose. So, don't depend on me so much, Momo-senpai. I'll just give him a match that he won't forget," Mai waited for another serve which exploded towards her, "because the only time I will probably lose, is here and now against Kabaji. I haven't faced anyone this strong and Shizuru did have a good idea of pitting us against the guys, I might get some new style here and there."

She moved far back to receive his shot where it would most likely be weaker and sent it back. Kabaji sent it back with triple the amount of power she had put on it and Mai had to stay at the baseline just so his shots would weaken. "Thank goodness I'm used to staying in the back. Otherwise – this match would have been over years ago. The very few I know who can handle his power are probably Ayane and maybe even that guy from Rikkai Dai."

The one you got infatuated with?

I'm not infatuated with that sadistic, devilish…angelic and smiling captain, Mai admitted in defeat. How long has she been crushing on that guy?

Oh yes, she's been crushing over him for two years now plus this one maybe half a year. So, all in all: two and a half years.

"I can't believe I got smitten by someone like him," Mai fired the ball back cross court while Kabaji volleyed it over. "I mean – he's so cruel towards everyone but then again, that's what made him so good."

Kabaji fired a heavy forehand and Mai knew she had to come up with something that could at least deflect his shot. "If I use any special technique, he'll soak it up like a sponge and use it back right at me and it will be never ending. There's gotta be a way how to stop Kabaji in his tracks."

Another backhand made its mark on the court, "30 Love!"

Gripping her racquet tightly, Mai felt her teeth gnash themselves together in total frustration. "How do I beat someone who is ten times stronger than I am? I've never been so frustrated in my life!"

Atobe flipped his hair back with amusement. "It seems like Nagisaki can't take another shot from Kabaji. This match will go to Kabaji unless she does something about it."

Shizuru didn't reply. "Mai, I know you can find a way out. You're the tensai of the team and you never gave up til the last match point."

The female genius visualized the match in her head. "If I make it a drop shot, he'll run and hit it hard down the line. If I baseline him, his shots will still be strong and if I volley him, that's even worse for me to do. He already broke my service game and I can't let that happen again. I don't know if I should be using this technique now but – it's still in its experimental stage. I haven't even perfected it fully yet but, do I have a choice not to use it?"

Her eyes looked entirely different now; she placed herself at the baseline with a sigh. "It's now or never…!"

Another hard service flew and Mai volleyed it with his own strength. "This is the most I can do. I can't keep staying at the baseline forever!"

Kabaji soon began firing heavier shots than last time and Mai had to keep volleying every time because it would take her much longer to do the follow through. "Besides, his strength is pretty useful at this point in time. Looks like I've got to outsmart Kabaji before he tries anything else."

His shot flew straight for her face until she brought out a technique. "Nagisaki Illusion: Black Primrose."

The ball spun high into the air and aimed straight at the sun while everyone began looking for it. "Huh? Where did the ball go?"

Gakuto was still slumped and he tried looking for it and he found the ball. "It's near the net!"

The moment Kabaji looked up, the ball dropped right next to him slowly rolling away from him, "30 – 15!"

Mai had a triumphant smile. "This seems good. Just hope it lasts for now."

Kabaji retreated to the baseline again and Mai went to the receiving end. "I just hope he doesn't absorb it fast enough or I'm going to lose this."

Receiving a heavy serve, Mai managed to swing it back with the same amount of power. Kabaji fired it again down the line and Mai was forced to lob. "Mai gave him a chance ball, she's finished."

"I think you should retract that statement, Atobe-senpai." Shizuru had a twinkle in her eye. "Don't you see the look in her eyes? I think she wanted it that way."

Hiyoshi stared at her agape. "She knows the-?"

"Not exactly but, it's something distinctly similar to it." Shizuru saw Mai bend down low into a stretching position. "Here it comes…"

Closing her eyes, Mai felt her ears twinge the moment the ball cracked off Kabaji's racquet. "I will drop the curtains on you, Kabaji. This is the Adonis Drop…"

Uncoiling her body like a spring, she sent the ball high into the air and it dropped right at the corner of the singles line, "30 all!"

Shizuru's lips curved up into a faint smile. "Now, the counter attack of the Spades begins…"

Mai looked at the two techniques she had just revealed. "These will do for now. I just hope Kabaji doesn't absorb them and turns them against me."

Atobe didn't show the fact that he was surprised. "So what was that lame technique, arn~?"

"The Adonis drop is a technique that fuses her Jazz dance and tennis together," Hitomi listed down on Mai's data. "Unlike the Higuma Otoshi which focuses more on centripetal force, this one requires precise timing and flexibility of the body. Mai uncoiled her body to spring up so, she could neutralize the crashing impact of the smash."

Atobe nodded wordlessly while he continued to watch. "Hyotei's female tensai, hmmm…"

Kabaji however did the exact opposite of what she wanted him to do. He sent back her Black Primrose and it landed right beside her, the same way it did to him. "How did he do that? I…" Mai froze in her spot; she wasn't very used to having her own attacks against her. "I made sure that technique couldn't be copied and I only used it once…"

"Mai's not very used to having her own attack used against her. Isn't she?" Atobe had a smirk on his face.

Shizuru didn't say anything but soon, Mai let out a laugh. "Now, that is something you don't see everyday. I'm going to give everything I got so don't hold back, Kabaji."

"Usu," the taller boy readied his service while Mai received it.

The two played with fearsome speed but soon, Kabaji started getting slower and for Mai, she was just beginning. "Her Jazz Tennis is showing itself again but, I hope she comes up with something new."

Mai leapt high into the air and smashed it right down, "30 – 40!"

Kabaji on the other hand fired another power shot which knocked her racquet out of her hand, "Deuce!"

Watching Kabaji bounce the ball, Mai swung from side to side to stabilize herself. "This is really getting out of hand; every time I send a pile drive at him, he sends it with ten times the force. Wait a minute – that means he can't completely control his strength. That means I can still outrun him," – her eyes focused on the ball that bounced up and down, "and I can still take this game into my hands."

The ball curved towards her and she sprinted in full speed and because she had an air stream behind her, she managed to get enough strength to hit the ball. "Hmm, perfect. I think I know what to do now. This should be perfect to take down Kabaji-kun."

The volleys speeded up and Kabaji was starting to copy her speed but he didn't have her build and therefore, he burned himself out faster. Mai was on the arcs of her foot and this allowed her to pivot at faster reaction times and she began returning his shots with awkward spins and a smile appeared on her face. "You won't be able to plant yourself properly after this…"

Atobe shook his head in disapproval. "Kabaji, don't chase after the ball," with this, he snapped his fingers.

Kabaji stopped in an instant and the ball zipped past him and curved towards the left, "Advantage: Nagisaki!"

Mai twitched at Atobe's command. "Darn it, if he went after it then, Kabaji's done in and this game would have been mine."

Shizuru gave Mai a glance. "You've worn him out enough. I don't think he'll last the next three games."

Looking at Kabaji, Mai saw that his feet were now trembling. "For him to copy my speed is a feat but for him to last this long is a bigger one. Nobody has ever made me use that kind of speed before. No one in the tournaments has ever made me run that fast. This is a good match – I may be a tensai but there are some people who aren't geniuses who can match up to one. I like those kinds of people."

Shizuru had never seen Mai so excited in her life. Usually, the prodigy would just let a few shots pass her or simply just throw one game but this time, Kabaji was good enough to rile her up. "I'm glad you found an opponent who can really bring out the best in you. Now, if only you could play like that all the time…"

Mai fired back Kabaji's serve with a huge grin on her face. "I'll show you: the Kurosakuraso!" (Black Primrose)

The ball once again floated up and landed right next to Kabaji; gaining her the next point. "Game, Nagisaki: One all!"

Kabaji stared at Mai for a moment and the tensai gave him a cheeky smile. "Wow, you really gave me a long rally! Thanks a lot, Kabaji! I really appreciate it!"

The bigger kohai stared at her as if she had grown two heads but she wagged her finger in front of his face. "Come on, we shouldn't keep the spectators waiting! I mean – our buchou has yet to play and you know Atobe, he's an impatient man, ne, Kabaji-kun?"

Kabaji couldn't help but agree. "Usu," he turned towards the baseline to ready himself for Mai's service.

The tensai threw the ball in the air. "I'm going to stop him through serves. As long as he can't catch it, there's no way he can break my service game!"

Mai specifically aimed for the corners of the service box which of course got the big man confused. The moment it bounced towards him, he rushed towards it and was forced to lob. "The perfect shot!"

He saw Mai in the air and twisting her body in the air, she put more power into her smash which zipped past his cheek, "15 – Love!"

Gracefully landing, Mai smiled cheekily. "Okay, I told you not to hold back, Kabaji-_kun_. This is when the game truly begins..."

Kabaji was surprised in a way that the tensai smiled so cheekily despite being faced with his brute strength but, he just gave his usual reply, "Usu."

Mai served again and she had to do accuracy more than precision. She aimed directly at the line and corner which was one of the most difficult shot in terms of service, "Ace, 30 – Love!"

Atobe watched Mai apply simple accuracy to her service. "Her eyesight is quite impressive to aim for that small corner."

"That has always been Mai's hobby: targeting small things that are not easily perceived by the naked eye. She was quite," Shizuru had to look for the term, "superhuman when it came to her eyesight."

"Arn~, it's no surprise then that she is a genius." Atobe watched Kabaji continue getting aced by Mai's services. He had to admit; even he had a hard time returning services that aimed directly on the lines.

"Game, Nagisaki 2 – 1!" Momo watched with great amazement for her kohai to be that accurate.

"Kabaji can only copy moves but he cannot copy inborn traits," Mai remarked offhandedly, "I think this would be a great challenge for him."

"Explain to ore-sama." Atobe didn't get how someone as skinny as herself could prove to be a challenge.

Shizuru smiled faintly while answering him. "Mai doesn't often rely on techniques. She relies on her physical capability and everyone knows that you cannot copy inborn traits."

It was Kabaji's turn to serve and like always; his services exploded from his racquet. Mai tried to return it but the shot was too heavy so, she let go off her racquet, "15 love!"

Another serve broke in, "30 Love!"

Haruka looked at Shizuru. "Hold on, if Mai can't return his service, what then?"

"She'll have to drag this game out. She can't return Kabaji's power shots but she can beat him with accuracy. The problem here is that she has no upper body strength to return shots as heavy as Kabaji's." Hitomi noted while watching Mai pick up her racquet after Kabaji's third serve.

Rin saw the racquet hit the wall again. "Ouchie, that's gotta hurt."

"Game, Kabaji: Two all!" Momo looked at Mai who had a cocky grin on her face. "Oh boy, she's getting cocky again."

They heard a loud bang from the other side and saw Ayane with her two fisted back hand up in the air. "That's my Magnolia Blade! Get a move on it, Shishido! I don't have all day!"

Getting up from the floor, Shishido couldn't believe that Ayane's shots were that heavy. "What exactly are you using?"

Kiyone poked her. "You didn't take Yamaguchi-senpai's advice of you using shoulder weights did you?"

"My brother's a body builder, I have to lift weights. It's his fault," Ayane spat with annoyance.

Kiyone giggled childishly. "Not really, it has its uses," -she jumped on Ayane's shoulders. "See? Yane-_chan_ can carry me around!"

"Come on, I'm not a horse," Ayane nearly swat Kiyone but sighed in defeat as the girl clung on tight. "Well, at least we function as a pair despite everything."

Kiyone jumped up and down on Ayane's shoulders. "Yay, yay, yay, let's finish them off Yane-_chan_!"

Shishido stared at them dumbly. "How can they be the best doubles pair with the way they argue?"

Ohtori shrugged at the sight. "I don't know but all I know is – they've never lost a doubles match before."

"Well," Shishido prepared for Ayane's service, "we might as well as get this game done. This is where we'll win, Choutarou. Don't fall back!"

Ohtori got at the back. "I won't, Shishido-senpai!"

Ayane fired her service. "Here it comes! Kiyone, don't let Shishido out run you!"

"Alrighty then, here we go Yane!"

Shishido and Kiyone sealed each other of at the service court as they made sure every shot count. Ohtori and Ayane were more the baseline players and they defended their end of the court with ground shots zooming back and forth. Ayane nearly blew off Ohtori but he managed to hold his ground due to his stature.

"I can't believe that we're playing one of the best doubles players," Ohtori fired a backhand down the line.

"Yeah, a couple of first years at that," Shishido did a drop shot which Kiyone easily returned with another drop shot.

Kiyone did an under spin on the ball. "Hey, Yane-chan, what do you think will happen if we win the Nationals?"

"Well, all I know is: I can rub it in Atobe's face." Ayane fired another forehand down the line.

Slicing the ball, Kiyone sent it to Shishido's left side. "It would be cool that we win the second nationals title for Hyotei! I mean – it is for us too. We can say that we're the best doubles players in Japan!"

Ayane fired another backhand which Ohtori promptly returned with a forehand. "Yeah, you could say that…"

Shishido glanced at Ohtori and the kohai understood immediately and they changed their style of play. "What in the world are they doing?"

Ayane watched it for a moment. "I don't know but don't give them enough time to utilize everything."

Kiyone fired a volley backhand down the line but Shishido was there to return it in an instant. "What in the world-? How did he get there so fast?"

"Nagisaki-san isn't the only one who's got speed for a strategy and a forte," Shishido vanished again and hit the ball right where Kiyone had hit it.

Stupefied, Kiyone fired more top spins and under spins. "How does he know where it's going to land? That's impossible unless you have insight like Rin-chan and gaki-senpai."

Ayane noticed it also. "It's like they're going through our strategy and they know what will happen next. Wait a minute – they're not anticipating us… they're…!"

Before Ayane could get word out to Kiyone, the ball whizzed past Ayane on her blind side which was her left side, "15 – 40!"

Shishido smirked while tipping his cap a little. "What are you girls going to do now?"

Kiyone couldn't believe what had just happened. "For the very first time, we're actually…"

"Losing," Ayane couldn't believe that they were losing to a pair that was only created recently.

Atobe smirked. "I knew Shishido would be better off as a doubles player. When Sakaki-kantoku kicked him off the team, I suggested to him to keep him since there might be a spot for him and here it was: doubles. He and Ohtori make quite the pair. Ayane and Kiyone have never lost in doubles, have they?"

Shizuru shook her head and Atobe smirked. "This is when you can tell who has the experience and who doesn't. Your team is composed of fresh players, Kurenai. The only few who are seasoned are you, Mai, Uchiha, Sanada, Hikifumi and Shimohi. Yamaguchi's not just the manager but also one of the regulars."

"But when will they become seasoned players if they don't find people stronger than them?" Shizuru's reply was barely audible.

Atobe saw the look in her eyes; she was very concerned about them. Actually, he didn't want to show it but he was quite concerned for the vice captain as well. He snorted at the thought and then, he remembered hearing something about Seigaku having a super rookie. "Arn~, Echizen Ryoma, isn't it? Another interesting freshman… This year seems to be full of them…"

Ayane fired another forehand towards Shishido. "We can't let them win! This is our playing field and nothing's gonna stop us!"

Kiyone received Shishido's volley with a top spin. "Yane-_chan_ and I are going to be the best doubles player in Hyotei's history! We're gonna get stronger together!"

Shishido saw that they were getting desperate. "Ohtori, end them with a backhand!"

Upon hearing Shishido's signal, Ohtori fired a backhand towards Kiyone's right side which sent her racquet flying out of her hand. "Game goes to Shishido-Ohtori pair: 3 – 2!"

Ayane stared at Kiyone and the latter stared right back at her. "Yane... they're so... COOL!"

"Kiyone, are you serious," Ayane stared stupidly at her partner; how could she get excited so easily despite the fact that they're losing? "We'll take the next six from them."

The smaller girl nodded punched her fist in the air. "Yay, Yane-_chan_ and I are gonna mess up Scowling-_senpai_ and Angel-_senpai_!"

Shishido walked towards Ohtori and gave him the signal. "Let them have it."

"A-are you sure, Shishido-senpai?" Ohtori shuddered at the cheerful giggling that the smaller girl emitted. "She might take it badly, Shishido-_senpai_."

Shishido looked away from Ohtori's merciful face. "I swear – stop being so merciful. The only way they'll ever learn is if they learn losing the hard way!"

Ayane handed the ball to Ohtori with a smile. "Don't worry about Kiyone, she'll be fine. She doesn't panic in the face of danger - she's kinda... blind towards that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ohtori sheepishly scratched his head.

Ayane gave him a cheerful smile while giving him thumbs up. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Kiyone will be fine."

Kiyone jumped up and down a bit, laughing to herself. She had never played baseline before and now, she was going against Ohtori. "Yay, I'm gonna send it back now~!"

The ball flew by so fast that she had no time to react, "15 love!"

Ayane looked at Shishido. "What in the world was that?"

"He's famous for his Scud Serve, clocks around 200 km/hr." Shishido balanced his racquet on his finger. "I don't think I'll need to do much here in this game but, just in case."

Another Scud Serve made its mark, "Thirty Love!"

"40 love!"

Kiyone shook herself out of her daze. "Aww, it's so boring. I can't even see it."

The moment the supposedly final Scud Serve cracked off, Kiyone threw her entire body weight to send it back. Despite her small size, she managed to send it back and it came in the form of a cord ball. "Damn," Shishido dashed for it, "how did she manage to…?"

He himself landed face first against the net while seeing a little yellow ball roll, "40 – 15!"

Ayane's eyes widened. "Kiyone, you did it! You deflected the Scud Serve!"

The rattled first year sat up smiling goofily. "I see stars…"

"Waah, did you hit your head? Are you okay? Are you bleeding or anything?" Ayane broke into a wild panic. "Do you have any aneurysms anywhere? Do you feel like puking?"

Kiyone stood up and hammered her on the head. "I'm not dead, Yane-_chan_. I'm still alive but I don't think I can say the same about my racquet."

In her hand, her racquet's strings were bent from the impact and were caving in. "Aww, I'm gonna have to ask Megane-_chan_ to fix my racquet again."

Ayane took a look at her racquet. "Wow, you can say that again. That was one heavy shot he gave you."

"Anyway," Kiyone went towards the receiver's end. "I deflect it now! Yipee~ I just need to make sure you don't have Scowling-_senpai_ leaving you in the dust."

Ayane smiled and leaned towards the net. "Alright, let's do this Kiyone!"

"We're gonna win this," Kiyone rushed towards the Scud Serve and used her entire body weight to send it back again.

Shishido fired another volley which he was now met by Ayane's Magnolia Blade. "Think he's the only one who can explode shots like that? Think again, scowling-slacker!"

Her backhand exploded past Shishido and made its mark on the court, "40 – 30!"

Shishido muttered at the back of his mind. "Damn, they're coming up with a counter attack already!"

Ohtori then fired another Scud Serve and this time, Kiyone and Ayane shifted places in receiving. "Think you're little pop corn can stop me?"

Her backhand sent the Scud Serve back soaring at Ohtori and but she wasn't the only one who knew how to return the Scud Serve. "You may have figured it out but we're still going to beat you anyway!"

Kiyone did a top spin. "We're going to break you into pieces~!"

Shishido did another rising counter. "Yeah right, bring it on!"

Scoring a top spin, Kiyone finally understood why her captain had agreed to this. "This is for experience. Come to think of it – Ayane and I are the least experienced players here. Nagisaki-senpai, Kurenai-senpai and everyone else has played in tournament except us. Were we that inexperienced? Well, this is a good stepping stone so, this is a good idea!"

Ayane saw that her doubles partner had finally began to adjust to the pressure. "Thank goodness, I thought she was going to break."

"Game goes to Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 3 all!" Hitomi couldn't believe that she was gaining that much data about the girls.

Shishido also had to admit that he was having quite the time. "These girls are actually giving me a match of my life. I didn't even enter tournament yet as doubles."

Ohtori saw a smirk on Shishido's face. "I guess you're having fun, Shishido-senpai?"

"You bet I am!" The capped regular did his Rising Counter again. "Oshitari and Gakuto didn't even push us this far. I think this is the best doubles games we've played so far!"

Atobe saw Shishido actually smirking and Ayane giving him this challenging grin. Now, she was one heck of a first year. She bowed to nobody except to the regulars in the female tennis team.

Speaking of which, how did Shizuru get her to respect her?

That question was quite a bugger because she showed no respect especially to him. He was king and he demanded respect but Ayane didn't even put a suffix for respect. She just called him 'Atobe' flat out in annoyance. She called him all sorts of names. He remembered the time he first met her back then but she was barely that sharp tongued. In fact, she was meek and mild before like a little lamb and now, she just became plain vindictive.

But, that's what made her appealing, no?

Why would I like an uncute girl like her? Ore-sama has no time for that; Atobe shook his mind away from thoughts about her. That girl was plaguing his mind and no matter how many times she insulted him, it would actually sting. Sure, Shishido had called him countless of things and so did Gakuto and Oshitari but that didn't hurt. He was able to maintain his holier-than-thou attitude in front of them but when Ayane snapped at him, it actually kind of hurt. "Why is ore-sama troubling himself over such useless matter?"

"I thought I was crazy when I thought aloud," a soft voice interrupted.

Atobe looked at Shizuru who raised her eyebrow at him. "You didn't hear anything, Kurenai."

Shizuru knew that it was about Ayane. "You have met each other before. You two are just a bit too dense to not remember."

He was dense? If there was anything he wasn't, it was being dense. "Ore-sama is not dense!"

"That's what you two often tell me," Shizuru didn't mind that Atobe was already fuming at her calm attitude.

Rin couldn't help but snicker. "Wow, she sure knows how to rile up Atobe."

"But, why do you think we value her opinion so much? She's always told us the truth." Haruka shrugged but agreed that a fuming Atobe was a pretty funny sight.

Shishido fired another shot down the line, "30 - 15!"

Kiyone sent a top spin across from Shishido, "Thirty all!"

Ayane fired her Magnolia Blade again and this time, they couldn't even return it properly, "Forty – thirty!"

The rally took longer than ever but this gave the two girls the thrill of the game. Shishido and Ohtori were having fun also after playing two first year regulars who played at National Calibre. In other words, they were the super rookies of the female team. A doubles pair that hadn't lost a match just yet, the new Kobayagi-Getsugan pair made other pairs from other schools seem like they were nothing. The only one whom seemed to be a threat to them were either a boy's doubles pair like Yagyuu-Niou or maybe even the Marui-Jackal pair but they were pretty wary also of the Kikumaru-Oishi pair. "We're going to rise to the top!"

Ayane fired another backhand which marked the court. "Game goes to Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: Four games to three!"

Breathing in and out, Kiyone walked towards the benches to get her bottle of water. "Wow, this is one of the best matches ever!"

"We've never had a close match like this." Ayane slowed down her breathing. "But, it's fun and amazing. Seeing that you have someone of equal calibre, the mere thought of it would be so cool. If we were guys, then we're definitely dead meat against the other schools. I mean – we have Rikkai Dai to worry about but since we're girls, the only one buchou said we have to worry about is Seigaku and Shitenhouji. Rikkai Dai isn't much of a threat with the girls' team as long as we have buchou with us."

Kiyone wagged her finger in front of the vice captain. "Don't underestimate them! That's the same mistake we made when we played against Yugetsu Chuu! If we weren't synchronized, then we are soooooo dead!" She waved her arms in the air, gesturing an explosion.

Ayane lowered her arms before she swat anybody. "I know which is why we're going to train so hard for Kantou that we have room to slack!"

"There's no such thing as a room to slack!" Kiyone stared at her, flabbergast.

Ayane looked around. "Speaking of which, our buchou hasn't started her match yet. She's going against the brat right?"

"If you're talking about your hubby then, yeah she is." Kiyone knew she could always get kicks out of that.

The vice captain was really beginning to hate that. "Look, didn't I already tell you: THE DAY I GET ATOBE AS A BOYFRIEND IS THE DAY PIGS FLY AND BUCHOU GETS A STATUE FOR A BOYFRIEND?"

Kiyone shrugged. "Oh well, can you consider _kansai-megane-senpai _as a statue?"

"He may have a poker face but he flirts and has emotions! I meant someone like that Sanada guy from Rikkai Dai! He's stone faced!" Ayane protested. "Besides, he's not even her boyfriend, is he?"

Kiyone shook her head. "Nope, she has no way of telling if someone is madly in love with her."

"Yes, she may be an athlete, a chemist and a computer genius but, when it comes to love, she stinks, completely." Ayane assessed her captain's attitude towards other things aside from tennis. "He's been piling her locker with flowers and love poems. He's pretty persistent."

Stifling her laughter, Kiyone pulled Ayane towards the courts. "We better get started before buchou hears what we just said."

Ayane tried her best to suppress her laughter. "Yeah, you're right. We still have a game against Shishido and Ohtori to finish."

Mai, managing to keep up her service game, was now at her third game against Kabaji. All she had been doing is serving and they were just scoring points with that. When it was Kabaji's turn to serve, she wouldn't even go near the ball while Kabaji was confused when she served the ball because she was very accurate. "Wow, I never played a game this long before. It's almost four 'o clock and Shizuru hasn't even started her game yet. I wanna finish this quick so I can see Shizuru play. Wait a minute – where are those two doubles idiots? Oh geez, they're getting clobbered by Shishido-senpai and Ohtori-kun. That's a new thing to see."

Isane was staying at the sidelines silently watching the regulars play. "Buchou, who are you going to put in the roster against Seigaku?"

Shizuru watched Kabaji gain another point from Mai. "You're going to have to sit back until your injuries are healed. Sunamyou-chan really roughed you up. Momo-senpai will be taking your place in Singles Three and the doubles are the same positions. Although, I'm just not sure who they're going to be placing in Singles One but hopefully, it's Souma Fuuka. If someone else faces her, I know one thing: they're not going to be prepared well enough to go against her."

Isane watched Shizuru closely analyse Mai's match against Kabaji and her speed may rival that of Oshitari Kenya but her strength was nowhere near Kabaji's. The games piled up one after the other, Mai was ahead by one game with Kabaji tailing behind. As far as she was concerned, Mai had the game in her hand as long as she didn't get too overconfident. "Most geniuses have that problem. They tend to get overconfident and they hold themselves back to enjoy the pleasure of torturing their opponents. Why are most tensai like that?"

Kabaji repeated the same thing again this time with more powerful services. Mai had a hard time seeing how fast it was actually flying because of the amount of strength he had placed in his serve. It exploded off his racquet and made numerous marks on her side of the court, "15 – love!"

His serves were so strong that it made heavy marks, "Thirty Love!"

Mai was left powerless at his shots as they made themselves a large black dot on the court, "40 love!"

Kabaji threw the ball up in the air. "The winner will be Hyotei…"

The serve crashed unto the court making a very good impression of itself on one of the lines. "Game, Kabaji: 3 games all!"

Mai fired another corner serve towards Kabaji. "Though there goes one service game but, his recovery's something that I thought didn't need to be taken in consideration."

Kabaji promptly missed it again because he couldn't tell if it was a fault or not, "30 – love!"

Another serve flew in, "40 Love!"

Then finally, Mai's last accurate serve ended her service game. "Game, Nagisaki: Four games to three!"

"This isn't getting anywhere. The only way for me to end this game is for me to wear out Kabaji again with my speed." Mai allowed the ball to pass her again. "He's way beyond my strength but, how did Ayane manage to get past him? I mean – she does have the upper body strength but she has no leg power or anything. Sure her power comes from her knees and her shoulders but, she's so slow compared to everyone else."

_I nearly managed to replicate his strength but I know I'm nowhere near him. I'm only near his strength because of body building. When I played him, all I could do was use my wrist._

Mai remembered Ayane's words when she played against Kabaji before. It was a friendly match and Kabaji had beaten her in Singles, 7 – 5. He was pretty strong for a second year student and even Mai was impressed on how easily he could copy moves and take it in as his own. She remembered him copying one of Ayane's moves during the friendly match which was why the vice captain strove to be stronger and often wore weights on her body to force her to bring out her true strength.

She had dazed out for a long time that she didn't realize that it was her turn to serve. "Game, Kabaji: Four games all!"

Mai picked up the ball and began her accurate serving again. "Wait, if I keep beating him with my serves that means…"

This match was hers. Even if he did win the next one after this one, all she had to do was keep doing what she was doing now: sniper serving. She was pin pointing locations on the court and she knew that if Kabaji won't return it, so much the better. Hopefully, it stayed that way. "Here I come, Kabaji!"

She fired onto the cross of the line and this time, Kabaji returned it. "Shoot, it was too far!"

Mai volleyed it across and Kabaji gave her a forehand but Mai was fast enough to volley it again. This time, she did it near the net. "It will be so close to the net to the point, he won't even bother coming after it." The moment she did it, her theory came true because he got even more confused by the fact that her service was very accurate and her control was pretty good too, "15 love!"

She served another accurate shot and made sure it was out of reach. By adding a top spin to it, the ball bounced away from Kabaji, "Thirty Love!"

Another shot like that came down, "Forty love!"

"This game is mine!" Mai fired her top spin serve which spun away from Kabaji again gaining her the next game. "Game, Nagisaki: Five games to four!"

Kabaji went towards the ball and picked it up with a blank expression. He began his service and Mai had to let it slip past her, "15 – love!"

Mai closed her eyes as another shot cracked towards her. "Will this game last until 7 – 6? I can't last that long and neither can…"

"Fault," this left Mai completely stupefied, what was happening to Kabaji?

Another serve hit the net. "Double fault, 15 all!"

Mai saw Kabaji's form unstable and looked at his legs; they weren't doing a decent job of supporting him. "I guess my Jazz Tennis wore him out faster than I expected. That's a relief."

Atobe saw a change in Kabaji's accuracy. "This game will go to Nagisaki now."

"Kabaji-san may be strong but he could not keep up with Mai's speed." Shizuru watched Kabaji fired another faulty service. "It's over now for Kabaji-san."

"15 – 30," Momo watched Kabaji fired again in frustration which smacked the net again. "That's his fourth fault in this game. He's losing his concentration against Mai. This game is hers now."

Kabaji's hands trembled while his service flew over the net but hit the doubles line instead, "15 – 40!"

Mai's eyes analysed the ball. "There's a big chance that Kabaji can send it over but I don't think he'll be able to last a rally. Hopefully, he just does another fault to spare his feet from the pain."

Her wish came true and Mai walked off the court with a sad smile. "Game and set belongs to Nagisaki: 6 – 4!"

"I wouldn't have won if Kabaji would still be able to serve." Mai sulkily sat on the bench.

Shizuru saw the disappointment on Mai's face; she wanted a worthy opponent and found one but she still won. "Mai, just because he lost doesn't mean he stinks."

The prodigy muttered while looking away. "To think this was one of the hardest matches I have ever had."

Shizuru saw Ayane miss a ball sent by Shishido get past her, "15 – 30!"

"Who's serving?" Mai looked up at the doubles pair that was playing.

Atobe saw Ohtori fire another shot towards the service box. "Ohtori is. But, I don't think they'll get past his Scud Serve easily."

Shizuru smirked at him. "I think they just did."

Kiyone's top spin neutralized the speed of the ball, "30 all!"

Ohtori's serve gained them another ace, "40 – 30!"

Atobe watched the game progress into something bigger as more shots crashed in. "Game, Shishido-Ohtori pair: Four games all!"

The two doubles pairs were exhausted; no one had stretched out a game with them this far before. Shishido was heavily breathing and Ohtori wasn't exactly what you call peachy either. Ayane and Kiyone were both exhausted also and Kiyone never realized how tired she was until later on. "Wow, we had so much we forgot about our stamina. We're so doomed, Yane-chan. We can't exactly deflect the Scud Serve anymore!"

Ayane looked at Ohtori who was panting and breathing heavily. "Hopefully, he'll be too tired to do it. Good thing for us – Shishido's the one serving this time."

His service cracked off and another rally ensued. He couldn't believe that Ayane was still strong enough to make her shots explode and mind you – she's a girl and her power was at least three fourths of Kabaji's. Shishido thought he was seeing things. "I can't believe she can still hit with that kind of power but – she's losing her accuracy. I can't drag this game out either."

Ayane's shots were shallower but they maintained the same power while Kiyone was still using her control style to confuse them which was really pissing off Shishido. Kiyone sent a top spin which when it bounced, the shot moved away from him or just stayed where it bounced. "I hate that control of hers too. She can piss anyone off with that kind of control."

Ohtori fired another backhand which nearly slipped past Kiyone if not for her backhand under spin. "Hahaha, try again~!"

"Sure, it isn't easy." Shishido fired a forehand down the line, "15 Love!"

Kiyone sent in another top spin. "Che, I don't think it will be that easy!"

"15 all," Hitomi watched the rally get more intense once again. "Getsugan and Kobayagi do not give up no matter how tight the situation. They're training is a little light, I must increase the weights on Ayane and Kiyone must do more control exercises, ii data."

Ohtori's backhand made a mark behind Kiyone, "30 – 15!"

Ayane used her Magnolia Blade again and this time, it hit right at the corner of the court, "30 all!"

Kiyone jumped high into the air and scored another point with a smash, "40 – 30!"

Gakuto stared at what was happening between the two best doubles pairs. "Wow, I didn't know a single rally would take that long. Those two are really giving Shishido and Ohtori a good run for their money. I mean – seriously, they're first year and they're playing as if they've played in the Nationals before!"

Oshitari watched the rally intensify as Ayane scored another point. "I guess this proves one thing: we're at par and if we keep this up, we're doomed."

"If we lose, we'll be humiliated. When we get humiliated, Atobe will throw a hissy fit and when he throws a hissy fit, his targets are us." Gakuto watched Kiyone begin her service again.

Her shots vanished from her racquet as Shishido used the Rising Counter again. He couldn't feel his legs anymore. Sure, he had pretty good stamina but not when Ayane made him run around like crazy. He was a dash specialist and it put more strain on his legs especially when he tried to return heavy shots from the first year. The control shots weren't a good thing to know about either. Ohtori had a hard time anticipating where it would land because Kiyone's control was almost inhumane. The rally lasted for an average of five minutes every time, "15 love!"

Shishido scored another Rising Counter in, "15 all!"

Ohtori's backhand made its mark on the left side of the court, "15 – 30!"

"We have to finish this game in six because I don't think I can handle another round." Shishido panted while firing a shot carelessly towards Ayane who returned it with a forehand.

Ohtori received Ayane's forehand. "I don't think it will be that easy because they're really playing us well, Shishido-senpai."

"Che, gekidasa daze," Shishido muttered while sending back a top spin from Kiyone.

Jumping high into the air, Kiyone gave him a top spin going down which landed right after the net, "30 all!"

Atobe watched the various exchanges between the two doubles pair. "Ore-sama's surprised that Shishido and Ohtori can keep up with your best doubles pair."

"Shishido-senpai and Ohtori-kun always have been good friends and they function well as a doubles pair. I think you did a good thing of keeping him in the team. I noticed he cut his hair though." Shizuru noticed that now Shishido had a cap on backwards.

Atobe smirked. "He told Sakaki-kantoku that he would cut his hair short just so he would stay on the team. Shishido too used to be vain."

"Not really, I think that's more you, Atobe-senpai." Shizuru laughed softly.

Oshitari shrugged while standing next to Shizuru. "She does have a point, Atobe. Shishido didn't have a mirror in his pocket."

"_Ore-sama_ needs that mirror," Atobe narrowed his eyes at Oshitari and Shizuru. "Now I know why she's evil - it's your fault."

Gakuto pursed his lips. "You consider anyone evil who thinks you're wrong."

Jirou was watching the ball fly left and right while he saw Kiyone's volleying prowess. "Sugoi~, I wanna play against her someday!"

Ayane wasn't that bad either. "Ore-sama still thinks that Kobayagi is more of a gorilla than a girl."

Unfortunately, she heard that from the courts and sent a shot exploding towards Ohtori. "Say that again, you egotistical gay lord!"

Kiyone in a way felt relieved; Ayane may be fuku buchou but she was short in temper. As long as her anger increased, her shots would get stronger and would be good enough to send anybody running for the hills. Ohtori tried to return it but because of Ayane's anger and annoyance put into the shot, his racquet flew off, "40 – 30!"

Ohtori felt his hand tremble. "That was heavy for a first year."

Shishido shrugged. "Well, she did get pissed off at Atobe again so; I guess it's no surprise that her shots are more like cannonballs now."

Kiyone let out her service once more and Shishido returned it easily but this time, he used less dash steps because his legs were aching like crazy. "This is the worst moment in my life. It's near the Kantou Regionals and these girls are busting my legs before I can even play. This is smart."

Ohtori fired another forehand towards Ayane who returned it promptly with a backhand which resulted into a heavy shot. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: five games to four!"

Breathing heavily, Kiyone watched Shishido begin his service. "Wow, this is such a good game. I've never had a work out like this."

Ayane had a bright smile on her face. "This is a match that I will never forget. From now on – I will aim higher!"

His service cracked off his racquet which Ayane returned with a forehand while Shishido volleyed it over the net. "Bring it on, Shishido!"

The capped regular backhanded another shot which Kiyone volleyed it easily towards Ohtori who sent it back to the baseline where Ayane was and she sent it back with a forehand towards him again. "We're not going to lose to a bunch of first years, right, Ohtori?"

Ohtori fired another forehand towards Kiyone this time. "You can bet on that!"

"Love – 15," Hitomi watched Ayane fire another service towards Shishido and this time, he returned it with the Rising Counter.

The smaller girl watched Shishido do his Rising Counter again. "I can't believe it. How many times has he used that move?"

"A lot of times, apparently." Ayane watched Ohtori fire another shot towards her as she returned it with a powerful forehand.

"15 all," Shishido fired a backhand again after Ayane had exploded the next ball towards him. "This is getting too long. We're going to be dragging it out to twelve games!"

Ohtori gulped. "I think it might even be thirteen if we're not careful!"

Firing it back at Ayane, Shishido tried his best not to prolong it, "15 – 30!"

Ayane did another Magnolia Blade right down the line, "Thirty all!"

Kiyone's top spin entered the small service box exactly on the line, "Forty thirty!"

Shishido did his Rising Counter again to score the next point, "Deuce!"

Ohtori fired a forehand that marked itself on Ayane's left side. "Advantage, receiver: Shishido-Ohtori pair!"

The two captains were a little too occupied to even go on to their match but they wanted to see which doubles pair was better. Shishido and Ohtori scored the next point instantly and now it was five all. Neither of them wanted to throw away a game and they were working themselves to the ground and it was evident; Ayane was on the verge of collapsing and Kiyone was breathing heavily. Shishido was now sprawled on the floor while Ohtori was trying to keep himself steady. "It's your turn to serve, Ohtori. Make it good."

Ohtori stood up with a smile. "You got it!"

Shishido lowered his body at the net and Ohtori fired his Scud Serve again and it smacked the top of the net, "Let!"

Wincing at his mistake, Ohtori did a normal serve and this time, Ayane returned it with a backhand that Shishido had a heck of a time returning. The ball flew insanely fast towards Kiyone who did an underspin. The rally had so many exchanges that it looked like that Atobe and Shizuru might have to postpone their match for tomorrow, "15 – love!"

"We can't let them put us down, Kiyone." Ayane was breathing haphazardly.

Kiyone shook herself out of her daze. "Yeah but with the way we're going they're catching up fast."

She never had a game this long before. Ayane and Kiyone always ended it at six and Shishido and Ohtori were taking them on neck to neck. They couldn't even let their guards down for just a second. Their rallies got longer and longer and it was almost to the point that Kiyone could no longer feel her legs. "I can't move anymore…"

Ohtori fired another forehand which zipped past Kiyone. "Thirty love!"

Shishido and Ohtori were now on the offensive; the two first years were helpless against the two who clearly had more experience than the both of them. They were left with no other choice but to drop one game. "I'm sorry for doing this, Kiyone."

"It's okay," Kiyone smiled at the vice captain, "we'll just strike them in the next two games."

Ayane had a smirk. "Yeah, we'll hit them hard and fast."

The ball gently jumped over the net and landed in front of the frozen Kiyone. "Game, Shishido-Ohtori pair: six games to five!"

"Now do we get them?" Kiyone's eyes gleamed clearly like a puppy-dog face. "Pretty please can we beat them now?"

"Yes, now we can."

After throwing one game, Ayane and Kiyone quickly caught up with the other pair. Firing down the Magnolia Blade, Ayane knew that Shishido couldn't block all the heavy shots all the time and neither can Ohtori. "I don't think you'll survive another one!"

Atobe turned to Shizuru. "What made you put the gorilla with the pipsqueak?"

"Kiyone is all control and no power, Ayane had more power than speed and control," Shizuru answered simply, "they compliment each other very well. They've been good friends ever since Elementary and I met them a couple of times. Ayane would always protect Kiyone from bullies and if Ayane can't handle it – well, Kiyone simply bites and makes sure they back off. I don't think you're an exception, Atobe-senpai."

Kiyone did another top spin which confused Shishido and Ohtori right away. "This is my style of tennis! Learn it if you want to be a good net player, Scowling-san!"

Ayane fired another backhand shot towards Ohtori. "You're the bigger one, Ohtori-senpai! You have to make sure nothing gets past you!"

"Forty-love," Hitomi continued scribbling on her notebook. "This is one of the most amazing matches that Kiyone-chan and Ayane-chan ever had."

Haruka watched Shishido continue playing. "This is something that is worth watching and staying for."

"I'd pay five hundred yen to stay here and watch," Rin smirked while she saw the silver haired kohai try to return Kiyone's top spin.

The two boys were exhausted with what the girls just dished out at them again. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: six games all! Tie breaker match will now begin!"

Ayane warned Kiyone. "We better finish them before we prolong it. I don't think a protracted game is a good idea."

The smaller girl nodded while Ohtori began his service. "Here I come!"

Ohtori fired another Scud Serve but Ayane managed to catch it and send it back towards Shishido who now put focus on his dashing to keep up with Kiyone's top spins. The smaller girl would control the ball as if it was her fingers and she sent it in many awkward angles, "zero – one, Shishido-Ohtori pair to serve!"

Another Scud Serve this time made its way in, "One all! Service change to Kobayagi-Getsugan pair!"

Picking up the ball, she put all her power into the shot to the point that in order to receive it, Shishido had to lob it and Kiyone met him with a clipping smash, "Two – one!"

Ayane did another power serve which resulted to being returned by Ohtori with twice the force. "Two all, service change to Shishido-Ohtori pair!"

Shishido took the ball and served it fast and silent. The ball whizzed past Ayane and she couldn't even receive it, "Three – two!"

Unlike the last time, Shishido now managed to score at his second serve, "Four – two, service change to Kobayagi-Getsugan pair!"

Kiyone, weakening due to fatigue, saw that her services no longer went in, "Six – two, service change to Shishido-Ohtori pair!"

"It's the bottom of the ninths, Ohtori. We're gonna win! Just one more Scud Serve!" Shishido couldn't believe that their game had lasted this long. How long had it been, two hours?

Ohtori closed his eyes and fired his service. "I kyuu nyuu kon!" (One shot with soul) – Translation from onemanga

The shot slammed in forcing the two girls back. This was their first loss. "Game and match, Shishido-Ohtori pair: seven games to six!"

-That's chapter six! I'm sorry it took so long! I have so much school work now. Please review!


	7. Hyotei's King vs Queen of Diamonds

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 7 – The King of Hyotei versus the Queen of Diamonds

"Wow, I never knew I would live to see the day." Ayane watched her captain suit up while Atobe was waiting on the court with his usual arrogant smirk.

Silently picking up her racquet, Shizuru walked towards the court with her usual faint smile. Her hair, tied up in a pony tail, flowed gently with the wind and everyone could already feel the intensity of the match and it hadn't even started yet. Shizuru too knew what to expect from Atobe. If it's something he has more than her then, it's something that people call 'experience'. She had heard many things about Atobe's prowess about beating many people who believed to be beyond his calibre. She was happy; she was always looking for people who were stronger than her and Atobe fit in that category. "Thank you for playing this match with you, Atobe-senpai."

Atobe flipped his hair back. "Just think of this as a gift from ore-sama, Kurenai. Begin your service."

Gently bouncing the ball, Shizuru watched Atobe move from one side to another. He was waiting for her service and she knew that she can't keep him waiting. "Here I come, Atobe-senpai!"

The ball sped fast from her racquet and Atobe returned it with a Jack Knife while Shizuru managed to return it with a singe handed backhand.

"Wow, so cool~! Shizu_-nee_ and mole diva are really duking it out!_"_ Kiyone jumped up and down.

Haruka sighed while raising an eyebrow at the smaller girl. "Kiyone, how come you keep doing that?"

"Keep doing what," Kiyone gave her wide crystal eyes.

Haruka gently chided the younger girl, making sure she wouldn't spring a leak. "Kiyone, you have to remember names. You can't keep giving nicknames to people - especially those who are not that close. They may not appreciate it."

Kiyone pouted while folding her arms. "But I wanna! Why are you - mpf!"

Whipping around, Haruka stared aghast at Momo who was standing behind her after shoving a sweet bun into Kiyone's mouth. "Momo, why did you do that! You could've given her indigestion!"

Momo shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, she was about to spring a leak."

"I'm glad that I told my mom I'm coming home late," Ayane looked at her watch, "if I didn't, I'm skewered and I'm chicken yakitori before I know it."

Oshitari smirked while Shizuru gave Atobe a run for his money. "Naturally, I thought Naomi would have picked one of the upcoming seniors but instead she got her. She only became captain at the start of the year. Naomi-senpai handed it to her before she graduated and even announced it to the school body. I understand why though – she's powerful in tennis, she has the whole team backing her up and not to mention that she has a very good sense of judgement. But, how does she managed to do that will all that pressure? There will come a time that she will be forced to let someone carry her burden with her..."

Oh yeah, what makes you think she'll let you?

Oshitari let out a sigh; he realized that Shizuru doesn't get the signals of when a guy wanted her for other implications. Shizuru's mind was solely focused on her studies, tennis and some other things but she considered other things such as romance as not important. The first thing he remembered about her however was how blunt she was towards Atobe; that was a killer punch to the boy's ego. He remembered meeting her back in second year when she newly arrived as a first year with Mai.

_(Flashback)_

"Hey, Mai-chan, are you going to join the tennis team this year? I heard they have three open slots!" A brunette whispered to a red haired girl excitedly.

Shrugging, the red haired girl watched the girl's team play. "Yeah, I think these guys need to know how to play real good tennis! The tennis they're playing now won't even get them to the Nationals!"

"Arn~, ore-sama didn't know that first years were allowed at this area." A deep and arrogant voice spoke to them.

The two raised their heads at an icy eyed boy who had a taller boy walking behind him and a bespectacled second year walking next to him. "I didn't see a sign anywhere," Mai retorted fiercely.

"Well, we're not exactly scolding you. You didn't have to raise your voice like that." The bespectacled boy spoke calmly to her.

Mai was about to slug him until the brunette stood in front of him with a stoic look. "I'm sorry," –her voice was very soft yet polite, "please excuse us for coming here, we were on our way to our classroom and we kind of got lost. We also heard tennis balls being hit and we thought it was okay for us to take a peek."

"But Shizuru, we can't let them talk down to us!" Mai was aghast at what the brunette had done.

Shizuru turned towards the red head. "I know you're not the type to take things lying down but Mai, I don't think we should have been here in the first place. I think its best that we leave now."

The boy tossed his head up with a haughty laugh. "Yes, you should both know when to follow ore-sama!"

"I wasn't exactly following you." Shizuru whispered in a low voice.

The boy stood there aghast and he glowered at her. "Do you know who I am?"

Shizuru nudged Mai. "D-D-Do you know who he is, Mai?"

"Don't know; I've never seen him among the hallways. I think he's just a walking statue that the people made in the Science Lab." The first year girl snickered at her brunette friend.

Holding in his laughter, the bespectacled boy couldn't tell whether or not Atobe was going to lash out the brunette or maybe even faint but the latter did otherwise. "I am Atobe Keigo. Learn to remember that name because ore-sama is the king of Hyotei."

"You're the King of Hyotei?" Mai stared at him incredulously. "I don't remember this school going monarchical. Did they announce this awhile ago, Shizu-shizu?"

Shizuru shook her head timidly. "I-I-I don't think they said anything about Atobe-san being king."

"And I don't remember being told to lick his shoes and listen to his every command!" Mai hissed at the boy.

Atobe however remained calm during the entire situation. "It would have been nice though. A first year and a girl to boot licking ore-sama's…"

Oshitari put his hand in front of Atobe. "I'm sorry. My friend tends to be a little arrogant sometimes. But – I don't think you're causing any commotion here so, you guys better run off."

Shizuru bowed politely. "Thank you, um…"

"Oshitari," the blue haired bespectacled kansai boy extended his hand, "Oshitari Yuushi. What's your name?"

The girl had a cheerful smile on her face while she shook his hand. "I'm Kurenai. Kurenai Shizuru,_hajimemashite dozo yoroshiku!"_

_(End of Flashback)_

Oshitari laughed at that memory because he saw Atobe lose his composure in front of her. Shizuru could be a little blunt sometimes but she always spoke the truth when it came to opinions. Its no wonder how the girl brought the team to the top. Naomi was the captain when Shizuru newly entered the tennis team and the girl was already phenomenal when she entered the team and most of the regulars were ashamed to lose to her. The one whom she had taken down first was Hikifumi Haruka, the girl was second year at that time and she was in no mood to give up her position and then, there was also Nagisaki Mai, the prodigy of their group. No one had ever displaced Sanada Momo until she came. These two were the storms of the first year batch; to think they were only from Ohtori and Hiyoshi's batch.

He never realized that the girl, which he had once thought that she was nothing more but a new student, was now one of the most talented female tennis players in Hyotei or maybe in the whole Kantou region. Not only that – the girl was a man magnet and his _kohai _to boot. Oshitari watched her begin the attack against Atobe and made sure he had no way of retaliating. "Kurenai Shizuru, second year student of Hyotei and one of the most phenomenal players in Japan has now created the biggest turning point in female tennis history. How she does it is simply beyond me."

Shizuru always gave it her all; no matter who her opponent was, she didn't waste time toying with them. "There it is, the Gliding Dragonfly!" (Subera Kagerou)

The ball had rolled towards the net with a sharp curve and Atobe didn't bother returning it anymore, "15 - Love!"

Flipping his hair back, the king of Hyotei hid his fear of facing Shizuru's techniques. "That wasn't so bad now, arn~? _Ore-sama _likes it when his opponents don't hold back."

Readying her service once more, Shizuru didn't change in expression. "I won't hold back anymore, Atobe-senpai. I don't like putting too little of my ability either."

The service flew again and Atobe returned it with his version of the Jack Knife. "You may be able to return Ayane's Jack Knife but do you think you can return ore-sama's technique?"

Side-stepping, Shizuru moved back and the shot with much ease. "I don't think your technique will be much of a problem. Most likely – I will be able to return all your shots anyway."

The Jack Knife flew towards Atobe again who in return blocked it with a forehand while Shizuru began volleying. Running towards one side, the icy eyed teen volleyed it to Shizuru's left side but a forehand flew past him but he was able to return it again. Atobe couldn't believe that someone who was a year his junior was actually giving him a run for his money and she was a girl. Echizen Ryoma was pretty understandable; he didn't want to lose though to any of them. He was king and he wasn't going to sit there and let them take over! "Ore-sama will not be defeated by someone like you, Kurenai!"

Shizuru had no intention of losing either. "I don't plan to let you win either, Atobe-senpai. I always take my games seriously."

A one handed backhand flew towards the left line which Atobe lobbed into the air by accident. "There it is! It's a chance ball!"

"Take the shot, buchou!" Ayane watched her captain jump high into the air and gracefully send it down.

However, the ball had flown high into the air heading towards the baseline. "Is that what I think it is?" Mai stared agape at what Atobe had done.

"The Higuma Otoshi," Oshitari turned away, "how did he pick it up so fast? Did I really use it that much?"

Gakuto watched Atobe smirk at Shizuru. "Geez, he actually did the Higuma Otoshi. Is it that easy to do or is it just me?"

Shishido gave him a droll stare. "It's just you. Besides, the only ones who can do it are Fuji, Oshitari and now, Atobe."

"Don't forget cherry head," Hiyoshi muttered in annoyance. "She does have a brain there somewhere."

Mai's amber orbs glowered at the mushroom shape headed boy. "Watch it, you _baka_. You're not going to know what hit you if you keep that up!"

Kiyone watched Shizuru fire another forehand right down the line. "She's not going to let Atobe-_senpai_ win now is she?"

"If she did," Haruka shook her head with a placid smile, "she'd regret it and run even more laps than the last time. She usually triples her training whenever she finds someone stronger than her."

Rin watched Shizuru pull other techniques that seemed to be impossible. "She is someone whom we all strive to beat. She will be the one to lead us to the Nationals."

Atobe fired another backhand towards Shizuru who returned it with the same technique she used before. "Subera Kagerou…"

"30 - 15," Atobe was already heavily breathing. No girl had pushed him this far before let alone no one had pushed him this way except a few people like Sanada and Tezuka. "This girl is beyond Sanada's level, she's a perfect opponent to keep training against. It seems that Naomi-_senpai_ has a good sense of precognition then."

"You seem to be holding back, Atobe-senpai." Shizuru's mouth twitched into a smirk. "I don't like it when my opponent does that. Please go full out or you will let Kobayagi-san have the pleasure of laughing in your face."

Those words seemed to hit home because the moment Shizuru's next serve came, Atobe got on the offensive right away. He fired a heavy backhand towards her and Shizuru was left with no choice but to lob it. "Here it comes!"

Atobe smirked at the younger captain, "_Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina_, Kurenai!"

Hitomi watched Atobe's icy blue eyes follow the ball to Shizuru's wrist. "Hamutsu e no Rondo, the unbelievable smash that targets the opponent's wrist is going to be used here and now? Every move has its weaknesses, Atobe-_san_. The one problem is that you're up in the air and if it's returned straight down - you won't have time. Another is when..."

The moment he let out the smash, Shizuru was fast enough to lower her racquet to avoid her wrist from getting hit and with a flick, she sliced down the ball despite its heaviness. After smacking the top of the net, the ball leapt over forcing Atobe to move closer and volley it and this time, Shizuru was prepared. "I'm not going to let you get past me, Atobe-senpai. I am the Queen of the Tennis team and I will maintain my place."

The Subera Kagerou once again made its appearance and Atobe found the ball rolling towards the net. "So, you're also holding back as well, Kurenai?"

Everyone gaped at what Atobe was saying. "What do you mean she's holding back? You're just bluffing!"

Mai's grip on the fence tightened. "She's not using 'it' yet. I remember seeing her use that move against Souma in the finals."

"What move are you talking about?" Kiyone turned to the red haired tensai.

Mai bit her lip while Shizuru picked up the ball and prepared for her service. "Shizuru has a move that no one has ever beaten. Problem is – it's been sealed up for almost two years now. I don't know if her body can still handle it. If you thought Shishido-senpai and I were fast, wait til you watch her get serious. It takes a heavy load out of her legs though."

Isane somehow knew what Mai was talking about. "Was it the _Tsuuro_…?"

"Yeah, that's right. The famous move that no girl has ever broken before," Mai gulped upon the memory, "but Shizuru nearly destroyed her chances of walking because of that move. Only that Souma girl from Seigaku was the only one who made her bring it out. Not even Yukimura's sister can force out that technique from her. I call it her last resort because it's rarely seen but with the way this is going, Atobe-san's going to make her bring it out soon."

"It's amazing how you can still run like that, Kurenai," Atobe fired another shot towards her aiming for the corner, "despite the injury you had in your knee, it doesn't bother you the way it normally would. The only thing intact are your morals, you remind ore-sama of someone he knows. But I don't think your team wants you to strain too much now do they?"

Shizuru ignored what he was saying and pulled out another fast one. "I'm sorry but, my health is secondary to the team. My main concern is making sure they fulfill their promises to their senpai and also taking them to the Nationals. That is their dream and I will make the team's dream a reality."

Atobe watched the next shot fly in next to him. "Game, Kurenai: One game to love!"

Oshitari had a smirk plastered on his face. "Well, she's going all out. She won't hold back on Atobe, that's for sure."

Kiyone began whistling. "Take down, mole diva, buchou!"

Ayane punched the air. "Show him what it means to be Queen of Hyotei!"

Ignoring the sounds in the air, Shizuru kept her eyes on the yellow ball that made its way across the net each time. Because of the speed, the rally was no longer seen and the only thing evident was the rippling of the net. The two were running around but the ball had disappeared instantly and the audience could only hear the hollow sounds of the ball leaving the racquet.

"They're playing that fast?" Gakuto swore that his jaw hit the ground.

Hiyoshi stared in shock. "Gekokujou…"

Shishido saw Shizuru's speed increase bit by bit. "Hand it to him, Shizuru-chan!"

Ohtori kept exchanging glances. "I don't know who to root for! They're both equally good and I don't know where to start!"

Jirou was snoring peacefully on Kabaji's back while Taki was taking down data through a video camera. "This is something we have to record! We might need this for future reference!"

Her footwork was extraordinary in the eyes of others but to Oshitari, the skills were simply breathtaking. He felt his body freeze the moment she got very intense in the game and Atobe was also giving the latter a good run. "Her tennis is basically on another level - the only one who I can name from Seigaku who's strong enough to fight her is Souma Fuuka."

"Yeah then we can't forget Rikkai Dai too," Hiyoshi managed to mutter.

Shishido bit his lip. "Yeah - if we thought she was scary, what more Souma Fuuka? That girl gives a whole new meaning to brutal."

Ohtori held back his fear with a gulp. "I don't think I want to know what happens when they face each other."

Haruka tapped Isane's shoulder. "Did anyone notice that he has short hair now?"

"His hair is cut like that because he wanted to get back on the team and because the coach wanted proof, Shishido-san cut his own hair." Isane remarked ruefully. "But, it does suit him more that his hair is short at the same time – it's a lot more sensible."

Hitomi began scanning her notes. "You're only saying that because you like him, Isane-chan."

The taller senior blushed madly in front of the data girl. "N-no, you guys! You have it all wrong! He was ranting about it the other time and he's just my classmate, that's all!"

"As if," Haruka snickered to her doubles partner.

Rin couldn't help but snicker as well, "Isa-_chan_, face it - you're always in denial."

Atobe began his service which exploded from his racquet and nearly knocked out Shizuru's racquet if not for her idea of throwing her body weight instead. The shot flimsily flew over the net and Atobe volleyed her straight out, "15 – love!"

Smirking at the score, Atobe raised his hand with a snap, "_Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina_!"

The tennis team members (mostly girls from the club) were squealing at the sight of Atobe while the boys from the Hyotei tennis club were drooling at the sight of Shizuru. "Ahem," she cleared her throat.

The whole crowd became silent and Ayane shrugged. "That's buchou's power alright. Nothing's going to…"

Mai watched Shizuru raise her hand, smirking. "You guys don't know her the way I do..."

Shizuru had her own line with her faint smile. "I will show you… what it means to dance amongst the diamonds."

It was a huge uproar; the whole crowd broke into a wild frenzy and including the boys chanting. "_Shousha Kurenai! Shousha Kurenai! Shousha Kurenai!"_

Atobe couldn't believe that Shizuru managed to command them with a snap of her fingers. "Arn~, and ore-sama thought you weren't the power tripping type."

"Drastic times call for drastic measures," Shizuru readied herself for Atobe's service again.

Ayane shook her head, waving her hands into the air frantically. "God, biologists should be here to take this down! It's a new virus called the "Narcisstic Virus"! The ones with the antibodies are Atobe and that brat from Seigaku and not only that - it's contagious! Once hit, you will become a crazy narcisstic zombie!"

Rin gulped while hiding behind Haruka who face palmed. "Th-there's no cure yet, _kuwee?"_

Kiyone grinned while punching the air. "Hey, this reminds me of the Resident Evil Saga!"

Everyone stared at her. "What the hell was that about?"

Rin continued to shiver. "What are we gonna do now?"

Haruka sighed while trying to explain it to the two. "Nothing because there is no such thing!"

Exchanging glances with each other, the team knew that there were not many people who were better than their current captain except maybe some from the boys' rankings. "If you're talking only girls," Hitomi checked her notebook, "she has only one threat and that would be Souma Fuuka of Seishun Gakuen. If you're talking about the whole of Japan, there are several: Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichirou, Tezuka Kunimitsu and most likely, Atobe Keigo if he trains well enough."

Shizuru continued to rally him endlessly aiming for the corners of the singles court. Returning her shot, Atobe had a sly smirk on his face while firing a forehand cross court towards the left side. "You're aiming for the corners now are you? You're a little naughty for that, Kurenai."

"Strategy is the key to winning, Atobe-senpai. The funny thing is – you're the one who told me that." Shizuru returned his forehand with a top spin that clipped the net.

Atobe missed it by a few inches. "Arn~, then ore-sama is glad that you learned something from him."

"15 all," Shizuru lowered her stance to receive Atobe's service again, "if you don't pull yourself together now then, I think I will have the pleasure of beating you, Atobe-senpai."

Twitching at the second year's goad, Atobe tossed the ball high up into the air. "You just wait and see, Kurenai – ore-sama will have this match."

Gakuto saw the rally resume again. "Wow, how long with this match last?"

"It's a matter of will and endurance," Oshitari adjusted his glasses a little, "because in terms of skill – they're equal right now."

Kiyone had a smirk. "He's gonna get hurt," she squealed in a sing song voice.

Rin saw Atobe score a Jack Knife down the line. "Well, she's just toying with him now. She's dancing with him but I think she'll be the leader when this is over."

Isane watched Shizuru take back a point from Atobe. "Yeah, that's our buchou after all. The new Queen of Diamonds, Kurenai Shizuru has officially taken over Hyotei."

"Not just Hyotei Gakuen," Mai had a snicker, "but the entire Kantou region with her tennis skills."

Shizuru jumped high into the air to bring down a smash right next to the Hyotei King, "30 – 40!"

Landing gracefully, she brushed her hair back and resumed to returning to the baseline with a faint smile. "Atobe-san, please play more seriously. I like playing against opponents who really give me their all." However, the way she looked at him said a few words and that's all she wanted to say.

_You better give your all or I will humiliate you on the court._

Atobe didn't seem the least bit intimidated while sent the next serve towards Shizuru. "Ore-sama will win this game, Kurenai. Remember that."

Shizuru fired another under spin towards Atobe. "_Au contraíre_, Atobe-senpai, I think this game is tilting more in my favour."

Oshitari saw the intense rally between the two captains and none seemed to be letting off. Watching the sweat pour down both their faces, Oshitari found it hard to tell which one would win but his eyes were more on Shizuru. He recalled the time where Ohtori had to give her a piggyback ride because she pushed her legs beyond their normal limit. Oshitari shook his head - how could she become so reckless? Somehow, he wished that the girl was more sensitive to physical pain. How he knew that she didn't really feel it? Shishido accidentally threw a tennis ball at her head but she didn't do anything but keep on walking and dusted her hair. Gakuto at first called that weird and he himself couldn't understand how her sensory neurons suddenly got all stuck together. The only time a person wouldn't feel pain was if the nerves were stuck together.

After examining the two, Oshitari noted Atobe's change of style. He remembered that Atobe had often times dragged out the play on purpose or even toyed with them a bit but this time; the king's icy eyes glimmered differently. His shots were aiming at the corners and right on the line, not only that - they were sinking faster than normal. Some started spinning away from their intended direction. Atobe even started attacking her irregular shots with ground smashes.

Shizuru fired another forehand. "Now, you're getting serious. Atobe-senpai, why is it you're not using your Insight ability?"

Now for the very first time, the colour drained itself from Atobe's face. "Kurenai, what are you talking about? _Ore-sama_ has been using it ever since -."

"I beg to differ," Shizuru cut him short while she sent him a backhand again, "if you were using your insight, you would be targeting my weak points by now. Secondly, you would be able to anticipate my shots and counter them with much ease but apparently – it seems like you're not using the power at all because you're letting even the easiest of shots get past you."

Atobe didn't know that she had figured it out that fast. "Arn~, if that's the case," –he did his trademark activation of his Insight, "then, ore-sama will let you have the honour of seeing it then."

Shizuru didn't mind his holier-than-thou attitude really; it was a miracle how she managed to maintain herself despite the arrogance Atobe has. Ayane however fumed at the sight of Atobe and even gets mad at him for simply breathing. Kiyone on the other hand wasn't too fond him either, Mai was just ignoring him as usual but what they were awed by was their equality in tennis skill. It was rare for Shizuru to find someone of equal calibre and the only ones who could match her were the boys and Souma Fuuka and Shizuru however didn't care about rivalries; she just wanted to play the game itself. "Alright, give it all you have, Atobe-senpai."

Atobe fired another heavy backhand and Shizuru caught it but because of the heaviness of the shot, her racquet flew out of her hand. "Oops, I didn't know it was that strong."

"Deuce," Taki stared agape, "and this is only the second game!"

A small smile appeared on Oshitari's face while Atobe once again began his service. What shocked them though was what Shizuru started doing – she looked like she wasn't even moving from her spot but the shots were all going back to Atobe. "Is she using the _Tsuuro_ yet?" Haruka turned to Mai who now had a face of horror.

"Shizuru, using that technique in this match isn't worth it! Don't use it here! You'll bust up your legs before you even have a chance to play against Souma," Haruka started to get hysterical as she saw Shizuru's eyes gleaming in a different manner. "Once she uses this technique that means she's willing to throw out everything in this match and she's going to pull out her weapons here and now. The Subera Kagerou was just one of her most basic attacks but this one is more lethal – no one's done this to her before except Naomi-buchou and Souma-san."

"Is Seigaku that strong, Nagisaki-senpai?" Kiyone tugged on the sleeve of the resident female genius.

Shaking her head, Mai only held respect for one. "They aren't that strong, it's one of their players that were worried about. This year might be hard too because Souma Fuuka doesn't have the difficulty that Shizuru has and she can move at the same speed and attack the same way. They're both all-rounders with their own style."

Hitomi opened her notebook. "Shizuru's current technique is something she based off Mai but she never bothered to give it a name because it was simply movement. She hasn't even shown one of the more lethal ones yet. Mai-chan – what do you mean she has a difficulty?"

"You notice that our feet curve inwards at a certain point?" Mai remarked offhandedly. "That's where the problem is."

Rin froze at Mai's words when she understood what Mai meant. "Shizuru's…flat footed?"

"If she plays a protracted game, she increases her chances of crippling herself. The more she uses this dash style – the more she'll use up the muscles in her arcs." Mai ruefully watched the match between Atobe and Shizuru, "sure, every person has a flaw like Souma Fuuka being well – I don't know and Shizuru's limit is her feet. If her feet lose its strength, it will climb up to her calves and then, it will shock her knee. She played badminton before and she busted her knee from it and then, she began tennis right after. However…"

Ayane knew where this was going. "Her knee sometimes has chronic attacks at the most unexpected of times. I have a question – didn't she go to the hospital for rehabilitation?"

"She did," Mai recalled the time Shizuru told her, "but come to think of it – even after the rehab, it was still bugging her. It took two months before she returned to her full state. Sure, the girl can walk after three days she busted her knee but the damage was bad. I think Shizuru was playing with her step sibling that time and because he was jealous, the guy grabbed her shirt and threw her across the court. Because of bad landing, Shizuru's knee took most of the damage and then, that's where it all started."

Momo's glare became colder at Mai's explanation. "I don't like her siblings."

"We haven't even met them yet and they're already sick." Ayane hissed in annoyance while Shizuru gained another point with a top spin.

Atobe jumped high into the air with a smirk, "Hamutsu e… no Rondo!"

The ball shot down unbelievably fast and Shizuru was left with no choice but to dodge it instead, "Deuce!"

Before Atobe could begin his service, he noticed Shizuru wincing in pain. Her leg basically was swollen and when he faked a serve, Shizuru bolted forward only to fall on the floor with her racquet clattering next to her.

"_Buchou_," the whole team scrambled towards her.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE," Shizuru smiled faintly at them, causing her team to freeze in place. "This match is not over yet and this is my battle. I will deal with it on my own terms."

Mai glared venemously. "Shizuru, this match isn't worth risking your ability to walk properly and career."

"Do you wish to lose your chance to enter the Nationals because of a weak captain," Shizuru fired back at Mai, silencing the genius.

Ayane saw the intensity burn between the two as she noticed Shizuru's eyes glaring holes into them. "If you take at least one step," –Shizuru's voice darkened. "I will make you guys run laps until you cannot even lift yourselves from the bed, understand?"

The team backed up into the bleachers while Momo sighed while keeping a calm glare. "It's your funeral."

"This is the second deuce they had. Hopefully, it doesn't extend too long," Gakuto watched Atobe begin his service again and Shizuru use the Subera Kagerou against it again.

Atobe watched Shizuru running around and saw that she did have a weak point. "You're doing pretty well, despite you running at that speed."

Shizuru knew now that he was using his _Insight_. "It took you that long to figure it out? Atobe-senpai, you should have used your insight at the start of the match then."

Atobe fired another Jack Knife towards her and Shizuru as forced to lob it up and Gakuto slapped his forehead. "Good grief, that's the second chance ball she's given him!"

"She has no other choice, Gakuto," Oshitari analysed the situation calmly, "Shizuru doesn't have Ayane's brute strength so she doesn't have the ability to block heavy balls like that."

Mai looked at the kansai prodigy with a smirk. "Then again, you don't know everything about her so how sure are you that's everything that Shizuru has?"

"You look like you know much more, pray do tell." Oshitari had a twinkle in his eye.

Shishido saw Shizuru flash from one place to another. "We've both been trying to find a way how to increase our speed. Ohtori's Scud Serve caused us both to develop our own dash movements like her Flash Step thing and my dashing style. I've got to admit – Ohtori's serve does help you move faster."

Moving to the edge of the fence, Ohtori didn't know for whom he should be supporting because Shishido looked like he was supporting Shizuru. The silver haired underclassman knew why; when he asked Shishido who he would support, Shishido answered straight out that Shizuru earned his vote. Not only because she was a friend but heck, Atobe had the worst personality in the world and he thought he was a sad case. Watching another forehand fly from Shizuru's side, Ohtori could only gape in awe. "Wow, I've never seen Shizuru-chan play so fiercely in a match, the last time she played like this was when she was in the Nationals."

"Yeah," Isane had a huge smile on her face, "the only ones able to bring out this kind of power were the captain of Shitenhouji, Seigaku's Souma Fuuka and maybe some guys. I don't think that Yukimura Ai can handle the power Shizuru's hiding. I just don't get why she hasn't used it yet. I mean – she could have finished the game two hours ago."

Oshitari watched her and then he noticed a faint smile curve up on her lips. "I guess she's having fun. It's not everyday that you find her smiling like that," –he pointed out to the team.

Though it was barely noticeable, the style of play was good enough for them to tell that she was having fun. She didn't mind pressure and how she blocked it out was one of the wonders because she only started playing Singles One during the Nationals when the former buchou had taken Singles Three to take down Shitenhouji's vice captain. "Yeah," Ayane saw the faint smile and the joy in Shizuru's eyes, "buchou was known for her calm demeanor but when you know how to read her eyes, you can actually tell what she's feeling."

Shishido let out a low mumble. "If she smiled more often then, more guys would have been ambushing her from every side."

Despite it being slightly inaudible, Ohtori laughed a little. "Yeah, then we'd have to hide her in a janitor's closet, right, senpai?"

Shizuru fired another backhand towards Atobe. "I didn't know I would have this much fun in playing against you, Atobe-senpai."

Scrunching his nose a little, Atobe fired a forehand back at her. "It's not everyday that you find someone much better than you at ore-sama's calibre, arn~?"

The vice captain just loathed Atobe's arrogance. "Your calibre my foot, buchou's playing at Yukimura's calibre by now!"

"Actually," she admitted meekly, "I'm not. It will probably take me a couple of years before I can play at his calibre because to return every ball with ease, that's a lot of skill and talent mixed in."

Kiyone pouted. "You don't have to be so humble especially in front of mole diva! Make him look like he's a bug! Finish him off!"

Momo couldn't help but agree with the younger girl. "With the way you're going, you're making my cousin look like he's king of the world. I don't think I wanna imagine what that looks like. The whole world will be doomed to look like him because he's such an uptight idiot."

Isane smiled at the younger captain. "There was someone who inspired you to become at your best, just imagine him in your head."

"Imagine him in your head?" The teams stared at Isane as if she had grown three heads.

The taller one nodded while she saw Shizuru prepare for a drop shot. "Here it comes, the technique that took her many days and weeks to master."

With a graceful and fluid motion, Shizuru sliced the ball down right over the net and the moment it dropped, the ball didn't bother bouncing but it rolled towards the net. "It's the Z-zero shiki…" Shishido's eyes widened every moment he saw the ball roll away from Atobe.

"Tezuka's Zero Shiki Drop Shot," Atobe brushed back his hair with a smirk, "your racquet was a bit too low however. You won't be able to use that same technique against _ore-sama_ twice."

"Advantage: Kurenai," Shizuru walked towards the baseline with a small smile. "I know that, I just wanted to see if I memorized it properly."

Atobe hated it when Shizuru toyed with her opponents like that. It was simply unnerving to the latter. "Arn~, then let ore-sama take this other game from you then."

Shizuru positioned herself again to receive his service. "I'm sorry, Atobe-senpai. Your arrogance and charm is really a big turn-off."

The capped regular stifled a laugh. "Whoa, that was a straight hit home."

Oshitari couldn't help but laugh at his favourite kohai. "I'm so proud – she finally graduated from being polite to being very blunt with him."

Serving at a fast speed, Atobe readied himself for Shizuru's assault of top spins which came in the form of her Subera Kagerou. However, this time before it dropped to fly to the net, Atobe returned it with a top spin and it successfully jumped over the net. "Ore-sama would also like to advise you not to keep using the same technique again and again. It gives the opponent the chance to return it."

"Who said that my Subera Kagerou was going to be the only technique used?" Shizuru clipped the ball with another top spin which flew past Atobe and this time, this one didn't bounce. It rolled on the ground with an awkward curving motion. The king stared at the ball for a few moments when he saw that the queen of Hyotei now pulled out something new from her arsenal. "What in the world was that? That wasn't Tsubame Gaeshi so, what is it?"

"Game, Kurenai: two games to love!" Everyone stared agape at the second year student who was taking down Atobe with much ease by using only two of her techniques.

Shizuru smiled while picking up the ball lightly. "My personalized version of the Tsubame Gaeshi – this is what they call the Ayame Gaeshi." (Iris Return)

Kiyone jumped up and down while tugging Mai's jacket. "Cherry-_senpai_, how did she do that?"

"The technique relies more on the timing and form of the user," Mai explained to the smaller girl. "Each time the ball returns, there is an additional amount of spin applied. However, because the _Subera Kagerou_ was returned - the spin is stronger than normal thus making this technique posible. She can't use it if it's a sinker because it won't go over the net at all if she does."

Hitomi thus began her explanation. "This is used when her Subera Kagerou is returned. The Ayame Gaeshi does an extreme spin on the ball thus making the ball awkwardly turn in different directions. In this move, she slices the ball extremely and clips it at the same time thus making the shot more awkward looking and literally it 'returns' to her in a curved motion."

Ayane stared at her captain and looked at Kiyone for a moment. "This is why Kiyone became her protégé, it was because she knew that Kiyone could do things that she could if given enough training but at this rate – Kiyone's nowhere near her skill calibre but in terms of control, Kiyone has the upper hand over her captain. In terms of strength, I'm physically stronger than her but I'm so much slower. Mai-senpai on the other hand is fast but she has average control and strength. The funny thing is, I've never seen them play against each other in a ranking match or have they already…?"

"You noticed also, didn't you, Ayane-chan?" Hitomi came up from behind her with a notebook in hand.

Terrified by the sudden appearance of the data master, Ayane nearly fell off the fence. "Geez, don't do that, Yamaguchi-senpai! But getting back to the point," –Ayane's expression became rueful, "yeah, I did notice that. I mean – I've never seen them play against one another."

Shizuru overheard their conversation from the court while she returned another shot from Atobe. "We did, two years ago or maybe even three. I remembered that time when Mai and I were seeing who was better off taking Singles One. Kotetsu-buchou was the one who set up the game and I remembered that time, I won by default and it's because Mai had a handicap – she had a fever and," –she shook her head out of that thought, "what matters now is that I live up to my reputation as captain of this team. I need to remain strong; my personal thoughts are secondary now."

Atobe noticed that Shizuru's shots were getting a little shallower than normal. "Arn~, what's with you, Kurenai? How long will you space out like that?"

She fired a deep backhand towards Atobe. "I'm sorry, just reminiscing on the past. Why? Are you eager to face the Ayame Gaeshi again?"

Atobe remained arrogant despite it all. "Ore-sama is waiting for it then."

Slicing it extremely with a clip shot, Shizuru fired her Ayame Gaeshi towards Atobe who failed to return it again, "15 – love!"

"How to return a ball that curves away," Atobe began pacing a little bit, "Kurenai's really putting her all into this game. I've only seen that technique a few times to know what it does but not enough to know how to counter it. Ore-sama might need a few more times just so he could counter it."

Shizuru changed her position again and lowered her racquet for a slice. "Oh, I'd like to see that."

Atobe scoffed as he noted her position. "You're using the Zero Shiki again? Kurenai, how long will you keep doing…?"

Instead of the Zero Shiki, Shizuru did the Subera Kagerou again, "Thirty – love!"

"I just noticed now," Mai recalled the positions for the two techniques. "The position for the Zero Shiki Drop Shot and the Subera Kagerou are almost alike except for the racquet height. If she can conceal it, then, it would be much easier to use against people. Then again, people would soon see the pattern behind the shot despite the concealing."

Atobe smirked while lowering his body to receive Shizuru's service. "This is your choice, Kurenai. Don't crack if you lose."

Shizuru fired her service wordlessly while Atobe returned her shot with a backhand which forced her to run to the other end of the court to send it back. Atobe soon began attacking the corners and the latter did the same thing. The two kept firing it cross court, down the line and sometimes forced each other to the net and then went back to the baseline again. The rally could have been extended for a very long time if this kept up. Atobe finally ended it with a smash going down, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Shizuru however paid Atobe back with a top spin that bounced away from him, "Forty – fifteen!"

Firing a Jack Knife down the line, Atobe knew that Shizuru wouldn't pursue it if the shot was too heavy for her, "Forty – thirty!"

"I swear if they end up in another deuce," Mai shook her head with disapproval, "we might as well postpone the match. By the way, did you guys get the message about the awarding ceremony for the block matches?"

Ayane gaped at the thought. "Oh my goodness, I forgot about that! When is it?"

Shaking her head, Isane let out a sigh. "Luckily, it's tomorrow. Shizuru told you about it remember, during lunch time?"

"She did?" The vice captain had completely forgotten all about it.

Kiyone let out a sigh. "You have CFS, Yane-_chan_. So, it's a combo!"

"CFS," Ayane raised an eyebrow at the little girl. "What's CFS?"

The control specialist had a smirk on her face while she told them. "Completely Forgotten Syndrome, first, Ayane-chan has COS which means Completely Oblivious Syndrome and now with a mixture of CFS, she has completely lost a lot of things. I think we can point Yane-_chan_'s forgetfulness because of mole diva-_san_?"

Ayane grabbed the little girl while shaking her roughly. "Why I oughta…!"

Haruka split the two apart before Ayane could do anymore damage. "That's enough, both of you. Kiyone, quit smart talking people and Ayane, you're the vice captain! Be more mature about it will you? The last time I saw something like this was when Momo tried to strangle Aragaki-_senpai_!"

Pouting like a child, Ayane faced away from the smaller control specialist while Mai watched her former doubles player take on the king of Hyotei. Apparently, Atobe was now having a game of a lifetime because Shizuru was pulling out only two of the techniques and the girl didn't seem the least bit rattled when he had used the Hamutsu e no Rondo against her. "Arn~, ore-sama is glad that you're taking this game seriously, Kurenai. Problem is though – how long will your performance last?"

Shizuru fired back the forehand that Atobe had sent towards her. "It depends; how long would you like to keep running?"

"Cocky words from someone who's going to lose," Atobe had a smirk on his face while sending it back with his backhand.

Ayane cheered on for her captain. "Wipe the floor with his smirk, _buchou_!"

"Finish him off, Shizu-_nee_," Kiyone jumped up and down from the other side.

Feeling a sudden twinge of pain in his heart when he heard Ayane's words, Atobe promptly missed the ball that came next to him. "Game, Kurenai: three games to love!"

Shizuru noticed that Atobe had froze in his tracks and motioned to her vice captain. "Kobayagi, thirty laps around the courts. Now, both you and Kiyone need the exercise anyway."

"Huh? We didn't do anything!" Kiyone protested to the captain until she saw a blazing glower aimed at her.

Shizuru decided to send them all off. "All of you run a hundred laps around the courts for slacking. That includes the boys if they don't mind joining the girls."

Gakuto's jaw dropped. "Hey, why are we included?"

Oshitari just grabbed Gakuto's regular's jacket. "Never mind, just start your laps."

All the other people also dispersed and Shizuru turned back to Atobe. "Now, with very little distractions, we can now play at our best."

"T-thanks," Atobe muttered though it was very inaudible but he quickly covered it up with his arrogance again. "Of course, ore-sama would like to make sure that he's at his very best."

Shizuru let out a sigh in defeat. "Atobe-senpai, I know people may call me a romance retard because I know nothing about romance but it's quite obvious that you enjoy seeing her expressions because you believe it makes her look cute. It's not in that Shishido way that you know, he makes people get mad at each other and then he starts scowling at everyone else. But don't you think it's weird that all she does is insult you. But don't you notice that she speaks to you most of the time?"

Atobe didn't want to admit it though. "Kobayagi only speaks to _ore-sama_ when she wants to insult him, Kurenai."

"If that's what you want to believe," Shizuru handed the ball to Atobe. "I believe your service starts now."

Taking the ball from Shizuru, Atobe walked towards the baseline. "Ore-sama will show you how it's like to be humiliated."

"I don't think with your personality you know the meaning of 'humility'," Shizuru lowered her center of gravity to return Atobe's service.

Snorting at the arrogance of the younger, Atobe fired his service towards Shizuru and all of a sudden, the younger captain lost her footing and fell to the ground, "15 love!"

"_Buchou,_ are you alright!" Ayane called out from the side.

Hissing softly at the pain, Shizuru shakily stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just want you guys to keep running your laps."

Atobe then noticed Shizuru's weakness. "It's your foot because it can't handle the speed that you have, right?"

A faint smile appeared on the younger captain's lips and Shizuru readied herself for another shot. "Don't worry, it's nothing. Continue the game, Atobe-senpai."

Though he now knew Shizuru's weakness, he didn't choose to use it against her. "You better play properly, Kurenai!"

The next few shots however proved otherwise because her foot was aching, Shizuru couldn't plant herself properly. Serves followed one after the other making a mark on Shizuru's court. "Game, Atobe: three games to one!"

Now fuming, Atobe pointed to the bench. "We're going to put this game on hold. Your foot's not working properly."

"I can still play," Shizuru wheezed a little because of fatigue.

Shaking his head in defeat, Atobe handed her the ball. "It's your funeral. But – I don't think your team would want you crippled."

Shizuru tossed the ball into the air. "Don't worry about me because I can look after myself just fine."

The ball flew over the net while Atobe pursued and fired it back with heavy Jack Knife and Shizuru sliced it down. "Looks like, I have no other choice but to try…"

Shizuru put a heavy top spin on the ball thus forcing it to bounce away from Atobe to prevent her from running around too much. However, the plan backfired on her, "Thirty love!"

Another Jack Knife slid past her, "Forty – love!"

The whole crowd soon gathered to where they were playing again when they heard the next score. "Game, Atobe: two games to three!"

Ayane gaped at the both of them. "He's catching up!"

"Of course, he has to live up to the name of being the king of Hyotei," Oshitari noticed that Shizuru was now limping, "looks like Shizuru's crippled."

Gakuto gaped at his doubles partner. "You say as if it's a good thing!"

"It may at least get her more physically sensitive to her needs," Oshitari pinched the bridge of his nose while watching her knee take a beating. "The more she limps the lower her consistency - she would notice that more than the pain."

Shishido grumbled while shoving his hands into is pockets. "It's been more thirty minutes - this game's going to be going down hill from now on."

The rally however continued with Shizuru struggling with her muscle cramps. The girl managed to fire a top spin towards Atobe who returned it again with a forehand which was followed up by a drop shot. "So, think you're going to fall now, Kurenai?"

The girl remained stoic during the whole time. "I'm not going to stop moving forward, Atobe-senpai. I will bring my team to the Nationals!" With this, she fired another Subera Kagerou towards Atobe who lunged forward to catch it before it touched the ground. However, the only way for him to return it was for him to top spin it and that's exactly what Shizuru wanted. "This is where the Ayame Gaeshi shines, Atobe-senpai. I'm sorry – but we'll be making our mark in the nationals."

While the Ayame Gaeshi curved behind him, Atobe gave Shizuru his usual arrogant smirk. "You're not going to be the only one there, Kurenai. You have many more opponents going after you."

"I know," Shizuru sprinted forward to block another shot to send it back towards one of the singles court corners. "I just want to make sure I can prove my point."

Another Subera Kagerou made its way in towards Atobe, "Love 15!"

Atobe fired his Jack Knife past Shizuru this time, "15 all!"

Shizuru managed to jump high into the air but not without much difficulty and smashed it down, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Backhanding another shot, Atobe made sure he kept up with the younger captain, "Thirty all!"

Taki stared at what was going on between the two of them. "Will this game ever end?"

"It's a game of wills now," Oshitari however was more focused on Shizuru. "Hopefully, she can last for seven games. Her feet can't take it much longer. She'll collapse before she knows it."

"Game, Atobe: three games all!" The icy eyed king was breathing heavily and Shizuru was trying to keep her composure, showing no signs of weakness. "You sure have a lot of willpower to keep standing like that, Kurenai."

Shizuru controlled her breathing. "I have to be strong otherwise – what good will I be to the team?"

Seeing that Shizuru did have a point, Atobe waited for Shizuru's service which maintained its consistency. The brunette quickly began moving with her speed once more and that caught Atobe off guard. "Arn~, ore-sama is impressed that you can still move at that speed, Kurenai."

Shizuru fired another top spin and forced Atobe forward and she managed to volley him a shot cross court, "15 love!"

Isane watched Shizuru score another point with her insane speed and noticed that her legs were getting swollen. "I hope she's going to be alright."

Ayane worried over her captain as well. "Buchou can't afford to kill herself over a game like this. I'd rather have her lose than crippled."

"But," Mai passed a look to the vice captain, "Do you think she'd want that?"

Kiyone shook her head while Shizuru scored another point with the Ayame Gaeshi. "I just hope she doesn't destroy herself…"

"Game, Kurenai: four games to three!" Shizuru was trying her best to control her breathing and keep her composure properly. "I'm glad there is someone out there who can bring out the best in me."

Atobe stood up with a smirk on his face. "Ore-sama always makes sure that he brings out the best in his opponents."

"But this isn't your real style isn't it?" Shizuru looked him straight in the eye.

Startled though prideful, Atobe didn't show that he was shocked that she had figured it out. "Of course not, this has always been ore-sama's style."

Shrugging as she stood up, Shizuru walked towards the baseline with a faint smile. "Suit yourself then. I'm not going to push the issue but if you do wish to bring out your true style then feel free to do so."

Picking up the ball, Atobe watched Shizuru lower her stance to receive the next ball. His icy blue eyes found her weak point already and he was sure that if he just did the right strategy, Shizuru's body wouldn't be able to take it. But, in doing so, he would disable her and the girls won't be able to go to the Nationals. Ignoring her weakness, he decided to play against her head on without any exploitation. Firing his service, Shizuru then returned it to him with a forehand while he portrayed a very beautiful backhand return which the younger captain fired another down the line backhand and Atobe sent it cross court. "This is it, _ore-sama no bigi ni yoina_!"

Shizuru dashed to one end of the other court. "Don't be so quick to assume, Atobe-senpai."

The ball flew past Atobe's cheek landing directly on the baseline, "15 – love!"

Another shot flew past him again and this time, Shizuru was in no mood to let her guard down, "Thirty – love!"

Atobe this time returned the favour with a heavy backhand namely the Jack Knife, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Jumping high into the air, Shizuru smashed it straight down doing a cord smash on purpose, "Forty – fifteen!"

Isane watched the two begin their rally again; they were never going to stop. Rin's eyes widened every time Shizuru returned another shot. "Wow, she's lasting more than eight games. Are you sure she's going to be alright?"

They heard the ball crack down on the court. "Game, Kurenai: five games to three!"

Hiyoshi watched his batch mate start increasing in speed and power. She was actually slowly recovering from her muscle cramps and Atobe was now playing for his fourth win in hopes of managing to take her down. Several rallies occurred when there were furious returns with and with the Hamutsu e no Rondo, Atobe got his first point, "Fifteen love!"

Shizuru lunged forward to give him a top spin but he did an under spin which slipped past her, "Thirty love!"

Feeling her muscles tighten badly, Shizuru forced herself to slow down and Atobe scored another backhand against the younger one, "Forty – love!"

Oshitari knew pretty well how to read poker faces and Shizuru may have been the best at cloaking her emotions but if it's one she couldn't cloak – it was pain. "Your leg can't take it anymore, Shizuru. Stop it before you cripple yourself." The girl however continued playing, "you may be one of the best players in the girls' division but everyone has a limit, even someone like you has one."

"Game, Atobe: four games to five!" Hiyoshi stared at the score board with awe and shock.

Gakuto didn't know who was really better out of the two of them. "Wow, Shizuru's no fan girl nor is she just a slacker; she really put her all into this game. I can see her legs, their red and their tightening up fast. I don't think she'll last another rally if she tries something again."

Another rally ensued this time with Shizuru serving and like all her other service games, her serves flew in fast and smooth. Atobe returned it with ease while Shizuru sliced it with a backhand and Atobe began his volley against her but Shizuru was fast enough to send the volley far behind him with a forehand, "15 – love!"

Atobe however repaid her with a Jack Knife which made a mark on the left Singles Line, "Fifteen all!"

Shizuru soon felt her body faltering badly when she found her arm frozen, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Noticing that, Atobe knew that he could snatch this game from Shizuru, "Fifteen – forty!"

Closing her eyes, Shizuru knew she had no other choice but to drop this game. "I'm sorry, everyone. My body's a little frozen, give me a few moments."

"Game, Atobe: five games all!" Ayane stared agape; no one could just push Shizuru to her limit like that.

Gakuto looked at the orange haired vice captain. "You mentioned something about her never exceeding six games in one match and you might want to retract that though."

Mai's grip on the fence tightened while she watched Shizuru fix up. "With that leg of hers, Shizuru's forced the compensate by weakening her power and accuracy. Atobe said that he wasn't going to exploit it but subconsciously - he's driving her into a corner and if she loses this one, she'll be forced to play a tie breaker."

Shizuru however noticed the worry on the prodigy's face. "It's alright, Mai. I can manage until tie break."

"I hope so," the prodigy murmured, "we can't have you disabled now can we?"

The latter laughed with a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'll take him down as fast as I can."

Atobe on the other hand began reflecting on the shots that were taken. Shizuru not once had changed in terms of consistency. Her strength still remained the same and her speed increased a little bit but her tactics were getting better and so wad her sense of control. "Ore-sama will win this match. He will not lose."

The two resumed their match almost immediately and the shots once again were so fast that they disappeared. Shizuru and Atobe played more aggressively this time and the king of Hyotei was making sure that this game was his. Jumping high into the air, Atobe prepared for the Hamutsu e no Rondo. "Ore-sama will finish you here and now, Kurenai!"

The ball shot down knocking out the girl's racquet and the next smash came down instantly, "Fifteen love!"

Tired, Shizuru failed to block Atobe's heavy Jack Knife, "Thirty love!"

The younger captain then used the Subera Kagerou twice to get two points from him straight, "Thirty all!"

Atobe however wasn't the type to back down; he fired a forehand which went cross court past Shizuru, "Forty – thirty!"

Despite Shizuru's effort to deuce him, Atobe managed to end it with a perfect backhand smash coming down, "Game, Atobe: six games to five!"

Ayane gaped at what she was seeing. "I can't believe it, she's actually losing."

"This is the first time to see her lose this far," Mai's eyes widened with shock.

Momo however remained quiet. "I know you can do it, Shizuru-chan. Show this team that you're truly the Queen of Diamonds."

Shizuru saw the look on Isane's face and she knew what her senpai had wanted to tell her; she was not letting them down. "I will keep winning and keep my place as captain. I won't let anything stop me!"

Jumping high into the air, Shizuru brought down a smash right down at Atobe, "Fifteen – love!"

Atobe this time didn't know how Shizuru could recover that fast while she grabbed another point again. "She's learning and getting better. No wonder people from other schools always scout for her."

Shizuru now used a consecutive attack of top spins against Atobe namely the Zero Shiki Drop shot which he managed to return and the annoying Ayame Gaeshi. "Game, Kurenai: six games all, tie breaker will now begin!"

"Wow," Ohtori stared agape at the two National Calibre players, "I can't believe that they've forced each other into a tiebreaker."

Gakuto watched Atobe begin the service. "Hopefully, they can decide who the winner is because it's near dinner and I'm hungry."

As soon as the service cracked off, Shizuru fired it back with a backhand which was returned with the Jack Knife and Shizuru sent back a top spin, "One love!"

Atobe however followed up with another Hamutsu e no Rondo that slammed next to Shizuru, "One all!"

Now beginning with his service, Atobe fired a powerful serve which would have knocked out Shizuru's racquet if she didn't move back far enough. The rally ensued with Atobe firing a heavy forehand towards her while she returned it again with an underspin which forced Atobe to move forward. Accidentally lobbing it, Atobe then realized that Shizuru now fired a smash right next to his left side, "One – two, Kurenai lead!"

Shishido watched Atobe fire a forehand towards Shizuru. "Wow, I didn't know they were going to last that long."

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Oshitari watched Shizuru retaliate and gain another point from Atobe. "Shizuru, how long can your leg last?"

Picking up a couple of sodas, Hiyoshi didn't know that he lacked this much to get on to the Nationals. "_Gekokujou_…"

Jirou was startled awake when he saw Atobe and Shizuru going through an intense rally. "Wow, I've never seen such an intense rally like this before!"

Gakuto saw that Shizuru's leg was already swollen from the match but she kept at it. "Shizuru-chan, wow, she really doesn't give up. She's one of the few girls who can even get Atobe to seven games let alone go through a tiebreaker with him."

Ayane saw Shizuru now taking the lead over Atobe. "Go for it, _bucho_u! Finish off Atobe!"

Promptly after Ayane's cheer, Atobe tripped over his feet and the ball was high in the air. That was the worst possible situation to be in. "No!"

Feeling the numbness in her legs wasn't helping her either; Shizuru managed to jump for a smash but the ball slid down at her side.

"Game and match, Atobe: seven games to six!"

-That's chapter 7! Sorry for late update! Please review!


	8. Meeting More Than What Meets The Eye

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 8 – Meeting More than What Meets the Eye

Slumping down on the bench, Atobe got a towel from Kabaji and took in deep breaths. This was his first time to have a girl push him this far: it was a close match. Despite winning, Atobe couldn't help but feel uneasy but still – the king had to commend the second year girl for giving it her all in taking him down. Though it was ego bruising, Atobe realized how many more people might actually be stronger than him and Shizuru had a small difference with her feet: she was flat footed. Despite the younger captain being flat footed, Shizuru held her end pretty well. "Ore-sama never realized that she would be this strong. But – at least ore-sama knows that Kurenai can lead these girls to the Nationals with not much difficulty."

Shizuru also had the same thought while she supported herself on the wall. Despite the aching in the legs, Shizuru managed to stand up and smile at her teammates.

"Wow, you sure did a number! Think you can still play in the Kantou despite that?" Her doubles expert saw how swollen her leg looked.

Mai shook her head. "You shouldn't risk yourself all the time."

"Mai, it's no big deal." Shizuru sat down to rub her legs. "Tell me that when I'm stuck on a wheel chair for the next ten years."

Shaking her head in disapproval, the tangerine haired vice captain took off her ponytail. "You're so crazy, buchou. Next time you do this – remind me to slap you silly."

Laughing, Haruka picked up her tennis bag and headed towards the locker rooms. "Come on guys, I don't think we should stay out here and stink. I think we should have a GNO! Besides, how long has it been since we have hung out as a group of friends and not as a team?"

"What's a GNO?" Shizuru tilted her head to the left while all the others stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

Mai grabbed the captain's wrist and dragged her to the club room. "It's called a girl's night out, dodo brain! Come on, we're going shopping!"

"I," Shizuru looked away ruefully, "I can't, remember?"

"That's a lie, _kuwee_," Rin jumped up cheerfully. "Stop being such a rock, Shizuru!"

Mai nodded with a smirk. "Come on, not as if you're going to die by simply going out for one day."

Annoyed and trying to maintain her cool at the same time, Shizuru massaged her temples while inhaling sharply. "Mai…Shimohi-_senpai_…"

The acrobat pretended to not hear her. "Yay, we ought to go to the movies! No, we should go shopping!"

"Shimohi, Nagisaki," Shizuru glared at the two of them with her voice getting louder. "Enough…!"

Everyone froze; Shizuru had never raised her voice unless someone was far away let alone at Mai and Rin. Though the both did party too hard sometimes, the captain would sometimes be the one to encourage it and half of the time Haruka had to make sure the three didn't get in trouble. The silence engulfed the whole team while Kiyone could only hide behind Ayane, quivering her lips in fear.

"I," Shizuru hung her head, restraining her falling tears. "I'm sorry… I must go…"

Releasing her grip, Mai watched Shizuru head away from the courts and leaving the Hyotei Gakuen grounds. "Someone has to do something about her step mothers. I hate them; they're really turning her into a mistrusting person. Normally, she wouldn't even yell at me like that."

Haruka counted her fingers. "She has step mothers? How many does she have? Last time I checked, it was stepmother not stepmothers."

Hitomi opened her notes. "After the last six years, her father had remarried around four women, thinking it would make Shizuru more surrounded with the love that he couldn't provide her. But, that's only an assumption…"

Rin sniffed a little bit, playing with her hair. "_Kuwee,_ I wish we could help her… _kuwee…_

While walking out, Shizuru was followed by Shishido and Ohtori, the two people who always accompanied her home. "You can't keep running away from your teammates, Shizuru," Shishido took off his cap and twirled it on his finger.

"What can I do? Tell them that my father has multiple wives?" The younger captain raised an eyebrow at the dash specialist.

Ohtori shrugged. "But Shizuru-chan, I still don't understand why you kept your mother's name. I mean – isn't it hard to adjust?"

Looking away, Shizuru had a faint smile on her face. "No, but if you were part of my family – you'd understand what it's like, Ohtori-kun."

Shishido knew that Shizuru was hiding something but she had never told anyone and except he and Ohtori. "I know you have wacko stepmothers, can't you move out?"

"I tried but I can't," Shizuru abruptly stopped walking. "I have something to owe to my father. That's all."

Throwing his hands up in the air, Shishido scowled at the thought. "Che, your siblings are useless. Believe me, I've seen them a couple of times in the sports clubs around. They're just a bunch of compulsive spending idiots. They make Atobe look humble with the way your siblings are. Get out of that house before you go insane, Shizuru."

Ohtori nodded in agreement. "Although I have to admit, that was a cool thing in saving Renhou Natsume-san," he tried to change the subject.

Shizuru's faint smile appeared once again on her face. "Ah, thank you. It's very kind of you to say so."

"Yeesh, there you go again being ultra polite," Shishido snorted while shoving the cap unto Shizuru's head. "Don't you ever take the advice: "Be a total ass to others."? Look at Atobe – he does it all the time and no one really cares except Kobayagi. Well, she makes a big deal out of everything really."

Laughing softly, Shizuru looked at the book store that was in front of her. "You guys go ahead – I need to pick up something for my book report."

Ohtori looked at his watch and then at the sky. "You sure you're okay with that, Shizuru-chan?"

"Mm-hm," the younger captain didn't want her classmate to worry.

Shishido looked around suspiciously. "If someone tries to approach you and try to do something funny, let me know. I'll give them a butt kicking they'll never forget."

Walking in and bidding them goodbye, Shizuru quietly entered the bookstore. "Hello, Kurenai-san! Are you looking for any book?" The owner cheerfully greeted.

The brunette looked at the shelves and then at the counter. "Yes, do you have "To Kill a Mocking Bird"? It's my book report for this week, Ms. Samegawa."

"It's right over there on that shelf," the elderly woman pointed at the shelf far back, "be careful dear, some of the books are on the floor."

Bowing lightly, Shizuru headed towards the shelves and found a copy there of "To Kill a Mocking Bird". Picking it out, she didn't look where she was going until she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay? I hope I didn't hurt you or anything…!"

"Saa~, so you must be Hyotei's famous Kurenai Shizuru, ne?" The fallen brunette looked up with his signature smile.

The younger Hyotei captain was left speechless. "Excuse me but I don't think we have ever met. Who are you?"

"Fuji Syuusuke," the smiling boy extended his hand to her, "nice to meet you, Kurenai-san."

Taking his hand, Shizuru could already tell who he is. "So, this is Seigaku's resident genius and Oshitari-senpai's counterpart. Fuji Syuusuke-san is known often for his top spin techniques and his aggressive baseliner style if I remember reading Yamaguchi-senpai's data properly." Though she had quite the time trying to remember, she managed to compose her thoughts in her head.

"Seems like you know about me too," Fuji's blue eyes revealed themselves to the latter, "you're pretty observant, Kurenai-san."

A tingling feeling began to creep up Shizuru's spine when his cerulean eyes gazed at her. "Ah, yeah…"

He looks dangerous, Shizuru. Can't you feel it?

The brunette shoved the thought back into her head. True – he did have a very sadistic aura that screamed "do something bad and I will punish you a hundred times more" but, what caught her attention was how he knew her name when she had never met the boy before. "Inui tends to stalk people whenever he wants," Fuji remarked offhandedly to the girl.

Who's Inui? Wait, as in Seigaku's Inui Sadaharu? Shizuru had so many thoughts running through her head when names started to appear here and there. "Shizuru-chan, what are you doing here?"

Turning around, she saw her senpai-tachi, Uchiha Isane and Sanada Momo standing behind her. "I was just getting my book for book report, that's all."

Momo bristled when she saw Fuji Syuusuke. "You're Seishun Gakuen's resident tensai and sadist, Fuji Syuusuke. Normally, I thought tensai preferred picking on those from their own team."

Isane nudged Momo on the shoulder. "Relax; Shizuru-chan knows what's right and what's wrong. So, what book are you getting?"

"To Kill a Mocking Bird," Shizuru took the book from the shelf, "I'm sorry for troubling you, Fuji-san."

Fuji waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Kurenai-san. You're friends are just being very overprotective, that's all. Same way we're protective over our Echizen back in Seigaku."

Shizuru bowed down and before she bid goodbye, she heard a loud yell. "Shizuru-buchou, Kiyone-chan and Mai-chan just got into a fight!"

Her head snapped towards the source of the voice immediately. "Shimohi-senpai, where are they?"

"They're at some alleyway, buchou. I only noticed it when I went past that area back there!" The black haired acrobat continued to panic. "Man oh man, what if Haru finds out? She'll blow her top faster than anyone else and start going mother hen mode when we find them!"

Shizuru put the money on the counter while dashing out towards the alley Rin had pointed out followed by the acrobat, Isane and Momo. When she had gotten there, Kiyone and Mai were surrounded by two thugs in black while both were brandishing a knife at the two students. "Give us your money, brats!"

The tensai stood in front of the smaller first year. "You guys are cowards to pick on students like us! You can't even fight properly!"

Angered, the latter charged towards Mai who grabbed Kiyone out of the way. "Waaah, Cherry-senpai don't pull my arm off!"

"Sorry," the former dancer continued dragging the poor first year, "I have no other choice."

After slamming in to a bunch of garbage bags, the man lunged towards the two again until he felt a hard jab at his lower stomach. "Y-you…"

Watching the man collapse, the two found their buchou with a stoic look that could even rival Sanada's. She used her arm like a blade with her auburn eyes staring heatedly at the man. "I don't remember giving you permission to hurt my teammates when I'm not around."

Rin, Isane and Momo happened to arrive at the same time and the man had a wide yellowish toothy grin. "Hehe, you're all girls. What does it matter? You're not going to stand up to me anyway!"

Picking up a steel rod, Momo glared at the man that stood in front of the girls. "I beg to differ, you spineless coward."

Isane pulled Shizuru back. "You might want to sit this out, Shizuru-chan. I think Momo-chan's going to run a little wild."

Without any warning, the man lunged at Momo who sidestepped to clobber him on the end with the butt end of the rod. He stumbled down while the third year stood there calmly gripping the rod despite having another one come up behind her. "Your fang will never reach me - no matter how hard you try. There's a difference between us normal people and those who are stray dogs on the street."

The rod slammed on the guy's shoulder blade and he too keeled over in pain. Mai stared aghast at what her senpai had done to the attackers. "Wow, you really made them pay."

"Of course," tossing the rod aside, Momo let out a small sigh. "He was asking for it and I hate cowards who pick on girls."

Later on, they heard running and a loud shriek. "Buchou, senpai-tachi, Kiyone what's going on here!"

The six of them turned around to see a freaking out Ayane with Haruka. "Rin, what happened here? How did you get stuck in an alley?"

"I didn't get stuck," the acrobat pointed to the unconscious men lying on the floor, "these guys were harassing our favorite kohai and they nearly got killed!"

Hitomi nodded while she appeared behind the two recently arrived regulars. "True, there was a ninety percent chance that the two would have been killed if not for San – I mean," –feeling the Sanada cousin's glare, "Momo-chan's and Shizuru-buchou's interference in the matter."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ayane helped her doubles partner out of the alley. "Buchou, you know – I just saw Shishido-senpai back there with Ohtori-senpai, I think you should have stuck with them. That way, you wouldn't have been ambushed! I mean – what if I found your dead body here the next day? What if Kiyone-chan was traumatized? What if Nagisaki-senpai's…"

Shizuru shook her head with a soft smile. "It's alright, you don't need to worry."

Ayane took it as a sign of reassurance while Mai shook her head. "She could at least express more emotion rather than just smiling like that all the time."

Looking around, Shizuru motioned to the others. "I think it's about time that we all head home. I mean – it's getting dark, you guys better be careful okay?"

Watching her leave, Rin's mouth curved into a pout. "She's hiding so many things from us. I mean, it almost hurts her, doesn't it?"

Haruka's hand curled into a fist with her knuckles turning visibly white. "Shizuru, we're here to help you. Stop trying to push us away!"

Ayane saw the anger blazing in the prodigy's face. "Nagisaki-senpai, do you think… we should follow her?"

"No," Mai ceased her anger from blowing out. "I'm gonna go around for awhile okay?"

Watching the _tensai_ walk away, Hitomi checked her watch. "I have to go to my part time job today. My uncle needs a little help in his joint."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "What exactly does he do?"

Hitomi gave her a business smile. "It's a bar."

Isane gulped while twiddling with her thumbs. "Are you sure that's okay?"

"I've taken more than an alcoholic can," Hitomi smirked before leaving the others behind.

Reaching the bar after twenty minutes, Hitomi threw her tennis jacket into the bag while pulling out another shirt to hide her jersey. When she entered, many guys were leaning against the backrest of the chair to the point they could fall down as she got behind the bar.

"How many so far," Hitomi turned to her companion.

The older man shrugged while looking how many people were left. "Well, three brawls and a bucket a vomit. That's less than usual. Are you sure you want to help uncle and I here, Hitomi?"

"No big deal," she shifted her glasses up a bit. "I get cash here anyway. Besides, I get to drink before required age, Suoh-_niisan_."

Suoh face palmed, sweat dropping a bit. "God, you really are my cousin. Are you sure this won't damage your tennis and liver?"

Hitomi tossed a shaker above her head, catching it behind her back. "I'll be fine."

"Hey lady," one bearded man slurred his speech as he threw his glass in the air. "Give me a Bloody Mary, stat!"

"Forget him; give me a Sex in the Beach!" (A/N: First time I heard this, I was like "What? There is such thing?")

Suoh sighed as he mixed a Piña Colada. "Wow, they get nosier when you're around."

Hitomi tossed back her blonde curls while pouring into two glasses. "Well, I guess your fights and bucket counting should start around now?"

Checking a clipboard that sat in front of him, Suoh chuckled while sending off three Screwdrivers and a slice of Key Lime Pie. "Yep, I was starting to wonder when the entertainment was going to begin."

Hitomi pulled out some coins. "Double or nothing says that the man in a black coat goes crazy after the Sex in the Beach."

"My, my, my," Suoh snickered while he placed a bill. "Triple that and we have a deal."

Hitomi glanced at the man in a black coat. "There's always a ninety five percent chance that he'll pick a fight with the man in red."

Suoh scratched his chin. "Then again, what makes you think- hey!"

Hitomi wiped her mouth after downing a bottle of vodka. "What? I want some in my system too. It makes the entertainment more amusing."

"You idiot, your mom and dad will kill me," Suoh stared at her aghast. "Hitomi, you're fourteen!"

The bespectacled blonde haired girl waved her hand dismissively while taking another shot of _Tequilla_. "That's your problem."

Suoh snatched away the bottle of _Tequilla_. "Does your captain know you drink?"

"As long as I take my concoctions," Hitomi smirked while being able to grab back the _Tequilla_. "Nothing's gonna happen to me."

00000000000000000000000000000

In the mall, Mai began searching through the beach stores and threw some choices on poor Isane.

"Mai how many are you gonna buy," Isane shook one of the tops off her head. "Isn't this a little overkill?"

The red haired girl smirked while pulling out shiny card. "No it's not."

Rin flashed a pink bikini in front of Isane. "_Kuwee_, you'll look cute in this, Isane!"

The silver haired Sniper gulped while timidly hiding her blush. "I don't think they have a bikini that's right for my size."

Mai flashed a one piece bathing suit in front of the tall girl. "Think again, Isane-_senpai_!"

Ayane pulled out a green one. "Well, this might fit Kiyone, don't you think so?"

"I can't believe that we're actually blowing off this much cash," Haruka tried to control the team. "Mai, you shouldn't be spending that much!"

Mai gave her credit card. "It's okay – this is my credit card and my parents pay for my bills anyway."

Rin jumped up and down, pulling out some colorful towels. "Hmm, I wonder which colour would look nice."

Momo twitched a bit at the bathing suit that Rin handed to her. "Rin, I am not wearing this monstrosity to a pool party even if threatened with a knife."

Haruka sighed while making sure Rin didn't go off to break something like most times. "Well, you have to admit – pink does match your hair."

"I thought purple was more red than pink, Haruka," Momo deadpanned.

Mai pulled out her credit card. "Guys, place all your stuff here. It's my treat today."

After throwing everything into the bags, the girls walked out with bags hanging from their shoulders.

"Anyone in for a drink," Haruka pulled out her cellphone. "I think I know someone who can get us some."

They all glanced at Haruka while she dialed a number. "Ponton, please tell father that I'll be going to work today."

"Yes Haruka-_sama_, anything else," the butler spoke clearly through the phone.

Haruka sighed as she shook her head. "No, just tell him I won't be home early."

After this, the line went dead as Haruka pointed over to a small café. "Head to the Raindrop Avenue everyone."

The place barely screamed the word 'high prices' but the ambience did show some elegance. Coffee came out in huge mugs which Kiyone had her eyes glued on while chocolate moose pies were slathered in streams of white and dark chocolate. The waiters proved to be different kinds of people – middle school students and sometimes even high school students.

"Well, this is interesting," Mai scanned the place. "This isn't entirely yours is it?"

Haruka shook her head ruefully. "Sadly, it's not mine yet. My dad still has eighty percent of the shares."

"Interesting, I didn't know you owned this place, Hikifumi-_san_," a _kansai_ drawl came from behind.

Turning around, Mai saw Oshitari Yuushi with two other people. "Who are the people behind you, Oshitari-senpai? I haven't seen them around here."

"This," Nudging one of the brunettes to step forward, Oshitari had his usual smirk on his face, "is my cousin, Oshitari Kenya. Just so you know: he doesn't have a girlfriend."

The brunette stared at his blue haired cousin aghast. "Are you an idiot, Yuushi? Will you not say that?"

Snickering beside himself and noticing that one of the regulars was smirking at him, Oshitari then revealed the other guy. "Now, the other guy beside my cousin is his captain – Shiraishi Kuranosuke."

Kiyone's eyes widened. "Is he what they call Shitenhouji's bible?"

"Yes," Shiraishi had a smile that could make girls drop but apparently, it didn't work on the youngest player, "and who might you be?"

Standing up despite being a foot shorter, Kiyone extended her hand. "Hyotei's Queen of Clovers, Getsugan Kiyone, hajimemashite!"

Despite being shocked by Kiyone's somewhat cheerful expression while her teammates stared at her agape, Shiraishi shook her hand with that same smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Getsugan-san."

Ayane turned back to the kansai prodigy. "So, what are you doing here? Searching for girls with nice legs or something?"

The kansai prodigy knew that he would never get respect from the tangerine haired vice captain. "Of course not, I was just here to find something. I was supposed get Shizuru a birthday gift. I owe her for last week."

Stifling her laughter, Rin had to grip her sides to make sure she doesn't fall. "_Kuwee_, wasn't her birthday like two months ago?"

"You guys don't know?" Oshitari raised an eyebrow. "Well, come to think of it, she never tells anyone anything except to the people she trusts."

Isane tapped her chin. "Come to think of it, Shizuru-_buchou_ has never revealed to anyone what she liked in a guy. Mai, did she tell you?"

"Nope," Mai shook her head with another frustrated sigh, "she's such a hard book to read. I can't even tell if she's happy or sad anymore."

Shrugging, Oshitari had a twinkle in his eye. "Sometimes, the only way to get a person to talk is to target them indirectly."

Haruka knew exactly what the kansai prodigy had in mind. "Good luck, it won't be easy."

Oshitari, shrugging off the ribbon tied pink haired girl's remark, began looking amongst them. "Where's Shizuru?"

The whole team fell into a terrible silence. They didn't want to say anything about it. "She had captain duties to attend to."

Oshitari noticed the loneliness on Mai's face. "Looks like the queen is still hiding something then," the kansai prodigy began coming up with things that Shizuru might be hiding.

()()()()()0000()()()()()()()

Stacking up some papers for her investigative project, Haruka sighed while slumping on her desk. Words like "feasibility" and "chili peppers" were scrawled onto the papers and even some of the articles she had summarized for the Review of Related Literature lay scattered on her table.

_God, whoever invented this must've had too much coffee,_ Haruka filed them up again as she placed them in the envelope.

"_Kuwee~_, it's our defense today right," Rin shuddered while looking at the note cards. "Honestly, I hope we don't get a crazy interrogator."

Haruka stared at her paper. "Yeah, who knows what kind of questions will be fired. You ready Isane?"

Isane gulped while looking through the papers. "Please let it not be our Science Coordinator. I think I'd rather get beaten up again…"

"Good morning," the teacher sat on the table, smirking. "I hope you all have your investigative projects ready."

Isane, Haruka and Rin gulped all in unison. _Oh no, it's her…!_

"As for today," she gave them a slow smile. "I will be in charge of your investigative project defenses."

Isane placed her hand by her lips. "I think the Science Coordinator would have been better…"

"Nooo, why did we get Ms. Kashiwara," Rin banged her head again and again on the table. "We're gonna die!"

Haruka inhaled sharply. _Yep,_ _we're gonna die_.

Much to their horror, the devil's voice sounded off. "Hikifumi, Uchiha, Shimohi, you three start."

Rin whimpered as she hid behind Haruka. "Haru, she's gonna chew us alive…"

"You think that's bad wait 'til you meet the governess," Haruka tugged her collar as she brought out the files.

Shishido on the other hand leaned back against his chair. _Uchiha's probably going to faint after all this…_

"Ryou," a paper ball hit the capped regular's head, causing him to snap his head towards Gakuto. "Ryou, which reminds me – did we do ours?"

Shishido face palmed. "We did ours last week you moron."

Ms. Kashiwara listened intently to the girls' report. "Alright, time for my questions."

_I hope Hitomi prepared us enough for this,_ Haruka bit her lip.

Ms. Kashiwara leaned back with a slow smile. "Tell me, why did you choose chili peppers in the first place?"

"The heat generated by the chili peppers may prove to be a strong enough power source," Isane gulped as the words tore themselves from her throat. "Also, if they cannot conduct the power – that's why the electrolytes are there to conduct the electricity."

Ms. Kashiwara nodded, scribbling it down. "Thank you, Ms. Uchiha. Now, Ms. Hikifumi – you said here that it had to be a smaller size of chili pepper… does it really matter what size the pepper has to be?"

Haruka nodded while pulling out one of her note cards. "According to researchers, the smaller the pepper is the higher the heat intensity. This also explains why bell peppers do not have as much spice as Thai chili peppers. The size is also crucial to how much power will be produced."

Ms. Kashiwara nodded while looking through the proposal. "Alright – where are you going to get these chili peppers?"

Rin shot up immediately, sweat pouring down her face. "My family has an import-export company of vegetables. I have easy access."

Ms. Kashiwara smirked as she continued writing on her paper. "Alright, another thing is – do you know how high the intensity of the Thai chili pepper is? Also, how many peppers would it take to create enough power to light a light bulb?"

()()()()000000000()()()

"Freedom," Rin jumped in the air, kicking her feet together. "We'll never have to do it again!"

Isane held her books, sheepishly smiling. "At least we're done and over with. Now we can concentrate on tennis."

Haruka nodded until she found Mai glaring at her locker. "Mai, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Mai bitterly chuckled as she swung the locker door open. "It's just – there's this one question that's been pestering me."

Rin gulped, waving her arms in the air frantically. "But Mai, you're the genius! You're supposed to know…!"

"Geniuses are only talented in certain areas not in everything," Mai pulled out her Geometry book. "One thing I don't think I'm probably good at is understanding how complicated people's lives can be."

Haruka smiled sadly. "I guess you're referring to yesterday."

Mai recalled the dark look in her friend's eyes. "I feel as if her personality's being eaten away. I don't know; it's as if she's losing her willpower."

"And one day, the abyss will stare back at her," Momo suddenly walked by, earning the stares of the four regulars. "Sorry, it was written here."

Haruka sighed at Momo. "Well, there is some truth to it. That was impeccable timing."

"To her, we are her main concern," Momo leaned against the lockers. "Captains often portray themselves as antagonistic or aloof to keep the team on their toes. After all, we cannot get caught flat footed…"

Rin stared at Momo. "How do you know this stuff?"

"It's part of basic leadership 101," Momo looked up from her book. "Sanada mentions it all the time."

Mai, letting out a small sigh, soon found a couple of guys crowding at someone's locker.

"Heh, let's trash this kid," one voice sneered.

One of the older guys raised his fist at the smaller boy. "Yeah, you've got some nerve for going with…"

"Excuse me," a soft voice came from behind them. "I believe you're in front of my locker."

They turned behind to find Shizuru with her tennis bag. "Oh sorry, we didn't mean to…!"

"Also, what did I tell you about harassing little kids," Shizuru smiled pleasantly at the older boys.

The boys drew back. "Damn, she's even scarier than that cat girl!"

Mai's ears twitched a bit. _What the hell - cat girl? Is that all I am?_

Soon, one of the boys gained his confidence back. "Ha, but that doesn't mean she's anything like that crazy _Shinigami_!"

Haruka turned around. "Momo, did you…? Hey," –spinning around and finding no trace of the _Shinigami_. "Has anyone seen Momo?"

The boys continued to chuckle until a dark voice called to them.

"Excuse me, were you looking for me," the boys froze when they found Momo with her hands on her hips.

One of them shivered. "Uh… y-yeah, don't worry – we were being nice _senpai_, right guys?"

They all nodded until Momo gave them a grave smile. "Oh, is that so? Well then, excuse me – I would like to borrow something from Shizuru's locker."

Quizzical, Shizuru watched Momo come forward and slam the locker door into one of their faces. "Oh, sorry – I didn't see you there."

Haruka face palmed. _How can Momo be so calm?_

"Hey, you did that on purpose," he jumped at her but Momo swung the door shut as to clip his arm. "Yeowch, why you…!"

"I hate it when cowards pick on people smaller than them," Momo pulled out Shizuru's Biology book which was five inches thick. "It proves that none of you have been taught proper ethics now have you?"

Rin gulped while hiding behind Haruka. "She's still part of the Military Club isn't she,_ kuwee~_?"

"Actually," Isane sheepishly scratched her head. "Momo's always been like that, Rin. Even before remember?"

Mai sighed while looking at the scenes unfold with an amused smirk. "Well, this is what happens when you piss off Momo-_senpai_."

Soon, another came at her when Momo held up Shizuru's biology book to block his face. "Can I borrow this? I need it for my Investigative Project."

Shizuru giggled lightly. "Um, sure… don't lose my book."

Momo nodded while looking at the little boy. "Shouldn't you be in the elementary division?"

The boy bowed down. "T-Thank you…"

"Next time I see you here," Momo turned around. "I will take that as a blatant disobedience of the school rules."

The boy scampered off leaving Shizuru to stare at the _Shinigami_. "You didn't have to be so mean."

"He's not supposed to be here," Momo sighed while brushing her hair back. "You should know that."

Shizuru nodded weakly as the _Shinigami_ walked away. "Don't forget," –Momo cast a glance at the captain. "You're not alone."

The captain looked up as the purple haired _Shinigami_ got farther. "Huh, what are you talking about?"

As Momo walked towards them, Isane smiled at Momo. "You really didn't need her book did you?"

"I did need it," Momo tucked it into her bag. "I just don't like guys picking on her."

Rin tapped her chin. "You're probably closer to her than Kotetsu Naomi ever was."

"Yeah," Momo smirked while glancing at the Biology book.

0000000000000000000000000000

Ayane was now heading to her classroom with Kiyone and Mai since it was all in the same direction. "I can't believe it, his accent's thick! I didn't know that there were people with thicker accents than _kansai megane-senpai_! He makes _kansai megane-senpai_ look Tokyo-oriented! What was his name again?"

Mai ruffled Kiyone's sandy beach hair with a giggle. "I can't believe it! Your memory's that bad now? I thought I was the one with short term memory, his name's Shiraishi Kuranosuke."

The tangerine haired girl however remained quiet throughout the entire conversation until a certain voice cut through her thoughts. "Arn~, ore-sama never knew Kobayagi to be quiet."

Normally, this would have riled up the girl immediately but she just brushed past him. "I don't have time for your antics, mole diva. Go get some useless fan girls to swoon at your uselessness."

Surprised that she didn't bother screaming at him, Atobe watched her walk past while Mai and Kiyone saw the sadness evident in the vice captain's eyes. "We have to do something, if our leaders crumble, so will the team. I think it's about time we help them instead of the other way around, ne, Kiyone?"

"I can go talk to Yane-chan, you go talk to buchou. I think we should even throw a party at my place! Not just any party - let's make it a pool party! We shouldn't go to practice first!" Kiyone suggested cheerfully.

Atobe overheard the younger one's idea. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, brat," –while earning a glare from Kiyone, "ore-sama thinks it's time Kurenai learned how to open her heart to other people. She's almost as annoying as Oshitari when she does that."

"Question is – where do we hold it and secondly, who do we invite?" Kiyone began scratching her head until the tensai snapped her fingers. "I have a good idea on whom to invite!"

Atobe stared at her aghast. "Ore-sama knows you're very good friends with them but please don't have them over. Ore-sama thinks that's the worst idea to have them nearby."

Kiyone passed a glance to the smiling tensai. "Who are you planning to invite, Nagisaki-senpai?"

"Some people," Mai smiled while digging for her cellphone. "I think you'd be glad to see them too!"

The sandy haired Queen of Clovers tilted her head while watching the tensai pull out her cellphone. "Who are we inviting?"

Mai saw that Ayane was still at a close distance. "I'm inviting Rikkai Daigaku over!"

The vice captain halted in her foot steps. "No! No way! Why are we getting Yukimura over? Are you crazy or do you just want to ogle at him like some fan girl?"

Fuming, Mai growled at the vice captain. "Che, at least he has a brain there unlike your hubby!"

"He is not my hubby! Atobe will be anything but my hubby let alone my friend!" Ayane screamed until the classroom doors slid open.

This somehow stung Atobe but of course, his arrogance didn't let him show it. "Arn~, ore-sama doesn't have any bad qualities. He's perfect and besides – I wouldn't date a gorilla like her."

Despite once being in a foul mood, Ayane tip toed until she met Atobe's icy blue eyes. "Shut up, you lousy mole diva! You better learn how to speak properly! From what I heard – the only word in your vocabulary is "ore-sama" and the only thing you know how to say is "ore-sama no bigi ni yoina"! That's a load of junk!"

The two broke into a loud argument again and the control master shrugged. "Yay, Yane-Yane's not moping anymore!"

"But, she just got a whole lot noisier. I really think that we should push through with that pool party! I already got the place. After the ceremony, we'll go there and don't worry; I'll take care of everything. This is all for Shizuru to have fun and learn how to smile naturally without twitching." Mai grinned sadistically.

Kiyone shook her head at the tensai. "Shizu-_nee_'s gonna want to hide after this…"

"Oh yes," Mai had a camera in hand, "and I happen to know how to take a very good video. By the way, bring those morons with you," –referring to the Hyotei boys, "I'm sure Jirou-_senpai _would love to see Marui-san and I think you and Sanada would have a staring contest of doom for I don't know how long while mushroom head and seaweed head can go bash each other."

Staring at her _senpai_ as if she had grown a second head, Kiyone shook her head in disapproval. "I don't think that's a good idea, Nagisaki-_senpai_."

"Oh believe me, when it comes to meeting other tennis teams, I think," Mai had a devious smile, "_buchou_ won't mind."

After classes, the teams now stood in a line while watching the ceremony. "For Block D, the winner is St. Rudolph!"

The girls' team of St. Rudolph was relatively better than their male team which was heard to have lost to Seigaku. Their captain, wearing the colours brown and white with her light blue hair in low pigtails received the trophy. "They will be allowed to join in the Kantou Regionals this coming August and also with the runner up of Block D, Ginka Middle School and Hanagane Middle School."

Hitomi began scanning her notes. "Mikurahara Otohime, captain of the St. Rudolph team and is a counter puncher style player. Her style is very similar to that of Jackal Kuwahara of Rikkai Dai and Kaidoh Kaoru of Seigaku and her specialty is heavy baseliner shots like Ayane. Despite her strength, she is not considered a Nationals Calibre player unlike Souma Fuuka and Kurenai-buchou. She won't be much threat to Sanada Momo-chan if we ever play against her."

"Winner of Block C, Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu! Runner-ups are Yamakuga Middle School and Ramusen Gakuen!" The captain of Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu, tall and buff with her strawberry blonde hair tied up into a bun and twinkling blue eyes received the trophy while smiling to her teammates.

"Who's the Blondie?" Rin whispered to her doubles partner while she watched the girl receive the trophy.

Snorting, Haruka looked away with disdain. "My…"

Hitomi cut her off while flipping to another page of her notebook. "Younger sister of Haruka-chan, Hikifumi Ino, she is much more powerful than her older sister but has a very big problem of superiority complex. Her style of play is more that of an aggressive baseliner like Ayane-chan and Isane-chan. Though I would like to commend her – she's quite the player when it comes to playing with the pressure. She usually does that in all her games."

"Yeah, I noticed." Haruka watched her sister with disdain as the younger received the trophy.

"Winner of Block B, Seishun Gakuen with runner ups: Mizuiro Chuu and Kakinoki Middle School!" Souma Fuuka made her way to the podium receiving the trophy while throwing her red hair behind her.

Shizuru and Fuuka had eye contact with each other and the two didn't seem to stop. "Kurenai-san, it's great to see you in good condition."

The Hyotei captain nodded with her usual courtesy smile. "Ah, same goes for you, Souma-san."

Ayane then nudged her captain. "Buchou, don't take so long in staring at Souma-san. You're up next!"

"Block A, winner is Hyotei Gakuen with runner up: Fudomine and Yugetsu Chuu!" Shizuru walked up to the podium with her usual courtesy smile and bowed as she received it.

Many murmurs erupted from the crowd because of Shizuru's undoubted prowess as a tennis player as soon as the ceremony ended. "So, shall we get going?"

The captain was clueless upon Mai's statement. "Where are we going? I thought -."

"I think it's time," Haruka grabbed the younger captain with a grin. "You learned how to have fun with your friends."

"I…" Shizuru didn't have much time to talk after being dragged off by her teammates.

"Mai, why are we at your house," Shizuru stared at the tall cream coloured mansion.

Mai pouted at her best friend. "Shizuru, it's time to flaunt your assets."

Kiyone jumped up and down. "We're going swimming!"

"We're going to be s-swimming?" Shizuru stared aghast at the genius.

Hitomi had noticed a change of colour in the captain's face. "Theory Five Hundred Sixty Seven of Kurenai Shizuru: she turns pale at the sound of the word 'swimming'."

Ayane dragged her captain in with Kiyone. "Come on, Mai even invited a few guys over! You should at least enjoy the victory we won against Yugetsu Chuu!"

The sandy haired freshman grinned at her captain while handing her a towel. "You even humiliated mole diva! I think it's time you had fun! You're becoming a spinster and a hermit at home, Shizu-_nee_!"

"I-it's not that," Shizuru turned away in total embarrassment. "I'm not trying to become a hermit."

Momo put a hand on Shizuru's shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Besides, you look like you need a break. You're a second year student and you have to know how to party once in awhile in your life."

Isane slid the door open with a smile. "Last one in's a rotten egg!"

"Speaking of which – someone tell me WHY Gakuto's here in your house!" Rin stomped into the room in order to throw out the magenta haired acrobat.

Gakuto leapt away from Rin who looked like she was going to tear out his innards. "Hey, Nagisaki-chan is the one who invited us over! Don't bother even trying to eat me!"

"I wasn't going to eat you, you annoying prat!" Rin's eyes glistened angrily at Gakuto. "Why the hell is your imagination so overreacting and annoying!"

The kansai prodigy stood in between the two acrobats. "Slow down you two, just because one or the other is here doesn't mean you have to go at each other's throats. I think we're supposed to have fun - not kill each other," his voice was getting dangerously low; that meant he was serious, "sit down now."

"Um," Shizuru hid behind Mai. "Mai, I don't have a bathing suit…"

The red haired _tensai_ lifted up a plastic bag in front of her. "I'm way ahead of you, sister."

Shizuru paled even more. "Mai, what did you buy?"

Haruka smiled at the younger captain. "Don't worry – it'll look good on you!"

Shizuru shook her head as Mai shoved the bag towards her with a devious smile. "Now put it on and show it to us after."

Seeing the "obey me or else smile", Shizuru weakly stumbled into the bathroom and began to change.

Shishido rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're actually going to get her into a bathing suit."

"It wasn't easy," Mai's amber eyes glinted evilly. "In three… two… one…!"

An abashed voice came from the bathroom. "Mai, can I please wear a towel?"

"Nope," Mai folded her arms. "You're coming out in whatever I made you wear."

Gakuto threw on his swim gear. "What are you girls doing taking so long? Let's go!"

Kiyone came out with a black jacket covering her top to bottom. "Come on, Shizu-_nee_! Lemme drag you out here!"

Ayane kicked the door. "_Buchou_, quit being a baby and get out here!"

"No," Shizuru's tone became very firm. "I am putting a towel on."

Haruka scratched her head. "It's gonna be awhile before she gets out."

"Um guys," Isane came out of the bathroom in her one piece. "I'm gonna go…"

Both teams became silent as Isane's bathing suit revealed the small curves and slight openings at middle and back.

"For the love of God," Shishido flushed badly, throwing a towel at Isane. "Uchiha, put on a towel!"

"I planned to jump straight into the pool you see," Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "But then, I forgot – where is the pool?"

Kiyone pointed at the door. "Straight out there but Isane-_senpai_, how do we get _buchou_ out?"

Atobe raked his hair back, knocking on the door. "Kurenai, stop making everyone wait and get out. _Ore-sama_'s getting bored."

"That doesn't exactly help." The brunette closed her eyes while trying to calm herself down; she never had worn a bathing suit in front of so many people let alone jump in the pool. Before she could decide to open the door, Shizuru heard the door slid open hearing very familiar voices.

"Ah," –a feminine voice chuckled, "I didn't know it was in one of your junior's houses."

The _tensai_ jumped up at the sound of his voice. "Waah, Yukimura-san, I didn't know you'd be this early! But yeah, I told you didn't I?"

"I thought Getsugan-_chan _was a senior," The blue haired captain of Rikkai Dai smiled at the red haired female. "Well, I'd do anything to help out a friend. So – what's this for?"

"Trying to help our captain to socialize with people," Mai admitted gravely, "she's such a rock compared to everyone else."

Yukimura knew about what she was talking about. "Oh, perhaps she and Genichirou will get along, hm?"

Then, the red haired tensai of Rikkai Dai tugged on Yukimura's sleeve. "Uh, who's the girl glaring at our _fuku buchou_?"

"Oh, that's Momo-senpai, she's his cousin. Who are you anyway? I'm Kobayagi Ayane." Ayane watched Momo and Sanada get into a heavy glaring match.

"No kidding," extending his hand, the red haired boy blew his bubble gum with a smirk. "I'm Marui Bunta, Rikkai Dai's _tensai_! Glad to meet you!"

"_Puri,_ looks like many guys would kill to be in our position right now," the silver-blue haired trickster began looking around while Renji took a seat next to Hitomi.

"Fifty percent chance that you were going to ask me if the seat was taken," the blonde mumbled while scribbling on her notebook.

Renji didn't seem the least bit surprised. "There was a ninety percent chance that you are the data girl and the manager of Hyotei Gakuen's female team."

The data girl had a business smile on her face. "Yamaguchi Hitomi, third year student and manager of the Hyotei Girls' Team."

Renji had a small smile form on his lips. "Renji Yanagi, Rikkai Dai's professor and data man of the team."

Atobe had a wide smirk on his face when he saw Sanada. "Ore-sama didn't expect you to come. Why did you anyway?"

Sanada didn't bother mentioning and Ohtori urged Shizuru. "Shizuru-_chan_, no one's gonna laugh!"

There was a small silence. "You promise?"

"Shizuru, there's nothing for you to be," Shishido gaped when Shizuru finally opened the door.

Oshitari nodded in agreement. "Yes Niou, I think many men would kill to be in our position right now."

Niou chuckled while holding a shampoo bottle he got from Yagyuu's bag. "Here we are folks, the Hyotei Girls in their swimsuits – we first have the red eyed beauty over here…"

Shizuru blushed even more until Shishido snatched the shampoo bottle from Niou. "Knock it off; it took us a lot to get her out of there!"

Niou literally knocked bottle away from Shishido. "There, now what?"

"You idiot, I didn't mean that," Shishido fumed at the silver haired trickster.

Niou rolled his eyes as he managed to get the bottle back. "Anyway, next in line we have the girl with a body of a model – Kobayagi Ayane with a very flattering bikini don't you think so?"

Ayane shook her head as she ran out for the pool. "Forget him, come on – the water's gonna be great!"

Fair enough, Gakuto got in first followed by Rin who started wrestling his board away from him. Ayane gave a cannonball while Kiyone jumped in with her float on. Haruka and Isane slipped in while Hitomi and Momo jumped in together. Atobe and the others soon followed after but Shizuru stayed at the sidelines.

"Come on over," Shishido swam towards her. "Hey, what gives?"

Shizuru smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing…"

A seaweed haired boy poked from below the water. "What's the matter? Afraid?"

Shizuru hugged her knees closer. "Kind of…"

"They can't drown you," Shishido raised an eyebrow. "By the way Getsugan, how deep is the water?"

Kiyone floated towards the end. "It's around eight feet why?"

Shizuru inched away from the pool, shuddering. "No thanks, I'll wait here."

Haruka splashed water on Shizuru. "Are you sure? It's great out here!"

The captain adamantly refused. "I'm fine, please go on."

Atobe snapped his fingers. "Kabaji, get her into the water."

"Usu," the big _junior_ easily hauled Shizuru on his shoulders and dropped her into the water.

Shizuru yelped as she fell in. "No, wait…!"

Yukimura chuckled from the sidelines. "Well, I'm surprised Kabaji would go that far."

"He always obeys Atobe's orders," Ayane scoffed at the purple haired King while folding her arms. "That's why the annoying brat of a king can't even go to the grocery by himself!"

"Is she always like that," Sanada turned to a twitching Atobe. "Wait, that's probably rhetoric…"

Isane found Shizuru gasping for air and holding onto the side for dear life. "What's wrong?"

Shizuru clung on a little tighter. "I… I can't…"

"I can't what," Atobe smirked while folding his arms.

Kirihara popped up from below the water. "She can't swim!"

"I can," Shizuru flushed while holding to the rail. "I just… know a bit is all…"

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I dare you… get in."

Shizuru gulped slightly while staring at the water.

_When was the last time I could stare at a pool like this without shrieking?_

Kirihara splashed his hands on the water. "Come on, is this all what the great Hyotei captain is capable of?"

"Akaya, enough," Yukimura chided the younger. "If she doesn't want, perhaps we shouldn't force her."

Shizuru gulped when she saw Yukimura smile. _So, that's where Mai got the obey-me-or-die smile._

Slightly dropping into the water, Shizuru accidentally slipped and splashed in. Everyone stared for and Shizuru managed to rise up, coughing and gasping for air.

Mai stepped on the floor below her. "Shizuru, relax – no one's going to drown you."

"That's what I didn't want to hear," Shizuru gulped while staring at the water.

Jackal shook his head. "We shouldn't force her. Maybe she really can't swim."

Ayane splashed more water on Kiyone. "Guys, get ready for water dodgeball!"

Marui grabbed a ball and slammed it into the closest person which happened to be Kirihara. "Come and get me!"

Hitomi dove underwater and dragged Renji down. "One point for Hyotei," she deviously smiled.

"Bring it on," Rin caught a ball and managed to hit Sanada squarely on the head. "_Kuwee_, I oh no… Momo save me!"

Kiyone giggled as she threw ball at Hiyoshi. "Yay, mushroom's down for the count!"

"Oh no you don't," Gakuto tried to tackle Niou who managed to sink underwater to dodge. "Hey, where did he-?"

"_Puri~_," Niou grabbed Gakuto and sank him down below. "That's one for Rikkai Dai."

Atobe smirked as he threw one straight at Sanada. "Think you can handle the rush, Sanada?"

"I wouldn't lose, not even in a simple game," Sanada caught the ball and sent a fast one. "Think again, Atobe!"

Momo dove underwater and shoved Sanada face first, smirking. "What's the matter Genichii? Can't catch me?"

For the first time, everyone found Sanada fuming at a girl. "Momo, you're going down…!"

Momo calmly dodged his attempts, sinking under at the last moment. "Isane, do it now."

Sanada found a strong shot coming at him but sidestepped only to have Yagyuu take the hit. "You're next, Momo!"

It was first a simple game turned out to be a war of the egos. Atobe started using Insight to break down Marui and Kirihara but got hit by Yukimura who "innocently" slapped the ball into his face. Shishido got past the shot but crashed into Gakuto when Niou fooled him using Ohtori's form. The silver haired _kohai_ on the other hand managed to place his Scud Serve to smack Yanagi.

Kirihara dodged another shot. "Hey, you guys practically outnumber us! How are we supposed to beat you?"

"Who said we were fighting the same side as the boys," Ayane threw a ball straight at Atobe's face, earning a glare from the King. "I've been wanting to do that to him."

Kiyone jumped on Shishido's shoulders, sending the dash specialist into the water. "Yay, I have a horsie~!"

Rin waved her arms in the air. "Shizuru, come on – we need one more player, _kuwee_!"

"You're missing all the fun," Isane smiled at the younger girl.

Oshitari decided to tempt her, sending a ball her way. "Think fast."

Shizuru caught the ball, feeling the ground at least at the four feet section of the pool. _At least, I have enough ground here._

However before she could send the ball, Niou pulled her down by the ankle causing the said captain to freak out.

"There we go," Niou shook his hair like a wet dog. "That's one girl down, eight more to go."

Mai paled, diving after her best friend. "Niou, you idiot! Shizuru's afraid of water!"

Niou shrugged. "She said she could swim."

"How can you be so damn calm," Ayane glared at him.

Mai managed to get Shizuru from below. "It's alright – it's not going to happen again."

Shizuru gasped for air while sliding over to the side. "Give me three minutes, I'll be fine."

Ayane grabbed a ball. "You're going down, Niou Masaharu!"

"Bye bye rat-tail," Kiyone jumped on his shoulders.

Kirihara chuckled while watching Niou get attacked. "Haha, _senpai_'s going down!"

Shishido grabbed one of the beach balls. "I wonder why Getsugan has a lot of beach balls but never mind – you guys are going down!"

Marui snickered while catching one of the stray shots. "Alright, bring it on!"

Atobe rolled his eyes. _Such a brat, it's just water…_

Sanada managed to swim through the chaos as he sat next to Shizuru. "You're hydrophobic?"

Shizuru weakly nodded while paddling a bit. "You should go join them – I'll try to get in… later."

"When would later be," Sanada let an amused smirk escape as he dove back in.

Mai splashed water on Yukimura. "Well, I hope your team's having a blast."

"Normally they would be at home doing nothing anyway," Yukimura chuckled at the red haired _tensai_. "Why did you come up with a swim party anyway? Most girls wouldn't dare invite boys."

Mai shrugged while leaning against the pool wall. "I thought it would be more exciting."

Yukimura chuckled while looking out at the pool. "It most certainly is."

Kirihara jumped in from the board. "Here it comes – Cannonball!"

"Hey," Kiyone came out from another room. "Guys, my cousins left me there _karaoke_ machine! You guys wanna use it?"

Haruka nodded to the girls. "That sounds great – what do you guys think?"

Jackal shrugged. "I guess it would be fine."

Atobe hauled himself out of the pool, pointing at all of them. "_Arn_~, all of you – be prepared to be awed by _ore-sama_'s singing voice."

Ayane rolled her eyes. "Oh please, the only ones who would care are the neighbors because they're going to be wondering how many tin cans they should throw at you."

Atobe smirked as he leaned in close to Ayane's face. "Arn~, is that so? Or are you more interested whether or not _ore-sama_ would like to dedicate a song to you?"

"You wanna bet on that," the vice captain nearly lunged out of the pool with fangs. "Why would I want a song dedicated to me, you egotistical brat?"

Marui put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax; Atobe's always been an ass. Why don't you rub it in his face by getting a really good song? I'm sure you can do it anyway, Kobayagi-san."

As soon as everyone dried up, they all headed towards the music room where there was a karaoke set, soda dispenser and a couple of shelves full of popcorn and junk food. Stereos lined the wall with a big flat screen TV and a red carpet lining the floor.

"Wow," Gakuto gaped.

Oshitari looked at the soda choices. "This explains why you're so short."

Shishido stared at the whole array of choices. "Any couch potato would stay here forever."

Ohtori opened the book for song choices. "Almost every song is here – well, except some of the recent ones…"

Yukimura had his usual placid smile on his face. "I'm sure that everyone already has a song in mind right?"

No one ever dared to defy the Rikkai child of god because everyone knows what happens to them if they do. "Uh, I don't see why I should back out." Niou knew better than to piss off Yukimura.

Yagyuu tilted his glasses a bit. "It seems like you're going to be singing tonight, Niou."

"Puri, I didn't want to but everyone knows better than to anger _buchou_," Niou sulked on to a chair.

Shuddering a bit at his _buchou_'s scary smile, Kirihara found Shizuru sitting alone on the side and took a seat near her. "I heard you're Hyotei's captain – well, for the girls, I mean."

Giggling softly, Shizuru smiled faintly at the green eyed ace of Rikkai Dai. "And who might you be if you don't mind me being so blunt."

"Kirihara Akaya, demon of Rikkai Dai," the boy had a smirk across his face until he noticed Shizuru laughing softly. "What? What's so funny?"

Shaking her head, Shizuru apologized. "I'm sorry, it's just it's hard to believe that someone like you would be called a 'demon'. Isn't at bad thing to be labelled as a demon?"

"Y'know," the black haired boy scratched his head sheepishly, "I never really thought of it. Hey – isn't that," –he pointed to the stage, "your fuku buchou?"

Shizuru nodded. "Ayane's always been musically inclined. Atobe challenged her in her own field."

Taking a deep breath, Ayane had a huge smile on her face. "You're gonna go down, Atobe. I'll show you my singing skills and really wow the crowd." (Free and Dream by Suara from Tears to Tiara)

_Sekai no hate o motome tadoritsuku_

_fukai zetsubou ga tokashite yuku_

_tae kirenai hodo no nikushimi ga_

_afurete nagare komu_

_kegarete yuku koto wa osorenai_

_tamerawazu ni_ Try to dive in now

Atobe brushed his hair back. "Arn~, she's plausible."

"I think she's pretty good," the tensai continued blowing his bubblegum.

Taking a sandwich, Jackal sighed at Marui. "You do know that Atobe does have high standards no matter what an ass he is?"

Jirou skipped towards Marui. "Yay, Marui-kun's here!"

The tensai however didn't pay attention to the narcoleptic volleyist because his lavender colored eyes were focused more on the singing vice captain. Her hair was held by a lavender ribbon which was tied tightly to hold her hair into a large braid while her brilliant green eyes shown with enthusiasm to either one: kick Atobe in the face or two: she was just having fun. "Wow, I didn't know that there was…"

Kirihara peered over to his senpai. "Marui-senpai, are you in love or something or is there magic markings on the wall?"

Shaking himself out of the daze, the tensai ruffled Kirihara's hair. "Geniuses don't space out! They're just deep in thought because geniuses have a lot to think about!"

Pouting like a small child, Kirihara then moved away to go bother someone else. "Fine, I'll stay with Shizuru-san. At least she talks to me!"

Get all the free and dream _kimi to tomo ni_

_akenai yoru wa nai darou_

Get all the free and dream _toki o koete_

_futari de hitotsu no youna bokura tsubasa hiroge habataku_

_ichido mitsukereba miekakure suru_

_kotaewa sugu ni hikiyose rareru_

_muzukashii kotoba de kataru yori_

_shin buru na hou ga ii_

_kegarete yuku koto wa osorenai_

_kimi to boku wa _Try to dive in now

Get all the free and dream _mune ni kizame_

_tsuki wa michikake kuri kaesu_

Get all the free and dream _toki o koete_

_umareru mae kara kitto bokura shinjiaeru nakama sa_

Get all the free and dream _kimi to tomo ni_

_akenai yoru wa nai darou_

Get all the free and dream _toki o koete_

_futari de hitotsu no youna bokura tsubasa hiroge habataku_

With a large smile, Ayane bowed to the others and there was an applause coming from them. "That was really cool!" Marui jumped up like a hyperactive child.

"Thanks! I really appreciate it!" Ayane had a childlike grin also.

Now Atobe was starting to get worried; Ayane was friendly in fact – too friendly for his liking. Unlike most people who would be shy, she was like an open book and the girl spoke to them with utmost enthusiasm unlike the other three. Mai was okay with people, Shizuru did her usual courtesies and Kiyone would cling to any of the two second years before speaking to someone.

_Kobayagi, how dense can you actually be?_

Ayane started accepting high fives and even ruffles from a particular red haired _tensai_. She leaned back on one of the chairs, chuckling as Isane turned to the smaller girl. "Why don't you sing, Kiyone-chan? I mean – I'm sure you have a voice."

"No, I don't," the first year puffed up her cheeks. "I sound like a squeaky duck toy~!"

Looking around, Rin found a keyboard lying next to the karaoke machine. "Wanna do the keyboard? It's almost like a piano."

Shakily moving towards the piano, Kiyone took a deep breath and began playing a few notes here and there. "Yay~, it's actually making some noise!"

After a few keys, she started making a full song and without even realizing it, she began singing. (Aozora no Namida by Takahashi Hitomi from Blood Plus)

_hitorikiri kurayami no naka_

_kimi no namida no imi wo shitta_

_negau basho fumidashita kedo_

_dare mo kizutsuketaku nakute_

_umi wo wataru kaze wa kyou mo_

_mayowazu ni ashita ni mukau no ni_

_kokoro wa doushite ugokidasenai_

"Nice choice of song," Hiyoshi mumbled quietly while watching Kiyone emote the song even further.

Jirou's eyes were peeled open. "She said she didn't have a voice but she's not bad at all!"

_donna unmei ga matte iru n darou_

_kuyamitakunai yo umareta koto_

_kanashimi no naka ni yuuki ga aru_

_kagayaki tsukamu to shinjite iru_

_furishikiru aozora no NAMIDA_

_itsu no hi ka egao ni kaeru yo_

_isogiashi oikaketa kaze_

_yubi no aida wo suri nuketeku_

_shinjiru koto mada kowai kedo_

_todomaru koto wa mou shinai_

_tsuki ga sotto kata wo tataki_

_minamo utsushite kureta kiro michi_

_mayou koto sae wasurete yuku yo_

_nanimo nai asuga matte ite mo_

_nanika wo umidasu te ga aru kara_

_kimerareta michi mo kaete yukeru_

_tsuyoi omoi ima komi ageteru_

_koboreteta aozora no NAMIDA_

_ashita ni wa kitto hareru kara_

_miageta saki e to_

_arukidaseru hazu_

_doko made mo yukeru_

_jibun naku sa nai nara_

_donna unmei ga matte iru n darou_

_kuyami takunai yo umareta koto_

_kanashimi no naka ni yuuki ga aru_

_kagayaki tsukamu to shinjite iru_

_furishikiru aozora no namida_

_itsu no hi ka egao ni kaeru yo _

Mai began clapping. "You ought to stop lying and start checking whether or not you can do things! You can sing, you actually sounded amazing and here you are telling Shimohi-senpai that you can't sing!"

Due to the pressure, the smaller girl went to her captain. "Ehhh, I'm better off stealing candy! At the same time – I don't sound nearly as good as you or Yane-Yane!"

Oshitari smirked at the smaller girl but his eyes didn't tear away from the captain who had a rueful smile. "Hey, you should be laughing and having fun, not moping around."

Shizuru shook away the rueful look and resumed smiling faintly. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was just worried about some things."

Yukimura motioned to Sanada. "Why don't you and your cousin do a duet?"

Momo shook her head immediately and then scoffed with a snigger. "You're asking him? As in, you're asking the Sanada Genichirou of Rikkai Dai to sing? Yukimura-san, no offence but, he doesn't. May I tell you that he sounds like a broken record when he sings?"

The male Sanada glared at his cousin. "Momo, unless you want to have a severe tongue lashing, I suggest you keep quiet."

Laughing, Yukimura was glad that he had made the team go. "Honestly, this is one of the very few times that I get out of the hospital. I'm glad you called us out here, Mai-san."

"It was no big deal," Mai waved her hands dismissively, "I did it more for the fact that my team's stressed out and they'll be getting gray hairs by the time they're twenty!"

Stuffing his face with a cupcake, Marui pointed at Niou. "This rat-tailed guy better sing next!"

Niou jumped towards Marui. "Oh no, you don't! You're singing next, fatty!"

Gakuto pointed at Shishido. "What about this grumbling guy over here? He needs a little bit of cheering up."

Furious, the capped regular lunged at the magenta haired acrobat. "Why I oughta pull your teeth out and shave you bald…!"

Letting out a sigh, Shizuru stood up and bowed. "I'm sorry, I have to go now. I have some things to attend to at home."

They all stared at Shizuru as if she had grown a second head and Sanada stood up. "I have to go as well."

"But isn't the train," Kirihara really had no sense of direction, "heading towards Seigaku or something?"

Niou smacked him at the back of the head. "You stupid brat, the train is not heading towards Seigaku! Where did you get that stupid idea?"

"Ow, that hurt, Niou-senpai! Mura-buchou, Niou-senpai's harassing me!" Kirihara quickly went to the blue haired captain of Rikkai Dai.

Smiling at Niou, Yukimura knew exactly how to scare him. "Niou, would you like to run many laps tomorrow?"

Niou backed down immediately. "Uh, no thanks, Yukimura-buchou."

Satisfied, Yukimura turned to Mai. "Why don't you do a song?"

Hiyoshi smirked. "Yeah, I thought_ tensai_ can do anything."

Glaring at the brunette ace, Mai stood up. "I accept your little challenge, Hiyoshi. But, I don't think you'll be able to insult me after this."

Taking the microphone, Mai started playing a song. "I think it's time we rocked the house down!" (Again by YUI from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)

_Yume no tsuzuki_

_Oikakete ita hazu na no ni_

_Magarikunetta hosoi michi_

_Hito ni tsumazuku_

_Ano koro mitai ni tte_

_Modoritai wake ja nai no_

_Nakushite kita sora o_

_Sagashiteru_

Dancing a little bit, Yukimura was definitely impressed by the red haired _tensai_ of Hyotei. He knew why she had held this party and it was all for Shizuru rather than just the whole team. Mai sure knew how to show concern in the funniest of ways but this one seemed to be a good thing. It was a win-win situation; first of all, the Rikkai Dai team got to bond with each other, secondly, he didn't know what Hyotei was there for but he was surprised that Atobe even agreed to it. "Nagisaki Mai, you're not such a bad singer."

"Well, considering that she was part of the Hyotei dance troupe," Hiyoshi watched Mai grab even the other room's attention, "this type of thing is so easy for her."

Oshitari, watching Mai for a moment, couldn't help but feel uneasy when Shizuru left the room early. Sure, Sanada went with her but he doesn't know anything. Though he had some slight ideas and there, it didn't stop him from touching his glasses here and there. "You seem a little distracted, Oshitari." A voice nudged in from one side.

The kansai prodigy looked at Atobe with his usual poker face. "I'm just concerned for Shizuru, that's all."

"Arn~, now may I ask why you haven't put the suffix in her name? Is she that close to you?" Atobe raised an eyebrow at Oshitari.

_Wakatte kuremasu you ni_

_Gisei ni natta you na_

_Kanashii kao wa yamete yo_

_Tsumi no saigo wa namida ja nai yo_

_Zutto kurushiku seottekun da_

_Deguchi mienai kanjou meiro ni_

_Dare o matteru no_

_Shiroi nooto ni tsuzutta you ni_

_Motto sunao ni hakidashitai yo_

_Nani kara_

_Nogaretain da_

"It's because I," Oshitari stopped in mid-thought while he listened to the song. Shizuru had pushed away almost everyone who had gotten close to her and only few succeeded but what she thought of them was a pure mystery. The kohai was so bubbly and cheerful when he first met her and then, the next day, when he looked much closer, the girl wasn't smiling.

She had a fake smile on her face all this time.

How she managed to perfect that remained a total mystery but the captain's fake smile struck fear into her opponents. The kansai prodigy didn't like going over trivial things but this one was bothering him real bad. "Hey, Yuushi, you're worried about her?"

The kansai prodigy looked at Gakuto who was wrestling with Shishido like most of the time. "Yeah, it's just…nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'? Are you sick in the head, Oshitari?" Atobe began to pry.

These were one of the very few times that the kansai prodigy wanted to kill Atobe. "No, I think I should be the one to ask yourself that."

_Genjitsu tte yatsu_

_Kanaeru tame ni_

_Ikiterun da tte_

_Wasurechaisou na_

_Yoru no mannaka_

_Munan ni nante_

_Yatterarenai kara_

_Kaeru basho mo nai no_

_Kono omoi o keshite shimau ni wa_

_Mada jinsei nagai desho_

_Natsukashiku naru_

_Konna itami mo kangeijan_

_Ayamaranakucha ikenai yo ne_

_ah gomen ne_

During the song, Mai remembered the times she had often pressured her former doubles partner. The girl was now beginning to regret it; Shizuru was always their pillar of support, their queen and their leader and only a human can take so much. How much was she hiding from them? "Come to think of it," Mai thought while she was singing, "I've never seen her cry even once for herself but for others – she was always there."

"This song really fits Mai-chan in a way," Haruka watched Mai dance around gracefully on stage.

"What do you mean? I don't get you." Rin looked at her doubles partner intently.

The dragon dancer noted. "Think of it this way, Mai-chan and Shizuru-buchou have been friends ever since they were in the elementary grade and were doubles partners. Unknown to Mai, Shizuru-chan had been concealing so much and it was only later that the tensai discovered how Shizuru-chan lived. I actually saw the place myself – it's dilapidated like anything."

"I thought she lived in a mansion." Rin remembered going into a big mansion when she first visited the kohai.

Haruka snorted with annoyance. "That's only when her step monsters were in a good mood."

"No one can ever replace the love of the real mother, ne, Haru-chan?" Taking another French fry, Rin remembered how annoying the step mothers were.

Overhearing their conversation, Isane stood up with a smile. "That has always been true, Rin-chan. Now – we may not be the best family but, we can surely replace her step mothers."

_Umaku ienakute_

_Shinpai kaketa mama datta ne_

_Ano hi kakaeta zenbu_

_Ashita kakaeru zenbu_

_Junban tsuketari wa_

_Shinai kara_

_Wakatte kuremasu you ni_

_Sotto me o tojitan da_

_Mitakunai mono made_

_Mien da mon_

_Iranai uwasa ni chotto_

_Hajimete kiku hatsugen docchi_

_Ni-kai attara tomodachi datte_

_Uso wa yamete ne_

_Akai haato ga iradatsu you ni_

_Karada n naka moete irun da_

_Honto wa_

_Kitaishiten no_

Hitomi continued scribbling on her notebook while Renji and she soon began exchanging data. "There's a ninety percent chance that your buchou's going to make you sing after Mai-chan."

"Probability of me being able to escape that: zero percent," Renji looked down with a defeated sigh.

Maintaining her business smile, Hitomi grabbed another cup cake. "Yukimura-san is not an easy man to escape from."

"Indeed he is not," Renji remembered all those times when Yukimura had made him do many things unless he wanted to die.

Atobe cracked his knuckles. "_Ore-sama_ will sing after this and you will be awed by _ore-sama's_ prowess."

Slapping her forehead, Ayane let out an annoyed sigh. "I hate to hear what he sounds like. If Momo-_senpai_ says that Sanada-san sounds like a broken record, Atobe gives a whole new meaning to off-key."

Kiyone laughed at her doubles partner. "Yay, blue angel-_chan_ and company going to sing after!"

The vice captain stared aghast at the little girl. "Wait, how did you manage to convince them to…?"

"It was no sweat, Yane-Yane," Kiyone gave her a cheerful grin.

Sighing, Ayane knew that no one could resist the sandy haired girl's puppy faces. "I'm sure you nagged them to death too."

_Genjitsu tte yatsu_

_Kanaeru tame ni_

_Ikiterun da tte_

_Sakebitaku naru yo_

_Kikoete imasu ka_

_Munan ni nante_

_Yatterarenai kara_

_Kaeru basho mo nai no_

_Yasashisa ni wa itsumo kanshashiteru_

_Dakara tsuyoku naritai_

_Susumu tame ni_

_Teki mo mikata mo kangeijan_

_Dou yatte tsugi no doa_

_Hirakerun dakke Kangaeteru_

_Mou hikikaesenai_

_Monogatari hajimatterun da_

_Me o samase me o samase_

"By the way," Rin recalled, "isn't the boys' Kantou Tournament right after ours?"

Momo slouched on to the chair. "And to think that we didn't want to think about that right now – actually, yeah, it is after the guys'."

Gakuto laughed at the Sanada female. "I bet you just wanna slack after that!"

"Shut up, coconut raspberry sherbet, go shave yourself bald!" Rin retorted for Momo.

Jirou poked Gakuto. "Gakuto-kun, maybe we should watch Mai sing instead I mean – she's so cool when she dances!"

"I dance better!" Gakuto stared at the narcoleptic aghast.

Oshitari sighed at his doubles partner. "Gakuto, he's just saying watch Mai-san. After all – it was the girls' idea that we have a little relaxation."

_Kono omoi o keshite shimau ni wa_

_Mada jinsei nagai desho_

_Yarinokoshiteru koto_

_Yarinaoshite mitai kara_

_Mou ichido yukou_

_Kanaeru tame ni_

_Ikiterun da tte_

_Sakebitaku naru yo_

_Kikoete imasu ka_

_Munan ni nante_

_Yatterarenai kara_

_Kaeru basho mo nai no_

_Yasashisa ni wa itsumo kanshashiteru_

_Dakara tsuyoku naritai_

_Natsukashiku naru_

_Konna itami mo kangeijan_

()()()()00000()()()()

"They're quite a bunch, huh, Sanada-san?" Shizuru smiled faintly while they walked towards the train station.

The vice captain was at a loss on what to say. "Ah, yeah, they could be a handful."

For her to even make a conversation with him, some people dubbed it as dense when it came to socializing or in other words: both of them were social retards. However, Sanada couldn't help but recall the song she had sung in the karaoke place back there. "Kurenai-san," –he started slowly, "how is it that you managed to get your team to play at National's Calibre when some of them are even not experienced?" This question had recently popped into his head ever since Yukimura Ai had been floored by the latter.

"Well, some say that its natural born talent and others say it's just pure determination. But in my opinion – I guess it's because of both." Shizuru watched fireflies fly near her.

Sanada never got to know girls because he was either too busy or just dense. "Ah, how is my cousin treating you?"

"Oh, you're wondering about Momo-senpai? She's a very nice person and she sometimes tends to keep quiet."

Talking to Shizuru made Sanada realize what a total retard he was in socializing. If this were a subject and Yukimura were his teacher, he shuddered at the thought of the grade. He'd maybe get an F minus without even trying or even if he did try. However, unlike most girls, Shizuru didn't look like the type to keel over him and swoon. "Kurenai-san, if I may ask, how long have you been playing tennis?"

The brunette turned to Sanada with a small smile. "I've been playing ever since I was three years old."

Smirking, Sanada tried to find other things to say. He couldn't believe he was exerting effort to even try talking to Shizuru but, she just seemed to be so intriguing. "Why do you play tennis? Is it for fandom or do you really…?"

"To be honest, I played tennis because it made me feel…alive." Shizuru looked away with a small smile.

Sensing the uneasiness, Sanada kept quiet after. However, the vice captain was sure that he had heard her name somewhere and every time he tried to recall, it came up blank. However, her answer also puzzled him. "That's a rare answer."

"I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable in anyway." Shizuru noticed the shift of expression on Sanada's face.

The capped vice captain let out a small snort. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

The walk home was pretty much silent but Shizuru had first walked with Sanada towards the train station. "I hope to hear from you again, Sanada-san."

"Ah," the vice captain boarded the train. "And I hope to hear from you as well, Queen of Diamonds." His answer was barely audible.

Watching the train move away, Shizuru then left, heading towards her house. While heading there, she heard a few sounds coming from the tennis courts. From her point of view, the captain found a smaller boy playing someone whom she recognized. "I wonder what Tezuka-_san_ is doing?"

"Become the pillar of Seigaku, Echizen," his voice resonated deep into her thoughts.

The Hyotei captain watched the smaller boy stand up and place his racquet in front of him again. "_Mada…mada dane_, _buchou_."

"So this is the boy Fuji-san was talking about," Shizuru couldn't help but recall the smiling genius' words. "Echizen Ryoma, from what I hear, he's a spectacular player."

What she didn't realize however is that Echizen had noticed her from afar. "Buchou, who's the girl at the bridge?"

Snapping his head up, the Seigaku captain noticed Shizuru who was deep in thought. "Kurenai-san… what is she doing here?"

Realizing that she had been noticed, Shizuru walked down towards them with an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"You're not intruding anything," Echizen gave her his usual nonchalant shrug.

Tezuka remained silent while trying to recall where he had seen the girl.

Was she the one who was at the fence that day?

-That's chapter 8! Sorry for no epic tennis but please review!

Translations for the Songs:

(Free and Dream by Suara) - Ayane's song in the Karaoke

I made my way to the ends of the world that I yearn for

Where the depths of despair have dissolved away

I can't answer you as an unbearable hatred will

Overflow the stream

I'm not afraid of being tainted

Hesitatingly, Try to dive in now

Get all the free and dream, together with you

There aren't any nights that won't dawn, isn't that so?

Get all the free and dream, as we are surpassing time

Together we are like one, spreading our wings, as we took off

Once I find a hidden glimmer

I'll be immediately drawn to the answer

Difficult words are hard to speak

Simple ones are better

I'm not afraid of being tainted

You and me will, Try to dive in now

Get all the free and dream, my chest is being cut

And the moon repeats its phases

Get all the free and dream, as we overcome time

Before I was born, I trusted that we would surely be companions

Get all the free and dream, together with you

There aren't any nights that won't dawn, isn't that so?

Get all the free and dream, as we are surpassing time

Together we are like one, spreading our wings, as we took off

(Aozora no Namida of Hitomi Takashi) - Kiyone's song

All alone in the darkness,

I learned the meaning of your tears.

I've stepped forward to the place I wish for,

Yet I didn't want to hurt anyone.

Even today, the wind crosses over the sea

And faces tomorrow without hesitation.

Why can't my heart begin to move?

What fate awaits me?

I don't want to mourn over the things that have come forth.

Within feelings of sorrow, courage still exists,

And I grasp its radiance while believing.

Tears flow down from a clear blue sky.

Someday they'll change into a smile.

The wind that quickly chased after me

Slips between my fingers now.

I'm still too scared to trust,

But I won't stop no matter what!

As the moon softly grazes my shoulders,

And its silver path reflects on the water,

I've come to forget how to hesitate.

Even if a tomorrow of nothingness awaits,

There's a way to create something from it.

Even my destiny can keep changing,

And strong feelings are now filling my heart.

The blue sky's tears are overflowing,

But it will surely be sunny tomorrow.

So I can start walking towards

The future I looked up to,

I can go as far as I want...

As long as I don't lose sight of myself

What fate awaits me?

I don't want to mourn over the things that have come forth.

Within feelings of sorrow, courage still exists,

And I grasp its radiance while believing.

The blue sky's tears rain down incessantly...

Someday they'll change into a smile.

(Again by YUI) - Mai's Song

Even though I must have been pursuing

The continuation of my dream

On a narrow, winding road

I trip over other people

It's not that I want to return to

How it was like back then

I'm searching

For the sky that I've lost

I wish that you'll understand me

Stop making that sad face

Like you've been sacrificed

There aren't tears at the end of sins

I've painfully bore them all this time

In the labyrinth of emotions where I can't see the exit

Who am I waiting for?

As if having written it in a white notebook

I want to divulge myself more honestly

What

Do I want to flee from?

…Something known as reality?

So that I can fulfill myself

I'm alive

When it seems like I've forgotten about it

In the middle of the night

Because it can't be done

Safe and sound

…There's no place for me to return to, either

Isn't life still too long

For erasing these thoughts?

I even welcome such a pain

That turns nostalgic

I've got to apologize

ah, I'm sorry

Unable to express it well

You were worried, weren't you?

Everything that I held back then

Everything that I'll hold tomorrow

Because I won't

Put them in order

I wish that you'll understand me

I quietly closed my eyes

I can even see

The things that I don't want to see

I get a little annoyed at unnecessary rumors

What was the initial remark like?

If we meet twice, aren't we friends?

So stop lying

As if my red heart is irritated

It's burning inside of my body

The truth is

I'm anticipating

…Something known as reality?

So that I can fulfill myself

I'm alive

I feel like shouting so

Can you hear me?

Because it can't be done

Safe and sound

…There's no place for me to return to, either

I'm always grateful for kindness

So I want to become strong

In order to move on

I welcome friend and foe alike

How can you open

The next door? Are you thinking about it?

I can't pull back anymore

The story is starting

Wake up, wake up

Isn't life still too long

For erasing these thoughts?

I have things left to do

Because I want to try redoing them

Let's go again

So that I can fulfill myself

I'm alive

I feel like shouting so

Can you hear me?

Because it can't be done

Safe and sound

…There's no place for me to return to, either

I'm always grateful for kindness

So I want to become strong

I even welcome such a pain

That turns nostalgic


	9. Extra, extra, extra training

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 9 – Extra, extra, extra training

"Wait, are you telling me that: ATOBE HAS DECIDED TO BECOME CRAZY AND BRING US ALONG WITH HIM TO A TENNIS CAMP!" The first year vice captain gaped at her captain the day after the party.

Shizuru, pinching the bridge of her nose, knew that convincing Ayane to not argue with Atobe every minute was going to be a hell hole. "Kobayagi-san, all I ask is a single day of peace – you don't need to be all nice and cutesy with him. You can ignore him if you want just don't go ballistic on me."

"Don't worry, Yane-Yane's more than thrilled to see him because her," –clearing her throat, the sandy haired control master had an evil glint in her eye, "**hubby** there and he's going to be all like: "ore-sama this", "ore-sama that" or worse," –Kiyone began imitating the older captain, "_Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina_!"

This agitated Ayane even more than she should. "Shut up, Kiyone before I shove your racquet into your mouth!"

"Yane-Yane's being mean to me," The youngest one hid behind Shizuru while hiding from the vice captain.

Shizuru had to withhold her temper. "Both of you do your laps now. Don't stop until I tell you to."

Seeing that they had angered the captain, the two mouthed a silent apology while speeding off to do their laps.

"You sure know how to punish them, Shizuru." The _tensai_ strode towards the brunette who took a seat to calm down before she snapped or said any profanities on the court.

"Ah," picking up her racquet, Shizuru headed towards the court. "Mai, please play one game against me as in one round; we don't need to reach six. Give it your all okay?"

The _tensai_ had a huge smile on her face. It had been a long time since she and Shizuru played a match against each other. "Sure, just don't bother holding me back or I will slug you silly."

Stopping in her tracks, the queen of Diamonds turned around to face Mai with a faint smile. "Oh, I don't think you'll have enough time to do that."

* * *

Atobe on the other hand, began sorting out papers as his job as Student Council President. While sifting, he found some news articles containing info about the Nationals. That memory was a bitter one, while he was captain of the Hyotei team now, never once had Hyotei gotten second place or at least third place. However, in the girls' case, it was a different case scenario. Kotetsu Naomi and Ferero Lulu had led the team to the Nationals twice and taken down the other girls' team as if they were nothing. He even remembered the _senpai_'s words before the captain had moved on to the High School division with Lulu and the other seniors.

_Shizuru-chan has much potential; she will become the Queen of Hyotei. If she were a guy, the girl would have overthrown you by now._

Naomi's words bit into his ego and often left a bitter taste in his mouth. However, her words proved to be true; the last year, Shizuru had played Singles One against the defending champion at that time, Shitenhouji and also against the Singles One player of the defending runner up, Seigaku. "Ore-sama never knew that this dense brat would know a thing or two in how to lead a team to complete victory without any losses or whatever. It's either she's brilliantly talented like _ore-sama_ or she's just plain strategic." Atobe tossed down the picture of the girls' team winning the Nationals last year.

"You know – it could be both also," a kansai drawl came from the door way.

Atobe, looking up, found Oshitari smirking at the door way and also holding up a newspaper. "Didn't you bother to read the news this morning?"

"Ore-sama was busy," Atobe tossed another paper into a trash can. "So, tell ore-sama what news seems so interesting to you and should be interesting to him."

Smirking and knowing he would get a kick out of this, Oshitari read it out nice and clear. "Kobayagi family is now joining forces with the Atobe Group. Doesn't the name "Kobayagi" ring a bell?"

Oh damn it.

Did he just say the name "Kobayagi"?

"Repeat that again, Oshitari." Atobe had hoped that he had heard wrong. "Ore-sama didn't hear the name of that tangerine haired freshman, did he?"

The kansai prodigy had a small smile. "I'm afraid you heard it right, Atobe. Ko-ba-ya-gi, it says here on the newspaper."

Snatching it from the bespectacled prodigy, Atobe felt his heart drop down like a rock and his eyes widened every minute. The king, slamming it on the table, marched towards the tennis courts; fuming at a certain first year student.

Gakuto peeked out from behind his doubles partner. "Wow, I've never seen Atobe so pissed before."

"Time for blackmail material," Oshitari turned heel and headed out the door only to bump into Shishido and Ohtori.

Shishido began searching through the Hyotei Gakuen folders. "No, no, no, where is that thing!"

Ohtori didn't exactly know what Shishido was looking for. "_Senpai_, what is it you're actually looking for? You never told me."

Throwing another folder up into the air, Shishido didn't bother telling his doubles partner what exactly he was looking for. But whatever it was that he was looking for, it seemed to be very important. "Damn it, _gekidasa daze_! Where did I put that thing?"

Oshitari pulled out a folder while checking through the files. "Are you looking for Shizuru's clinic files?"

"No," Shishido threw the other things out the drawer, "I'm looking for her biography. It's here isn't it?"

Though at first he thought it was none of his business, Oshitari opened a folder which contained things about Shizuru's family. "Yeah, what exactly are you going to do with it?"

"I think," the capped regular had a smirk on his face, "it's time we bailed her out of that house."

* * *

Another forehand flew from Shizuru while Mai decided to volley her as fast as she could. "I never understood why," the girl mouthed softly.

"Hm, is there something you wanted to ask me?" Shizuru fired a backhand down the line.

Jumping high into the air, Mai fired it down while Shizuru moved back to send it cross court. "We never had a ranking match between each other. I wonder why we never had one."

"We did," Mai recalled the time she had a fever, "I had a fever but still you played your weakest. Why didn't you ever take me seriously?"

Shizuru knew that her best friend still felt resentful about that part but she didn't have the heart to play her fullest when her friend was badly handicapped. The latter had been coughing large amounts of blood that day because she and Shizuru played a game that exceeded seven. The guilt plagued the captain's mind ever since. "Mai, you were sick that day. I wanted us to play on equal handicap. "

Sighing quietly to herself, Mai knew that Shizuru would never pull out all the stops if her opponent wasn't at her best. But this time – she was going to make Shizuru play her best; if it's one thing she hated, it's when her opponents didn't take her seriously. "Well, you and I share the same frame of mind: we both hate it when our opponents take it easy on us so, play like you mean it, Shizuru!"

The brunette fired a forehand towards the edge of the baseline but Mai managed to fire it back with a backhand and Shizuru did a top spin that simply flew towards the net. "Subera Kagerou, wow, is that really your signature move?"

"Maybe," the captain returned to the baseline to receive Mai's next service. "Maybe it's because I'm saving my other moves for later."

Flustered and somewhat frustrated, Mai sent the ball high up and fired it down the line but Shizuru gave her a top spin backhand. "Better play better than this in the Kantou Tournament, Mai."

"Oh, I intend to." The _tensai_ continued rallying with the captain who started to get faster every time she fired a shot. "She's only warming up and I'm getting tired almost immediately. If it's one thing I know she can't keep up with, it's my Jazz Tennis." With this in mind, the cherry haired tensai placed herself on her tip toes and her reaction time increased by one second.

The captain saw this coming and she knew exactly how to end it. "I guess I have no other choice but to use it then."

The moment the _tensai_ rushed the net, Shizuru countered with her Ayame Gaeshi which curved away from the latter forcing Mai to lose her balance. "Whoa, are we playing an official game?"

"30 – Love," Shizuru, walking over to the _tensai_, held out her hand to help up the latter. "No, I just reflected on what you told me and I realized that no matter what kind of game you play – always take it seriously."

Fixing her low loosely tied pigtails, Mai dusted her navy tennis skirt with a sigh. "So, about this camp thing – is it only Hyotei or do the other schools have access?"

"As far as I'm concerned," Shizuru fixed her half ponytail before it fell off, "that place is an Atobe exclusive practice area so, unless you're very rich and smooth-talking, I don't think the other schools will make their way in. So, it will be only us Hyotei people there, why?"

Serving again, Mai shuddered at one thought. "Just don't share a room with a guy, Shizuru."

Raising her eyebrow, Shizuru received Mai's service with a top spin backhand. "Who said I wanted to?"

"Well, considering that you're too kind too say 'no' even to a ridiculous request," Firing a simple drop shot, Mai chuckled lightly. "I'll let you share a room with anybody but a boy. Sure, we're going to be co-ed but that gives us more reason to be careful. Guys these days have weird thoughts."

Shizuru smiled kindly at the _tensai._ "You should too; you're not exactly on the back end."

"Don't worry about me," Mai backhanded another shot towards Shizuru's left side. "Shizuru, you're an epic fail when it comes to talking to a guy properly. Haruka may be a worrywart but if some guy goes after you - I don't think it will be Haruka they'll be scared of. Not only that, Atobe will probably have an earful soon when something bad happens. After all, everyone has eyes of their own too you know. "

"How did Atobe get into the picture?" The captain fired another _Subera Kagerou _towards Mai which the _tensai_ promptly missed.

Firing another service down the line, Mai clucked her tongue while sighing. "Well, Ayane uses any means necessary to start a fight with Atobe. Also, as long as it's related to guys or someone from Hyotei for that matter – Ayane blames Atobe almost immediately. They do fight like a married couple after all."

"I may be dense, Mai but I do think that Ayane and Atobe will end up together." Shizuru started volleying towards the _tensai_. "Question is: how many times will they run around in circles of each other?"

Mai promptly missed the ball and the _tensai_ couldn't help but gape at the captain. "Who are you…?"

"Huh?" Shizuru didn't understand now why Mai was gaping at her as if she had grown two heads. "Was it something I said?"

"Who," Mai repeated a little louder while beginning her service, "who are you and what have you done to my best friend! The Shizuru I knew didn't care what happened in romance!""

Faintly smiling, Shizuru finished the game with a top spin and then walked towards the benches to get her bags for the tennis camp. "Well, I did learn a thing or two from you. By the way, it's eight 'o clock already. Atobe-_senpai_ said we have to be at the bus at eight thirty so we can get a good head start."

Looking her watch, Mai went towards the benches and slung her bag on her shoulder. "Yeah, I bet he told us that so that dear "ore-sama" won't be kept waiting."

Swinging the door, Shizuru began to walk out until she heard something slam into the wired fences. "What was that?" Mai ran towards the captain in shock.

Without a word, the captain rushed towards the source of the sound and there was Isane firing her services, forcing herself to make her services much faster and much more accurate. "I don't think that's a good idea, she could rip something open again." A voice came from behind them.

Ayane was heavily breathing after all the laps she had done. "I did a hundred without stopping and now, I feel like my legs fell off."

Mai smirked at the tangerine haired vice captain. "Well, it's your fault for getting into a fight with your doubles partner."

Kiyone was draped on Haruka's back. "This one's completely out like a light and I think she fell asleep after her hundredth lap. So, should we go or wait til Isane's broken a couple of tennis balls?"

Shizuru walked downstairs nearly startling the towering senior. "Isane-senpai, we have to go now."

Jumping up in shock, Isane accidentally fired her service towards the line but it was out. "Ah, I'm sorry! I must have forgotten about the time!"

"It's okay, question is: are all your things set?" Shizuru looked at Isane's messy tennis bag.

Running towards her bag, Isane then began stuffing everything in without any care for organization and slung it over her shoulder. "I'm ready to go, Shizuru-buchou."

Before they could leave the court, they heard someone slam the door open. "Kobayagi, ore-sama would like to have a word with you."

Knowing this would erupt into a world war, Ayane had a smirk on her face. "Alright, spit it out, you narcisstic brat."

"In private," the words seethed through his teeth and his icy blue eyes glittered dangerously.

Shrugging nonchalantly, the first year vice captain walked with Atobe out of the court while the other five stared at them as if the world decided to end today. "There's a ninety percent chance that Atobe and Ayane are going to argue about the news this morning."

Haruka nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Momo, Hitomi and Rin behind her. "Waah, don't do that, Hitomi-_chan_! What news are you talking about?"

Rin showed her a newspaper. "Kobayagi Industries is now fusing with the Atobe Group so, that means they'll be spending a lot of time with each other and we know what happens when Ayane and Atobe are in the same room."

Kiyone waved her arms in the air. "Everything will go kablooey!"

Rin ruffled the smaller girl's hair. "Yeah, that's right. I don't think pandemonium will measure up to what Ayane and Atobe can do together."

Hitomi saw the Hyotei bus parked outside. "We better go; I don't think we want to keep the driver waiting."

0000000000000000

"Atobe, what is it you want! You keep spouting off ore-sama this and ore-sama that, do you want me to slug you to death!" Ayane was furious with Atobe as always.

The king of Hyotei wasn't sure now on how to pacify the very pissed off first year captain. "All ore-sama wants to know is – did you even bother reading the news this morning?"

Grabbing the newspaper from her archrival and _senpai_, Ayane then began to glance over it word per word. Her eyes widened every moment and she could've sworn that she would rather cough out her lunch and get eaten by a piranha than read the news. "What are they doing! I thought the Kobayagi Industries and the Atobe Group were rivals! It has always been that way!"

Atobe checked his watch and glowered at the first year. "For once in your life, stop yelling at ore-sama!"

The latter however screamed back at him much louder. "For once in your life, stop calling yourself _'ore-sama'_! You sound like some retarded five year old!"

How long they've been fighting was a complete and utter wonder to others. The fact that there was someone who hated Atobe's guts inside out was what truly had shocked Hyotei. Sure, he was an arrogant prat but he lived up to his boasts pretty well. This freshman however, didn't seem to care about his achievements and focused mainly on something that he was bad at: attitude. The senior was zealous no doubt about that but the fact the way he treated people was the one thing that often dissed Ayane off. "Ore-sama does prefer using this title. He is a magnificent person after all."

"Magnificent? More like the worst! If you're magnificent, I hate to see what worst is like!" Ayane flounced away in annoyance. "By the way, we got practice, you dim bulb. We better go."

"Arn~, you could at least call _ore-sama_ something else like – Atobe-_senpai_." The senior never understood why she had never given him respect.

Laughing mockingly, Ayane turned around with a smug smile. "I'll call you that when you act like one, boy."

How that mock annoyed him! But he remembered the time when Ayane was getting warm towards Marui of Rikkai Dai, that moment also tempted him to ask Yukimura to make him run laps til his legs fall off but something stopped him. Atobe couldn't remember what but there was something that made him stop.

That's because you like her, don't you? You want to show that ore-sama can be different, right?

That question mocked him over and over again to the point he felt like he was going crazy. Atobe remembered the first time he had met the girl; she wasn't anything like this. She looked so innocent in a pink dress with a pink ribboned bonnet and holding a posy of roses. Atobe even remembered that the girl had looked so cute to him on that day to the point the king couldn't approach her.

"Atobe," a voice called out to him. "Atobe, how long will you space out!"

Despite being shocked by Gakuto's insanely piercing voice, Atobe maintained his holier-than-thou attitude. "Arn~, _ore-sama_ has more important things to think about other than you. What do you want?"

"The bus is leaving and," Ohtori timidly checked his watch, "it's nine thirty. The girls are waiting for us there."

Atobe, hauling over his bags, recovered from his earlier shock from Ayane. This time, things were going to be different because getting Ayane really required strategy. "_Ore-sama_ knows that, he was just thinking of something important."

0000000000000000000

The moment they call climbed into the bus, the whole place broke out into a cheerful chatter with once in awhile petty fights. "I'm so much better than you in acrobatics!"

"Nu-uh, go eat your socks, Gakuto!" Rin threw a pillow at his face.

Ducking, the magenta haired acrobat grabbed another pillow and threw it at Rin. "Stupid girl, you don't even know who's better and you're telling me to eat my socks! I think you should be the one!"

Shizuru took a seat next to Mai while watching the scenery pass by. "You know, we never finished that game."

Mai shrugged while plugging herself into her iPod. "Yeah, but I'm sure we'll be able to. The fact that you broke my Jazz Tennis and stopped me midway was something that taught me that I'm not ready for you yet. You'll probably hold back on me so, I'm going to train hard until I can make you play your heart out."

Smiling faintly, Shizuru began listening to her iPod also. Closing her eyes, she remembered the song that her mother used to sing before what had happened. "Heart don't fail me now, courage don't desert me…"

"You're singing again," Mai had a huge grin on her face. "Is that the iPod I gave you for your birthday?"

"Mm," Shizuru nodded nonchalantly before resuming the song.

Ayane on the other hand wanted to stay far away from Atobe as much as possible. "Why am I feeling this way? Whenever I used to yell at him, I used to get angry and just spout off for the simple fact that he's breathing but now, I find myself feeling hurt. No! Kobayagi Ayane, you will not fall for a narcisstic brat like Atobe Keigo! The day you fall in love with someone like that is the day pigs begin to fly and Shizuru-_buchou_ gets a statue for a boyfriend!"

"Wow," her shorter doubles partner opened her sports magazine, "Mole diva_-san_ has a big effect on Yane-Yane_. _I bet they're gonna end up together! It's so cool - I mean, the place will be totally purple and everyone will be doomed to.. what was the word?_"_

Hitomi sighed while leaning back. "It's oblivion, Kiyone."

"Yeah, what megane-_senpai_ said," Kiyone grinned as she started munching on a chocolate bar.

Ayane thwacked the younger on the head. "Kiyone, will you stop talking about that? Just keep reading your magazine for once!"

Shrugging, the smaller one buried her nose into the magazine again. "Awww~ but, you guys look cute together, Atobe Yane."

Atobe's ears perked up at the sound of that and Ayane just screamed loud enough to break windows. "WH-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!"

"I said nothing," Kiyone calmly flipped over another page of the magazine.

Hitomi began scribbling madly on her notebook. "Theory seven hundred sixty of Kobayagi Ayane: she flares up and at the same time blushes when the latter hears her name and Atobe's stuck together."

"Hitomi-senpai," the vice captain couldn't help but whine at her predicament. "Don't do this to me!"

Isane laughed softly while Haruka and Rin were hooting with laughter. Momo couldn't stifle her laughter well enough while the two matchless stars were in front trying to manage their laughter. Fair enough – Mai began chortling with laughter after awhile whereas Shizuru giggled softly at the vice captain's predicament. Soon, the boys followed after and Gakuto's face was streaming with tears. "That's hilarious! Atobe Ayane, get a room you two!"

Oshitari couldn't help but also be amused. "That doesn't sound bad now doesn't it, Atobe?"

The king of Hyotei snorted. "Now, why would ore-sama be so interested in someone like her?"

"Yay, Yane-Yane's going to order so many sweets," Kiyone flipped over a page. "Black_-senpai_, look! I found something here!_"_

Rin hooted in laughter. "_Kuwee~_, it's exactly how Atobe and Ayane would have it!"

Haruka couldn't help but snicker. "Actually, the prices are affordable for their families that is..."

"Don't push the issue, midget!" Ayane lunged for her doubles partner and began trying to grab the magazine.

Now, the captain of the female team began pinching the bridge of her nose. "And here I thought I would get a moment of peace."

Laughing at Shizuru's expression, Mai couldn't help but point out. "With the way you're pinching the bridge of your nose, you're actually starting to be like him..."

The captain's face resumed to the faint smiling one. "What did you say?"

Momo loomed over from behind the two. "Yeah, you're starting to look like him. That's enough because the only thing you're lacking is the _'tarundoru'_ expression of his."

Shizuru opened her book and began massaging the bridge of her nose. "Just go back to your seats, guys."

Mai now was laughing like anything. "First, it's Rikkai Dai's statue and now it's Seigaku's statue! Has it ever appeared to you that you're even beginning to act like them?"

"A captain is someone who should remain strong," Shizuru noted while using a stoic tone, "also, their emotions are secondary to the welfare of the members."

Ayane nodded in agreement. "Yeah but I think Atobe's case is a total exception don't you think? A total mole diva who thinks the whole world revolves around him only, that's who he is."

Hearing Ayane's words, Atobe now seemed a little more determined to see what made Ayane tick and what made her think so badly of him in the first place. Though he was normally not that conscious about the image he projected to other people, Ayane seemed to pose as a more complicated and even more different situation than before. "Why am I so desperate to please her? _Ore-sama_ was never like that, arn~."

"Maybe it's because you like her." Oshitari was now looming above Atobe with a smirk.

Now, that was just plain stupid in Atobe's opinion. "Ore-sama does not associate with commoners like Kobayagi!"

"Think about it: how long have you two been fighting?" Oshitari tilted his glasses a little.

Atobe didn't want to give Oshitari ideas. "It's none of your concern, Oshitari. Go do something stupid with Gakuto or something."

Oshitari however wasn't the type to give up. "Again, I ask: how long have you two been screaming at each other?"

"Ore-sama doesn't scream!" Atobe stood up, frustrated all over.

The kansai prodigy however knew exactly how to nab and rile Atobe. "You just did, Atobe."

Feeling unnerved by the kansai prodigy, Atobe walked towards the other side of the bus and sulked there alone. While Ayane was busy teasing her buchou that Shizuru was starting to act like the two famous statues, Atobe couldn't help but wonder. "What makes Ayane's mind tick? How does she even know what I'm going to do before I can do it?"

"We're here at the camp!" A loud voice boomed from the other end.

Atobe, thoroughly relieved, stepped out while hearing the girls' team tease their _buchou_ and _fuku_ _buchou_ on how much they're beginning to act like certain people. Even he noticed that Shizuru had grown to answering some people monosyllabically. "Arn~, since when did Shizuru start talking like that rival of mine anyway?"

"Wow! The place is huge!" Rin squealed as she got off the bus.

Haruka's eyes widened at the scenery. "Whoa, they even have a five star hotel here! I mean – this place looks like it can hold a ball here!"

Ayane snorted while making her way in. "Che, as expected of the Atobe family. They don't want their baby to get all cold and hungry."

Atobe heard that comment but surprisingly, he didn't snap back or make any sharp retort. The king was too deep in thought to make much of a fuss until the younger captain made her way next to him. "Thank you for letting the team join in, Atobe-senpai."

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Atobe saw the honorific captain walking past him and following behind her were the other Hyotei regulars. "Arn~, ore-sama would obviously want the best for Hyotei. After all – the Kantou Regionals are coming up and we have to be prepared."

"Ah," there it was again, Shizuru's monosyllabic reply.

Wanting to slap himself on the head, Atobe could have sworn she went to Seigaku for a short period of time or Sanada must have brainwashed her or something. Both his rivals answered monosyllabically and now, the female captain was talking like that. Heaven forbid that Ayane would start talking like that! "Arn~, give ore-sama a direct answer. He hates one syllable replies."

"_Dozo gomenasai_," Shizuru bowed her head low and walked ahead of him now.

Oshitari then walked next to the king of Hyotei. "So what are you going to do now, Atobe? You got one of the most powerful female captains in Kantou as your kohai and partner."

Atobe flipped his hair while walking towards the lobby. "Of course, ore-sama will make sure that Hyotei reaches the Nationals without any problems."

Shishido, slinging his bag over his shoulder, walked next to Ohtori. "Well, the girls won't have a problem – most of them are Nationals calibre and among us – I think you're the only Nationals ranked singles player. Ohtori and I are the doubles players while the others, it's kinda hard to predict especially when you have a moron like Gakuto in the team."

"Hey, watch it, cap boy!" The magenta haired acrobat lunged at Shishido.

Ohtori on the other hand tried to pry off Gakuto from his doubles partner while Jirou was hanging on Kabaji's back, sleeping like always. "Wow, this place is so big."

Hiyoshi tapped Atobe's shoulder. "Recognize that bus pulling up at the drive way?"

Atobe, turning around, couldn't believe the characters he saw on the bus and his eyes narrowed with annoyance. "Arn~, ore-sama wants to know how Seigaku got here!"

As expected, the Seigaku regulars got off the bus one by one and the freshman prodigy of Seigaku was the first to notice. "_Senpai-tachi_, take a look who's here in camp also."

Fuji had his usual smile when he greeted their rivals. "Wow, I forgot to tell everyone: this place is actually owned by the Atobe family. So, this place wouldn't normally be accessed."

"Arn~," Atobe ran his fingers in his hair. "As far as _ore-sama_ is concerned, this place is only limited to celebrities and Hyotei. Seigaku shouldn't be here unless you somehow got some connections…"

Before Atobe could continue, Fuji held up a few coupons in his hand. "Nee-san gave these to me since they were from her client. She said that she had no use for it and maybe the team might have a better use for it than her so, here we are. I didn't know we're going to be spending time here in the camp."

"Wow, I didn't know Seigaku's Kikumaru was here too!" A cheerful voice chirped from behind.

Gakuto spun around to find Rin gleefully clapping her hands together. "I've always wanted to see another acrobatic style! Gakuto's style is lame you see and I wanted someone better to teach me a thing or two about real acrobatic play! I hope you don't mind!"

Kikumaru's face brightened up when he saw the black haired acrobat appear behind his rival. "Rin-_chan_, you're here too?"

"Yeah," she jogged towards him, "buchou got us a passageway to train even better! So, wanna train with me, Kiku-_chan_?"

The red haired acrobat pouted. "Mou~, don't call me that in front of everyone, Rin-_chan_! You're so _hidoi_,nyah!"

Gakuto however flared up at Rin's friendliness to the acrobat of Seigaku. "Hey, you're supposed to be training with us! Not with some low ranker acrobat like Kikumaru!"

"Actually, I think it's a good idea," Haruka walked over to her doubles partner. "It's nice to know different styles since Kikumaru-_san_ also uses other moves aside from the Kikumaru Beam. I'm sure Rin and Kikumaru-_san_ will get along just fine. Just how do you know him, Rin?"

Rin hugged the red head very tightly. "We were in the same acrobatics class! He is so much better than Gakuto, kuwee~!"

Kikumaru's face brightened even more. "You kept the 'kuwee'!"

"And you've kept your 'nyah'!" Rin jumped up and down like a hyperactive child.

Ayane greeted with a big smile. "Wow, so you're the famous Seigaku we keep hearing about! This is so cool!"

Now this hit Atobe's nerve, how could Ayane be so casual and cheerful towards their rivals and not even show a hint of rivalry or annoyance whereas she screamed at him everyday? "Your face is red, Monkey King."

Of all people to talk to him, the person just had to be Echizen Ryoma. "Hmph, you should go occupy yourself with something else, brat."

"I don't think you should talk to guests that way," Shizuru had her usual courtesy smile on her face. "I didn't know you would be here also, Echizen-san."

Tipping his cap down, Echizen had his usual cocky smirk, "_Mada mada dane_, Kurenai-_san_."

Fuji's blue eyes revealed themselves. "I believe we've met also, Kurenai-san."

"Oh, Fuji-san, it's nice to meet you here too." Shizuru kept her smile despite being a slightly bit edged by the _tensai_'s smile.

Oshitari glowered slightly at the Seigaku _tensai_ when he saw her getting very warm towards the latter. Shizuru was known to be polite but heck – the kansai prodigy hated it when she started getting closer to other schools. Tilting his glasses slightly, Oshitari moved closer to Shizuru. "Fuji, do you mind if I drag her away from you for awhile?' Though it was a little direct, the kansai prodigy would rather have her metres away from Seigaku's sadist.

"Sure, not at all." Fuji knew that Oshitari was getting a little uneasy.

Rin suddenly popped up with an idea. "Say, why don't we all train together? I mean – I'm sure we could learn a thing or two from the guys!"

Now that annoyed Atobe in an entirely new scale; the mere thought of him training along Seigaku pissed him off and imagining Ayane hanging out with Seigaku and laughing alongside them annoyed him to the highest scale. He wasn't the only one feeling this though. "Oshitari, you look like you're about to blow a fuse with that glower."

The kansai prodigy saw Shizuru talking freely to the Seigaku regulars. "The way I look is none of your business, Atobe."

While Momoshiro and Kaidoh got into their usual bickering, Kiyone soon began peeking out behind Isane. "You sure they won't bite?"

Patting her head, Isane nudged her towards the regulars. "It's okay; _buchou's_ not getting hurt is she?"

Kiyone walked towards the arguing Seigaku regulars and let out a squeak. "Wow, we have a zoo~!"

The two stared at her awkwardly while her gaze produced a very poisonous aura. "Uh, who exactly is this shrimp?"

Kiyone puffed her cheeks up impishly. "I'm not a midget! I'm just a late bloomer in height, meanie!"

Momoshiro twitched at the little girl. "And who are you supposed to be anyway?"

"I'm Getsugan Kiyone, you meanie! My name isn't shrimp, porcupine_-san_ and mamushi_-san!"_ Kiyone was ready to gnaw his leg off.

Momoshiro clutched his sides, hooting in laughter. "Hah, she called you 'Mamushi'!"

Kaidoh glared at the dunk smasher. "Shut up, baka peach! She called you 'porcupine'!"

Momoshiro was about to shake the girl silly until Hiyoshi grabbed her arm. "_Gekokujou_…"

Stifling his laughter, Gakuto saw a little envy and annoyance glint in the ace's eye. "Ha, you're jealous of Seigaku? Get a grip, Hiyoshi!"

Inui then cut into the conversation. "It seems to be beneficial for Hyotei and Seigaku to work together. There's a ninety eight percent chance that we could increase in terms of playing skill."

Hitomi apparently agreed with Seigaku's data man. "This way, we can increase our chances of taking down stronger teams. There would be a significant change of at least thirty percent if we join each other in training."

Twitching once again, Atobe was in no mood to join Seigaku especially when it meant Ayane talking and conversing freely with Seigaku whereas she would rather scream at him. "_Ore-sama_ isn't…"

"I think that would be a great idea. I mean – if we want to win the Nationals, we have to get stronger right?" Mai remarked off handedly with a somewhat 'innocent smile'.

Now, it wasn't really working out right because next thing he knew, Atobe found Shizuru talking casually to Echizen and Tezuka. "So, how long will you be staying?"

"Around a week or more," Tezuka's reply was short. "How did you manage to get here?"

Shizuru shrugged. "Atobe-senpai gave me an opening and he offered so, I took the offer. Besides, I don't want my team to fail their dreams and expectations."

Giving her a curt nod, Tezuka never knew that he could actually have a conversation with someone he hasn't known much. "Ah," –at first he was at a complete loss on what to say, "You're leading your team well from what I can see. When will you start training?"

"As soon as we can," Shizuru checked her watch, "while everyone else is flaring up, would you like to check out the place?"

Not noticing the flaring up teams, Tezuka saw the golden light of the sun tint Shizuru's brown hair and the moment Seigaku's captain saw that, he could have sworn that his face heated up. "Ah."

Before he followed her, Fuji had a smile on his face that said 'I-saw-that'. "Tezuka, you were blushing…"

"Fuji," The stoic teen turned around to make sure the _tensai_ didn't see anymore.

The _tensai_ knew about Tezuka's sudden interest in Hyotei's captain often trying to recap on a few things and even searching newspapers. Obviously, Tezuka was trying to remember something and Fuji knew something that he didn't back when they were in pre-school: he had met the girl once and even became her friend.

How the two became so dense was a complete mystery because Fuji remembered the times when that girl laughed, smiled and cried like a normal girl.

But now, that smile back was no real smile. He was definitely sure of that because no one could fool him.

That was simply a courtesy smile and when he saw Tezuka taking a look here and there, it made him chuckle. He was going to make those two remember before more complications came into play. There was actually one on his list already. One complication that went by the name Oshitari Yuushi, Fuji knew he had to somehow trigger their memory without them knowing that he was the culprit but the _tensai_ remembered something.

Fooling Tezuka is a trick only done by true masters and sadists.

* * *

"So, how long have you been playing tennis?" Though the bespectacled captain felt it was a stupid question, Tezuka was still trying to remember where he had first seen her.

Shizuru looked at the clouds passing in the sky. "For as long as I remember, maybe, nine years? I'm not very sure. I haven't kept count."

"Ah," there it was again; one of his conversation killers.

The walk together again was silent until Shizuru found an open court. "Would you like to play a game with me?"

Tezuka didn't show the fact that he was surprised because not many girls asked him that question. Though as a sign of consent, the Seigaku captain pulled out his racquet and both players headed towards the court. People however went to the court when the two middle schoolers emitted this aura that said 'get-away-before-the-ball-gets-too-explosive'. Tezuka maintained his impassive face while Shizuru's had a very small smile on her face. "You start," she tossed the ball to him.

Tezuka was not known to hold back, even against a girl. Firing a no return serve, Tezuka aimed it at the corner of the service box which Shizuru saw through right away by returning it with a cross court shot. "Hmm, that was pretty accurate," her voice was soft yet stoic at the same time.

Returning her one handed backhand, Tezuka saw her play and unlike most girls, Shizuru didn't play for fandom. She played as if her life really depended on it and made sure every shot count. A small smile crept up his lips and here he thought that all girls were fan girl like. There were only a few girls who had their minds focused on tennis or something else asides from boys. "Ah."

The rally continued and subconsciously, both players began to speed up their attacks. Tezuka's forehand slid over the net by a mere millimetre while Shizuru did a top spin that could make people get irritated upon sight. The two didn't let up and it was only the first point, Shizuru's footwork increased and Tezuka's power began to increase too. Soon, Shizuru couldn't return the power that was coming from her opponent, "15 – love."

Seeing that her hand was shaking from the impact, Shizuru let out a soft sigh. "Well, I guess I should end the rally quickly if I want to keep my racquet from falling out of my hand."

Tezuka couldn't believe that someone who was a year younger than him and a girl to boot was forcing him out like this. A small smile made its way to his face and Tezuka began his service again when Shizuru waited for him at the baseline. Using the Subera Kagerou, Shizuru wanted to make sure he didn't have enough time to return it. "I'm glad that there are still players out there who are better than me. I always look forward to a good opponent when I play."

That was something he too looked forward to but also, Tezuka was concerned about the Nationals and the words of Yamato-buchou echoed in his head.

_Become the pillar of Seigaku, Tezuka._

Those words never left his mind and he was doing a pretty good job in keeping Seigaku sane so far despite everything. Kantou tournaments were just around the corner and Tezuka knew that they couldn't afford to let their guards down, not even for an instance. "You're supporting your team very well."

"I have to," Shizuru smiled while she returned his drop shot with a fast volley. "I am their captain after all. They have supported me all my time in Hyotei and I cannot afford to fall short now."

Tezuka responded with another fast volley. "True but I'd also like to ask – how do you manage to get a couple of first years to play as if they've been playing for years?"

The female captain knew that he was referring to Ayane and Kiyone. "Well, some say it's the pure skill that comes from the both of them but I'd say it's trust."

Tezuka nodded stiffly while he returned the shot with a top spin. "Trust as a doubles pair."

"Yes, if you noticed, Kobayagi and Getsugan cannot play singles." Shizuru backhanded the shot towards the corner of the singles line. "They grew afraid of playing singles because of the _senpai-tachi_ in school. The regulars however were kind enough to accept them and make the others acknowledge them."

Returning it with a heavy forehand, Tezuka noticed that now, her shots were getting a lot harder to repel because of the spin. "I may not be able to return the shot with the same amount of power you put," Shizuru returned it with the Subera Kagerou again. "But, I know for sure that I can nab a point by simply putting more spin."

When Tezuka did another top spin, Shizuru brought out the Ayame Gaeshi forcing it to make a forceful curve on the court, "Fifteen all!"

"The Iris Return and the Gliding Dragonfly," Tezuka remembered Souma Fuuka talking about one of Shizuru's signature techniques. "So far, no one has been able to replicate them."

Shizuru, returning to the baseline, had a faint smile on her face. "For now, there is no one but there is someone who can replicate my technique. My successor – rather will be able to."

"You're only second year and you have a successor?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow at the female captain.

Shizuru shrugged while firing back the shot. "Well, in a way, the girl is my successor and also my protégé. She's still in first year and I know with enough training, Getsugan will succeed."

"Ah," the situation reminded him of how him and Echizen discussing about the first year being a successor.

Shizuru returned the shot with her own backhand. "So, what will you do when you win the Nationals?"

Apparently, he hadn't given that much thought but now come to think of it, he just chose to go to high school after that or go to Germany to become a pro circuit player. With his grades, it was easy and Tezuka didn't need to worry much. "I plan to go to Germany after the Nationals."

"You're gonna go for the pro-circuit? That sounds good." Shizuru returned it with a forehand. "Though, paparazzi nowadays aren't as forgiving. They'll do anything to get a good story. Some are even willing to destroy the career of that person just so that they can get the story."

Tezuka fired back her shot with his own forehand. "That is why we shouldn't let our guard down. Don't leave any openings for them to find a story."

"But you know some people," Shizuru shrugged while firing another top spin towards him. "They can distort stories so well now that the public will believe it. We can't control what the public thinks now can we? After all – there's no crime in doing what your job demands you to do right?"

Shizuru did have a point but the captain was more focused on the game he was playing against the junior. "That is true."

"Thirty fifteen," Scoring a smash, Tezuka returned to the baseline to begin another rally. This girl was surpassing Souma Fuuka and sooner or later, she will probably be able to match up to Sanada if the female captain continued playing and training this way. But, there was something he noticed; now, her shots were getting much weaker than before. Her legs were swelling and soon, her footing started to get clumsy. Though to an unexperienced player, there would be nothing wrong but Tezuka spotted her footing right away. Despite the aching in her feet, Shizuru continued to play normally. "I know what you're thinking: this girl's playing and not caring about the fact that she might get crippled."

Tezuka froze for once and because of that, the shot glided past him, "Thirty all!"

Smiling faintly, Shizuru lowered herself for the next shot. "The reason why I don't care is because my team's dreams are what matter the most. Amongst the captains, one should remember that his or her health his secondary to their members' welfare. Well, there is an exception though, kinda like Atobe-_senpai_."

A chuckled bubbled at his throat; Atobe was known to be very narcisstic and vain and often did many things that portrayed him to be selfish. "But honestly," Shizuru returned his shot with a pile driver, "Atobe-_senpai_ can be very kind to people. He's just more focused in staying in his holier-than-thou attitude."

Atobe could be kind? If someone heard that, he would blow a fuse right away. Returning her shot with a top spin, Tezuka made sure she was forced to return it to him. "I've heard a lot about you from Souma-_san_. She says you're an opponent worth fearing and losing to. Although, she wants to make sure that she wins again."

"Yes," Shizuru had a faint smile when she remembered one of her losses. "I'm sure that she wants to try but I'm not going to back down without a fight."

"Game, Tezuka: one game to love!" Tezuka never felt so tired in the first set and Shizuru was on the verge of slumping on to the ground.

Tossing the ball into the air, Shizuru had a small smile on her face. "Don't let your guard down just yet, Tezuka-_san_."

Her service was much faster now but didn't necessarily mean it was stronger. Tezuka returned the shot with much ease and made sure that there was no room for her to return but apparently, Shizuru still managed to return it with a backhand down the line, "Fifteen love!"

This time, the junior scored another point with a smash heading straight down, "Thirty love!"

However, the next point actually caught Tezuka off guard because lo and behold, his technique came back at him, "You used the _Zero Shiki_…"

"Yeah, but it's only the raw version, I just saw you do it several times so, yeah," Shizuru shrugged while she saw her shot smack into the net. "Oops, that was a bad shot."

"Thirty – fifteen," Tezuka fired a backhand until he felt cramps in his shoulder causing him to make the shot hit the net.

He wasn't the only one who noticed that however. "I think we should stop first. I don't want to destroy you before the _Kantou_ tournament." Shizuru was ready to walk off the court.

"It's alright," Tezuka took a breather for a moment to alleviate the pain. "I can still continue."

Though reluctant, Shizuru simply did top spins and under spins to make sure he won't be able to get it. As an opponent, she knew what it was like to know that her opponent was giving her an easy time. So, she cloaked that thought by sending off a series of _Ayame Gaeshi_ and Subera _Kagerou_ in order to stop him midway. "Game, Kurenai: one game all!"

He now saw that she was getting more serious. A small smile curved up in his lips. "At least you're not the type to pity."

Shizuru was about to say that she was actually giving him an easier time but the captain snapped her mouth shut instead. "Well, won't it be annoying if you realize that your opponent is going easy on you?"

Tezuka picked up the ball to serve. "Ah."

Firing his service, Shizuru darted to the left side to deflect it while Tezuka returned it with a drop shot, "Fifteen love!"

Another rally ensued and Shizuru used her _Ayame Gaeshi_ to save her another point, "Fifteen all!"

Tezuka fired his zero shiki drop shot but not without his arm cramping in pain, "Thirty fifteen!"

Shizuru jumped high into the air to fire another smash, "Thirty all!"

Not one of them wanted to let up and the annoying part for both of them was the fact that they had to play a deuce thrice in the same game. Tezuka backhanded the ball, sending it right towards the edge of the baseline. "Advantage: Tezuka!"

Breathing heavily, Shizuru still maintained her faint smile. "Wow, this is actually… thrilling…"

Tezuka couldn't come up with a better word than that. He too had to admit that the game was very intense and enjoyable. "Ah."

This time, Tezuka did the true form of the zero shiki drop shot, leaving it inches away from Shizuru. "Game, Tezuka: Two Games to One!"

Shizuru picked up the ball with a smile. "Wow, that's a nice way to end your service game. Well, I'm glad I met someone who would take me seriously. Most of the time – I have to dress up as a guy just so the guy opponents will take me seriously and pull out all the stops."

Tezuka was a little shocked by that revelation. "Ah."

Laughing softly, Shizuru tossed the ball into the air. "Alright, here I go!"

The serve was no ordinary flat serve; it was a curving serve which would piss off any unexperienced player but Tezuka managed to return it until she used his own technique against him, "Fifteen – love!"

Soon, no matter where Shizuru fired the shot - it returned back at him. Narrowing her eyes, Shizuru ran straight for a volley but it didn't zip past him either. Feeling her legs pinch together, Shizuru forced herself to run until she nearly fell over causing her to lob.

Tezuka fired a smash right down the line causing her to back track a little, "Fifteen all!"

Shizuru fired a forehand which made its mark at the corner of the singles line, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Everyone who was at the club was now watching these two middle schoolers bring out the best in each other. They stared and gaped in awe; their tennis was no match for these two and if the captains ended up as doubles partners then, the people knew that loss would not be an option for them; it would be a prediction and would rather forfeit. The two captains however played as if there was no one around and the solid sounds cracked off their racquets and echoed in the entire court area.

Shizuru did a backhand smash which forced Tezuka to move back but wasn't able to react in time, "Forty – fifteen!"

The next one was a purposely done bad bounce. Most of the time, the ball wouldn't bounce properly if there was something wrong with the surface but Shizuru made it so by doing a clip on the ball thus forcing it to bounce very low, "Game, Kurenai: Two games all!"

Breathing heavily, Shizuru then looked at the bleachers which were now full of people. "Wow, we attracted quite a crowd."

Tezuka picked up the ball when Shizuru resumed to being serious. "Well, better start your service, Tezuka-san."

* * *

"Wow, this place is so big!" Kiyone exclaimed when she saw a huge Chocolate Malakoff cake. "Their desserts look good too!"

The place was not just a club but rather, a hotel. There was an integrated sports club, a restaurant rating five stars, their rooms and services were also five stars and the place was beyond magnificent. Hitomi then began doing the math. "It must have taken five billion yen for the Atobe family to build this."

"There is also a ninety percent chance that Atobe also has hired chefs from all over the world, ii data." Inui too began scribbling on his notebook.

The two data players looked up and with a smirk, they began comparing notes. "There is a one hundred percent chance that Shizuru-_buchou_ is nowhere within the premises of the restaurant and bar."

"Another one hundred percent chance that Tezuka is with her." Inui responded with a smile.

Both teams stared at the data players as if they've grown five heads and their brains grew bigger than they should. "I think we should go check out the other things," Kawamura scratched his head sheepishly while the regulars and the others spread out to explore.

Ayane took a look at one of the figurines and then, someone glomped her from behind. "Hey, Ayane-chan, what are you doing?"

The tangerine haired girl held up an angel figuring made out of confectioner's sugar. "Doesn't this look cute?"

"It sure does," Oishi tried to pry off Kikumaru from Ayane's back. "I'm Oishi Syuuichirou, this is Kikumaru Eiji. I'm sorry for him glomping you."

Ayane laughed it off. "Its okay, Rin-_senpai_ does that to me all the time too! I'm Kobayagi Ayane, vice captain of Hyotei!"

Kikumaru squeaked when he saw another angel carved by confectioner's sugar. "_Sugee~_, I want one too nyah!"

Oishi had to try and calm down his doubles partner. "Eiji, don't just go off grabbing things!"

Kiyone pointed to the other side of the counter and ran towards there immediately. "They have cupcakes with pistachio frosting!"

Ayane's eyes widened while she watched her doubles partner go for the cupcakes. "W-wait, don't go there! Don't run off, Kiyone!"

The two vice captains exchanged looks with each other and began laughing. They couldn't believe that they were doing the same thing about their doubles partners. "So, how long can Eiji last without causing a ruckus?"

"Barely a day," Oishi laughed while watching the red acrobat, Kiyone and Rin gaze at the sweet treats. "How do you manage to control Kiyone?"

Shrugging with a sigh, Ayane watched Kiyone gaze hungrily at the cupcakes. "I don't know. I just do damage control whenever things get ugly."

Unknown to the vice captain, Atobe was there watching her with a cold icy gaze on Seigaku's vice captain. He didn't like the fact that she was getting too comfortable around Seigaku and also the fact that she was smiling at him. How this unnerved the king of Hyotei but Atobe realized that he wasn't the only one uncomfortable. Shishido and Ohtori were looking for Shizuru while Oshitari somehow had an idea of where the captain had gone. His gaze went to Fuji but as if knowing that, the sadist shrugged his shoulders and continued looking around. However, only then did Oshitari realize that Shizuru was with someone who was beyond his calibre. "You finally realized who's missing?"

Turning around, he saw Gakuto holding a crème brulée in one hand and an ice cream in another. "Yeah, Seigaku's captain is missing too," Oshitari quickly began searching for the brunette.

Gakuto poked him. "She might get converted into a Seigaku, Yuushi."

"I know," Oshitari let out a sigh and began looking at the deserts. "Does she eat anything sweet?"

Gakuto shrugged. "I don't know – Tamago sushi?"

"Haha, very funny, Gakuto." The kansai prodigy rolled his eyes while looking at the deserts. "Does she eat cookies?"

Ohtori glanced at his doubles partner. "Shishido-senpai, do you think that Shizuru went off to find a court?"

"That would most likely be true," Shishido began searching also, "because I don't see her anywhere at all."

Atobe looked at Kabaji. "Go fetch Kurenai and Tezuka, Kabaji."

"Usu," the second year student left with Jirou on his back while Atobe kept his eye on Ayane.

"I can't let her be converted into a Seigaku," Atobe hissed inwardly at himself, "_ore-sama _won't let it happen. The mere fact that she's talking to that vice captain is actually making_ ore-sama's _blood boil_."_

Hiyoshi tapped his captain on the shoulder. "You ought to not hiss too loud. People might hear you."

Cussing to himself quietly, Atobe walked over to Ayane. "Arn~, what is that you're holding?"

"Just a confectioner sugar angel, brat," Ayane's reply was always curt and short.

One would have thought that she was born to torture Atobe but somehow, the king didn't notice that her face was flushing red. "Why am I feeling this way? No, you're not going to be like one of those fan girls, Kobayagi Ayane! Calm down and sort your thoughts!"

Atobe looked at what Ayane was holding and was able to conclude one thing. "Kobayagi likes things that relate to angels. Interesting… wait, why is ore-sama now sounding like a stalker?"

* * *

"Game, Kurenai: five games all!" Shizuru and Tezuka were now at the end of their ropes. They forced themselves to play hardcore and never realized how long they were taking to finish their game. "He's one of the very few who can push me this far. I like the way Tezuka-san plays – you can actually bring out your all without fear." Shizuru received Tezuka's service again with a backhand.

Tezuka on the other hand was thinking almost the same. "Her style is an all-rounder; not only that, she doesn't hold back. Most girls would just slump down and act like fan girls towards Atobe. I'm surprised that's she only addressed him as Atobe_-senpai_. Most girls would say his name as if he were a god or a king. She is someone Souma-_san_ needs to be aware of. The thing is – where have I met her? I know I saw her somewhere but where?"

The rally's speed increased indefinitely and soon, Shizuru's feet couldn't take the speed anymore and she fell flat on the floor in attempt to return the shot, "Fifteen – love!"

Feeling the numbness in her feet, Shizuru tried to fight it off but she could also feel her legs breaking upon the fatigue and energy put on it. "I can't stop, not when I'm so close."

Tezuka was about to walk to her until she stood up with a smile. "I'm okay, we can continue!"

For the first time, Tezuka met someone with a passion of tennis like his. Shizuru didn't whine like most girls and was even getting up to take in another pounding. He admired her spirit that's for sure and the captain of Seigaku was starting to think how many times he had begun to stereotype girls into fan girl types until he met this female captain. "Most of them were fan girls. Kurenai-san sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of all the fan girls if you put her in a room."

This time, the ball whizzed past Shizuru and landed right in the middle of the service area, "Thirty – love!"

Shizuru closed her eyes as the next service flew in and with a well timed clip; she gave the ball a heavy top spin which spun in a curved motion, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Tezuka fired another heavy service which when she tried to return, it smacked into the net, "Forty – fifteen!"

Shizuru however was not going down without a fight and proved it by firing her Subera Kagerou, "Forty – thirty!"

"You're putting a lot of pressure on your right leg," Tezuka noted while Shizuru began taking a breather.

Shizuru didn't pale at the revelation. "I know that."

The fact that she wasn't the least intimidated proved to Tezuka that to her, her leg didn't matter anymore. She just wanted to win and do what a captain is supposed to do. It kind of reflected on how he used to be and the passion they both held for the game. Shizuru was determined to take this game to end, even if it was just a mock game. Her auburn colored eyes reflected a kind of arrogance that was seen only when the Hyotei captain played a game and made most of her opponents look like as if they were nothing to begin with. On her end however, Shizuru looked at the fierce stony glare from his hazel orbs which meant that Tezuka was serious. Apparently, both captains liked it better when their opponents played their very best. "You're not like other girls," Tezuka remarked off handedly though he berated himself for that after grabbing the next game from her with a forehand. "Game, Tezuka: six games to five!"

"Yeah, that's what everyone tells me." Shizuru began her service while Tezuka returned it with a backhand.

From what they remembered, none of them were able to break each other's service games. Tezuka now was able to counter the Subera Kagerou by hitting it before it touched the ground. "Your style is very similar to someone I know."

"Really, there's someone with a similar style? Who's style then?" Shizuru did another _Subera Kagerou_.

At first, Tezuka thought that her playing style was similar to Fuji's but somehow there was something that irked him a little. Her movements sped up every few minutes, her shots increased in power every few shots here and there and despite the soreness of her leg, she had a lot of consistency. That was the only time Tezuka realized what he was doing: the captain was now playing against someone with his style of play but with a few modifications. Receiving another service, Tezuka fired another backhand towards her but his shoulder started to ache again. "Keep on going; don't let your guard down," the thought replayed itself in his head.

Shizuru's legs no longer could take another heavy shot fired by Tezuka because several times, her racquet was blasted off her hand, "Fifteen – all!"

Tezuka knew that there was an opening but in a way, he didn't want to take advantage of it, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Shizuru forced herself to jump to do another smash, "Thirty – all!"

Doing another _Zero Shiki Drop Shot_ despite the chronic pain in his shoulder, Tezuka managed to gain another point, "Forty – thirty!"

Then again, that didn't stop Shizuru at all especially when she did another _Ayame Gaeshi_, "Deuce!"

Realizing that their techniques were no longer working, both captains resumed to out powering one another. Shizuru fired forehands and constantly forced herself to move while Tezuka fired another backhand to repel most of her forehands. Finally, Tezuka did a top spin which his shoulder didn't react to at all, "Advantage, Tezuka!"

Shizuru began another rally and this was the final point. She had to end it or they were both going to be crippled but the captain's pride wouldn't let her lose. Finally, after sending off a backhand, her body just sank to the ground unable to move while Tezuka fired a forehand which smacked the top of the net and flew a little higher. The crowd watched in awe until it finally landed on Shizuru's side. Sighing, the female captain maintained her faint smile. "Game and match, Tezuka: seven games to five."

Walking towards her, Tezuka helped her up. "That… was a good game."

"Yeah, I think so too." Shizuru dusted herself while pointing at his swollen shoulder. "We might want to check that with the doctor. I don't think your vice captain's going to like it when he sees your shoulder as red as a tomato."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow at her. "Your vice captain wouldn't want to find out how you managed to make your leg that swollen."

"Well, that is Kobayagi after all. She's a worry wart." Shizuru hobbled a little to keep up.

Tezuka didn't want to hear another Oishi freak out if the vice captain saw his shoulder. "Same goes for mine."

Laughing softly, Shizuru beckoned him. "Maybe we should just cool off at the garden. It's much cooler there anyway."

-That's chapter 9! Please review!


	10. Training Alongside Each Other

(I don't own prince of tennis!)

Chapter 10 – Training Alongside

"Wow," Rin began looking through every piece of glass furniture in the room, "it's so pretty! Can I break one?"

Atobe, glaring at Haruka, tried to maintain his composure as best as he could. "Hikifumi, get that girl away from the ornaments before my mother decides to walk in here!"

Haruka quickly ran over to the black haired acrobat. "Rin, don't just jump in and start playing with weird things! You might break something!"

Rin, pouting like a three year old, sulked off towards the side. "That's no fair! Kiyone-chan's actions are not being suppressed by Ayane-chan!"

"That's because," Ayane let out a sigh, "Kiyone is avoiding most of the glass stuff. Besides, I'm sure with his money – Atobe can replace this whole place and make it even better with a snap of his fingers."

Looking around, Oishi then realized that Tezuka wasn't with them. "Guys, have you seen Tezuka anywhere?"

"Saa~, I noticed that too," Fuji began searching the place but found nothing.

Momo bit into a lollipop she had bought from the candy store. "He's with Kurenai-buchou. I saw them head towards the tennis courts awhile ago."

Now, that statement wasn't very appealing to Shishido's ears. "They're beginning to train together now?"

Atobe knew that the kansai prodigy didn't like anybody going near Shizuru since most guys tend to follow her everywhere. "Oshitari, I don't think you'll stand a chance."

"Really, do you think so? But apparently – I might just know how to beat him," The kansai prodigy adjusted his glasses.

Atobe rolled his eyes. "Good luck then. Ore-sama will have Taki replace you if Tezuka beats you real good."

Shrugging, Oshitari had a sly smirk. "I dare you to do so."

Gakuto jumped on top of the kansai prodigy. "Yuushi, you're not going to do it are you? Maybe you should wait until she's alone or something!"

"That's probably the best solution and for once, Gakuto's actually saying something smart." The kansai prodigy walked away in deep thought while Shishido managed to somehow keep calm but his knuckles were turning white. "Shishido-senpai," Ohtori began tapping his doubles partner's shoulder, "Are you okay? You look like you want to break a wall."

"Yeah," Shishido let his anger go and began walking towards the pool. "You know – that night was a first, for her to get in the pool."

Ohtori, feeling blush rush up his face, began waving his hand dismissively. "Waah, don't even go there, Shishido-senpai! She…she…!"

"There's something going on in there; the only problem is that we don't know what," Shishido picked up a small pebble lying along and began crushing it in his hand. "It's no fair to her either."

Ohtori knew exactly how his doubles partner felt towards their friend. "Yeah but, we can't exactly kidnap her from that house."

Feeling the dust accumulate in his hand, Shishido let out a low hiss. "I know – but, at least help her open her heart because Shizuru's not only hurting herself but everyone around. While acting cool and all, Shizuru forgets what it's like to be a normal middle school girl. Tell me, how many girls do you know addresses their father by the name 'otou-sama' and their snobbish and snooty brothers 'nii-sama'?"

The silver haired kohai had to admit; there weren't really much. "I don't think I know anyone else, Shishido-senpai."

"Exactly my point," Shishido slammed the wall with his fist, "Shizuru's not that man's daughter anymore – she's more his slave!"

Atobe on the other hand was felt his heart twitch in annoyance when the latter saw Ayane speaking with Seigaku's vice captain. The two vice captains were happily chatting away while trying to keep an eye on their hyperactive and somewhat innocently destructive doubles partners. Kikumaru was jumping from place to place while Kiyone was looking at the insects buzzing around in the garden. "Kiyone, please be careful, you might fall or something…!"

Kikumaru was gleefully jumping up and down also until he accidentally lost balance. Grabbing a fringe of a jacket, the red haired acrobat didn't realize it was a girl he grabbed. "Waaah, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I pulled you down, nyah~! Who are you again?"

Dusting the dirt of her jacket, the _tensai_ gave him an assuring smile. "It's no big deal, Kikumaru-senpai. I'm Nagisaki Mai by the way. Have you by any chance seen my captain?"

Oishi ran over towards the red haired acrobat. "Eiji, don't go off jumping like that! You might fall and worse, you might get a concussion or something…!"

Kikumaru waved his hands with a 'v' sign. "Don't worry about me, _aibou_! I'm A-okay!"

Ayane, running towards Kiyone, quickly began chiding the girl. "Kiyone, you should stop messing around with the bumblebees in the garden! They could sting you and you could get poisoned…!"

Mai began stifling her laughter. "Don't you guys realize that you both sound alike? You're such worry warts."

Fuji began clicking away with his camera. "It's nice watching people get worried. The scenery here is nice too but I wonder where that stone faced friend of mine went off to."

"How long have you been playing tennis?" Shizuru took another sip from her water bottle.

Tezuka actually had a hard time recalling it but managed to remember is vaguely. "Ever since I was small, tennis has always been a part of me."

For the very first time, Shizuru met someone who had the same passion as she did in tennis. Both of them had one thing in common and that was having the perseverance to pursue whatever they wanted. "It's quite amazing to see how well you can play, Tezuka-san. I'm just wondering though – are you sure your body can take it?"

"My shoulder won't be hindering me if that's what you're wondering," Tezuka stood up and beckoned her. "Our teammates might be looking for us."

Shizuru, following after him, saw someone whom she didn't expect. "Souma-san, I'm surprised that you're here."

"Same goes to you, Kurenai-san. I didn't know that a captain of your standards would be accepted here," The vice captain stood up with a sneer. "Fuuka-buchou is so much better than you! Also – since when did you get this close to Tezuka-sama hm?"

Shizuru didn't particularly care about fan girls. "I wasn't aware that someone issued me a restraining order. Though if someone did address me with such, I should have been informed am I right?"

Before the vice captain could retort at Shizuru, Fuuka stood in between them to stop the fight. "Forgive my _fukubuchou_, she tends to be very how do I say this – protective and possessive over her _senpai_."

"It's alright, I understand," Shizuru turned around. "I have to go find my team now, Tezuka-_san_. See you on the courts."

While watching Shizuru walk away, Fuuka couldn't help but remember those times when she played against Hyotei's Queen of Diamonds. Shizuru was no easy opponent; Fuuka remembered that there were several players in the girls' division that were Nationals material who could match up to the guys: herself, Kurenai Shizuru of Hyotei, Shitenhouji's captain and Jyousei Shounan's captain and if given enough training – Yukimura Ai could also be classified there. "Tezuka-_san_, you look like you just had a heavy warm up. Are you alright?"

Tezuka didn't say much about his game with Shizuru. "Ah."

But the Seigaku captain had to admit, Kurenai Shizuru brought a game out of him 7-5. Though he never let his guard down, Tezuka knew that one mistake in the game could be fatal especially when playing against someone like Shizuru. Atobe and Shizuru were on two different levels and apparently – it looked like that Shizuru was a pinch bit better than the king of Hyotei himself. "Have you seen the others?"

"Oishi-_kun_ is with Eiji-_kun_ and the vice captain of Hyotei," Fuuka pulled out her racquet. "Girls," –turning to her teammates, "I think we have some training to do. This place is only available for a week. So, do whatever you can to get stronger. We cannot let Rikkai Dai or Hyotei get past us again like last time!"

"Hai, Fuuka-_buchou_," the Seigaku girls began unpacking their things to start training on the court.

Tezuka, walking away towards his teammates, couldn't help but contemplate on the game between him and Kurenai. He knew that she was the captain of the Hyotei team and from his point of view; Fuuka's chances of winning instantaneously fluctuated between sixty percent and seventy percent. "Souma-_san_," Tezuka motioned to the female captain.

"Hm, what is it?" Fuuka turned around before heading towards the court.

"Don't let your guard down," Tezuka then after walked towards Seigaku.

Fuuka, letting out a sigh, knew that Tezuka was mainly concerned over their progress. Recalling everything that had happened, Fuuka distinctly remembered the scores after playing against Hyotei. At that point in time, the Ferero-Uchiha pair was Hyotei's best doubles pair while Seigaku's best doubles pair was Hiroma-Kugakiri pair. Both of them were second year that time and they played a game that could last a lifetime with the Hyotei pair winning 7-6. However, she remembered that in the last part of that game, Hyotei intentionally separated the other pair that was initially stronger than the Ferero-Uchiha pair: the Nagisaki-Kurenai pair which was infamously dubbed as the Phantasm Pair. It pissed her off to realize that Singles Three player – Yamaguchi Hitomi was told to lose the game on purpose and also Doubles Two was told to lose as well just so it would reach Singles One. Fuuka had expected to play against Kotetsu Naomi with her infamous Sabre-style tennis.

But she didn't get that last year, instead Fuuka played against someone who was initially a no-namer in the world of Singles players.

Fuuka couldn't get that game out of her head and often times had her guilt eating her because she couldn't bring Seigaku to the Nationals without having Shizuru in the way. However, this year was going to be different; Seigaku this time had several super rookies in their team. Though Sakuno wasn't really considered a super rookie, there was one who could match up to Sanada Momo with very little effort. However, she wasn't going to bring her out just yet. "Fuuka-_buchou_, are you alright?"

Fuuka looked at Sakuno who seemed a little more than just concerned. "Yeah, I was just thinking about something."

Sakuno had improved over the two months of being among the regulars. Her service was much better and she was turning out to become a good doubles player. However, this didn't mean that the girl could play at Getsugan Kiyone's calibre. Both girls were in the same grade, almost the same stature though Kiyone was a few fractions shorter than Sakuno and the sandy haired girl played better volleys then Sakuno would even if given hard core training. "Fuuka-_buchou_, I always hear something about Kurenai-_san_ from Jerrard-_senpai._ Is she really that good? What happens when you play against each other?"

Fuuka stood up with a smirk. "Simple, we play until we can't take it anymore."

Actually, the Seigaku captain didn't know how to answer Sakuno's question especially because she wasn't aware most of the time how their attitudes had drastically changed when playing a game.

What usually happened between the both of them?

The last time she played against the Hyotei captain was a year ago when Shizuru somehow managed to escape the jitters. Though mentally defeated, Shizuru seemed to have the willpower to keep playing and despite having most of her senses cut off, there was something that was helping her. Fuuka actually remembered feeling the effects of her own jitters on herself. However, the Seigaku captain knew that was not the case. Shizuru created her own jitters by sending back every shot without difficulty. "Fuuka_-buchou_, you should stop troubling yourself with stupid thoughts like that you know," the vice captain twirled her racquet on the floor.

"I'm not troubling myself," Fuuka sighed in defeat, "it's just – our games against Hyotei have always been different. Like the last time – you were playing against Mai and she took you down single handedly. I can't imagine if Kurenai Shizuru decided to enter your slot of Singles Three. I mean – sure, you're part of the top one doubles pair but I remember that the Ferero-Uchiha pair managed to take you down as well. Not only that –this year, Hyotei now has two super rookies who happened to be the best doubles players in the district and can single handedly defeat senior players if taken lightly. Jerrard Vera, I suggest you take them very seriously – both you and Sakuno."

The vice captain flipped her blonde hair with a snort. "Hmph, you know those brats won't be a match for me. I'm the senior playmaker. I can make them play into my hands."

"Ayane isn't that easy to fool," Fuuka remarked offhandedly, "her mind comes up with a plan very easily and I've been hearing rumours that these two could actually come up with Synchro at will. Kiyone isn't exactly as timid and as shy as Sakuno; the girl will probably start top spinning and under spinning just so she can confuse Sakuno-chan. I suggest you work on your doubles play before Kantou Tournament starts. We only have a week here."

Looking around, the vice captain saw Kikumaru and Oishi coming towards them. "Speaking of doubles, the Golden pair's nearby here. Think we can ask them for a little tutoring?"

"That's probably the best option," Fuuka looked at the clip board that her data master had prepared for the team, "we might as well start training because there's a lot of training for us to do today."

Shizuru on the other hand was already starting their training. "Hikifumi-senpai, Momo-senpai, Uchiha-senpai, laps around the court now."

The two seniors immediately complied while Shizuru began her rallying. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity to rally with you, Yamaguchi-senpai."

"I'm glad that I get to tape your actions and experience a game against you. It would be much more data for me," Hitomi began her service.

On the other court, Ayane fired another Kobushi Katana towards Kiyone. "You better learn how to return heavy shots, Kiyone!"

"You on the other hand better learn how to top spin properly!" Kiyone did another slice which forced Ayane to the front.

Mai was playing against Rin. "Wow, you know – I just realized now that we're the fastest players on the team."

Rin, flipping high into the air and giving her a backhand, landed gracefully on the floor again. "Yeah, well, if it weren't for Shizu-shizu's leg and arcs then she would also have been a speed demon."

Haruka on the other hand was running alongside Momo and Isane. "Say, didn't Shizu-_chan_ say anything about collaborating with Seigaku or anything?"

"Well," Momo shrugged while continuing to run, "as long as it's not Rikkai Dai then I'm fine with it really."

Isane watched Shizuru rally against Hitomi while running her laps. "I don't have anything against Seigaku, it's just, I never liked their vice captain's attitude."

Haruka bit her lip when she remembered the name. "Jerrard Vera, she's a pain in the butt. A snarky annoying brat that knows no bounds and the sad thing is – she's a good playmaker. I wonder who her partner is this year."

"You played against her before right?" Isane remembered the Kantou tournament before Shizuru became captain.

Haruka didn't like recalling that game. "We had to forfeit; Vera used her partner like a shield and purposely hit Rin's left eye. Because of that, my partner nearly went blind! I'm just glad though that Naomi-buchou and Shizu-_chan_ were able to take down Seigaku that day. So, how are we going to collaborate with Atobe in training? Knowing him, he's probably a still bit sour about his near loss against Shizu-_chan_."

Kiyone fired a smash down on Ayane. "Try this new move, Ayane-chan! It's called the 'Getsugan Rocket'!"

Ayane moved back and returned it with a cross court. "That shot won't be a problem for me! Put more effort into it!"

Despite being slightly glad about them training hard, Shizuru couldn't help but always wonder about her game she had against Tezuka. He didn't hold back which was a good thing but the younger captain couldn't help but wonder on how long his shoulder will last. The Seigaku captain had a handicap and played with full effort despite the risk, which was something the female captain admired. "No wonder every girl is head over heels over him. But even I have to admit – I'm impressed by his efforts."

"There is a ninety percent chance that Shizuru-_buchou_ is now occupied with the thoughts of someone. However, her performance has only decreased by only 0.09 percent, I must have more data." Hitomi continued mumbling while sending a cross court towards the Hyotei captain who managed to react instinctively to it.

Ayane stared at her _senpai_ agape. "I can't believe that Hitomi-senpai can keep going on like that while playing with Shizuru-_senpai_."

Shizuru, firing another cross court shot, moved closer to the net. "You should concentrate on the game and less on the data, Hitomi-_senpai_."

"But, this is a perfect opportunity," Hitomi continued to mumble while memorizing all the data in her head. "There is a ninety percent chance that you will…huh?"

Shizuru sliced the ball gently which rolled towards the net after the shot. "A ninety percent chance that I would use the _Subera Kagerou_, am I right?"

"You shifted in the moment you were about to hit the ball?" Hitomi had her business smile. "I shouldn't expect less from the girl who can defy all data."

Shizuru turned around and headed towards the baseline. "I may defy data in a way but not all the time. There are times where I might fall in but know this – there is always a way out to counter the data given. Yes, it is impossible for data to lie unless the one who gives the data or who presents it is the one that is wrong."

Kiyone stopped her volley. "Wow, this is something I haven't seen. Hitomi_-senpai_ rarely plays in games and she's usually trying to poison us or something!"

Ayane watched the captain's expression change from her normal faint smile into a stoic and serious look. "I don't think either girl is going to back down. This is something not many get to see everyday."

Isane, Haruka and Momo pretended to continue running laps while watching the game. "Hopefully, they don't attract attention like the last time," Momo slowed down her pace.

"Yeah, the last time they gained so much attention was because both players were bringing out all their best moves." Haruka watched Hitomi adjust her glasses and begin her service.

The service cracked off the racquet with astonishing speed. "There it is, the Sniper Serve!" Mai glanced at the captain who didn't seem the least bit disturbed by the speeding service.

Closing her eyes, Shizuru recalled the game between her and the Seigaku captain. Despite firing it back, the girl had noticed that no matter what direction she had hit it in, Tezuka managed to make the ball come to him as if it was attracted to him or some sort. "I was saving this technique for the Nationals but, I might as well practice it now."

Taking a few steps back, Shizuru returned it with a heavy top spin which Hitomi was left with no other choice but to return it back to her while Shizuru continued to increase the amount of top spin on the ball. No matter what happened, Shizuru's shots always returned to her without a problem while Hitomi's stamina steadily dropped. "That's it, that's the technique that's been sealed for so long…" Isane could only gape in awe at what she was seeing. "It's the Tsuuro no Shichihenge…" (Road of the Hydrangea)

"The Hydrangea was known for seven changes," Momo watched Shizuru's power increase shot after shot, "this technique was named such because on the seventh shot…"

The ball started spinning immensely and Shizuru fired it back at Hitomi. "The ball will never cross the net," Haruka stared in awe while Hitomi gave her a forehand that smacked into the net only.

Hitomi looked at the ball rolling the near net. "This is a technique that I wasn't completely aware of, Shizuru-_buchou_. When was the last time you used this technique?"

Shizuru emotionlessly looked away. "I don't know, maybe a year ago before my leg started acting up."

"If this is how you're going to play," Hitomi adjusted her glasses while it glinted, "I think it's time I used this one also…"

Glowing with a different aura, Hitomi and Shizuru were now going to pull out all the stops. "Hitomi_-senpai_ knows how to do…?" The vice captain stared agape at the manager.

"No," Mai shook her head, "this is a different technique. It looks nothing like the _Muga no Kyouchi_. This technique feels more violent and intense…"

Momo knew that technique after watching a few games from Fudomine. "A technique from the Two Wings of _Kyuushu_, the _Moujuu Aura_ is a technique that is similar to the _Muga no Kyouchi_ in terms of power but in nature it's much more different."

Rin glanced at Haruka. "Kuwee~, what does the _Moujuu Aura_ do anyway?"

"Being very similar to the _Muga no Kyouchi_," Haruka watched Hitomi's intent change, "the _Moujuu Aura_ is something allows you to tap into the experiences of your past games. In this case, Hitomi taps into all her former games and has the ability now to copy movements thus making her more unpredictable. The only difference is that in the _Muga no Kyouchi_, your mind is in a state of _'mu' _meaning 'empty, nothing, nada and zilch'. The _Moujuu Aura_ on the other hand tends to make the player more violent and alters the strength and physical capabilities of the user."

Rin stared aghast at her partner. "Does this mean that Hitomi-_chan_ can end Shizuru-_buchou?_"

"If she runs her out of stamina," Haruka watched Shizuru move towards the baseline while Hitomi prepared for her service, "then, yes. There is a big chance that Hitomi can floor Shizuru at this point."

Hitomi fired a fast service which Shizuru returned with ease by using a backhand slice while Hitomi gave her a forehand towards the corners of the singles court. Both players played silently without exchanging words and the whole court fell into a deadly silence while both players began to play it out. Shizuru's spins got much faster and now, she started ending things in seven shots every time. "Fifteen – love," Hitomi emotionlessly walked back to the baseline.

Shizuru clucked her tongue while walking towards the baseline to receive it again, "I beg to differ – fifteen all."

Hitomi didn't know what she was talking about until the data master saw a ball appear and smack into the net on her side. "Ah yes, you're using the _Subera Kagerou_ now. I have forgotten."

"That won't be the only technique you're facing," Shizuru watched Hitomi begin her service again.

Other than that, the whole team didn't exchange words with each other and Kiyone stared in awe. "Wow, this is so intense. Sure, Yama-yama has the upper hand in terms of experience but in terms of skill and power, Shizu-_buchou_ is the one who has it. Who's going to win?"

Haryja was scared for her _kohai_'s condition. "Shizuru, the last time you used it, you risked your ability to walk and now you're doing it again! Shizuru, stop being such an idiot!"

Shizuru did another Ayame Gaeshi which descended faster with a curve, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Hitomi on the other hand accurately fired it on the edges of the baseline, "Thirty all!"

Shizuru, forcing the ball to come to her, returned it with twice the force the shot had the first time, "Forty –thirty!"

Firing a heavy service, Hitomi managed to knock out Shizuru's racquet from her hand, "Deuce!"

Everyone stared agape at the two players; Shizuru was only using her _Tsuuro no Shichihenge_ and Hitomi had her _Moujuu Aura_ running amok and they were already gaining much attention. "Wow, the last time I saw something this big was a game between Inui-_senpai_ and Tezuka-_buchou_," a voice came from behind Kiyone.

Turning around, Kiyone saw the same dark haired guy who had called her a 'shrimp'. "It's porcupine head again! What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, everyone's getting disturbed with the explosion," Momoshiro glowered at the control specialist, "duh!"

His doubles partner was standing next to him. "Fsssh, if you guys didn't create so much noise then we wouldn't be here!"

Kiyone was ready to sock the two Seigaku players. "Look," -her tone became suddenly menacing and low, "Shizu-_nee_ is having fun so, stop butting in…!"

Momo put her hand in front of the freshman to stop the fight. "I think you should be minding your own practice. Better leave now or you will not like what I'm going to do to you."

However, before she could say anything, the blue eyed _tensai_ of Seigaku showed up behind her. "But, if you hurt them, you're going to regret that you did."

Haruka stepped in between them. "Enough threatening, we have to somehow make sure that they don't gain much attention!"

Meanwhile, down at the courts, Hitomi took in a deep breath while focusing on Shizuru's trembling left leg. "It looks like your leg can't take it anymore."

The Hyotei captain, inhaling the air sharply, maintained her composure while watching sweat pour down Hitomi's face. "You're not exactly at tip top shape anymore either."

However, Ayane jumped over the fence and went to the courts. "Guys, this was supposed to be a **PRACTICE** rally only. You weren't supposed to blow each other apart."

"You're right," Shizuru had a faint smile on her face. "I must have gone too…easy on her."

Hitomi threw her hair back. "I think it's time we decide who truly has the most experience."

Ayane slapped her forehead with a sigh. "I hope you guys don't blow up the courts. Guys, we only have a week and it's already near dinner can we please, go eat dinner **NOW**?"

Shizuru looked at her watch and then at Hitomi. "I don't think I'm hungry. You go on ahead."

"I'm having too much fun to stop," Hitomi put down her racquet with which her aura faded away, "but, I think it's a better idea that we get some food into our system until then."

Shizuru's aura also died down after. "Ah, I guess you're right."

Momoshiro stared agape however at what had happened at the court. There were visible marks all over the place and heavy skid marks from many top spins and their rubber shoes just got even more worn out than they were already. "Saa~, I didn't know that Hyotei was this good in their girls' division. Souma-_san_ should be more careful then."

"There is a ninety percent chance that Kurenai Shizuru-_san_ will defeat Souma-_san_ in Singles with a score of six games to four." Inui continued scribbling, "Ii data."

Kaidoh couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Those are pretty high odds."

"_Sugee_~, that's so cool, nyah!" Kikumaru popped up from behind.

All of a sudden, a capped boy approached Shizuru with an arrogant smirk. "It's you, the one who was near the vending machine."

"Ah," Shizuru recognized the smaller boy standing next to her. "Echizen Ryoma-_san_, it's been awhile."

Echizen, looking up with a smirk, pointed at the marks on the court. "I haven't seen a girl do that yet."

Shizuru eyed the marks on the court and responded with a small smile. "Oh, those were there since awhile ago. I think our shots just made them much deeper than they already are."

Then, in the middle of nowhere, both teams heard a loud grumbling. Passing glances towards one another, Rin put her hands up in surrender. "It wasn't me! I swear – I ate a box of Pocky and had five cans of orange Ponta before coming here!"

Momoshiro looked down with embarrassment. "Oops, that's my fault."

Kaidoh snorted with a reply. "You're always hungry, baka peach!"

Ayane didn't like it when people got embarrassed. "It's alright because I don't think any of us had lunch anyway!"

Kiyone, sniffing the air, her ears suddenly perked up when the control master recognized the scent, "Chicken Teriyaki!"

Rin stared at Kiyone as if the little girl had grown two heads. "What in the world-? Why in the world did you just scream 'chicken teriyaki' all of a-hey, that is the scent of chicken teriyaki! Come on, we better get it before it runs out!"

Haruka, staring at Rin in disbelief, the pink haired twin dragon component tried to pacify her partner. "Rin, I know you're hungry but please try to be a better example to our _kohai_!"

Kiyone dashed for the restaurant "I want cake~!"

Ayane followed after her doubles partner. "W-wait for me, I'm hungry too!"

Shizuru looked at the watch with a sigh. "Did they even bother eating breakfast before we left?"

Mai, shrugging with a sigh, followed after the two doubles partners. "Well, I guess they only had a slice of toast for them to react to Chicken Teriyaki that way."

Getting inside the restaurant, Kiyone saw a line of plates laid in front of her and Ayane could have sworn that her jaw hard dropped. "This kind of food…! It must have cost a mint!"

Kiyone stared at her doubles partner. "Yay, there's cake, mousse, lollipops and-mpf!"

Momo shoved a melon bun into her mouth. "Smeone pull those desserts away now."

Haruka couldn't help but gape at all the food that was laid before them. "Atobe wasn't kidding when he said that the food was going to be luxurious. The best part is – it's low on calories!"

Rin, beginning to sniff the food, the black haired acrobat grabbed a seat right away. "I want the grilled cod fish!"

Isane pulled out a chair slowly and took her seat. "Are you sure we can eat this?"

"I can't believe he spent this much," Ayane was fuming again like always, "how can Atobe throw his money all over the place like this!"

"Ore-sama didn't remember throwing his money around," A deep sexy voice came from behind.

At this, the vice captain visibly paled and turned around slowly to try and regain your composure. "If so, where did you get all this food!"

"Of course," Atobe snapped his fingers and the waiters came in to the dining hall, "do you think ore-sama ordered for low class chefs and waiters? Think again, Kobayagi. He only wants what's best for Hyotei and the team."

Ayane shook herself out of the daze. "Well, you spent enough for three debuts with this kind of food!"

Mai nudged her captain. "Wow, I didn't know that he bought lobster and crab."

Shizuru began counting the plates and as far as she was concerned, there was enough to feed thirty people. The younger captain didn't remember her _senpai-tachi_ eating a lot but Shizuru knew that Shishido did eat a lot and so did Gakuto. However, the brunette didn't feel the least bit hungry despite the energy that was used up during her practice rally. "Thank you Atobe-_senpai_, for all the food that you bought. You didn't have to buy all this though."

Atobe however remained adamant. "Like _ore-sama_ said, it was no big deal. _Ore-sama_ would never settle for second best."

Gakuto grabbed a cheesecake and shoved it in his mouth. "Seigaku's not coming are they?"

"So, what's wrong with them? I think Kiku-chan's gotten a lot better," Rin knew that this was going to piss Gakuto off.

Gakuto stared aghast at the black haired acrobat. "What are you saying! Are you telling me that Kikumaru's better than me? You better think twice about that, Shimohi!"

Momo wasn't sure whether or not she should sit down and eat. "Maybe we should invite the people over since there's too much food. I don't expect you guys to finish this."

Hiyoshi stared aghast at Momo. "Are you serious, Sanada-_senpai_?"

"There is ninety percent chance that Momo is actually serious about this and one hundred percent chance that we will not be able to finish the food," Hitomi began scribbling down, "perhaps Inui-_san_ may teach me how he keeps the Seigaku regulars working and running."

Both Hyotei teams paled at what Hitomi had just mentioned; no way were they having poisonous juices for dinner when the food looked absolutely delicious. "No way," Gakuto vehemently shook his head, "Seigaku is not coming…!"

Rin got up from her seat and went off. "I'll go ask Kiku-chan if he and his team would like to join us! See ya in awhile!"

Shizuru began looking around and turned away with a faint smile. "I'm going to go for a walk for awhile okay? Nagisaki, please text me when everyone is here."

Mai didn't like the way Shizuru always used last name reference. "Sure," –she bit her lip, "but I don't think I need to text you anymore."

Shizuru then saw the Seigaku regulars coming in while Atobe twitched as inconspicuously as he could. Again, he found Ayane having a very cheerful conversation with Oishi. "Oishi-_san_, I'm glad you were able to make it! I hope you don't mind eating very fancy food do you?"

Oishi was a little bit sheepish. "Well, Shimohi-_san_ insisted we come but if we're intruding..."

"Well, I just came because they asked us to," Vera yawned while leaning on Fuuka who sighed at her vice captain's behaviour. "Besides, Tezuka-_sama_ and Fuji-_sama_ are here so, I came."

Fuuka did her best to make sure Vera didn't say much more. "You didn't have to invite us or anything. I mean – it's already bad that we're crashing in the same resort."

Atobe cut Ayane off before she could say anything. "_Ore-sama_ doesn't mind at all. Now, just take your seats and have some dinner."

Tezuka nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Atobe."

Atobe tried his best not to scoff. "Sure, just make sure we get a good game out of you, Seigaku."

However, what dissed Atobe off was that Ayane was happily chatting with Oishi and the vice captain didn't seem to notice how jealous the king of Hyotei was getting. However, Atobe soon noticed Gakuto fuming at Kikumaru who was joking around with Rin. "Hey, that's not true! I am so much better than you, Kikumaru!"

Rin was about to laugh her head off. "Yeah right, you can't even do somersaults properly!"

Feeling that a migraine was coming along, Atobe also saw Hiyoshi was glaring daggers at an oblivious Momoshiro and Kaidoh who were actually subconsciously getting along because Kiyone was in the middle of both of them. "Oooh, so that's why you're called Mamushi! It's a cute nickname! I'm not good with names so... you're Mamushi-_chan_!"

Kaidoh was shocked with Kiyone's reaction to reptiles. "I," –he was flushed red and confused since the girl surprised him by also taking a liking to reptiles.

Momoshiro knew that this was a good camera shot. "Wow, I've never seen you so flushed, Mamushi! This is good blackmail material!"

Kaidoh, furious at Momoshiro like always, grabbed the spiky haired dunk smash user by the collar. "Say that again, you black porcupine!"

"Ha," Kiyone tried to stifle her laughter while hiding her face.

The two second years stared at the sandy haired girl as she broke into a fit of laughter and all of a sudden, the two forgot what they were fighting about to begin with and soon began laughing with her. Hiyoshi gaped in awe and jealousy as he saw Kiyone get along with two morons (in his opinion) who were the worst of doubles partners (again, also in his opinion). "Kiyone… she's turning into a Seigaku person. Kiyone-chan never laughed like that before."

The queens of Hyotei were actually having a blast; Isane was very timid but Fuji was having fun poking at her while Mai was having her fun chatting with Kawamura also. Jirou stared at Kiyone for a few moments and then nodded off to sleep again but then again, he hid his jealousy pretty well since the teen was sleepy all the time. "Kiyo-chan…"

Despite the fierce rivalry, the teams got along pretty well seeing that Vera had not uttered a word against Ayane or anything. Fuuka and Shizuru didn't utter anything bad against one another and even had a calm conversation. While they were having dinner, the female acrobat of Seigaku, Midori piped up. "Hey, why don't we have a game?"

Fuuka agreed with her with a bright smile. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea! What do you think?"

Shizuru didn't know whether or not she should be terrified or happy. "Ah, I guess… it should help in a way."

Ayane punched her fist into the air. "Bring it on! Atobe, you're joining whether you like it or not."

Atobe, staring aghast at the first year, didn't know what to say. He knew that Ayane was the very playful type but the king of Hyotei never expected to play a child's game with Seigaku – to boot. Nevertheless, his pride forced him to play because backing out – was just going to make Ayane laugh at him even more than she already is. "Alright, what is this game that you're suggesting to ore-sama?"

"Simple," Vera had a glint in her eye, "we're going to do a bravery test!"

They all exchanged glances while Kikumaru laughed. "The only bravery test idea I got is drinking one of Inui's juices, nyah!"

Inui suddenly appeared behind Kikumaru. "Would you like to try some, Kikumaru?"

The red haired acrobat, jumping away in fright, latched on to his doubles partner right away. "Waaah," everyone could've sworn Oishi turn slightly blue, "save me from the evil juice, Oishi!"

Oishi pat Eiji on the head. "Eiji, don't just jump like that. I'm sure Inui doesn't plan to poison us right now."

Vera gave the group a huge grin. "Don't worry, I think I have something all planned out so, wait here and hold tight! Come with me, Kobayagi or do you want to see your _buchou _win?"

"It's going to be hard to scare _buchou_ witless you know," Ayane let out a sigh while following after the girl.

Kiyone clung on to Isane right away. "_Senpai_, what do you think they're going to do?"

"I just hope it isn't too bad," Isane let out a sigh in defeat.

Shizuru however was in no mood to be surprised by something like this. "I'm going to go take a walk for awhile, alright?"

Tezuka also mentioned to Fuji. "I'll be going somewhere for awhile."

"Saa~, don't do anything scrupulous," Fuji had a twinkle in his cerulean eyes.

Tezuka turned around and headed out the door, ignoring Fuji's mockery. The moment the two left the room, Oshitari however shifted uneasily while watching Shizuru and Tezuka leave the room together. His fist curled and turned visibly white; the kansai prodigy glared at the door way. "You wanna know something, Yuushi? If glaring was a super power, the door would have died by now." Gakuto peered over his doubles partner's shoulder.

Shishido was a little more expressive of his emotion. "He better not try anything funny…"

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"You didn't want to stay either didn't you?" Shizuru let a small laugh escape her.

Tezuka couldn't deny the fact either since it involved Inui's juice and that was one thing he wanted to avoid. "Ah," continuing to walk alongside the captain, Tezuka was still stuck trying to remember where and when Shizuru was seen. Recalling all his memories, Tezuka remembered not seeing her in one of his games or was it…?

No, there was something wrong.

Tezuka knew that she was someone very familiar but he couldn't nail it until, it hit him like a lightning bolt. That time during the junior tournaments, the Seigaku captain remembered challenging Sanada and saw someone peering from the barbed wires with a great huge smile that the captain couldn't forget.

That little girl and Shizuru looked like each other.

"How could I have been so forgetful?" Tezuka pinched the bridge of his nose, "she was there and…"

She gave you a good run for your money, Tezuka. Remember that?

Tezuka, realizing that she was the first girl he had considered 'amazing', quietly berated himself for being so careless. At first, the Seigaku captain had thought that young girl didn't know a thing or two about tennis until they started playing a game. When the two of them played, Tezuka then noticed the difference in style: while he played to win, Shizuru played because…the girl enjoyed it. Her eyes were sparkling like an excited child's when given a new toy. Not only that, the reason why Tezuka recalled that memory only now was because: the girl walking with him now was the same little girl who had made him laugh unconsciously. Everyone knows that Tezuka's a rock but no one knew that a very young Shizuru had made him laugh and smile, like a normal kid. "Kurenai-_san_, I remember now where I saw you."

Huh? Where did that come from? "You saw me somewhere?" Shizuru gave Tezuka a quizzical look.

"Do you remember…that junior tournament five years ago?" Tezuka didn't want to shock her.

Shizuru, recalling all her memories, then realized that she did face a bespectacled boy and the funny part was – the boy next to her now had grown into a captain she had admired greatly. "Yeah, I… went all out back then, didn't I? Or – am I just assuming things because I'm not very clear on memory."

Tezuka felt a chuckle bubble at his throat. "You did push me to a tie breaker."

However, that wasn't the problem; Tezuka had never realized it before but when the Seigaku captain saw her back then, the young girl was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The fact was – Tezuka got distracted and the boy got knocked in jaw by accident by one of Sanada's shots. "I never felt that way about a girl before… that was years ago."

But little did Tezuka realize that what he felt now was just the beginning.

"You're not the type to space out," Shizuru remarked while kicking a small pebble across.

Tezuka couldn't believe that he did and how fast her eyes were. "Ah."

Before one could say anything, Shizuru felt her phone vibrate. "Hm, I wonder who this could be… hello."

"_BUCHOU_, JERRARD-_SAN_, YAMAGUCHI-_SENPAI, _INUI _-SAN _AND TASHIKO_ -SAN_ ARE GIVING US EVIL JUICES AND A WEIRD GAME TO DO!" A very familiar vice captain screamed on the phone.

Shizuru however was not fazed by the loud screaming of Ayane on the phone. "Kobayagi-_san_, what exactly are they making you do?"

"They're making us go through this creepy set up of zombies and forcing us watch two horror movies: The Ring and Stephen King's It," Haruka this time was the one who shrieked on the phone.

Shizuru, letting out a sigh, turned to the Seigaku captain. "You have a team mate named Inui_-san_, am I right?"

Tezuka knew that whenever Inui's name was mentioned, it meant that the data master was trying out some weird juice again. "He's trying his juice on your team members?"

Shizuru let out a sigh. "It seems so. But, I thought they would be used to it by now."

"_BUCHOUUUUU/ SHIZU-NEEEE,_" Kiyone and Ayane shrieked at the same time on the cellphone so loud that Tezuka could hear it. "MAKE THEM STOP, PLEASE!"

Shizuru, slipping the phone back into her pocket, turned around sharply. "It looks like we better head back before the teams get into chaos."

"Ah," Tezuka felt a small smile forming at his face while they walked together back towards the area.

0000000000000000000

"_BUCHOU,_" Rin clung onto Shizuru right away, "Yamaguchi-_senpai_'s doing it again! Stop her!"

Shizuru walked over to Hitomi with a small smile. "I don't think we want a repeat of last year do we?"

Hitomi, feeling the seriousness in Shizuru's voice, didn't seem the least bit intimidated. "I made sure that they're edible."

Mai hid behind Shizuru right away. "Now it's the time for you to go through the bravery test!"

The brunette's auburn eyes flashed at the _tensai_. "You planned this all along."

"Really now," Mai had a cheeky grin like always, "don't worry. It's harmless; in fact, we haven't even started yet because the _senpai_ are waiting for Atobe to finish…what in the world?"

What they now saw was a huge horror movie set up or rather – a thriller movie set up right in front of them and Atobe closed his clam shelled phone. "Arn, ore-sama told you he could get things done easily. Now, we can begin the bravery test."

Ayane slapped her forehead. "You just had to blow everything out of proportion, didn't you!"

Haruka, pulling her fuming _kohai _away from the king, tried to make sure the vice captain didn't run wild. "Never mind, let's just try to figure out what the bravery test is all about."

"Alright, everyone knows that fear is our biggest opponent right?" Hitomi began scribbling down. "Therefore, Inui-_san_ and I have made a training menu which would help conquer all those fears without a problem. This training course consists of endurance, skill and power and another thing is – you have to go by pair. If one of you lets out the slightest scream – you will have no other choice but to drink our concoction."

Inui held up a beer glass which had neon green, neon yellow and neon pink separated by layers of oil with a business smile. "It's the called the Valour Juice 2.0, a new and improved version of Yamaguchi _-san_'s Valour Juice. This would help you conquer you fears as you enter the path. Now, you will each pick a number and those who have the same number will be partners. There will be eighteen pairs since all in all, we're thirty six."

Oishi stared at it for a moment. "I can't believe it, there it is again!"

Gakuto stared in shock as he saw the multiple layers. "I can't believe what the hell that is! How is it even possible to make a drink that deadly?"

"If you don't scream while doing the test," Hitomi had her business smile, "you wouldn't need to drink it. So, I suggest all of you get a piece of paper."

One by one, the people began pulling out numbers and Ayane gulped. "I'm number six. Please tell me number six is not Atobe Keigo or I so swear…!"

"I'm number six, I guess," Oishi took a look at his paper with a sigh.

Ayane had a bright grin on her face. "I'm sure we're going to be fine! Let's show them what vice captain's do best, Oishi-_san_!"

Oishi smiled brightly at the younger vice captain. "Yeah, say – who are you grouped with Eiji?"

However, Ayane didn't notice once again that Atobe was getting very jealous of the vice captain of Seigaku. No one else noticed the unbelievably cold aura emitting from the Hyotei king but those next to him kinda felt it even though they were a foot away. "Atobe, don't go on freezing the room. Who's your partner anyway?" Oshitari checked his paper. "Odd, yours doesn't have a number."

Atobe crumpled the paper in his bare hand. "Ore-sama will figure it out sooner or later. I just want to stew in my own juices for awhile."

Oshitari shrugged while taking a look at his paper. "So, is there any girl here who got a number fourteen on her paper?"

"Yeah," Momo walked up to the bespectacled kansai prodigy, "that would be me."

Oshitari let out a sigh. "Aww and I wanted to be paired up with Shizuru-chan."

"No way in the world am I letting you check my captain's legs," Momo glared at her classmate.

Eiji's eyes watered. "Mou~, I'm not with Oishi, nyah! Who's number five?"

"Crap, why am I your partner anyhow!" Gakuto stared aghast at the red haired acrobat of Seigaku.

Kikumaru pouted at Gakuto. "I didn't want to be yours either!"

Rin stared agape at her paper. "Please tell me that I got someone decent for number fifteen, _kuwee_."

"T-that w-would b-b-be me, Shi-Shimohi-_san_," a voice timidly called for the black haired acrobat and Rin saw a Seigaku regular walking towards her.

Rin stared her down for a moment. "You're not Ryuuzaki Sakuno are you?"

"Ah," the little girl began twiddling with her thumbs, "I'm Shibuya Rangiku, _yoroshiku_."

Rin messed up her hair. "I'm sure we'll be fine! Don't worry about it!"

However, at the back of Rin's mind, the black haired acrobat felt a powerful aura coming from the dainty girl. Rangiku, being a foot shorter than Rin who happened to be five four, had an innocent and a nervous smile on her face. "Is this girl whom they call … Seigaku's devil…? But – Shibuya looks like she's about to pee in her pants and run wild for the hills."

"_Buchou_, who did you get?" Ayane loomed behind the captain and saw a number sixteen on it. "Which one of you got the number sixteen?"

Shishido checked his paper and crumpled it with a scowl. "Damn, I wanted to go with her."

Fuji had a wide smile while he held up his paper. "Saa~, looks like I'm going to be with the most popular girl of Hyotei, ne?"

Shishido wanted to lunge at the smiling genius only to be held back by his doubles partner and Oshitari was pretty much heating up inside. Both of them knew how sadistic the boy was despite his smiling features and no way did the two want Shizuru to become contaminated with the sadism. "Shizuru-_chan_'s innocent and she's about to go sadist on me," Shishido grumbled while stuffing his hands in his pocket.

Shizuru tilted her head to the side. "Um…you didn't have to say that really."

Shishido, scowling at the _tensai_, turned away with a snort. "Who did you get, Ohtori?"

"I'm with Uchiha-_senpai_," Ohtori scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, at least you're with Hikifumi_-senpai_. She's hardly scared of anything! What about you, Nagisaki-san?"

Mai shrugged. "Well, someone tell me who number two is…"

Hiyoshi stared at her agape. "I'm with the cherry head?"

"Well, this should be fun to see you pee in your pants," Mai grinned evilly, causing Hiyoshi to slightly shudder

Vera shoved the paper into her pocket with an annoyed huff. "Hmph, I wanted to be with Tezuka-sama."

"Well," Kawamura was a little taken aback by this, seeing that he was the vice captain's partner.

Fuuka let out a small sigh. "Ah, looks like I'm your partner, Kaidoh-_kun._"

"Fsssh," Kaidoh however wasn't exactly ecstatic for the bravery test either.

Kiyone was scared to know who her partner was. "Hey, just want to know: who here is my partner? I'm number seven."

"I'm number seven! Wow, I didn't know it would be you, Kiyone-chan," Momoshiro had a cocky grin on his face.

Hiyoshi could have stared Momoshiro down if he weren't shorter than the black haired dunk smash specialist. Kiyone was laughing a lot for the very first time the Enbu apprentice had seen her and what infuriated him was the fact that it was that moron (in his opinion) that made her smile, not him. "Kiyone looks so sweet when she smiles. How come she doesn't do that all the time?"

Momoshiro slung his arm around Kiyone's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll be fine going through that right?"

Kiyone gave him a thumb up and a big smile. "Yeah, you bet!"

Shizuru glanced at the paper for a moment and gave a small smile to the _tensai_ of Seigaku. "I guess we'll be partners then. I hope you're not afraid of ghosts?"

Fuji had a broader smile. "Of course not, I'm more worried about you, Kurenai-san."

Tezuka didn't like the look on Fuji's face. Usually when the _tensai_ smiled like that, it meant that he was planning to scare Shizuru out of her wits. "Fuji…" His eyes stonily gazed at the _tensai_ who had a mischievous smile on. "Saa~, don't worry, Tezuka. I won't scare her. In fact – I think I might be able to drive her to you. What is your number anyway?"

"I don't have any," Tezuka scanned the paper; no number at all.

Atobe scowled at the paper. "Arn~, why doesn't ore-sama have a number?"

"That's because," Hitomi had an evil glint in her eye which was accompanied with a business smile. "Those without numbers have to play as ghosts. There are four people here who don't have numbers, may I see the hands?"

Echizen stared at his paper. "Eh, I don't have a number."

Sakuno trembled a little. "I don't have a number either… does this mean that I…?"

"You have to play a ghost," Inui finished scribbling on his notebook. "Ii data, there was a seventy percent chance that Ryuuzaki would end up as a ghost but there was a ninety five percent chance for both captains to end up as ghosts."

Momoshiro couldn't contain his laughter. "Wow, buchou ghosts! That's something you don't see everyday!"

Oshitari smirked. "Wow, I'm surprised. You were never good in being a ghost, Atobe. You love being noticed."

Atobe, being the king he was, never backed down from a challenge. "Are you saying _ore-sama _can't handle scaring you people?"

"Believe me," Oshitari's smirk grew even wider with his famous _kansai_ drawl, "you wouldn't even scare people since you want them to bask in your greatness."

That drew the line for Atobe. "Arn~, do you really doubt _ore-sama_ that much? If so, then be prepared to scream like little girls. _Ore-sama_ will make sure that you cry and scream like one too."

Momoshiro looked at his captain who had not changed his expression despite the news. "I think _buchou's_ scary as is."

Kaidoh knocked him on the head. "Shut up baka peach and start going through the course! Who's number one anyway?"

Inui held out a paper. "In this list are the pairs that will be going in: first pair is the Tashiko-Mouri pair."

Midori, the green haired acrobat of Seigaku along with her black haired doubles partner Mouri Enma, gave them a cheeky grin. "Don't worry about us; we'll blaze this test even before you know it!"

Having her black evenly cut bangs shielding her auburn eyes, Enma had a dull look on the face while walking past the other pairs. "This shouldn't be so scary."

Fuuka let out a sigh and Vera tapped her shoulder. "One thing that would probably scare Enma is a pink bunny."

"Yeah," the Seigaku captain watched her doubles pair going inside the pathway. "Enma's a Goth to the point that not even a vampire will scare her. Pink bunnies and fluffy clouds scare her."

Shaking her head, Vera watched Midori suddenly cling on to Enma until they heard a loud scream five minutes later. "ENMA, HOW CAN YOU STILL KEEP SMILING LIKE THAT! THE WOMAN'S HEAD JUST FELL OFF!"

Enma shrugged nonchalantly while she walked out. "It didn't matter; I thought it was cute."

Inui held a glass in front of her. "Drink up."

Midori stared in horror while Enma snatched the glass and gulped it down. Wiping her mouth, Enma didn't seem to react until she suddenly flopped down lifeless on the floor. Everyone stared at the fallen Goth girl while Midori was forced to drink the same thing only to find her body strewn all over the floor. "I'm not going to drink that," Ayane shuddered at the thought of drinking it.

All the female Seigaku regulars stared at Enma as if she had lost her mind while the second pair, the Hiyoshi-Nagisaki pair had to go in. Flipping her red locks away from her face, Nagisaki Mai gave him a very blank look. "So, are you coming with me or not, mushroom head?"

Hiyoshi just followed her in with his own blank look. "Gekokujou…"

Everyone had sweat drops as the two blank faced people entered the maze. The two didn't seem the least bit disturbed until Mai's face paled and Hiyoshi was by no means blank either; the two quickly dashed out in horror and Hitomi held a glass in front of them. "It's your turn."

Mai took the glass with a sigh. "I'd rather drink this than go through that again."

Hiyoshi, staring at the drink for a moment, gulped it down but the moment he even took a sip, the boy dropped the glass and fainted right there on the spot. Now, Kiyone was getting scared. "I don't want to drink that stuff… it looks poisonous."

"Don't worry about the obstacles too much; if you get scared you can always latch on to me," Momoshiro grinned while Kiyone slapped his hand away. "I'm gonna be fine, I think you'll be the one scared."

"Why I oughta," Momoshiro was about to start an argument until they found the third pair running out right away which was Ohtori and Isane.

Isane had an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry; I think we're going to end up drinking the juice because of me."

"It's alright," Ohtori shook his head though he was quite afraid of the juice as well, "I think I'll still be alive after the drink."

One by one, the pairs went down after entering the maze. Shishido was coughing and aiming for the toilet while Haruka tried to steady herself, Vera was coughing and hacking with Kawamura dropping on to the floor like a limp puppet, Kikumaru on the other hand was laughing at Gakuto. "Wow, I didn't know you scream like a girl, nyah!"

Gakuto didn't want to face Rin after all this. "S-shut up, you screamed louder than I did!"

Oshitari on the other hand walked out calmly while Momo was still shivering violently. "Tch, that was so shameful."

Watching them go through, Ayane clung on to Oishi. "I hope we don't end up drinking that juice."

"Yeah, neither do I," Oishi shuddered at the thought of drinking it.

However, the last pair left was now Fuji and Shizuru who were still pretty calm despite the commotion. "Well, it looks like we're the last one standing," Shizuru looked at the floor with a sigh.

Fuji shrugged. "Saa~, I always thought Inui's juices tasted delicious."

Upon entering, Shizuru's crimson eyes noticeably widened as ghosts started flying back and forth. Fuji pretended to keep on smiling but couldn't help but notice the female Hyotei captain's extremely pale face. She somewhat shivered before closing her eyes, mutely counting one to ten. He snickered slightly; Shizuru continued walking until something popped in front of her and cackled in her face, prompting to shove both her hands into her mouth to prevent any screaming. More bats flew as she immediately jumped and hid behind Fuji for a few moments. Seeing her predicament, she pushed herself away from the _tensai_. Fuji found himself suppressing his chuckle half the time.

"You're surprisingly easy to jump and scare," Fuji chuckled lightly.

"N-no I'm not," Shizuru disguised the quivering in her voice. "I just hate being taken by surprise."

Fuji, noticing a shift in the girl's expression, changed the subject. "Saa~, why don't we play a game while we're here?"

"Like what kind of game?" Shizuru was getting a little interested in the _tensai_'s idea.

Fuji had a wide smile on his face. "A game that needs you to guess whatever I'm thinking."

"Hm," Shizuru gave him a small smile, "alright, let's play."

Fuji looked at his watch. "The time starts, now."

"Is it human?" Shizuru began her questions.

"Yes." Fuji was having fun and noticing that Shizuru was now ignoring everything else around her.

"Hmmm, is the person within our age gap?"

"No," Fuji shook his head.

"So, the person would be definitely somebody I might not now but one of your family members knows right?"

Fuji was surprised by how fast her mind worked. "Hm, good call, Kurenai-san."

While walking, Shizuru and Fuji then noticed Inui holding a torch. "Inui-_san_," Shizuru shook her head in defeat. "Please forgive me for being so blunt but, I don't think Kiyone would be scared even if the torch were under your chin. She'd be laughing at you and be wondering what you're doing here."

"Hmm, according to my notes - you would have screamed around thirty minutes ago, Kurenai-_sa__n_," Inui began taking down notes.

Fuji smiled amusingly at Shizuru. "Yes but Shizuru seems to easily know how to redirect her attention fortunately."

"Data is barely consistent when predicting human behaviour, Inui-_san_," Shizuru shivered slightly, watching a pair of red eyes stare shiftily at her. "I'd like to finish this as soon as possible."

Fuji chuckled slightly. "Saa~, you sound like my best friend."

"Do I?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the blue eyed _tensai._ "I never realized that. I'm sorry, is it offending?"

Fuji shook his head before letting out a small smile. "No, it's not at all. In fact, it's very funny, really. The only difference is - he's not as afraid as the paranormal as you are."

Shizuru shuddered at the _tensai_'s slow smile. _I think it's because he has you to constantly scare him witless._

Inui handed them a map. "Good, you're the only two who have gone this far. Follow the map and retrieve the items listed down. Good luck."

Walking ahead and bidding good bye to Inui, the two continued on. "It looks like no one has ever reached Echizen and Ryuuzaki yet," Shizuru began looking at every crook and cranny nervously. "I wonder how they'll scare us."

Fuji opened his electrifying blue eyes. "Saa~, who knows? Maybe they're behind the tombstones or behind a tree."

All of a sudden, something dropped from the tree and hung in front of Shizuru with noticeably long pigtails. Although Shizuru did not scream, her initial reaction involved jumping back into fighting stance. Instead of the Hyotei captain screaming however, Sakuno shrieked which caused Shizuru to wince noticeably from the deafening volume. Fuji chuckled in amusement as Shizuru narrowed her eyes beadily. While the Hyotei captain was desperately trying to calm herself down, she shakily stabilized her stance.

"I-I," Shizuru swallowed hard. "I guess you must be Ryuuzaki Sakuno-_san_. I'm sorry if I tried to attack you..."

"E-eh, how did you know so fast?" Sakuno couldn't believe it despite all the make-up she had put on. "It's okay; no harm done."

Fuji on the other hand found Echizen sleeping on the job. "Echizen, you're sleeping in the job."

Startled, the freshman jolted up and found himself frightened by the _tensai_. "Fuji_-senpai_, what are you doing here?"

Fuji pointed at Shizuru before smiling slowly. "It seems that my partner has a bit of a _phobia_ for things that are paranormal and also who catch her off-guard. Although, she's tolerating it the best she can. I wonder for how long though."

"Just as expected, Fuji-_senpai_," Echizen shrugged nonchalantly. "You haven't seen _buchou_ yet?"

Fuji began looking around. "That's weird, I haven't seen him around. Maybe he's at the latter part of this course."

Walking away, Fuji and Shizuru continued to look around for the objects. "Saa~, Kurenai-_san_…"

"Please, call me Shizuru-chan," the younger captain noted immediately, "I'm not very fond of seniors calling me by my last name."

Fuji smiled broadly. "Alright, Shizuru-chan it is then. Tell me – are you not afraid of ghosts?"

"I am actually," Shizuru meekly admitted, "but because I have seen something worse than that – it's not that terrifying anymore."

"This girl is so different from the ones I've met," Fuji was baffled; no girl had acted like this or sounded like an honorific. Shizuru easily adapted to the scenery and ignored the flying bats, headless ghosts and howling laughter that rang throughout the hallway. "She's seen something much worse? Now, that's something I want to know."

However, before he could get to that, the _tensai_ saw very familiar heads peeking from behind the tombstones. "Ah yes," Fuji chuckled softly, "Tezuka, you may be a captain and very good in tennis but if I were your teacher in horror movie acting, your grade would have been an F minus by now."

Shizuru however didn't seem to notice that they were behind the tombstones and Fuji decided to poke her a little. "So, Kurenai-_san_, are you sure you don't mind me calling you Shizuru-_chan_?"

"I'm fine with it, Fuji_-san_," Shizuru nodded with a faint smile.

Fuji, noticing a shift in the air, knew that Tezuka was now listening in. This was just too good to know. "Saa~, tell me: do you have anyone in mind?"

That was totally unexpected for the younger Hyotei captain. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"What I'm trying to say is – do you like anyone?" Fuji this time had opened his cerulean blue eyes.

Shizuru, hesitating to answer, turned away from Fuji's electrifying gaze. "Well, there is one guy…"

"Oh, so who is this lucky guy?" Fuji knew that Tezuka too wanted to know the answer.

Shizuru looked up into the night sky. "Well, he's a really good tennis player. This guy inspired me to play better than I usually did and often times, his skills captivated me and his drive to win the Nationals was really something I looked up to. The thing is – the guy is so far away and unreachable…"

"Why do you say that, Shizuru_-chan_? You have the looks, the brains and pretty much some brawn so, why wouldn't he like you?" Fuji was able to narrow it down to several people.

"It's because," Shizuru hesitated for a moment, "he looks at character; not on physical attributes alone."

Fuji now felt the air freeze; he knew that Tezuka was hearing all this and what Shizuru had said narrowed it down. "So, there are only few people who are like that and Tezuka's one of them. If only I can get more info but first thing's first," Fuji turned to the younger captain, "Shizuru-_chan_, don't you feel cold in this weather?"

Shizuru rubbed her arms. "Well, it is cold but I'll be fine really."

Fuji then began wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay to feel weak once in awhile, Shizuru-_chan_. You don't need to be tough all the time you know…"

"Fuji," a stern voice came from the tombstones.

"Arn~, _ore-sama_ knew that grouping with this man was a bad idea," another very familiar voice came from behind.

Shizuru looked towards the tombstones with a faint smile. "Atobe-_senpai_, Tezuka-_san_, I forgot that you guys were the other pair of ghosts here in the maze. Though, Atobe-_senpai_ I think you're scary as you are really."

Stifling his laughter, Fuji looked at his watch. "Saa~, now we can get things without worrying so much, ne, Shizuru_-chan_?"

The younger Hyotei captain picked up one of the things they were looking for. "I think we're taking too long, we might as well find the last piece so we can head back."

However, Fuji's eyes focused on Tezuka's unnoticeable shift in expression. He knew that his captain had heard the entire conversation and was now pondering about it. "Tezuka, you knew her ever since we were elementary. You kept on telling me before that there was no way in the world that someone like her existed. If you continue to act the way you are now then definitely, she won't be able to understand you."

000000000000000000000000000

Returning back was the easiest part of the challenge and Echizen, Sakuno, Atobe and Tezuka were left with no choice but to drink the enhanced version of Hitomi's juice. "I-I-I um…" Sakuno stared at the juice that was smoking out of the small cup.

Echizen just gulped it down. "Che whatever, just drink it, Ryuuzaki."

Inui poured some of it in another bottle. "Those who were the ghosts must drink it out of this bottle I brought from the camp site."

Oishi stared at how big it was. "That's a one litre bottle are you sure that's okay?"

Ayane gave Atobe the drink. "Come on, drink up."

The fact that Ayane gave it to him, Atobe didn't seem to mind. It didn't seem to be so disgusting but the smell was putrid. "Maa~, what's so bad about this drink anyway?"

They watched Atobe drink it down and all stared, waiting to see if he would pass out. To Atobe however, it tasted like a mix of tofu, fish, salted eggs, cream and all sorts of things inside the drink. However, despite feeling a heavy desire to pass out, Atobe's pride wouldn't let him. "I am Atobe Keigo, _ore-sama_ will not fall prey to this stupid drink!"

The moment he downed the entire bottle, Atobe gave everyone a charmed smile, "_Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina!"_

Everyone stared aghast at Atobe. "Wow, he didn't pass out!"

"Whoa, I wonder what made him stay alive despite that."

Atobe this time threw a glance at the Seigaku captain who hadn't shifted in expression at all. "Let's see how you handle it, Tezuka."

Taking the bottle from a very reluctant Shizuru, Tezuka soon just downed the drink as if it was just normal water. Everyone couldn't believe that despite how disgusting the drink was, the bespectacled Seigaku captain maintained a straight face. Fuji however had a wide smile during the entire ordeal. "Fuji_-senpai_, why are you smiling like that?" Momoshiro couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by it.

"Saa~, don't worry, I just added a little something that will help him." Fuji's smile grew broader.

Inui rummaged through his notebook. "I also added herbs that would help Tezuka relax. Other than that – I didn't add anything else."

Echizen lowered his cap. "Hopefully, _buchou _doesn't find out what we put into it. What exactly did you put in it?"

Fuji opened his cerulean orbs with an evil smirk. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough."

After downing it, Tezuka just put it on the table. "There's training tomorrow at five thirty in the morning sharp."

Everyone stared at Tezuka with a defeated sigh. "Wow, looks like he didn't pass out."

"Maybe he's just got the discipline for it."

Vera twitched at Inui. "How could you poison Tezuka_-sama_ with that drink and not even care!"

"Don't worry," Inui checked his notebook again. "I made sure that it won't kill him."

Hitomi suddenly appeared behind Vera. "My drinks are safe, don't worry. My captain drinks it all the time and she's my guinea pig for these things."

"Waah, who the hell are you!" Vera leapt away from Hyotei's data girl.

Fuuka walked towards Shizuru. "I'm amazed that you got through the passage very well."

"Seeing something much more horrific is usually helpful," Shizuru offered a cheerful smile. "By the way, do you mind introducing some of the girls?"

Fuuka pointed at the blonde haired girl shrieking at Inui. "As you know – that's Jerrard Vera, my vice captain, I think you met her before but you just don't remember."

"She was Ferero-_senpai_'s opponent in the finals," Shizuru recalled the last match Uchiha Isane played doubles in, "then, there's Tashiko Midori am I right?"

"Yes," Fuuka pointed at the green haired girl, "she's our acrobat or, Rin's counter part while Enma seems to measure up to Haruka pretty well. Don't worry, you'll be seeing us in training tomorrow morning and I'm sure that Yamaguchi-_san_ can give you a full listing."

Turning around, Shizuru found Tezuka standing behind her. "Kurenai-_san,_ may I have a word with you?"

Shizuru didn't know what was going on. "Tezuka, are you alright? You look like you're about to pass out."

Without another word, Tezuka suddenly grabbed Shizuru by the sleeves and kissed her while everyone was still there. The whole room fell into a deep deathly silence as the stoic captain held the kiss longer than normal. The Hyotei captain found herself keeling over in shock but desperately tried to keep herself standing.

"Waaah, Tezuka-_sama_, what are you doing?" Vera was about to faint.

Fuuka's eyes widened while Oshitari's glare suddenly became colder than ever. "Tezuka_-san_, what are you doing!"

Fuji smiled as if he expected this. "Well, I didn't know that one whole bottle of margarita and vodka would make him go this wild."

"YOU PUT MARGARITA AND VODKA? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" All Seigaku regulars stared aghast at the plotting genius.

Oshitari started moving forward until Atobe motioned to Kabaji. "Better get him away before Oshitari blows a fuse."

Kabaji began walking towards Tezuka until the said captain stumbled back allowing Fuji to catch him while Shizuru fell to the floor in deep shock. Seigaku immediately tried waking up their unconscious captain while the Hyotei girls crowded around Shizuru. Mai immediately helped her up as the captain continued to stare aimlessly at the ground.

"_Buchou_, are you alright!" Ayane tried shaking Shizuru out of her daze.

"It was just the alcohol," Shizuru stood up quietly. "I want everyone on the courts tomorrow, five thirty! No exceptions!"

-That's Chapter 10! Hope you review! Sorry if it's a bit crappy.


	11. Data against Data

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 11 – Data against Data

Getting up slowly, Tezuka managed to clear his head after yesterday only to frown when the clock showed nine thirty. The Seigaku captain was sure that he had trained himself to wake up at five thirty but there was also a pounding headache that he had to worry about. Everything around him was at least a hundred times intensified and Tezuka couldn't even get his balance properly. Leaning against the wall for support, Tezuka found his way to the bathroom. "How long have I been out…?"

Quietly berating himself for being so careless, Tezuka took a quick shower which somewhat eased the headache. "How did I get to my room? I can only see fragments and images…"

After a five minute shower, Tezuka got his usual tennis clothes on and headed out towards the cafeteria. There, he saw Seigaku in one table while Hyotei in another. "Good morning."

Oishi looked a bit startled. "Oh Tezuka, are you okay now?"

Tezuka nodded stiffly while trying to reassert the fragments. "Ah, did anything happen?"

"W-well," Oishi couldn't lie to his own best friend; this was something Tezuka should be concerned about especially when the captain did it on random impulse. "Nothing happened, really but, maybe you should just get something to eat."

Tezuka knew that Oishi was trying to say something but was terrified. "Oishi, what happened yesterday?"

Before the vice captain could say anything, Kikumaru stood up. "I'll go get _buchou's_ breakfast!"

Momoshiro immediately followed the suit. "Don't go without me, Eiji-_senpai_! I'll go help you get it!"

Tezuka walked past the two panicking Seigaku regulars. "It's alright," –though the bespectacled captain noticed people giving him strange looks, "I can go get it myself."

Oishi, bitterly looking down, sighed in defeat. "Do you think Tezuka will remember what happened yesterday?"

Echizen shrugged nonchalantly. "We're doomed if _buchou_ does find out."

Fuji smiled mischievously while watching Tezuka stay completely clueless. "Somehow, I want to doubt that."

Inui began scribbling in his notebook. "There's a ninety percent chance that none of us will tell _buchou_ but a one hundred percent chance that someone from outside will be the one."

Kikumaru came back while clinging onto his doubles partner. "Nyah, it might be Gakuto! I gotta stop him-!"

Momoshiro punched his hand. "I bet it's gonna be Atobe. The guy would do anything to piss off _buchou_."

Echizen smirked at his panicking _senpai-tachi_. "I bet it's none of the above."

Fuji shrugged with his usual angelic smile. "I'd say it's one of the Hyotei female regulars. Do you think they're going to let Tezuka's little act slip especially the one who was affected was their captain?"

The regulars exchanged glances with one another. "No, I don't think so."

"Actually," Kawamura began distributing the sushi, "I think it would be more the vice captain that will say something. I mean – you could see how Kobayagi-_san_ is when she snaps at Atobe-_san_ every time."

Sparing a glance, the Seigaku regulars saw Ayane poking at Shizuru who seemed to be normal despite yesterday. "_Buchou_, did you sleep well? You look like nothing happened yesterday."

"I sleep better when my step mothers are not around," Shizuru admitted meekly, "often, waking up at three 'o clock in the morning is an absolute must."

Rin shuddered at the thought. "Yeesh, your family is married to a bunch of wacks who don't get life, _kuwee~_."

"I agree with Rin-_senpai_," Mai shoved more food in. "But, putting that aside – that incident yesterday, _buchou_ wasn't that your very first kiss?"

Shizuru blushed furiously but covered it up immediately. "Mai, please don't ask questions like that."

Rin grinned creepily at her captain. "Come on, _buchou_ was it really your first kiss?"

"Guys," Shizuru pinched the bridge of her nose, "the alcohol was the one that disrupted his brain. I'm sure that he doesn't remember and it's better off that way."

Ayane smirked when she saw Oshitari glaring at his food. "I don't think your _senpai_ is going to live it down, Kurenai-_buchou_."

Shizuru sighed at her bespectacled _senpai_. "I'll try talking to him. I'm sure Oshitari-_senpai_ will let go of the issue, somehow."

"I don't think it's just him." Ayane pointed at one half of the Silver Pair. "I think the other one's been scowling at the guy ever since."

Shizuru, sighing when she saw Shishido's scowling face, didn't want to bring up the topic anymore. "Guys, I think it's best that whatever happened in that room; stays in that room."

"Aww," Kiyone shoved a spoonful of vegetables into her mouth. "But that could've been Shizu-_nee_'s first kiss!"

The captain shook away the nagging feeling. "Getsugan, continue eating your food."

Ayane nudged the younger girl. "Yeah, don't talk with your mouth full."

Isane glancing at the Hyotei Regulars once in awhile tapped Shizuru on the hand. "Hey, do you think they're actually going to get revenge on Seigaku?"

"Get revenge on them for what?" Shizuru took a sip from her apple juice.

Hitomi brought out a calculator. "There's a ninety percent chance that Atobe will not let Oishi-_san_ live and neither will Oshitari be able to let Tezuka-_san_ go."

"I don't think Hiyoshi's going to like staying with them either," Momo forked another fish ball from her plate. "The Enbu guy looked like he wanted to stab Momoshiro and Kaidoh when Kiyo-chibi was talking to them. The place had just dropped several degrees because of all three of them."

Ayane folded her arms in annoyance. "What's the mole diva's problem this time?"

"He's jealous," Haruka shrugged while glancing at the Hyotei boys. "Atobe probably has feelings for you and won't admit it. His arrogance won't let him."

Ayane stared at one of the twin dragons incredulously. "Are you insane? What makes you think Atobe would like someone like me? That man's so self-absorbed he forgets who's who!"

Haruka had a wily smirk. "Face it; you two are dancing in circles. How long have you been yelling at each other anyway?"

Kiyone clapped her hands. "Yay, I'm gonna have a daddy after this!"

Ayane rolled her eyes. "Come on, this only started during elementary school!"

Hitomi counted with a business like smile. "So, it has been three years…"

Ayane, slamming the table, stormed off. "Shut up, I don't want to hear any of this!"

Shizuru shook her head, watching her vice captain storm off. "Guys, that was appalling. Couldn't you have toned it down a little?"

Kiyone wailed while flailing her arms in the air. "But it's true! Yane-_chan_ always fights with him and they've been quarreling like a..."

Haruka raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl. "You mean like a married couple?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kiyone grinned cheekily at the others until the _Shinigami_ picked up the spoon and shoved it into the smaller girl's mouth.

Momo shook her head while pointing at the smaller girl's plate. "You're the only one not done, start eating."

After breakfast, the teams went their separate ways. The Hyotei Girls stayed away from the guys as far as possible, not wanting a repeat from yesterday's incident. "Kobayagi, I think I have to add more weights so that your power will increase. You can't keep playing at the same power level every time."

Ayane, hauling over a few weights, strapped them on to her arms and legs. "Alright," –turning to the smaller girl, "get ready, Kiyone!"

The smaller girl whimpered. "I'm gonna die! You know – this won't look good on my obituary. Cause of death: being smashed by a tennis ball in the head."

"Stop making things sound so exaggerated," Ayane pouted at her doubles partner. "I won't kill you, you know."

Isane on the other hand began targeting the lines on the court. Each of her services made a mark on the line. "This is it – sniper mark!"

"Your accuracy has now increased by thirty five percent," Hitomi began scribbling. "At this rate, you'll be able to do your sniper serve with your eyes closed by the end of the month."

Momo fired another forehand towards Haruka. "Hit me with your best shot!"

Doing another Dragon's Tail, Haruka forced the Sanada female back. "Alright, don't expect me to go easy on you, Momo!"

Rin on the other hand was doing laps with Mai. "So, do you think _buchou_'s going to get affected by the kiss?"

"As far as I'm concerned," Mai continued to increase her pace while watching her captain request a match with Momo and Haruka as a doubles pair. "She's not going to be disturbed by it on the outside. But you know; it has always been complicated for _buchou_ to be a normal girl. With the way her step mothers treat her, Shizuru has learned to cloak her emotions so well that it's not easy to predict."

Rin nodded weakly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Say – you wanna have a match against Seigaku?"

"You're challenging the guys or the girls?" Mai raised an eyebrow.

Shrugging, the black haired acrobat increased her pace. "Well, Kiku-_chan_ sounded like he wanted a good match."

Mai, thinking about it for a moment, tried to assess the situation. If she got the Hyotei girls to play against the Seigaku girls, sure they would know what they're going against but it was most likely that the latters won't agree. If Hyotei girls played against the guys, what were the Hyotei male regulars going to think? It was hard juggling between the two; if things weren't much different between the two schools, Mai wouldn't have a hard time asking any of the schools to help train with them.

"Maybe we should ask the guys," Mai glanced at her teammates. "Who cares about what Atobe thinks?"

"No one," Rin laughed at Mai's concept. "Anyway, yay - I get to play with Kiku-_chan_! But, what about _buchou_?"

Mai nodded confidently. "I'm sure she won't let a little peck stop her from becoming the best player in Japan."

"You might want to rephrase that a little," Rin pointed at Shizuru who was a little more spaced out, "our captain looks like she's still stuck in that world."

Shizuru, sending a top spin back towards Momo, began to think about what had happened yesterday. Pressing her fingers on her lips, Shizuru felt her body tense up at the mere thought of it.

_Tennis games were more my thing but… why can't I keep calm anymore?_

"_Buchou,_ watch out!" Haruka fired another backhand towards her captain.

Slapping it flimsily, Shizuru was forced to bring herself to the net while Momo brought down her _Sui_ smash. "_Buchou_, I don't think you should be spacing out…!"

Shizuru, recalling some of the moves, threw herself back to deflect another smash again. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm getting a little distracted today."

Feeling the ball whiz past her, Haruka had to stop herself from trembling. "You know if you need to see a shrink, you can always come to us."

"I don't need a shrink," Shizuru's stated flatly. "I'm just fine thank you."

Ayane saw Shizuru go for a jump smash. "Do you think that Tezuka_-san_ will remember what he did to her that night?"

"It was just a simple kiss, Yane-Yane. I don't see the problem in that," Kiyone backhanded the ball towards the vice captain.

Ayane frowned at the smaller sandy haired girl. "Kiyo-chibi, I don't think you would say that if it was _buchou_'s first kiss."

"Wait," Kiyone's eyes widened, "you mean – Shizu-_nee_ got her first kiss stolen by Statue-_san_?"

Slapping her forehead, the vice captain let out a sigh. "Yeah but most likely, both of them would just pretend it never happened."

Isane sent down another hard service. "Well, maybe it's time that Shizuru_-chan_ learned a thing or two about guys."

"You're not the best person to ask, Isane-_senpai_," Ayane sighed in defeat.

Hitomi continued scribbling while placing a few things into a blender. "Mangoes have an excellent source of vitamin C… hm… I need something with L-Carnitine in it…"

The three girls stared at the manager as if she had grown three heads. Hitomi then began putting in not only mangoes but pineapples too. "Wow, for once, she's actually making something edible!"

"It's a miracle," Isane stared agape, "she's not going to poison us!"

Ayane looked up into the sky. "Hooray! I will make a generous offering to _kami-sama_ today!"

Kiyone whooped with joy. "Wow, _kami-sama_ must've made her change bodies with someone who's tasted worse!"

Hitomi, overhearing them, made sure she snuck in a couple of more things. "They also need some DHA in their minds so that they may play better."

While jogging, the black haired acrobat spotted Kikumaru and Gakuto getting into their petty rivalries again. "I am much better than you, Kikumaru! You can count on that!"

"That's where you're wrong, nyah," Kikumaru was about to grab hold of Gakuto's collar until Oishi restrained him.

Gakuto glared at the red haired acrobat even further. "I don't know what Shimohi sees in you even giving you the nickname 'Kiku-chan'! That's so disgusting! I swear –I'd rather have Ohtori date her! At least he has more sense in his head than you!"

Kikumaru knew where this was going. "Oooh~, Mukahi's in love with Rin-_chan_~!"

Gakuto, flushing as red as Kikumaru's hair, pulled a fist back. "You're asking for it, cat boy!"

Kikumaru glared at Gakuto. "Try me, nyah!"

Oishi tried to calm both acrobats. "Guys, don't make so much commotion here."

"Guys, that's enough!" Rin crushed the wiring on the fence.

An awkward silence filled the air while Rin was glaring at the two of them. "I gave him the nickname 'Kiku-chan' because I thought it was cute! As for you, you conceited coconut head, stay out of my life and business! Things I do are none of your damn business!"

Mai tugged Rin's regulars' jacket. "Shimohi_-senpai_, let's go. I don't think you should get involved in their testosterone fights anyway."

"To think I thought you've changed," Rin's fists clenched, turning visibly white. "Come on, Mai, we're leaving."

The red head obediently followed her _senpai_ leaving the two acrobats completely abashed. "Eiji, maybe you should explain it to Shimohi _-san_."

Kikumaru couldn't help but feel bad for Rin's outburst. The red haired acrobat didn't mean what he said; it was all because of Gakuto in his opinion which is why Rin was angry. "Nyah, wait up, Rin-_chan_!"

Watching Kikumaru run off, Gakuto couldn't help but feel bitter. Sure, it was often that he would fight with Rin but then again – the reason they became so bitter was because of Valentine's Day. He rejected her chocolates and even threw them away in a trash can which Ohtori recovered and returned it to him again.

"Man, I'm an idiot. What should I do now?"

0000000000000000000000000000

"Shimohi-_senpai_," Ayane watched her slam the wired gates, "are you alright? You're as red as a tomato! Are you getting a heat stroke?"

Rin grabbed her racquet and got unto the court. "Haru-_chan,_ please help me…"

Haruka knew what that statement meant. "I'll take it from here, guys. It's no big deal. I think Gakuto did something stupid again as always."

"Rin_-chan_, I'm so sorry, nyah~!" A loud voice wailed from behind.

Not having much time to react, Rin found herself glomped by Seigaku's acrobat. "Kiku-ch- I mean – Kikumaru-_san_, what are you doing here?"

Upon hearing the formality, the red head pouted. "Mou~, call me 'Kiku_-chan_' again, unyah~!"

Seeing his pouting face, Rin tried her best to withhold her tongue. "Ehh, you guys were acting like some guys on beer!"

Kikumaru didn't let go of Rin. "Please, nyah~!"

Mai shook her head. "Wow, this guy is really desperate."

Isane stopped her service for a moment. "Guys, what in the world is going on?"

"There's a ninety percent chance that Rin will forgive him even if he doesn't beg." Hitomi began scribbling down. "His kitty face always does the trick on people."

Hitomi was never wrong when it came to keeping track of people's behaviour; fair enough, Rin melted immediately. "Kiku-_chan_, you're unfair!"

Exchanging glances with Shizuru, Mai tapped Kikumaru on the shoulder. "Hey, do you think your captain would agree to training with us?"

Kikumaru recalled what had happened yesterday. "Are you sure your _buchou_ won't get funny flashbacks nyah?"

"Thank you for being concerned," Shizuru forced out a smile, "I'll be fine though."

Ayane saw Oishi coming in. "Eiji, you're not supposed to glomp people like that when you're apologizing!"

"It's okay," Rin waved her hands dismissively, "I'm fine with it, _kuwee_~."

Kikumaru yelped in surprised. "Wow, you have your own unique sound too?"

Nodding vigorously, Rin cheekily chirped. "That's right, _kuwee_~!"

"I thought she was pissed a moment ago," Kiyone whispered to her doubles partner.

Ayane nodded weakly. "Yeah, that's what I thought too."

Rin and Kikumaru got along famously while Haruka and Oishi began discussing on How to Handle Acrobats 101. Ayane on the other hand was trying to maintain the order of the place while Kikumaru excitedly called the other regulars over. "Wow, I didn't know you guys were the type to pick fights," Momoshiro yawned, "you sure you guys will be alright?"

Smirking arrogantly, Momo put her racquet on her shoulder. "You should watch who you're addressing, _baka momoshiri._"

Kaidoh began snickering while Momoshiro fumed up. "Hey, you watch it! I bet I can send you flying with my Jack Knife!"

"I'd like to see you try," Momo sneered at the black haired dunk smash user.

Fuji had his usual angelic smile. "Saa~, I didn't know you guys were this adventurous. So, how are we going to do this?"

Shizuru gave out the instructions. "The usual way we prepare: we discuss and then, those who are about to play: step on the court."

"_Mada mada dane, _Kurenai_," _Echizen tipped his cap up a little. "Think you can keep up?"

Shizuru didn't allow herself to be intimidated by him. "I'm sure I can. I pick up things very easily after all, Echizen-_san._"

So, the two teams split up while doing their assignments. "So, what are we starting with first? Singles Three or do we start off with Doubles Two?"

"I think we should have a new pair enter the court. Doubles Two: Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair, Doubles One: Kobayagi-Getsugan pair, Singles Three: Sanada, Singles Two: Nagisaki and I will take Singles One as always. Are there any objections?" Shizuru eyed her teammates. "I think you've been itching to play haven't you, Yamaguchi_-senpai_?"

The blonde girl tipped her glasses a little. "Indeed, this would be a nice opportunity to gather some data. After all, they are the ones who helped the girls' team become formidable."

"_Buchou_, are you sure Isane-_senpai_ can play? Remember what the Sunamyou girl did to her?" Ayane shuddered at the thought.

Isane waved her hands dismissively. "I'm fine! I just had a few bruises here and there! She did nothing special at all!"

Mai shook her head in disbelief. "Somehow, I want to doubt that. You still have difficulty in doing your Sniper Mark; I don't think it's a good idea…"

Rin jumped up and down like a child. "I can play in Isa-_chan_'s place!"

"Better yet," Shizuru began thinking things through, "if I remember right – Atobe-_senpai_ did mention that their _tensai_ is also a doubles player. So, the only one who could cut him off now would be either Mai or Momo_-senpai_. Other than that, there's also Kawamura-_san_ we have to be careful of. He hits harder than Kabaji_-kun_, or so they say…"

Ayane punched her fist into the air. "Leave that guy to me! His shots will be nothing after I'm through with him!"

"That's the problem: he can play singles and you can't," Shizuru put off bluntly. "I can handle his shots but I'll be flying back a few times. The thing is – who can handle Tezuka-_san_?"

Everyone became silent after that; Tezuka wasn't an ordinary player after all. If he could match up to Rikkai Dai's Sanada then, there was something that made him really powerful then. "Don't forget: we still have to worry about that Echizen brat. From what I remember, he plays either Singles Three or Singles One. There's a ninety five percent chance that Kawamura-_san_ will be in doubles. After all, they only have two doubles pair players: Oishi-Kikumaru or the 'Golden Pair' as dubbed and Fuji-Kawamura pair. I don't think they can afford to test a new one right now."

"Actually, that's what they want us to think." Mai looked at their hand gestures. "It looks like the other crazy data person's going to be playing this time."

Kiyone exchanged glances with Shizuru who had closed her eyes. "What now, _buchou_?"

"Yamaguchi-Hikifumi pair will be in Doubles Two," Shizuru bit into her lip, "every key combination I come up with is either too weak against Kawamura-_san_'s shots or will leave out Fuji-_san_. There's also Tezuka-_san_ but I have that base covered. I don't know who's going to handle Echizen but whoever it will be, play your heart out."

Momo shrugged. "I guess that will be me then. So, Mai-_chan_ will play Singles or what?"

"I think it's better if we stick to the Twin Dragon Pair and the Waltz Pair for doubles," Hitomi began assessing everything in a notebook. "If we take out Mai-_chan_ or Shizuru-_buchou_ from the Singles alley then, we would most likely lose in an instant. These guys are not the usual levels we play."

Shizuru shook her head. "No, stick to the roster I just gave: Doubles Two: Yamaguchi_-senpai_ and Uchiha-_senpai_, Doubles One: Kobayagi-Getsugan, Singles three: Momo -_senpai_, Singles two: Mai and Singles one is mine. We need to be more flexible when in case one member goes missing. Yamaguchi -_senpai_, what are our chances of winning?"

"Very low actually," Hitomi stared agape; no matter how many times she ran her calculation, same answer every time. "We have a forty percent chance rate against them. We usually stay at the nineties, _buchou._ So, are you sure we can take them?"

Shizuru curled her hand into a fist. "Well, just give it your all. We give them a fight that they will never forget."

On the other side, Seigaku were having a run down with their assignments to make sure they wouldn't forget anyone. "Saa~, so how will we do our groupings hm?"

Momoshiro glared at the other Momo. "Geez, that girl pisses me off! I want to take her down!"

Echizen popped open his Ponta. "I'm Singles Three."

There were no questions asked about Echizen's decision while Tezuka gave them their assignments. "Fuji, you're Singles Two."

The _tensai_ gave off his usual smile. "Of course, what about the doubles though?"

Oishi nodded. "Eiji and I will take Doubles One like always."

Kikumaru latched unto his doubles partner. "Nyah~, that's right, _aibou_!"

Inui exchanged glances with the Boomerang Snake user. "Kaidoh and I will take Doubles Two if, that's alright."

"It's best we try out different pairs," Tezuka began trying to anticipate what Shizuru's set up would be. "That way, we would be more flexible when the time calls for it."

Kawamura shrugged. "Well, I'll be reserve in this one then."

Momoshiro sulked a little. "Man, I wanted to take down that other girl!"

"You don't even know her name, Momo -_senpai_," Echizen snickered a little.

Momoshiro was ready to strangle Echizen for his cockiness. "Why I oughta…!"

Tezuka passed a stony gaze to the two. "Echizen, Momoshiro, enough."

"_Gomen_," the two stood away from each other.

Oishi looked at the Hyotei girls begin their plan. "They're a lot stronger than they look, Tezuka."

Tezuka, passing a fleeting glance, couldn't help but remember his game against the female captain. She was not your average player and Shizuru, if he remembered right could play on Souma Fuuka's level without breaking down as fast as anyone would. Their unofficial game awhile ago forced their limits out and it was a great way to test to see how far their game would last. Fair enough, it lasted more than two hours straight. Shizuru had something that made her spirit admirable and that's what made her teammates follow her without question. "_Yudan sezu ni ikou_, _minna_."

Going unto the court, the two teams managed to find an arbiter who was willing to umpire the match. "Doubles Two, report to the court! Doubles Two match between Seishun Gakuen's Inui-Kaidoh pair versus Hyotei's Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair, game start!"

Isane, standing meekly next to a business-like Hitomi, whimpered at the sight of Kaidoh. "He's scary…"

"Just maintain your cool, Isane-_chan_," Hitomi walked towards Inui with a handshake. "Let's make this a good game, hm?"

"Thirty percent," Inui stiffly shook her hand.

Hitomi had her usual business smile. "'Thirty percent chance that you will manage to win against us', was the thing you wanted to say right?"

Inui, stunned by Hitomi's quick assumption, turned away while leading Kaidoh towards the net line. "She seems to know a few things, Kaidoh."

"Fsssh," Kaidoh passed another glare to the shivering third year next to Hitomi.

Isane on the other hand clung onto Hitomi while hiding behind her. "That guy is scary; please don't put me on net line!"

"I'm not planning to, Isane-_chan_," Hitomi pat the lanky girl on the head, "though I wanted to face the data man on the baseline area, it's a better idea that you take the baseline for now."

Nodding uneasily, Isane wobbly took the baseline while Hitomi crouched at the net with a cold calculating stare. "Even a serpent has an algorithm that makes it predictable."

Kaidoh shivered at her intense gaze. "Kaidoh," the junior turned to his _senpai_, "don't get rattled."

Nodding, Kaidoh saw Inui's serve whiz past him and Isane return it with ease. Volleying it over the net, Kaidoh sent it between Hitomi's legs. "There was a ninety percent chance you would do that," the data girl smiled eerily while Isane began firing it right back at Inui.

The data man seeing how fast and dead on her calculations were countered with the same thing. "Attempt to cross court: eighty percent," Inui sent it back with a forehand.

Hitomi, knowing how well data tennis worked, already had found a plan to knock down Inui. "Isane, go for a linear pair!"

"Aw man, I'm not good in geometry," Isane fired it right down the line causing Kaidoh to bend down in order to get the ball.

Sensing a lob, Hitomi jumped into the air. "Possibility of a smash: one hundred percent."

The ball ascended into the air because of the snake's weak return. Hitomi slammed her racquet causing the smash to descend right in front of Kaidoh bouncing high up into the air and landing behind Inui on the baseline, "Love – fifteen!"

Kaidoh stared at the ball that was bouncing behind Inui. "_Senpai_, she got us. How did she…?"

Inui tilted his glasses up a little. "I know; it was all purely data, Kaidoh. Don't need to worry about it."

Hitomi turned to Isane with a business-like smile. "It seems like they're falling into it now. Don't pull up just yet, Isane-_chan._"

Nodding weakly, Isane moved towards the net while Inui this time began his service. To Isane, staring at a second year who hisses like a snake was not a good thing. She wanted to keep her cool but Kaidoh's stare intimidated her beyond everything else. "Hitomi-chan, please tell me that he's about to serve."

"There's a ninety percent chance that he's doing that to scare you," Hitomi ruefully looked at a shivering Isane. "You might have to stand there for awhile."

Isane stared aghast at the data girl. "Waaah, but this guy is so scary!"

Firing his service immediately, Inui sent his usual high speed serve right in the middle. "It's Inui-_senpai_'s Sonic Serve!" One of the trio exclaimed while staring in shock.

Hitomi had a pleasant smile on her face. "Hmmm, his Sonic Serve only clocks around 190 km/hr so, I don't think that should be a problem for me. This guy won't have enough time to recover at all."

Firing back a forehand cross court, Hitomi forgot to expect Kaidoh in the equation. Stretching far out, Kaidoh returned her forehand with his famous move. "Boomerang Snake," the trio jumped up all together again.

Hitomi cocked her head to the side after switching places. "You shouldn't worry about me so much. When it comes to baseline," Kaidoh's eyes widened when Isane returned his Snake with ease, "Isane-_chan_ has full mastery of that part of the court. People call her the 'baseline battler' or what we like to dub as the 'Sniper'."

Kaidoh gave Isane another forehand. "Fsssh, I'll break her defense then!"

If there was one thing Isane hated, it was having a repeat of her old games. "I won't let down my team, not the same way I let them down against Shitenhouji and Yugetsu Chuu!"

Another forehand flew cross court while Inui fired it back with a backhand. "Thirty percent chance of poach," the data man moved forward to counter Hitomi.

Hitomi deflected with her racquet. "Chance of him rushing to the net: ninety nine percent…!"

Soon, the two data masters broke out into a volley match. The speed of the volley increased continuously to the point the ball could no longer be seen. "Your speed has increased by thirty percent…"

"Your accuracy," Hitomi had a smile while she aimed a smash at his legs, "has decreased by 0.5 percent. Is something bothering you, Inui-_san_?"

Inui couldn't help but also be startled by her sharp eyes. For a girl, he had never met someone (asides from Yanagi) this keen on observation let alone someone who could point out smaller details in a matter of seconds, "Love –thirty!"

Fuji's eyes revealed a seam of cerulean. "This has never happened before. Inui being beaten by his own style of tennis and by a girl, that's pretty humiliating."

Kikumaru jumped onto Oishi's back. "Nyah~, that's true! Inui's always the one scaring us but now…"

"The one scared now," Momo had a very small smile, "is your data master right? Hitomi has always been known to do these kinds of things."

Another forehand shot flew past Kaidoh while Inui sent back an exploding backhand towards the baseliner. "Eighty percent chance for her to go linear…"

Isane, as expected, fired a linear shot heading towards Kaidoh. "Chance for Boomerang Snake: one hundred percent."

Kaidoh, firing a Boomerang Snake, lunged forward towards the net. "Fsssh…"

Hitomi drew back a little while watching the ball. "Chance of return…fifty percent…"

Clashing with the ball, Hitomi felt her racquet strings bend from the impact. "This ball seems a little heavy… perhaps…"

Before she could say anything else, her racquet flew out of her hand and nearly smacked Isane in the face, "Fifteen all!"

"Fsssh," Kaidoh took a breather while Inui picked up the ball again. "This is something new…"

Inui had an eerie smile. "Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair works well against control type pairs. Kaidoh, we have to switch strategy and don't use your Boomerang Snake as much."

Isane shivered at Inui's eerie smile. "Eep, Hitomi-_chan_, how can you not be freaked out by his smile?"

Hitomi turned to her with a business-like smile. "That's because I smile like that too."

Shivering again, Isane focused on the baseline at the other side. Now that they were switching strategy, the black haired female squinted a little while visualizing where she should target. Watching Kaidoh swing from side to side, Isane bounced a little while getting herself ready to receive Inui's service. "For Hyotei, all for one and one for all…"

Hearing his service crack of his racquet, Isane stepped back to backhand it back right onto the singles line. Kaidoh lunged for the ball and sent a short Snake towards Hitomi who returned it with a volley towards Inui. "Wow, these two are really giving_ Mamushi_ and Inui-_senpai_ a run for their money."

Echizen had a light smirk. "Well, it's their fault for underestimating them."

Fuji watched the ball fly back and forth. "Saa~, I think they're not their best weapons yet."

Kikumaru stared at the smiling genius. "What do you mean, Fujiko?"

"I think," Fuji looked at the four other girls on the bench, "the younger ones are the people we should be afraid of. The captain looks dainty but the two have a high level of respect for her and their vice captain doesn't look like small fry either. For all you know, their smallest could be exactly like Echizen."

Oishi found Mai leaning against the wall while chewing on an oatmeal bar. "The red haired girl doesn't look kind either. She has a dangerous aura around her, Fuji."

"Wait a minute," Kawamura pointed at Isane's wrists, "are those weights…she's wearing?"

Tezuka on the other hand could not peel his eyes off Shizuru who had a pleasant smile on her face. It was like she knew that Isane had experience in doubles while Kaidoh was almost a complete sucker in doubles play. Inui and Hitomi were more the playmakers of this match but Isane had synchronized almost immediately with Hitomi while Kaidoh still waited for Inui's orders. Watching the silver haired girl snatch another point from Kaidoh, Tezuka was left wondering. "How did she get that kind of information? How did she know that Inui and Kaidoh had never worked as a doubles pair before?"

"I don't think she knew," Fuji remarked offhandedly, "let's say that Isane and Hitomi might have experience as doubles players and partners. Other than that, Kurenai-_san_ wouldn't have known that Kaidoh and Inui never played doubles together."

Isane, jumping high into the air, sent another smash right in between Inui's legs, "Fifteen – forty!"

Kaidoh though a little startled, made his way towards the net line again. "I'm sorry, Inui-_senpai_."

"It's alright, Kaidoh," Inui had a smile, "the data has…"

Hitomi cut him off abruptly. "The data has been collected…wasn't it?"

Inui stared at her aghast while Hitomi brushed her hair back. "As data masters, we have to make sure we know how to make data and kill data. There is such a thing as false data am I right? A Q-Test is often used but in a tennis match, there is too much data and too many variables. But, knowing how to do confidence interval, that ability alone changes many things. "

Kaidoh didn't like the sound of Hitomi's voice. "Inui-_senpai_, is what she's saying true?"

"Kaidoh, it is true but," Inui tilted his glasses, "that doesn't mean that Yamaguchi Hitomi has the answers to everything."

Watching the next service, Hitomi darted towards the ball with a backhand. "It seems like you guys are going to get pummelled here. You didn't collect the correct data after all."

Inui didn't look intimidated but Kaidoh felt weird every time he came across the Hyotei senior. The girl's strikes were fast and accurate; it took almost all his stamina just to bend down and send it back. Then, Kaidoh only realized now what Hitomi had been doing in the first place. "Inui-_senpai_, she's forcing out all our…!"

"I know," The data man did another forehand towards Hitomi," when the ball is too low, I'll be the one to get it. We'll take turns; that should be able to conserve our stamina."

Hitomi nodded at Isane who swung her racquet with a powerful backhand which cracked right on the baseline. "Game, Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair: one game to love!"

Breathing heavily, Kaidoh put his racquet on his shoulder while Isane twirled her racquet a little. "Fsssh…"

Isane, terrified by snakes, ran towards Hitomi and hid behind her. "Hitomi-_chan_…"

"It's alright," Hitomi knew that the lanky girl was not very fond of reptiles or the sort. "He's only doing that because I'm about to make him piss in his pants."

Kaidoh glared at the Hyotei girl while Hitomi picked up the ball. "I believe it's my service now. Isane-_chan_, I know you hate the net…"

Isane waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, don't worry about me, Hitomi-_chan_! I'll be just…"

However, the lanky girl's thoughts changed when she saw Inui in front of her. "Waaah, Hitomi-_chan_, I'm sorry! I'm going to ask you to please hurry up!"

Hitomi's eyes squinted a little while seeing Kaidoh at the receiving area and Inui at the net. "Alright, I know what to do…"

Isane felt her body tremble but she understood why. "_Moujuu Aura_, you're activating it now?"

"These people," Hitomi hissed, "are pissing me off right now. Kaidoh Kaoru, he's someone you should watch out for Isane. Be careful of his Boomerang Snake."

Inui nodded to Kaidoh who took his place at the baseline and the service whizzed past him. "What in the world…?"

Momoshiro's eyes widened. "Did the ball just vanish for a moment?"

Fuji's eyes opened immediately. "It went by so fast that Kaidoh didn't have enough time to react."

Kikumaru rubbed his eyes. "I thought I saw a huge cannonball going at Kaidoh, nyah~!"

Inui managed to analyse it. "By serving it hard and also hitting it with the frame, your service's speed increased two fold and also with the _Moujuu Aura_, you make the shot a lot more unreturnable."

"Fast thinking," Hitomi had a business smile. "I guess you aren't called Seigaku's data man for nothing. But then again, Isane won't be easily intimidated by Kaidoh-_san _though she is most terrified by snakes. Preferably, I think you should give up because Isane hasn't started her service game yet. Once the service starts, I wish you good luck to both of you."

Inui didn't know why but Hitomi's service flew by and this time, he returned it with a forehand. "There is a ninety percent chance that her forehand shot will aim straight at Kaidoh," Inui smiled when it did exactly as he predicted.

Kaidoh did another Boomerang Snake while Isane easily returned it. With a small smile, Isane quickly returned the ball which dashed past Inui. Having no time to react, Inui was forced to lob in which Hitomi smashed it down but Kaidoh was far back enough to wait for the ball to return to waist level. Isane attacked the baseline again while Hitomi went for the net. "Wow, for a first time pair – they're not doing so badly," Mai watched the ball fly back and forth.

Ayane popped her knuckles. "Well, I wanna play soon! Yamaguchi-_senpai_ is taking forever!"

Kiyone jumped on Momo. "Mou~, when will Isa-Isa be done with these guys?"

"Actually," Haruka folded her arms, "she's taking forever. Come on, Hitomi, Isane, finish them off!"

Hitomi halted for a moment. "As much as I want to finish this quickly, it's going to be hard."

Isane looked at Kaidoh, who kept a serious face and looked like he wanted to kill her. "Hitomi-_chan_, please fire the next service when you're ready."

Firing another shot, Hitomi had an eerie glint in her eye. "I call this… the Ghastly Service…"

The moment the ball was about to come in contact with Inui's racquet, the ball disappeared but a large gust of wind swept past him and he later found the ball behind him, "Thirty – love!"

Kaidoh looked at his _senpai_. "We're not going to let them have another, right?"

"I already have a counter measure for it, Kaidoh," Inui tilted his glasses, "you have to be on the receiving end though. There will be a ninety nine percent chance of a return if you're the one receiving the service."

Kaidoh, walking towards the baseline, had no other choice but to trust his data obsessed partner. "Alright," Kaidoh lowered his stance while watching Hitomi bounce the ball.

"Because of an abrupt clip," Fuji watched Hitomi twist the ball into the air, "and a spinning ball, the service vanishes because of the high amount of force put into the ball. The speed and the spin also contribute to its fast travelling and also 'disappearance'."

Echizen lowered his cap with a smirk. "_Mada mada dane, _Yamaguchi-_san_…"

"It's just like _ochibi_ to figure out stuff like this," Kikumaru bounced over to the freshman and began hugging him. "He's so _kawaii~_."

Echizen began gasping for air. "Eiji-_senpai_, I… can't… breathe…!"

Oishi ran over to his doubles partner. "Eiji, don't choke Echizen like that!"

Tezuka on the other hand kept his eyes on the play. Hitomi was surpassing Inui as if she was always ten steps ahead of him. Kaidoh and Isane were only following orders but it was quite obvious to tell: the lanky girl had more experience than the junior and his Boomerang Snake didn't seem to intimidate her at all. The only thing that made the girl scared was his face which was perfectly normal for anyone. However, his mind was also focused on how not to prolong the game so badly because Shizuru wasn't exactly what you call easy. That game back at the courts made a few flashbacks and even that day before when Sanada lost to him.

**Flashback**

"Damn it," a younger Sanada slammed the ground with his fist. "H-how did you… you weren't even in the tournament!"

Ten year old Tezuka stood there with his expressionless face while walking away from the court. He just wanted to have a small game which turned into an intense match. "Sanada," a serene voice echoed from behind the fallen boy. "Stand up; you're going to get dirty."

Sanada turned around and found a younger Yukimura talking to him. "Who is this guy?"

The first runner-up didn't say anything until Yukimura pulled out his racquet. "For you to beat Sanada, that's quite a surprise. I hope you don't mind playing a game with me…"

Without any words, the two began an intense rally in the first round. "For him to match up to Yukimura," Sanada felt his heart drop, "this guy's no joke."

Yukimura fired another forehand aiming straight for Tezuka's left side until the boy fired it back with another forehand more powerful than the last. The exchanges between them were intense and Sanada could only gape at the powerful shots which would usually come from Middle School or even High School players. "This rally's been going on for five minutes now…"

Tezuka fired a forehand aiming straight for Yukimura's backhand. "Who are you…?"

"I'm Yukimura Seiichi," the boy responded with a pleasant smile. "I don't think I even know your name. Who are you?"

Hitting back with a powerful backhand, the bespectacled boy returned back to the baseline. "Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"You're interesting," Yukimura remarked offhandedly, "not many people can push me this far. Usually, they collapse and get traumatized for life."

Sanada watched the boy's expression remain unchanged. He couldn't believe that this was happening and it took him all his willpower to play against Yukimura. "Tezuka Kunimitsu, I wonder where he's from. He doesn't look like a Kanagawa Daiichi student; where's he from?"

Then, finally, Yukimura hit a cord ball which Tezuka wasn't fast enough to react to, "Fifteen – love…"

Tezuka was breathing heavily while Yukimura looked like he hasn't even broken a sweat. "You're not bad; not many people were able to rally with me for five minutes straight."

A ball landed inside of the tennis court all of a sudden making all three guys stare at it queerly. "Where did this come from?"

"I-I'm sorry," a small voice came from the corner.

The three boys found a short haired brunette twiddling with her thumbs. "I'm sorry if I disrupted anything…"

"You didn't," Yukimura had a pleasant smile, "don't worry, we won't bite. Sanada might though…"

Sanada shook his head at the bluenette. "Yukimura…"

Grabbing the ball immediately, the girl bowed repeatedly. "I'm sorry for disturbing anything…!"

"It's alright," Yukimura sighed; she was so polite and shy, "why don't you join us since you look very lonely? Tennis is meant for a lot of people anyway."

Inching towards them, the girl pulled out her racquet. "Is it okay, if I ask for a game?"

Yukimura motioned to Sanada. "Since Gen-_chan_ here doesn't have a partner, I don't see why you two shouldn't have a match. I have to continue mine with Tezuka-_kun_."

Nodding uneasily, Sanada grabbed his racquet and the smaller girl went to the other end of the court. "What's your name by the way?"

"K-Kurenai," the girl fumbled with her racquet, "Kurenai Shizuru…"

Sanada shook his head and began his service which happened to be a very strong one. However, unlike her usual shyness, the girl now had a faint smile on her face. "_Sayonara…_"

The ball deftly cracked off her racquet flying at least a quarter of an inch over the net and right in between Sanada's legs. "What in the world was…?"

Yukimura saw exactly what had happened. "Impressive…"

Tezuka remained silent but noticed a total shift in demeanor. "What did you say your name was?"

"Kurenai Shizuru," her auburn eyes had a different look to them now, "I'm sorry, did I hit it too low?"

Sanada now, was in no mood to get humiliated by two people in one day. First it was Tezuka Kunimitsu with a game of 6-0 and 6-1 and now this girl was making a fool out of him. "No, I think I'm the one slacking. Don't fall back… that was only a lucky shot."

Yukimura held back Sanada. "Wait, I want to see something. Tezuka-_kun_, why don't you play against Kurenai-_san_?"

Tezuka, taking Sanada's place, began his service hard. "Don't let your guard down…"

Shizuru's eyes were fast; by taking a step back, she gave him a top spin that was supposedly hard to do. "Wow, it actually returned to me," a faint smile appeared on her face.

Now this was getting serious, what kind of girl just shows up to formerly be a shy and timid girl to somehow become so powerful deep down? All three boys stared aghast at her for a moment while she began fixing her hair. "She's pretty interesting, don't you think, Gen-_chan_?"

Sanada and Tezuka exchanged glances for a moment when the bespectacled boy fired another service again. Shizuru backhanded it while Tezuka did a forehand while the girl was fast enough to top spin it across the net. "His shots are really heavy…"

Tezuka winced at her shots. "Her shots are really accurate; it's actually getting complicated to aim somewhere."

Yukimura nudged Sanada. "Do you want to know why I made her play against him?"

Sanada glanced at Yukimura whose serene smile disappeared. "It's because if Tezuka-_kun_, loses to Kurenai-_chan_ here and now – then, you won't be able to lift an arm or leg against her."

The game continued with Tezuka scoring another point by using a smash, "Fifteen-all!"

Seeing another forehand fly to the corner, Tezuka fired a powerful backhand towards her, "Thirty – Fifteen!"

Yukimura watched Shizuru sail into the air to do another smash. "What's your name by the way?"

"Tezuka Kunimitsu," the bespectacled boy squinted at the girl a little. "Why?"

Shizuru spun with a drop shot coming right in front of the net. "I know you're going to become a great player. You've got potential to beat those in Middle School."

Tezuka was not very used to getting compliments that specific from a girl. "Ah, thank you."

"Game, Tezuka: one game to love!" Shizuru stretched her arms a little. "You know – let's play until three games. I have a time limit out here."

Tezuka prepared himself to receive the serve. "Ah."

Shizuru's serve may have not been strong but it was fast. It would have passed Tezuka if he had not moved back quickly and backhanded it. Shizuru dashed towards one end and began attacking the corners accurately and Tezuka forced her towards the net. However, Shizuru, pretending to miss the ball, backhanded it to Tezuka's left side, "Fifteen – love!"

Tezuka did another forehand that slipped past her, "Fifteen all!"

Shizuru did a top spin shot that Tezuka couldn't reach again, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Tezuka on the other hand repaid her with a forehand top spin, "Thirty all!"

Sanada watched the game continue while trying to follow the ball. "These two are insane… I haven't seen anyone else play like this except Yukimura and myself…"

**Flashback End**

Tezuka recalled every point in that game. He remembered seeing that lanky shy girl with a red and black racquet whip Sanada's butt in an instant. She wasn't ordinary; he himself knew that but Tezuka didn't expect that she would enroll in Hyotei and steam roll every team that was put up against her. "Hitomi Yamaguchi," Inui began mumbling, "third year data master of Hyotei Gakuen. Also widely known as the Chemist and Manager of Hyotei's Team, you're in class 3-5 and your classmates are Taki Haginosuke and Atobe Keigo."

"So, you know some things about me," Hitomi smiled widely, "I'm sure you know that you're classmates with Kawamura Takashi and also, you're quite afraid of I don't know…_gokiburi_?"

Inui would have dropped his jaw if he weren't playing. "Now, that is simply absurd…"

Isane had a small smile on her face. "Well, there is a ninety percent chance that you're lying about that."

Kaidoh looked at Inui who stared at Isane for a moment. "Wait, I thought…"

Hitomi had a small smile. "Did you think that Isane's only ability is to do a very powerful service? You better rethink your assumptions and clarify your data because…"

From the silver haired lanky girl, Isane's form changed into Hitomi. "Well, now's the time to change that thirty percent to a hundred percent defeat for both of you."

Ayane's eyes widened. "I've never seen that before! What is that?"

"A new technique Isane-_senpai_ came up with when Ferero-_senpai_ was about to graduate," Shizuru watched Isane take the match into her own hands. "Ever since Ferero-_senpai_ left, Isane-_senpai_ knew about her low confidence and instead of boosting it, she learned how to bring people down. This is Isane's ability – the Illusion ability."

"This is no ordinary run the mill illusion," Fuji watched Isane completely take on Hitomi's form, "that's almost like copying the real thing."

Mai glanced at Shizuru. "But you told me that her illusion only works if…"

"If it's someone she has played against," Shizuru glanced at the court again, "she can turn into me, you or even Kobayagi. The people she's played against are the only images she can use."

Kiyone concluded. "That means she can turn into Sunamyou Shina?"

"Yes," Shizuru gripped her skirt tightly, "Isane-_senpai_'s ability is that of Niou but while he can copy anyone, hers is limited to those whom she's played against."

Inui had his usual smile. "I knew that she can do that. It's just that I never took it into account since her volleying skills leave much to be desired…"

Isane fired another baseline shot. "There was a ninety nine percent chance that you knew about it and took it to account, it's just that you never took it seriously and you're afraid to admit it."

Kaidoh fired another snake shot. "She's really becoming like her doubles partner!"

Isane rushing towards the net and knocking it down with one smash, proved to be a lot more lethal now. "Well, it took me time but… there is an eighty percent chance that your junior partner will be terrified by what I'm going to change into next."

Hitomi looked at Isane. "Isane, go slow on the transformation – it's going to exhaust you both ways…"

"I know," Isane put her racquet on her shoulder, "but I worked too hard for this, time to see what this illusion can really do."

"Game, Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair: two games to love!" The arbiter couldn't believe that Kaidoh and Inui were losing to them.

Kaidoh picked up the ball while Inui motioned to him. "Don't get too rattled, I know you're a little jittered by Uchiha Isane's optical illusions but push that to the back of your head."

Nodding, Kaidoh served again but this time – Isane changed into someone else. "Each path has its own way and this is my own…"

Shizuru froze at the sound of Isane's voice. "N-Naomi…_buchou_, is that you?"

Haruka rubbed her eyes. "I'm not seeing things, it is Naomi-_buchou_!"

Lowering her stance into that of a fencer, Isane taunted. "Come, Kaidoh…!"

Hitomi, while playing, continued to collect data. "Isane is one of the most unpredictable asides from Shizuru-_buchou_ and Mai-_chan_. She has progressed so much since her last year and has shown much promise. Isane might be able to match up to at least Seigaku's trickster as well…"

"Doubles has always been Isane's field," Momo smirked at the once lanky girl, "she's hopeless in Singles but in doubles – it's like she's in her own turf. Those two guys are done for."

Haruka leaned against the fence lazily. "They challenged the Illusion pair a little too early – a thousand years too early."

Rin jumped over the wired fence. "Do you think that Isane's going to become a better Singles player soon?"

"I think she will," Ayane had a bright smile, "it's not as if she's going to stay forever hung up on that loss against Yugetsu Chuu's Sunamyou Shina."

Kiyone punched the air. "Go, go, Isa-_senpai_!"

Isane fired another shot cross court towards Inui. "Don't fall back…!"

Kaidoh had never faced Naomi but now, everyone was starting to see first hand what the former captain of Hyotei could do. Shizuru remembered how powerful the captain used to be before Souma Fuuka came. Also, words from the former captain echoed in her mind.

"_Lead Hyotei to its true glory and do not forsake your teammates. You have the potential; you are queen of Hyotei."_

Shizuru could not forget her captain's words before she had graduated. So far, the current captain had led her team through the Tokyo Prefectural as if it were nothing and now, they were facing against people who earned Atobe's respect. "Inui_-san_ and Kaidoh-_san_, they're not bad for a makeshift doubles pair. Yamaguchi-_senpai_ and Uchiha-_senpai _are also makeshift but they've played a couple of rallies against each other. Still, it's amazing that a pair conjured only now can give Yamaguchi-_senpai_ and Uchiha-_senpai _a run for their money."

This time, Isane was high up in the air while she gave them a ground-breaking smash, "Love – fifteen!"

Hitomi this time poached at the net and got past Inui with a backhand volley, "Love – thirty!"

Kaidoh couldn't believe that these girls were playing this hard. Actually, he had played against the Seigaku girls once but none of them were even strong or confident enough to return his Boomerang Snake. Isane was probably the very first person to do so and Hitomi was the first one to contradict his _senpai_'s data, "Love – forty!" Another forehand zipped past him.

Momoshiro's jaw dropped. "I'll never let _Mamushi_ live it down! He's gonna get clobbered by a girl!"

The moment Kaidoh heard this; he let out a low hiss. "You're going down, _baka_ peach!"

Momoshiro nearly fell down in fits of laughter. "_Mamushi_'s gonna get beaten by a girl," he made a sing song out of it.

Kaidoh, out of pure frustration, fired a Boomerang Snake towards Isane and when the girl tried to block it, her racquet was knocked out of her hand. "Ouch, that hurt…"

Hitomi began memorizing data. "Kaidoh gets pissed off when he is near Momoshiro; his power also increases by ten percent in doing so."

"Really," Isane stared at her doubles partner, "is that even…?"

Hitomi explained to her partner. "Emotional outbursts have an effect on one's strength and mentality. It could either break them or make them. Though Isane, perhaps you should change into someone you haven't played against before…"

"I can't change into Momoshiro!" Isane gaped aghast.

Hitomi sighed. "I figured as much, you're a fast absorber but you can't change into those you haven't played against yet."

Another forehand flew past Inui, "Game, Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair: three games to love!"

Hitomi looked at the score board. "Prepare to lose this game – Isane's going to be serving."

Picking up the ball, Isane looked at the baseline and service box. "Here it comes…!"

With a well-placed mark, Isane fired it right on the middle of the service box, "Fifteen – love!"

Kaidoh stared at how accurate her shot was and this time, it was Inui's turn to receive. "Isane's accuracy is very well done and not to mention that her power is not average."

Isane fired another shot right at the sideline, "Thirty – love!"

Inui couldn't believe it; that girl was targeting the corners and Hitomi reasoned out. "You know – she's known as a 'Sniper' because of her ability to change and aim with excellent precision and speed."

In two services, Isane gained the next game easily. "Game, Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair: four games to love!"

Kaidoh and Inui went up to each other. "We need a better plan; these two know what we're going to do next."

"In all fairness," Kaidoh looked at the lanky girl transform back to her normal self, "that girl's actually scary all by herself."

Inui reassessed his data. "I've run down through all the data and figured out a counter strategy. We have to mentally break one of them."

"But how are we going to do that?" Kaidoh didn't know where this was getting to.

Inui looked at the other end of the court. "Let's start with…Yamaguchi Hitomi."

"You mean the curly haired blonde with glasses?" Kaidoh looked at her giving orders to Isane.

Inui nodded before returning to the front lines. "Let's go, Kaidoh."

Hitomi, standing at the net line while Isane was going to receive, noticed a shift in their strategy. Hitomi watched the rally between them but the moment she was about to volley, Inui this time was the one in front of her. "Hello, Yamaguchi-_san_."

Hitomi ignored the eerie smile. "Hello, Inui-_san_, ready to lose?"

However, that was not the case. "Ninety percent chance that you were going to say that."

"Hm, what are you…?" Before she could say anything, Inui volleyed right next to her ear causing her to keel back. "Wait, isn't that my…?"

"Fifteen – love," Inui had his usual creepy smile. "The Sonic Volley, am I right?"

Hitomi, not used to having her own attack done against her, nearly keeled over. "Hitomi," Isane caught her before she hit the floor.

Shizuru stood up while Ayane was about to rush to the court. "Kobayagi, please sit down."

"But, Yamaguchi-_senpai_," Ayane was silenced by her captain while taking her seat.

Hitomi shivered slightly. "But how… how did you…?"

"Data never lies," Inui slyly smirked at Hitomi. "I know all your moves, Yamaguchi Hitomi."

Isane saw the fear in the data girl's eyes. This was a first time for her and the only one who could volley as fast as she could was Getsugan Kiyone. "Hitomi, it's gonna be okay… you're going to be alright. He just happened to react like that on the spot."

Inui knew that he was about to break her. "Yes, I knew exactly how to do it. In fact, it's almost like Akutagawa Jirou's Magic Volley isn't it?"

Hitomi stared at the court for a moment while Isane pulled her away from the net. "Hitomi-_chan_, please listen to me…"

"He's right," Hitomi violently trembled for the first time, "this is the first time… that my own technique… it was used against me and…"

Isane, gently letting off Hitomi at the side, knew that she would be the receiver at this point. "It seems to me that you guys planned this from the start."

Inui walked towards the baseline while feeling a sudden drop in temperature. "I'm going to make you pay, four eyes." Isane walked towards the receiver's end.

Inui, knowing that she was afraid of the net, fired a weak service towards her. However, Isane, without thinking, charged the net and fired something new: the Boomerang Snake. "That's…"

Everyone stared in awe while Isane's emerald orbs flickered angrily. "You have some nerve to scare Hitomi-_chan_ like that."

Inui and Kaidoh didn't seem the least bit intimidated at first but soon, Isane's style developed drastically at that point. "I was saving this for the Seigaku girls but," her once black hair changed into brown, "you leave me no choice."

Ayane's eyes widened. "_Buchou_, she changed into…"

"She changed into Kurenai-_buchou_," Haruka stared aghast.

Isane (now Shizuru) had a faint smile on her face. "You see, my_ kohai_ is very good in breaking people even when she doesn't want it. But she and I have the same principle – hurt someone close to us and they pay double the damage they've done. So, come at me, Inui, Kaidoh!"

The two stared in awe while Fuji was even more amused. "Wow, she's played against her captain before."

"I may not be able to completely be her," Isane smiled bitterly, "but I can mimic her in a lot of things!"

Watching his service crack off, Isane reacted immediately and gave them less chance to move. Hitomi on the other hand was completely traumatized at one side of the court while Isane had to play Singles against two people on the rules of doubles. "Why? Why did this happen? I took account of the game in every step of the way and yet, I didn't even see this coming."

Inui burst one of his shots right behind Isane, "Thirty – love!"

Kaidoh out powered Isane with his Boomerang Snake, "Forty – love!"

Isane, controlling her breathing, turned to look at Hitomi who stared aimlessly at the sky. "Hitomi-_chan…_"

A cord ball got past Isane, scoring Kaidoh and Inui their first game. "Game, Inui-Kaidoh pair: one game to four!"

Fuji had his usual smile. "Now, the counter attack begins…"

Isane, despite knowing that she could not copy her _kohai_ in terms of skill, kept on playing. She remembered that Shizuru could take on a doubles pair solo but, it took a chunk out of her stamina. Despite copying her, Isane kept playing like she normally did but infusing some of her captain's style into it. Recalling all those practice rallies with her captain, Isane fired another forehand towards them only to see a cord ball once again land on her side, "Love – fifteen!"

Kaidoh fired another Boomerang Snake past Isane, "Love – thirty!"

Inui did another hard smash right in between Isane's legs, "Love – forty!"

Isane tried a drop shot only to have it rebound. "Game, Inui-Kaidoh: two games to four!"

Kiyone watched Isane play as Shizuru on the court. "This is terrible, Yamaguchi-_senpai_ is frozen!"

Haruka gripped the wired fence tightly. "Hitomi, get your butt up!"

Rin jumped up and down. "Come on; you can do it, _kuwee~_!"

Feeling the ball crack off her racquet, Isane knew she had to play and bide time. "I know you're shocked, Hitomi-_chan_. But, please understand that there are many other players who will do this too."

Hitomi on the other hand watched her partner taking a beating. They had taken two consecutive games from them already and now, Isane was taking a pounding. With Kaidoh serving, things got even more complicated because Isane could no longer feel her legs. "What am I supposed to do? They'll just keep using my own attacks against me and Isane's afraid of the net."

After several rallies consisting of Inui and Kaidoh scoring, Isane was forced to drop the third game. "Game, Inui-Kaidoh: three games to four!"

"Isane-_senpai_ knows what it's like to have her own technique used against her," Mai bit her lip, "I've seen Isane-_senpai_ fall and rise again. As far as I'm concerned, she's the one with the most experience."

Rin had a small smile. "Come on, Isane-_chan_, you can do it!"

Isane fired another shot back until she found a Boomerang Snake heading towards her again. "Darn, I won't be able to…!"

Then, there was a loud crack and the ball created a mark before embedding itself amongst the overgrowth on the wall. "Hi-Hitomi-_chan_, are you okay…?"

"I've had enough of this," a red aura enveloped the data master again, "Isane, change back to you. We're taking these guys out."

Mai whistled. "Whoops, someone woke up at the wrong side of the court today."

"They're dead," Ayane shook her head, "Yamaguchi-_senpai_, please don't kill them!"

Hitomi looked at Isane's tomato red face while glaring at the two. "It's payback time for you two. Sit this one out."

"No," Isane wiped the sweat pouring down her face, "It's okay, I'm alright..."

Beginning with her service, Hitomi did her Ghastly Serves to shock Kaidoh. "It's just one more game, Isane!"

"You bet," Isane fired a smash towards the data master.

Fuji eyed the two girls. "I didn't know Yamaguchi-_chan_ would recover this fast."

"I'd say," Kawamura watched Isane hit another forehand pile driver. "I've never seen girls play this hard before."

Tezuka watched Shizuru who nervously twitched at the sight of both of them. This match was at first a disaster for her team and then, it changed for the better. Hitomi and Isane progressed unbelievably fast and managed to knock down Kaidoh and Inui. Both doubles pairs were makeshifts and they were playing extremely well despite the conditions. "Not too bad, for Hyotei…"

Hitomi fired another forehand towards Kaidoh, "Love – fifteen!"

Kaidoh fired a Boomerang Snake which went out. "Out, love – thirty!"

Inui backhanded a shot past Isane, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Hitomi jumped up high into the air with a smash, "Fifteen – forty!"

"This is the last shot, Isane," Hitomi put her hands together, "jump as high as you can!"

Using Hitomi as a stepping stool, Isane jumped up with a backhand smash. "This is the end…!"

The smash came in between Kaidoh and Inui causing a loud explosion between the two. "Game and match, Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair: six games to three!"

-Sorry for the late update! I know this isn't one of my best chapters but please review!


	12. Prince versus Empress

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 12 – Prince versus Empress

Dragging Inui off the courts, Kaidoh let out a sighed, annoyed that they lost. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Oishi pat him on the back cheerfully, "we didn't expect that they could play like that either."

Fuji looked at Hitomi and Isane drag themselves to their captain. "Well, I wonder what the Hyotei captain has to say about all this."

At the other side, Hitomi lowered her head. "I'm sorry; this was the first time someone used my Sonic Volley against me. I thought that they wouldn't be able to…"

Shizuru shook her head. "It's alright; this only means that you still have to improve the consistency of your data. You did pretty well for a makeshift pair and the reason why we needed to win is because the Singles matches are going to get complicated. Judging them from this game only, I'd say the only thing we'd win is the Doubles and I have to pull out all the stops in Singles One."

Momo glanced at Seigaku. "Don't assume that just because they have lost Doubles Two doesn't mean they won't be able to drive us to the edge in the others."

"Yes," Shizuru glanced at Echizen, Fuji and Tezuka, "the three matchless stars of Seigaku will be playing in the Singles Division and knowing the captain's prerogative, he'd rather have Echizen in Singles Three to start it off with a clean sweep. Singles Two has always been the spot for the _tensai_ and Singles One belongs to the captains. There might be a chance that I might not be able to win."

Rin gaped at her. "Are you serious? You mean – Atobe wasn't lying about how…?"

"Tezuka's skill and strength as a player is beyond a normal middle schooler's. He's what they call a 'National-calibre Player' and despite his injury," Shizuru remembered him gripping his shoulder in their earlier match, "Tezuka can still give me a run for my money."

Mai gulped at the news. "Man, that's scary. Thank _kami-sama_ that I'm not playing against him."

Isane however was still occupied by the Doubles Match. "The first time my move used against me was in the Kantou Tournament Semi-finals, Ferero-_senpai_ played Singles until I recovered from shock. This time, Hitomi-_chan_ was the one who snapped first. Most players would be cruel but this is a little overboard."

Rin clucked her tongue. "Geez, guys are so testosterone driven but Gakuto's an exception."

"Duh," Haruka shook her head. "But why are you exempting Gakuto?"

Rin broke into a laughing fit. "That's because he's more girl than guy, _kuwee_!"

The mood lightened and the girls found themselves laughing about the guys.

"Mou I want to know something," Kiyone looked at the vice captain and the acrobat, "Are those blue and white people really that good? If coconut-_senpai_ growled properly, Yane-_chan -_they must be really strong! I wanna fight them!"

"We'll get out chance don't worry," Ayane pat the girl lightly on the head, "Besides, even I'm itching for a good match with them."

Crossing her legs, Shizuru looked at Echizen get a briefing from Tezuka. "Momo-_senpai_, be careful about Echizen. I heard that he might be able to match Sanada-_san_."

Momo's blood boiled at the word 'Sanada-_san_'. "I don't want excuses. His abilities are just exaggerated because of these rumours."

Hitomi quickly opened her notebook. "The data collected here proved to be more efficient than realized; their prowess as tennis players is quite astounding."

Rin jumped on Mai, causing the _tensai_ to nearly stumble. "Why didn't you put us in Doubles Two like always?"

"I wanted to see something," Shizuru motioned Momo to head for the court, "whether or not Hitomi still has her skills and Isane can still play Doubles. So, in case there's one out, we still have another pair for a fall back plan. In other words, I'm just covering all our bases."

Haruka handed Isane a towel. "Hold up, do you still remember the doubles pairing Naomi-_buchou_ gave us before she left?"

"Yes," Shizuru got her wallet while unfolding a piece of paper, "I wrote them all down but there's a slight flaw."

Haruka bit her lip. "Most of the partners were our _senpai_. Great, I remember who my partner was before Rin-_chan_; it was Osakada Yuri-_senpai _and Rin-_chan_ only came in the autumn break of the season. Most of the time, Yuri-_senpai_ was the one taking control of the game because of the Osakada Stadium technique. Whatever happens on the court, it will be countered or taken into account; as if Yuri-_senpai_ had Insight like Atobe. If she were still here, most of our opponents would be messed up." (A/N: She is not Tomoka's cousin.)

Shizuru couldn't help but smile; all those days before were a "six games to love" classic every time. Each match had resulted into either forfeit of the other side or basically – Hyotei trashed them so bad. The only one who put much of a challenge was Seigaku which was composed of Souma Fuuka and the _senpai-tachi_ before and that time was when Naomi lost badly to Seigaku's current captain. Shizuru remembered the intense training imposed on her by the team in order to create the 'perfect counterattack' against Souma Fuuka's jitters.

The acrobat gulped while recalling the training they had before."I guess you remembered how hard Ferero-_senpai_ and Kotetsu-_senpai_ pushed you, huh, _buchou_~?"

Shizuru glanced at Rin with a small smile. "Yeah, Naomi-_buchou_ trained with me intensely to the point we both couldn't walk."

"By the way," Ayane nudged Shizuru, "who were the players before us?"

Opening her wallet, the brunette handed her vice captain a picture. "All those people in that photo were the former Regulars of Hyotei."

Haruka laughed. "You still have that picture when we were at the beach?"

Shizuru shrugged. "It was memorable since Ferero-_senpai_ shoved a crab down Yamaguchi-_senpai_'s bathing suit."

Hitomi's glasses glinted evilly. "So much for having a kind _senpai_, I will rue that day_._"

Rin pointed to the girl locking a younger Haruka under the arm. "Hey, who's that?"

"That's," Haruka suddenly became silent after looking at it. "That's… _Midoriyama-senpai_, she was…."

Shizuru turned away. "That…was… Momo-_senpai_'s partner…"

Ayane noticed a shift in her _buchou_'s aura. "_Buchou_, where is she now?"

"She died," Momo walked towards the court, devoid of all emotion.

They snapped their head towards the violet haired Sanada. "She died of what?"

Momo lowered her body position to receive the serve. "None of your business," she glowered at Echizen who prepared his Twist Serve.

"Singles Three start, Seishun Gakuen's Echizen Ryoma versus Hyotei Gakuen's Sanada Momo! Game start, Echizen to serve!" The arbiter gave the signal.

Kiyone shivered at the intense glare. "_Buchou_, why did Momo-_senpai_ suddenly become so…so…?"

"She's been like that ever since Midoriyama-_senpai_ left," Haruka glanced at Momo for a moment. "They were really close and I don't know what else happened…"

Hitomi flipped open her notebook. "Midoriyama Nanako, formerly class 3-7 and a very well-respected Student Body Council member, she was one of the best Singles players in club asides from Naomi-_buchou_ and Kurenai-_buchou._ Nagisaki-_san_ at that time was a Doubles player or a Singles player but Midoriyama-_senpai_ is whom we called the 'doubles genius'."

Kiyone looked over Hitomi's shoulder. "Wow, Green-Mountain-_chan_ must've been really good!"

Mai remembered when she used to play Singles Three. "If you thought I was a genius then wait til you hear this: Midoriyama-_senpai_ used to play with closed eyes and sometimes, she would even listen to her iPod while playing. People would call Midoriyama-_senpai_ arrogant but many say that there was a reason. Do you remember the _Kurosakuraso_, the technique I used on Kabaji-_kun_?"

Ayane nodded stiffly. "Y-yeah, he managed to copy it."

"But by seeing it," Mai's fists curled up, "Midoriyama-_senpai_ didn't even hear or see the technique but she returned the shot and even used it against me. I felt so jealous that quitting the team was one of my options. But then before the semi-finals, something went wrong."

Rin's eyes watered. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ froze half-way during the game and Momo-_chin _was her partner that time. We didn't know why but, the doubles pair they were facing was made up of two powerhouses. The ball sped by so fast and it hit her squarely on the head. Of course, Momo got angry and plastered those guys in a Doubles to Singles match of 7-6 but that wasn't it."

Kiyone cocked her head to the side. "Then, what happened to her?"

"When Midoriyama-_senpai_ woke up, she became an entirely new person. She refused to hold a racquet," Isane remembered the time she nearly got throttled. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ tried to throttle me before because I was holding a tennis racquet. But, if you guys thought that was bad, wait til you hear the rest of the story."

Shizuru closed her eyes. "When Momo-_senpai_ tried to talk to her, Midoriyama-_senpai_ didn't know who she was but, her personality... became a little awkward. Momo couldn't understand but every time Midoriyama-_senpai_ looked at her, there was something implied."

Ayane covered her mouth. "S-she…?"

"To Momo-_senpai_, the Midoriyama-_senpai_ she once knew is dead and abandoned every connection between them." Shizuru watched Momo play coldly against Echizen, "her style now is not the real one. Her real style is not defensive play but I think Echizen-_san_ can bring it out."

Ayane then saw Momo drive a smash past Echizen. "Wait, so you put her in Singles Three on purpose…?"

Shizuru nodded with a rueful smile. "This was the only opportunity I could see because no opponent in any other team can drag out her style. Hiyoshi-_kun_ couldn't even bring out her fullest power. Sure, he made her bring out the OtoAobaSuiNadare but did you know that there were actually six?"

"So, what's the fifth and sixth?" Ayane peeked over Hitomi's shoulder.

Hitomi shook her head while closing her notebook sadly. "Unfortunately, only Midoriyama-_senpai_ knew those last two techniques. No one here has ever seen it, not even Kurenai-_buchou_."

"Wait," Mai nudged Shizuru, "do you remember which team we were playing against that day?"

Shizuru began thinking back until her eyes widened with shock. "It was Rikkai Daigaku that day."

Ayane gulped. "Please tell me that the _senpai_ who knocked out Midoriyama-_senpai _and made her cuckoo are no longer there."

Hitomi madly turned the pages in her notebook while trying to remain calm. "Good news and bad: only one of them is still here."

"Is it the same person who made her cuckoo?" Shizuru was praying it wasn't.

Hitomi remained silent.

"I was afraid of that," the brunette bit into her thumbnail. "If Momo-_senpai_ figures out that she's still here, that girl's good as dead."

Momo unfortunately heard Hitomi say that the same person was here. "That girl," the female Sanada gripped her racquet tightly, "I HATE HER!"

With overwhelming strength, Momo made her smash knock Echizen's racquet off and sent the boy spiralling towards the floor. "Echizen," Oishi panicked.

Fuji gripped the fence tightly while Momoshiro and Kaidoh were ready to pummel Momo first thing they do when on the court. "Sanada Momo, huh…. I'll remember her face…"

"Maa~, is that all you got?" Echizen straightened up with a cocky smirk. "I didn't know that you sucked that bad."

Momo maintained her cool despite the insult. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Really now," Echizen tipped his cap again, "are you the sister of Sanada from Rikkai Dai?"

Momo curled her fists until they were visibly white. "Must everyone believe that I'm his sister when its obvious that we are not siblings?"

"Oh right," Echizen was going to keep doing this, "so, I guess you're his cousin?"

That infuriated Momo even more. The Hyotei team knew about their argument and often times, Momo was the one blamed for everything. It was gender discrimination after all; whatever Sanada did wrong they ignored and whatever she did wrong, was taken into account every time. Seeing another serve coming from Echizen, Momo was ready to blast him even farther than last time.

Shizuru stood up. "Momo-_senpai_, please refrain from using violence on the court."

Momo's fury mellowed. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

Kiyone stared at her captain. "How was she able to calm down Momo-_senpai_ like that without even getting intimidated?"

"It's a matter of respect," Shizuru rebuked the younger girl. "In Hyotei, you gain respect through skill and that's why it works that way."

Ayane fearfully watched Momo return Echizen's serve again effortlessly. "Momo-_senpai_, I hope she doesn't kill anyone."

"She won't," Haruka nodded with an assuring smile, "despite the fact she hates the traditions, the code still sticks. Momo-_chan_ will not kill anybody."

Echizen backhanded the ball to her. "You're pretty unstable."

Momo gave him a top spin forehand. "Why don't you keep your head in the game instead, boy?"

Sliding on the ground, Echizen had a cocky smirk. "You should too."

Kikumaru jumped onto Oishi. "Hoi nyah~, that's the Drive B!"

Kachiro, Horio and Katsuo punched the air with a chorus. "He's got her!"

Momo, narrowing her eyes, dashed towards the net. "With your ability, I highly doubt it would make me even sweat."

Echizen all of a sudden found Momo smirking in front of him. "Is this the power of your fang?"

Momo, reflecting the power of the Drive B, made the ball smack the top of the net and fall in front of Echizen, "Love – forty!"

Fuji couldn't believe what he was seeing. "This girl is making Echizen run for it. Not many people have that kind of gift."

Echizen lowered his cap and walked towards the baseline. "Che, I'll win anyway."

"Do not think so highly of yourself Echizen," Momo glared icily. "Never underestimate a girl let alone someone who could keep at par with Nationals-calibre player."

Echizen began his service again with Momo closing her eyes. "Burst like the sound…"

"Here it comes," Hitomi tilted her glasses, "the _Oto_."

Swinging it quickly at accurately, Momo fired it right next to Echizen's ear causing an incessant ringing.

"Ugh," Echizen tried his best to keep his body stable.

"_Ochibi_," Kikumaru jumped from his place.

Shizuru stood up and went towards Momo. "Momo-_senpai_," the brunette's auburn eyes met the Sanada's jet black ones. "That's enough; tennis is not a tool to destroy people."

"I have no interest to what is right or what is wrong," Momo turned away from her captain. "All that matters is that I win this match as a Hyotei regular."

Shizuru, slightly twitching, restrained her anger. "If you continue this kind of violence, I will make you forfeit the match."

Momo, gripping her racquet tightly, returned the baseline. "You have your opinion and I have mine."

Echizen on the other hand was tapping his foot. "Maa~, what's taking you so long?"

"I'm sorry," Momo began bouncing the ball. "I didn't know big bugs were that desperate to die."

Hitomi shook her head. "Momo's completely unstable; we shouldn't have brought out the picture."

Haruka saw Momo's shots becoming heavier and more direct. "That Echizen kid better stay behind the baseline if he doesn't want to lose his arm or wrist."

Echizen fired another shot but Momo jumped into the air. "Uncontained like water…"

A heavy smash cracked off her racquet and blasted Echizen towards the wall due to the impact. "Game, Sanada: one game to love!"

Echizen snorted while handing the ball to Momo. "Alright, I'll wait for your service then."

"I'll end this game," Momo muttered, "in ten minutes."

Echizen shrugged. "Good luck then."

Tossing the ball into the air, Momo had a hard service aiming at the middle. "Come at me, Echizen!"

Without wasting any time, Echizen dashed down and pulled out another technique.

The trio hugged each other, screaming in unison. "Waah, Drive A!"

Momo rushed forward again. "Since you have shown most of your abilities, I should show you mine as well… Smash like an avalanche…"

The moment the ball left her racquet, multiples struck the other side creating a black dot right in between Echizen's legs, "Fifteen – love!"

Echizen scored another Drive B on Momo's left side, "Fifteen – all!"

Momo did a backhand smash, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Echizen backhanded the ball right on Momo's right side, "Thirty all!"

Momo, smirking at the first year, dashed towards the net. "Be proud, as someone who, after going against me – can still stand."

"You think too highly of yourself," Echizen winced; a little irritated. "Besides, we're in a tie."

Momo shrugged it off while firing the _Sui_ right at Echizen. "So? I can easily remedy that."

Realizing it was too strong, Echizen backed down immediately causing a loud explosion on the court, "Forty – thirty!"

Kikumaru bit his nails. "_Ochibi_'s really having the time of his life down there, nyah!"

Echizen fired another forehand only to face the _Oto_ again. "Game, Sanada: two games to love!"

Shaking his head, Echizen tried his best to regain his senses. "Ouch, you're pretty violent. _Mada Mada Dane_, Sanada," he smirked at her again.

Momo gripped her racquet tightly to the point her hand bled. "Shall I show you your place? You of all people should know where you stand."

Bouncing the ball, Echizen had a smirk; this time he wasn't going to hold back, "_Mada Mada Dane_, Sa-na-da."

Grimacing at the junior, Momo fired a heavier forehand towards him. "You better know what you're saying unless you want to die."

Echizen smirked at her. "Too bad, I do know what I'm saying…"

The ball zipped past Momo and landed exactly on the baseline, "Fifteen – love!"

Fuji smiled innocently. "Here comes Echizen's comeback."

Momo, instead of getting shocked, started laughing softly which soon became maniacal. "You're a fraud, boy! You're a hundred years too early to beat me!"

Ayane clung on to Kiyone and vice versa. "What's happening to Momo-_senpai_?"

Her jet black eyes became bloodshot red. "I'll tear your confidence off piece by piece!"

Hitomi began scribbling on the paper. "Under a heavy degree of emotion, Sanada and Sunamyou have the same ability: Bloodshot mode."

Shizuru stood up. "_Senpai_, this has to stop. Echizen-_san_ is not a dart board and neither is tennis supposed to be a weapon."

"You don't get it don't you?" Momo turned to her brunette captain. "This little brat needs to be taught his place here. I think the stronger ones should know how to put them in their place!"

Haruka shook her head. "This isn't Momo talking anymore; it's as if… something else just decided to inhabit her body…"

Rin clung on to her doubles partner. "This is too much… do you think we should stop her…?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Hitomi motioned to Shizuru not to move. "She needs to work it out of her system. Besides, these are one of the very few chances Momo may have."

Echizen fired another Twist Serve which Momo tried her best to return, "Thirty – love!"

Echizen raised an eyebrow at the Bloodshot Momo. "Maa~, so what's all this big talk?"

Momo devilishly grinned at the junior. "I don't need your cockiness right now, boy. Just serve already so I can pummel your face in!"

Echizen stood up to the challenge. "Bring it on, Sanada."

Returning the Twist Serve, Momo rushed towards the net and began using the _Sui_ consecutively. "Try and block these!"

Echizen returned to the baseline to weaken the smashes. "Sure, like I'm very amused."

That infuriated the girl even more. "If you think that's everything, you're wrong!"

Momo fired something new: with complete accuracy, multiple tennis balls appeared and whizzed past Echizen's ear, causing the boy to keel over in shock. "Ugh…"

"Echizen," Fuji was gripping the fence tighter than before.

Momoshiro rolled up his sleeves. "That's it! That Sanada girl is going to get it!"

Kaidoh gave his usual hiss while Oishi broke into a wild panic. "Oh no, don't you think we should stop this, Tezuka?"

The bespectacled captain was already one step ahead. "Echizen…"

"_Yadda_," Echizen stood up while dusting himself. "I'm not going to get off this court."

Tezuka resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Echizen. "Ten minutes, Echizen…"

"I know," Echizen had his usual cocky smirk. "I'm going to finish this in half the time."

Momo sneered at the younger boy. "Really, I'd like to see that, boy."

The rally ensued with Echizen's serve and Momo fired back the _Oto _but this time, the freshman was fast enough to move away from the shot and return it, "Forty – fifteen!"

Momo fired a backhand smash towards him, "Forty – thirty!"

Echizen smirked while doing a cord smash, "_Mada mada Dane, _Sanada."

"Game, Echizen: two games all!"

Momo felt the warm blood ooze out of her hand while glaring at Echizen. "You have some nerve, brat."

"You've been calling me 'brat' but you lost the last two games," Echizen pointed out cockily.

Momo, biting into her lip hard, stood up and grabbed the tennis ball from the junior. "You better watch what you're saying, brat! I'm going to make you whine so bad, that it will imprint on your memory!"

Watching the ball crack off her racquet, Momo knew what was going on. Tears appeared in her eyes while playing against Echizen.

_Why am I feeling this way? Why? Midoriyama-senpai, why? Why did you leave me in Hyotei all alone? Where did you go? Was I that unimportant… to you?_

Shizuru noticed the anger in Momo's eyes. Anger was something that the _senpai_ was not very good dealing with; she knew that Momo saw herself in Echizen but didn't understand how. "_Senpai_, I know you're very close to Midoriyama-_senpai_ but please do not release all your anger on Echizen."

Ayane gripped her skirt tightly. "_Buchou_, will she kill the guy? I think we should get her off the court before…"

"Nagisaki," Shizuru cut off the vice captain while standing up, "watch over the team for awhile."

When Shizuru used her last name, Mai knew that she was dead end serious and up to something. "I don't know what you're going to do but hopefully, you'll come back in one piece."

Momo ignored everything else while pushing Echizen to his limit. This kid was really something and somehow every time a shot cracked off his racquet, she saw something that had been buried long ago.

_Why am I… facing…myself?_

Instead of seeing Echizen, she saw a teary eyed first year version of herself. "Midoriyama-_senpai_, where are you?"

Momo drew back in horror. "W-what in the world is going on?"

The first year Sanada Momo continued to sob. ""I was extremely disappointed in you! I hated you! I cursed you...!"

Momo winced at the sight. "Oh my God, what is this!"

The girl screamed louder with her jet black eyes revealing bloodshot ones instead. "I swore to bury my past and you with my own hands! Then to make sure I defeat you, I struggled... gained strength... I will never forgive you, Nanako-_senpai_! For betraying my respect and trust I will never forgive you! Why... Why... Why didn't you take me with you Nanako-_senpai_?"

Momo knew this was going too far; this had stop. "I've been clinging on to my _senpai_ for so long. Yes, she was amazing, she was terrifyingly strong and beautiful. I admired her greatly to the point of worship but that is the past and all I have done is bring it on like a burden. I cannot expect my teammates to forgive me this easily after all the trouble I've put them through. This is where it begins – live and struggle...!"

Her eyes changed back to their normal colour while her shots became more precise, landing right next to Echizen. "Smash like an avalanche, _Nadare_!"

"Thirty – love!" Everyone stared in awe in Momo's sudden revert back to normal.

Hitomi scribbled frantically. "Momo has overcome her most annoying barrier: staying close to Midoriyama-_senpai_."

"Momo-_chan_," Haruka tried to approach her.

Smirking, Momo pointed her racquet at Echizen. "Shall we continue our dance, Echizen?"

Echizen stared at her agape. "Weren't you crazy a few minutes ago?"

Momo let out a small chuckle. "It seems I made a big spectacle a few moments ago. By the way, where did Shizuru go?"

"She went off to deal with something," Mai folded her arms, smiling. "Don't worry, just keep playing."

Shizuru ran towards the other courts. "If there's one person I know who has it, it's Atobe-_senpai_."

Few minutes later, she found Atobe managing matches between the regulars and issuing laps. "Atobe-_senpai_," she slammed the wired door open.

Oshitari shot up right away. "Shizuru, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You better give _ore-sama _good reason why you just barged in," Atobe ran his fingers through his hair.

Shizuru sighed while ignoring his pronoun. "We're having practice matches," she pulled out a picture, "Atobe-_senpai_, do you still have the numbers of all our former _senpai_?"

Atobe grabbed the picture from her. "You're wondering about Kotetsu and the others?"

"It's something I need to know about Midoriyama-_senpai_," Shizuru wanted to get straight to the point, "Atobe-_senpai_, please. I need info about her and all the other _senpai_."

Atobe turned away. "Go ask Yamaguchi."

"She can't find them either, we've both tried!" Shizuru rubbed her temples. "Please, things are getting more complicated as is…"

Atobe rolled his eyes. "It's about Sanada again, isn't it?"

Shizuru didn't know how to explain it. "She suddenly started getting emotional attacks and now, all her anger is going off at the wrong person."

Atobe shrugged. "Good luck to that person."

"That person happens to be your rival," Shizuru knew this would make Atobe cooperate. "Someone named Echizen Ryoma, if I remember right."

As expected, Atobe's eyes widened. "You squared off Echizen with Sanada? Are you out of your mind?"

"He's playing Singles Three like she is," Shizuru remained calm despite everything, "but, there's something about Midoriyama-_senpai_ that's bothering her. Do you have any of her Middle School data left with you?"

Oshitari thought back. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ was the 'Doubles Genius' right?"

"Right," Shizuru nodded vigorously, "Momo-_senpai_ started getting all pissed off and then, she went Bloodshot Mode."

Gakuto fired another forehand at Hiyoshi. "She went dyke…"

"Huh?"

Shishido cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, Midoriyama-_senpai_ went dyke after the semi-finals. That's what made Sanada panic in the first place; she was the thing Midoriyama-_senpai_ got so interested in."

Ohtori tapped his doubles partner's shoulder. "Shishido-_san_, what's a dyke?"

"Something you shouldn't know," Shishido fired a flat shot at Jirou, "Midoriyama-_senpai_ became strange after she got clobbered in the head. Some say it's that and others say it was the meds that drove her nuts. Thing is – Midoriyama-_s-_I mean – Midoriyama went haywire so bad that it affected Hyotei's chances of winning. You were there, weren't you?"

Shizuru shook her head. "I was but Naomi-_buchou_ never told me anything…"

"She probably didn't want to scare you," Oshitari noted while adjusting his glasses, "Midoriyama took Sanada as her protégé and they grew into one of the best doubles pairs in the district. However, during that game in Rikkai Dai, Midoriyama got clobbered in the head and so; she was out for a few months. The shot wasn't the one that altered her personality; it was an overdose of meds."

Gakuto stared at his doubles partner. "How do you know that?"

"Every time she came to school," Oshitari recalled the diluted look, "Momo always noted that her eyes were somewhat diluted more than before. Not only that, Momo had a boyfriend back then who broke up with her because of another girl."

Shizuru saw how it all fit. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ got jealous and…"

"She started destroying every relationship Sanada got into in order to keep her for herself," Oshitari bit his lip. "The guys were telling me about it and when I tried to hit on her, that's when I saw Midoriyama growling at me as if I touched something that belonged to her."

Atobe hissed in disgust. "_Ore-sama _remembered that look in her eyes every time she sought after Sanada. However, Sanada wasn't the only affected; Shimohi was also but Hikifumi guarded her well. The plum developed such a close relationship with Midoriyama to the point it made her blindly loyal to her. Everywhere that dyke went; she followed after her like a stray puppy."

"The day Midoriyama left," Gakuto remembered that time Momo cracked, "was the first time Sanada ever cracked. She went wild on the tennis courts and nearly killed several subs."

Shizuru opened her cellphone. "Atobe-_senpai_, do you still have Naomi-_buchou_'s number?"

"Of course," Atobe opened his cellphone, "what do you need it for?"

Shizuru sighed sadly. "I think she's the only one who can tell me the full story of what had happened."

0000000000000000000000

"Game, Echizen: three games to two!" Echizen was smirking while Momo was breathing heavily. "You still have lots more to work on…"

Momo wiped the blood pouring from her bitten lip. ""A lot more work you say? When you stand before me, those words hold no meaning. You do not know the true meaning of the word "work"."

After several fierce exchanges, Echizen took the lead with his Drive A and B. It was only then did Seigaku realize that these girls weren't ordinary where they would jump upon a point; the Hyotei girls set up a stage and created a trap for them. Sadly, all of them got snagged which resulted to Inui and Kaidoh losing to the Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair.

Fuji chuckled lightly. "This is quite a practice match, isn't it, Tezuka?"

Tezuka noticed the smiling face on Fuji. "Ah."

"Though," Fuji's electric blue eyes revealed itself, "this girl Echizen is playing now. May I have the pleasure of breaking her?"

Tezuka knew that Fuji wasn't going to let injuries slip easily. If it's one thing he knew about the tensai, Fuji never let things slide. "Fuji, concentrate on the game."

As much as Fuji wanted to believe that, he noticed that Tezuka was a little miffed off. "Well, think of it this way: she's not that violent unlike some people we know."

Actually, the girl wasn't being intentionally violent; Seigaku just caught her at a bad time. Momo's eyes darkened when she saw the black marks on the court. "It seems my emotion took a turn for the worse. Echizen, I'm sorry."

Echizen waved it off. "If that's your real style then, keep using it."

Momo shook her head with a small smile. "That was anything but my real style. Are you that stupid to have no fear of what I can do to you?"

Echizen, twirling his racquet, took his place at the baseline. "No, I just like playing tennis."

Smiling bitterly, Momo handed the ball to him. "It's your service and by the way," -Echizen glanced at her. "If you want to see my real style, you're going to see it now."

Echizen began his service with his cocky smirk. "Bring it on."

Momo looked at her shocked teammates. "This match is not going to end badly. I assure you – this won't be as ugly as you think it is."

Returning his Twist Serve, Momo then gave him a cross court forehand which he backhanded the ball towards her again. The rallies intensified; Momo backhanded another ball again while Echizen gave her a top spin to deal with. Momo however softened the spin and drove in a flat shot towards him.

"You're pretty good for a brat," Momo chuckled darkly.

"That's what everyone tells me," Echizen cockily fired another backhand.

Momo shrugged. "Well, I'm just saying but good luck when you deal with _Nadare_…"

Echizen stared at her quizzically."_Nadare_, what are you talking about?"

"Love – fifteen," as her warning sounded off, multiple balls flew past his face.

Momo put her racquet on her shoulder. "It's my turn to break your service game. Good luck, Echizen."

Another _Nadare _whizzed past Echizen, "Love – thirty!"

Echizen, annoyed by that shot, lowered his cap a little and looked at the floor. "There can only be one ball."

Momo pulled out the _Oto_ again. "Unfortunately, I know when my opponents discover the secret behind the _Nadare_."

It whizzed past his ear again but Echizen didn't keel over. By then, he was used to the ball zipping past his ear because of Nanjirou's playing style. "_Oyaji_ does the same thing. Don't bother…"

Momoshiro bit his lip. "Geez, this girl's really pushing it. I haven't seen any of the Seigaku girls play this well except Souma-_senpai_."

Kaidoh shoved his hands into his pocket while looking at the Hyotei girls. The smaller girl was swinging her legs while Momo played her game and boy, did she look bored. "Yane-Yane, what time is it? I want a cookie."

Ayane looked at her watch with a sigh. "It's almost lunch time. But anyhow, we had a heavy breakfast so; I don't think we should eat again. It'll just make us heavier."

Mai looked at her watch. "I wonder what Shizuru's up to. She would be back by now if she just wanted to get something."

"I'm sorry for being late," a polite voice came from behind, "I guess there was nothing needed after all."

Mai spun around immediately. "Shizuru, where did you come from?"

"I just needed to dig up the past," Shizuru took her seat again in the coach's chair. "But, Momo-_senpai_ seems to have grown during the game."

Haruka shrugged. "I'm glad that she got over it. I thought she would smash him into the court"

Rin punched the air. "Go, go, Momo-_chan_!"

Another forehand flew past the freshman and marked the right corner. "Game, Sanada: three games all!"

Echizen clucked his tongue while Momo had a smirk. "Now, who's the one smirking?"

Sauntering towards the ball, Echizen picked it up and handed it to Momo. "I think it's your turn to serve."

"Yeah," Momo had a small smile. "Don't assume that just because I'm no longer wild, I won't be able to defeat you."

With another speedy service, Momo fired a forehand towards the corners, "Fifteen – love!"

Echizen brought out the Drive A move, causing Momo to keel back a little, "Fifteen – all!"

Momo smashed another ball on Echizen's left side, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Watching the ball carefully, Momo backhanded the ball cross court. "You know – you remind me a lot of myself."

"I do?" Echizen raised an eyebrow while making a drop shot.

"Yeah," Momo volleyed past him. "You remind me the time I admired my _senpai_ too much actually."

Momoshiro gaped at her. "That kid's the exact opposite! He has no respect at all!"

"Thank you for pointing it out, Captain Obvious," Kaidoh rolled his eyes.

Momoshiro grabbed Kaidoh's jacket. "_Urusei_, you wanna fight now, _Mamushi_?"

Kaidoh glared at the black haired Dunk Smasher. "Go ahead; make my day, _baka_ peach!"

Oishi had to break them up again. "Guys, stop this. You two have been at it ever since this morning!"

Kikumaru pointed while jumping up and down. "Hoi, take a look! _Ochibi_'s in the air!"

Echizen smirked while bringing his racquet down. "Cyclone…Smash…"

A heavy smash marked the court causing Momo to nearly stumble back. "It will take more than that to take me down…!"

Retreating to the far end, Momo saw the smash weaken at a certain point. "This is exactly what I need…! Nullify like metal, _Tetsu_!"

While the smash descended, Momo had to take appropriate timing. Instead of making it a lob, Momo smashed it also the moment it sped towards her.

Haruka stared agape. "She didn't even let it bounce!"

Hitomi scribbled down on her notebook. "So, it's now_OtoAobaSuiNadareTetsu_. There's even a sixth one if I remember right; she revealed the fifth form of the Elemental Slayer, _Tetsu_."

"Each one was created to counter Sanada-_san_'s FuuRinKaZan," Shizuru watched the ball curve awkwardly around Echizen. "This one is used to make sure that the ball cannot be returned…"

"Game, Sanada: four games to three!"

Echizen could not believe he was getting his butt handed to him by a girl. Her attacks were fierce and there was no room for mistakes or whatsoever. Each shot required intense concentration and it made every point decisive.

Echizen started to breathe heavily. "Not bad, not bad at all…"

Momo fired the second _Tetsu _at Echizen. "Shall I tell you the difference between you and me? It's level. It's like the story of Bellephron trying to become a god. No matter what he does, his horse gets stung by a gadfly and he is sent back spiralling down to earth. Then, he is left to spend the rest of his days as a beggar."

Echizen fired a Drive A down the line, "Love – fifteen!"

Momo barely managed to return his Drive B, "Fifteen – all!"

Despite everything going on, Momo was keeping up with the pace while Echizen had to make a margin but found it difficult to do so. Every time he fired one shot, she managed to return the other after scoring, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Twisting three hundred sixty degrees, Momo did a backhand smash causing Echizen to somewhat trip towards the net, "Thirty – all!"

Echizen did another Cyclone Smash only to have it countered by the _Tetsu_. "Are you sure you can recover in time?"

Momo didn't understand what he meant until she saw another Cyclone Smash coming down, "Forty – thirty!"

Inui began scribbling. "Echizen now has the ability to do two Cyclone Smashes in one turn, ii data…"

"Seems like Echizen's getting ahead of her now," Momoshiro rubbed his hands together.

Oishi glanced at Seigaku's captain. "Do you think Echizen will be able to cut it short?"

"That would be hard on Echizen's pride," Fuji noted while watching Momo deuce Echizen. "He would never be able to live it down if someone cut his game short."

Tezuka looked at the timer and saw three minutes had elapsed already. Unless Echizen was going to keep doing aces, he was not going to finish the game in five minutes. Truthfully speaking, he thought Echizen would be able to cut it down to three minutes but then again – this is the cousin of Sanada they were dealing with.

"You're always so deep in thought, Tezuka. Waiting for your match against Kurenai-_chan_?"

Fuji knew who Shizuru was? "Ah," Tezuka continued to keep his eyes on the game.

"I met her in a bookstore," Fuji remarked offhandedly. "If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if you found her pretty."

How did Fuji know that, he didn't know nor did he want to know. "Fuji, that's enough."

The smiling _tensai_ scratched his chin like Confucius. "Hmm, perhaps, would you like me to lose the match so you would get to play?"

"No," Tezuka's answer was simple and fast. "Just play like you usually do, Fuji."

"Game, Echizen: five games to four!" Echizen and Momo were already out of breath.

Momo, wiping her sweat, used her racquet to prop herself up. "Not bad. You managed to survive despite the _Tetsu _and _Nadare_. Most people would run after that."

Echizen smirked at her. "Well, sorry, I'm not one of those people."

Mai exhaled in relief. "Well, at least, Momo-_senpai_ managed to snap herself out of her psycho attitude. I mean – what was that all about?"

"It had something to do with our _senpai_. Mai, it caused an entire disruption in the tennis matches which led to us being cornered by Seigaku last year." Shizuru noted while remembering the games.

Kiyone tugged Shizuru's jacket. "Shizuru-_buchou_, can you tell us one day… what happened?"

Shizuru pat the smaller girl on the head. "I think it's a better idea if Momo-_senpai_ does it. I might not have all my facts right."

"I'd like to ask something though," Ayane looked at Momo's style of play, "why did she never use her real style again?"

Rin remembered poking Momo about it. "She never said 'why'; all Momo-_chan_ said was that it was meant only for emergencies. Doesn't this qualify as one?"

Haruka watched her get faster. "In her terms, I don't think so. But, I think Momo's pride would think so."

"Getting beaten by a brat," Hitomi shook her head distastefully, "is something that is better left undone and unsaid."

Isane bit her lip. "I still remembered what happened that day," murmuring softly, Isane hoped that none of her group mates would hear. "Momo-_chan_ didn't want to speak to anyone after that. I mean – even Atobe-_san_ got annoyed with her and so did Oshitari-_san_. Midoriyama-_senpai_ suddenly just got up and left without a word. She left us at the most important match in Hyotei's history and then, that's when we got so badly cornered. Luckily, we had Naomi-_buchou_ as our reserve player back then. I guess she knew which is why Mai-_chan_ and Shizuru-_chan _played Singles Two and Singles One. Hitomi-_chan_ played Doubles and I played Singles Three."

"You still remember everything?" Shizuru happened to overhear Isane's soft murmurs.

Isane looked down sadly. "Y-yeah…"

"There's no reason to be ashamed about it," Shizuru smiled faintly, "just keep it down for awhile."

Nodding, Isane watched Momo jump high into the air and gain another game. "Game, Sanada: five games all!"

Hitomi began taking down more notes. "Sanada Momo requires more laps after this, ii data…"

"Arn~, you didn't tell _ore-sama_ that you were having a practice match with Seigaku," Ayane twitched at the sound of the voice.

Turning around, Ayane glowered at the icy eyed captain. "Please, as if we need any permission from you!"

Kiyone clapped her hands. "Yay, Yane-_chan_'s gonna fight the mole diva!"

Ayane rolled up her sleeves, grinning. "Hell yeah, I sure am!"

Kiyone then shot up and jumped on her shoulders. "Wait, Yane-_chan_ – I wanna squish his head like a lemon too!"

Mai stared at them, deadpanned. "Geez, what's it with these two and Atobe-_senpai_?"

Shizuru shrugged. "Now do you understand why I made them doubles partners?"

"It's because they agree on everything especially how and when to kill Atobe-_senpai_?" Mai raised an eyebrow.

Shizuru nodded weakly. "Well, I can't stop them when that happens."

"You know," Mai began thinking, "I wanna test that theory."

Haruka stifled her laughter. "Which theory are you talking about? If you're planning to test the Theory of Oxygen Burning then, don't bother. He's loaded with hot air."

Mai shook her head. "No, I meant the statement of Ayane: "The day she falls in love with Atobe is the day pigs start flying and Shizuru gets a statue for a boyfriend. You know – we might as well just carve a statue out of stone and throw a pig overboard a plane. I wonder what happens."

Shizuru resisted the urge to whack Mai. "You do know that people will think that the sky is falling and I will not kiss a statue."

Mai smiled evilly. "Who said you needed to like one? We'll just make it look like that you do like it."

Shizuru could've sworn that most _tensai_ were born to be sadists. "I don't understand what's between _tensai_ and sadism."

Momo fired the _Sui_ down at Echizen again. "Well, that's how life is. _Tensai_ responsible for the _buchou_'s white hair they grow every time. Also, they're responsible for turning them into Aspirin addicts."

Haruka thought about it. "You know – that's actually logical. I mean – how many times has Nagisaki _-chan_ pissed you off? You even have some small strands of white hair already."

Mai made a small 'eep'. "I'm actually the source of your stress?"

"Not really," Shizuru began massaging her temples, "you're only one eighth. My family takes the rest of it along with studies."

Echizen, high in the air, did another double Cyclone Smash, "Fifteen – love!"

Momo fired the _Oto_ straight at him again, "Fifteen – all!"

Echizen forced her to the net and brought out his other move. "Drive B…"

Reeling back, Momo had to side step in order to receive but it missed, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Echizen knew he had to win the next two games otherwise he'd be forced into a tiebreaker. Pulling out all the stops, Echizen made sure that Momo couldn't return any of his shots; no matter what she did. He had beaten the _Tetsu_ with two consecutive smashes, the _Oto_ was completely annoying, the _Nadare _was making him see things, the _Sui_ was unbelievably strong and the others – he hadn't had a good glimpse.

Echizen smirked while returning another shot. "You know, I didn't know that there was someone who could be so similar to Sanada."

Momo would have pummelled him into the ground for that. "For the past few years, I know one thing: I have should've surpassed him by now."

Atobe leaned against the fence. "So, Sanada's playing against the brat huh? Impressive game play, nah, Kabaji?"

"_Usu_," The taller boy shifted Jirou's position.

Momo fired another _Oto_, seeing that he couldn't return the shot, "Thirty all!"

Echizen caught her off-guard by sending her a cord ball, "Forty – thirty!"

Momo lunged forward but missed another cord ball. "Game, Echizen: six games to five!"

Gakuto shook his head. "Wow, this sucks. Momo's getting her butt plastered by a first year student!"

Hiyoshi smirked. "Now I feel better – she beat me but that's because I was holding back."

Gripping her racquet, Momo restrained herself from hitting Gakuto and Hiyoshi. "Such fools, their fangs barely reached me when they tried."

"You're not bad," a cocky reply came from one side.

Momo turned to see Echizen balancing his racquet on his finger. "You just have a lot more to work on. But, it's not a bad start for a Sanada female."

The violet haired third year gripped her racquet even tighter. "Among us both, Sanada focused more on strength and domination. In the end, he's slowly starting to fall. At first, I felt sad but more than that... I was ashamed of his narrow-mindedness."

Momo's attacks towards Echizen grew more powerful and more precise. While men focused on just blasting their opponent, women preferred making their opponents run for them. As you all know, Echizen's reach is not long; he is very vertically-challenged, "Love – fifteen!"

Echizen fired his Drive B which caused Momo to stumble backwards, "Love – thirty!"

Momo aced him with a very fast service which landed in the middle of the service box, "Fifteen – love!"

Echizen knew this had to end, NOW, "Fifteen – forty!"

Momo closed her eyes. "Is this all going to end here? I've worked so hard…"

Echizen fired another Twist Serve and this time, Momo had an idea. "Smash and burst like a typhoon…"

No one expected Momo to make such a heavy breakthrough in a small amount of time but after that shot, the former Twist Serve returned to Echizen effortlessly in the form of multiple tennis balls aiming for his ear. The slip stream created such a huge vacuum that Echizen stumbled back, "Thirty – forty!"

"Is this the…?" Ayane stared in shock at Hitomi but Momo smirked. "No, it was just a small evolution."

Momo raised her racquet at Echizen. "I guess this means that I'll push you to tie break, boy. You better get ready because I think it's quite obvious that your reach isn't that long. This new shot, I'll call it… the _'Arashi'_. It sounds pretty good for a combination of avalanche and sound."

Echizen was forced back to Square One wherein Momo began firing the newly improved 'Arashi', "Deuce!"

Kikumaru slapped his forehead. "Nyah~, _ochibi_ is back on square one!"

Oishi bit into his nails. "I can't believe it; it was as if she never pulled out any of her techniques to begin with."

Inui began scribbling down. "If their Singles Three player is this powerful then, this means that their other players will really have skill. There's a ninety percent chance that the last three matches will take longer than ever."

Kikumaru looked at Rin who was swinging her legs. "Nyah~, are you playing Doubles One, Rin-_chan_?"

"Nope," Rin shook her head sadly, "I'm reserve for today."

Kikumaru's hope immediately plummeted. "Waah so, which pair is playing Doubles One then, nyah?"

Rin pointed to Ayane and Kiyone. "Those two… but don't be fooled, Kiyone can probably contort like you."

Kikumaru gave her a 'v' sign. "I'm sure it's going to be no problem, nyah!"

Rin shook her head. "My golly, you're on your own."

"Game, Sanada: six games all! Tiebreaker will now begin!" The Seigaku team and Hyotei were shocked; no girl had ever pushed Echizen this far before. Sure, Sakuno plays with him but not this well.

"If you think I'm scary," Momo had a smirk, "wait til you meet the four queens of this team. They're right below the fence you know."

Ayane had a wide smirk, Kiyone was hanging upside down on her chair and Shizuru was leaning against the wall while Mai toyed with her fingers making shadow puppets. "What? Why are you all starting at us? We didn't blow up Tokyo! Besides, it's not as if the world's going to end or are you staring because we're just that pretty?"

Mai shook her head. "Ayane, we're not supposed to be asking stupid questions like that. Of course, we're pretty after all."

Kiyone was still hanging upside down. "Oooh, all the blood is rushing into my head!"

Shizuru remained focused on the match. "Momo-_senpai_, finish this guy off."

"Gladly," Momo began her service which Echizen accidentally lost his footing, "1-0!"Echizen fired another forehand towards her, "one all!"

Momo brought down the _Sui_ next to Echizen again, "Two – one, Sanada leading!"

Echizen pulled off another Drive B, "Two all!"

Momo, jumping high into the air, smashed the ball right past Echizen's ear, "Three – two, Sanada leading!"

Sweat poured down their faces and both were heavily gasping for air. Echizen limply held his racquet with an arrogant smirk. "You look washed."

"You don't seem dry yourself, boy," Momo smirked back at him.

Seigaku and Hyotei were extremely speechless and Momo stood up again. "What's the score now, 35 all?"

Echizen gathered his bearings, smirking. "Yeah, someone has to end this after all."

The two once again went at it; Momo fired a forehand cross court which Echizen returned with a top spin backhand. Rallies intensified after every return by both players until Momo felt her body freeze. "W-what in the world is-?"

The ball whizzed past her, marking the court, "36 – 35, Echizen leading!"

Momo clucked her tongue while trying to steady herself. Why her body froze was something that just happened; nothing seemed to be hurting and fatigue wasn't slowing anything down. At the back of her head, Momo heard a voice. "Don't think you can beat this kid, can't you?"

Momo shook her head. "I no longer have any doubts. Please leave me alone"

"Please, I know how insecure you are." The voice mocked her.

Momo, annoyed that she was hearing voices, sent a forehand cross court towards Echizen. "Your words are nothing but worthless to me..."

Echizen smirked. "Maa~, you shouldn't be talking to yourself during a game."

That event sealed the game instantly; a loud smash echoed at the other end of the court with a frozen Momo staring into a void. "Game and set, Echizen: seven games to six!"

Isane ran towards Momo and began shaking her. "Momo, wake up! Stop staring into oblivion! Come on – Momo!"

Haruka leapt off the fence with Rin. "Momo, wake up!"

"I…I…lost," Momo shuddered while softly laughing. "This… this actually feels good…!"

Haruka and Rin exchanged glances. "I'm glad she's still in one piece! I thought Momo would break."

Echizen walked over to them. "Good game."

Momo stood up while giving the boy a crisp handshake. "Same here, you play well for a freshman."

Walking off the court, Momo hung her head. "I'm sorry _buchou_, I was out of line."

"You did well but," Shizuru maintained a steely look. "This proves to me that you need more training. Secondly – you're not over that event yet. Isane-_senpai_, you made a lot of improvements today. Hitomi-_senpai_, you and Momo-_senpai_ need a lot of work."

Momo bowed down with a smile. "I'll work harder this time, _buchou_."

Ayane took off from her seat. "Well, looks like it's our turn ne, Kiyone-_chibi_?"

Kiyone spun up from her reverse position. "Yay, we get to play against the egg and the cat!"

Kikumaru picked up his racquet. "Hoi nyah, she nearly got you, _ochibi_!"

Echizen lowered his cap. "She still has a lot more to work on but Sanada Momo-_san_ is much better than Momo-_senpai_. He won't even last a minute."

Momoshiro proceeded to attack the freshman. "Why I oughta maul you right now…!"

Oishi sighed while Kikumaru put a hand on his shoulder. "Nyah, don't worry so much, Oishi! Rin-_chan_ said that Kiyone's the one who's talented! Lucky for you, she's a net player like me! So, don't worry!"

Following after his doubles partner, Oishi noticed Ayane also giving pointers to the smaller girl who simply nodded. He noticed her ruffling Kiyone's hair and in response, the little girl pouted like a child. Stifling his laughter, Oishi couldn't help but smile at Ayane's gestures towards the smaller girl. Not only that – there were other images appearing in his head.

She would look so cute with glasses.

_What am I thinking_, Oishi shook his head immediately. This is a first year and from Hyotei to boot. But he couldn't help but how cute her smile was towards the smaller girl. Kiyone was rubbing her hands together as if planning something evil which caused him to sweat drop. However, Kiyone got reprimanded by the vice captain again who shook her head in total defeat. Ayane laughed at Kiyone again and Oishi felt his smile become even wider.

"Oishi, are you okay?"

The vice captain found Kikumaru in front of him while waving his hands. "Ah, I'm sorry, Eiji. I was just thinking of something."

Kikumaru looked at Ayane and then at Oishi. "You," an impish smile appeared on the acrobat's face causing the vice captain to blush.

"N-no, it's not what you think," Oishi tried to pacify Kikumaru before the acrobat burst out laughing.

Kikumaru cleared his throat. "It's okay, nyah! She really does look cute, nyah~!"

Oishi began blushing like crazy. "N-no, Eiji, please not too loud!"

Inui however began scribbling down. "Oishi is now feeling a strange attachment to Kobayagi. He is now in the first stage called 'denial'."

Fuji had his usual sadistic smile. "Saa~, that's nice to hear, Oishi."

Shaking his head in disdain, Oishi walked to the court with slumped shoulders. "It's okay; Fujiko does say all these creepy things anyway, nyah," the red haired acrobat poked him.

Kikumaru was always this good friend that Oishi could depend on. "Thanks Eiji, I needed that."

"Let's get this game on the road," a loud voice shocked the two.

Kiyone was bouncing on the other side while Ayane twirled her racquet. "This better be a good match!"

Oishi never met a female doubles pair who could be that determined to beat them in Doubles but having them play against a couple of first years was kind of a joke. "Yeah, I'm sure it will be."

Kikumaru bounced over to Kiyone, "May the best doubles pair win!"

Kiyone however just tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, whatever…"

Her demeanor knocked the wind out of his sails almost immediately. "Nyah, she was happy a minute ago…"

"Kiyone-_chibi_, be nice," Ayane wagged her finger at the smaller girl.

Kiyone perked up again. "I'm sorry, he's just so hyper!"

Kikumaru pointed at himself. "Am I scary, nyah?"

"No," Oishi didn't want to knock out Kikumaru's happiness streak right now. "So, shall we play?"

Ayane looked at Oishi with a determined look in her emerald orbs. "Alright, we'll show them what a real waltz is!"

Kiyone twirled her racquet with a devilish smile. "Yeah…"

-That's Chapter 12! I'm sorry it's not as long as others! Please review!


	13. The Waltz versus The Australian

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 13 – Waltz and Australian

Walking towards the baseline, Ayane began stretching her limbs a little. "So, what do we do now, Kiyo-_chibi_?"

Kiyone shrugged while twirling her racquet. "I don't know so, what should we use?"

Ayane put a finger on her lip. "Hmm, I was thinking if we use the basic formation before bringing out the big guns. What do you think?"

Oishi gave Kikumaru a high five. "Let's do this, Eiji!"

"Yeah," Kikumaru bounced happily towards the net while Oishi took his place at the baseline. "So, I guess you guys are serving, nyah?"

Ayane had the ball in one hand. "Yeah and by the way," Oishi looked at her serious emerald orbs. "Don't hold anything back or I'll pummel you so hard, _kami-sama_ won't recognize you."

Oishi prepared to receive. "Alright, give it all you got."

Ayane, tossing the ball in the air, smirked. "Kiyone, don't hold back!"

Kiyone squinted with a devilish smile. "You got it!"

Running over to receive, Oishi was thrown off guard when the ball drilled its way into his racquet. "Wow, I never knew that she could make a shot this…!"

"Fifteen – love," His racquet flew out because of the heaviness while Ayane smirked. "So? Whaddya think?"

Oishi checked his wrist, flexing it a little. "I can't believe my racquet flew out in one shot. I never met a first year that could hit that hard."

Ayane, twirling her racquet, smirked. "Well, I gotta make up for a lot of things! So – better start playing better or I'll blow your racquet out of your hand again!"

Kiyone bounced cheerfully to the other side. "Yep, if that doesn't work – I'll make you dizzy then!"

Kikumaru and Oishi exchanged glances with each other. "Wow nyah, we better do something about it, Oishi!"

Oishi, nodding earnestly, took his place at the net. "Be careful, Eiji. She hits as hard as Taka-_san_, I think."

Kikumaru lowered his body down to receive. "Nyah~, don't worry much! I'll be fine, okay, Oishi?"

Fair enough, Ayane's serve cracked off causing Kikumaru to throw his whole weight forward. But despite that, the service blew the red haired acrobat back easily and sent him towards the wall. "Eiji, are you okay? I can't believe she managed to send you that far!"

"Thirty – love," Kikumaru, shaking his head, stretched out his arms with a 'v' sign. "I'm A-okay, Oishi! It was just a minor blowback, nyah!"

Oishi scratched his head sheepishly. "I guess. I'll receive the service this time."

This was the first time for the vice captain to face someone with this monstrous strength. Somehow, her arms were thin and lean but, Ayane sent Kikumaru flying as if he were a piece of paper. Kiyone wasn't breaking a sweat and Ayane was twirling her racquet as if tossing around that strength was nothing. His hand trembled while waiting for the service. "Kobayagi-_san_ will probably earn this set if her service continues to be this heavy. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what Getsugan­_-san_ can do."

Ayane served again but this time, it was much weaker and allowed Oishi to return it. Kiyone didn't move from her spot while Ayane dealt with all the baseline shots. Heavy exchanges happened and though Oishi wasn't a good powerhouse, his control made up for it. Forcing himself to Moon Volley several times, Ayane then decided to let the last one go. "Ge-tsu-gan…"

That threw Oishi off guard. "Huh, what was that?"

Kiyone was up in the air while Kikumaru was ready to receive. "You know – I haven't used this move in awhile…The last time I used it was in elementary school!"

Slicing the ball twice, the ball spun spontaneously and created an illusion of petals dropping lightly next to Kikumaru. "_Chire_," Kiyone chirped while landing on the ground, "_Gaigetsu Sakura._"

Kikumaru saw the ball roll towards him and Kiyone leaned against her racquet head. "So, what do you think? It's been awhile since I last used the technique so, it ain't perfect yet."

There was huge commotion of murmurs coming from the audience. Kiyone for once had used something that was solely hers since most of the time, she would top spin the ball and end the game. This one was different; Kiyone toyed with Kikumaru easily and sent the ball dropping right next to him, "Forty – love!"

Kikumaru and Oishi were trying to recap on how strong these two were mentioned to be. Ayane had enough power to blow Kikumaru back if the impact backfired at him and Kiyone was toying with both of them with her ingenious top spins and under spins. "Did you see that, Eiji?"

Looking around, Kikumaru picked up the ball again. "Wow, whatever that thing was so cool, nyah! Maybe you can show that again sometime!"

Kiyone shrugged while heading towards the other side of the service court. "Good luck with dealing with Yane-Yane's serves. She's so much more powerful than I am."

Haruka turned to the data manager. "Hey, what was that move just now?"

Tilting her glasses, Hitomi began scribbling down. "Dubbed as the Scattering October Cherry Blossoms, the technique creates an illusion of falling petals by causing a heavy spin on the ball. Like Momo's _Nadare_ technique, it multiplies because of the intense spin placed on the ball. Kiyone-_chibi_ flipped her racquet twice in order to slice the ball twice. Not only that, Kiyone-_chibi_ took advantage of the wind together with Oishi-_san_'s Moon Volley and used it to spin the ball even faster. Normally, the _Chire Gaigetsu Sakura _wouldn't be that lethal unless there was an external factor."

"So, what you're saying is," Rin jumped onto Haruka's back. "The more spin the opponent puts the more lethal that drop shot is going to be?"

Hitomi nodded while looking at Kiyone take her place at the receiving end. "However, no matter how good Kiyone may be at the net – there will always be one problem…"

Fair enough, Kiyone hit the ball but not strong enough to pass the net. "Her shots won't be fast enough to rise above the net."

"Can't she rip the ball to make it spin fast and above the net?" Isane watched Kiyone adjust the strings on her racquet.

Momo's eyes watched Kiyone prepare to receive again. "The best she can do is pull out a cord ball – other than that, Kiyone's not made for the baseline."

Kiyone happened to overhear what her _senpai_ were saying. "Hmm, a cord ball huh? Maybe that might work…"

Oishi's service cracked off and Kiyone inhaled deeply. "I always did cord balls best when my eyes were closed…"

Clipping it right on top, Kiyone slowly opened her eyes while her top spin hit the net exactly and dropped right unto the other side, "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: one game to love!"

Oishi stared at the ball that limply dropped over the net. "She did a cord ball with her eyes shut? That's almost as…"

Kikumaru jumped up while exclaiming. "Nyah~, she can do top spins like Fujiko!"

"They didn't expect that," Ayane smiled while giving a high five to Kiyone. "Where did you pick that up?"

Kiyone timidly smiled. "I learned it from Shizuru-_nee-sama_."

Ayane knew what Shizuru and Kiyone had been doing. Seeing the constant late hour training, Ayane noticed a dramatic change in her variety of skills. Kiyone had become a better top spin player ever since that started and even proved to put other control masters (one of them being Haruka) to shame. Kiyone then moved to the front while Ayane retreated to the baseline. "Oishi-_san_ is the one serving and from what I hear, he's very accurate. His partner makes up for his weakness at the net most probably seeing that Kikumaru-_san_ is the one jumping around for him. I have to hit them hard."

Oishi hit the serve directly on the line of the service box while Ayane ran towards the middle to return it with a linear forehand. Kikumaru jumped a volleyed it towards Kiyone who returned it back with a top spin. However, the red haired acrobat twisted his body and fired it back towards Ayane who did a cross court backhand. Oishi began dragging his racquet on the floor while the ball bounced up to be a lob. "Kiyone," Ayane put her hands down for a stepping stool, "that ball's definitely an in!"

Kiyone didn't waste any time at all while soaring into the air. "Here it comes, Ge-tsu-gan Rocket!"

The ball descended as fast as the red haired acrobat's Kikumaru Beam but despite that, Kikumaru sent it towards an open space where Kiyone was supposedly standing, "Fifteen – love!"

Ayane, pivoting with her right ankle, fired the Magnolia Blade cross court, "Fifteen – all!"

Kiyone began volleying with Kikumaru and their speed increased. Sprinting off with one foot, Kiyone accelerated the volley even more and saw that sweat was pouring down Kikumaru's face. "Wow, you're like Rin-_senpai_! You can barely last through a tie-breaker!"

Kikumaru fired back a forehand. "Nyah~, you shouldn't say things like that!"

Kiyone backhanded another ball. "It's true; I'm surprised the court hasn't become a sea of sweat with the way you're going."

Ayane and Oishi remained at the baseline while the two volleyists played it out between them. "She's fast for a first year, Kobayagi-_san_."

The Hyotei vice captain remained focused on Oishi's feet. "Yeah, a lot of people say that."

For a moment, Ayane's answer seemed so cold. Before the tennis court, she was this happy and caring captain who looked out for her doubles partner the same he did. Oishi didn't understand how Kiyone managed to become that fast nor did the vice captain understand how Ayane became so strong to begin with. There were no possible explanations on how she could be so much stronger than he was. "My auntie used to be a weight lifter if you're wondering where I got my strength," Ayane rebuked the vice captain's thoughts, "a lot of people always wonder about that."

Oishi nodded slowly. "Then again – you're not exactly…"

"Buff," Ayane sheepishly scratched her head, "I know. That's what my _senpai_ told me when I first entered. I did homeruns til people stopped looking for the ball. Kurenai-_dono_ was the one who helped me see that my strength wasn't a curse but a gift. So, I've been doing pile drivers ever since my elementary tennis days. I used to play recreational until Hitomi-_senpai_ recruited me with _buchou_."

Oishi glanced to see Shizuru's calm and calculating stare. "Wow, she hasn't batted an eyelash ever since awhile ago. It's as if that every match counts and her gaze looks like…"

He looked at his captain who was standing at the bleachers, waiting for Singles One. Their gazes were so much alike, Oishi had to admit. In fact, the mere mention of both captains' names struck fear and respect into other teams. Oishi began to contemplate, what would happen if the two played against each other? How close was Kurenai's skill to Tezuka's? "I know she looks pretty but staring at my _buchou_ is a no-no," Ayane wagged her finger, "otherwise, I will pummel you bad."

Oishi scratched his head. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of something else. By the way, how long have you two been playing doubles?"

Kiyone began counting her fingers. "I don't remember."

"Actually," Ayane shrugged, "I never took track of that. Kiyo-_chibi_ and I have always been a doubles pair no matter what and took Doubles One as the spot. So – if we were guys, playing against you guys would have the highest probability and possibility. Also, worrying over Shishido-_senpai_ and Ohtori-_senpai_ will be the least of your problems."

Oishi bounced the ball a few times while analysing the two girls. Ayane swung left and right at the baseline while Kiyone was staring intently at Kikumaru. "Here it goes…!"

Running towards the corner, Ayane effortlessly did a pile driver towards Kikumaru who was forced to lob it. "Nyah~, I'm sorry!"

Kiyone jumped up into the air. "Okay," –twisting her body, the sandy haired girl backhanded the ball, "Getsugan Rocket time!"

Oishi saw where this was going: Ayane knew that Kikumaru couldn't handle the heavy shots and would be forced to lob it. Kiyone was already at the net and could do a smash right in between the acrobat's legs. "But there's a flaw," Oishi watched Ayane change places again with Kiyone, "Kobayagi-_san_ can only do it when she's the one at the baseline. It's a pretty basic strategy."

"_Buchou_, do you think that Ayane-_chan_'s going to have a hard time with Oishi-_san_? I mean – they both may be playmakers but," Rin watched Oishi's eyes look at Kiyone's feet, "Oishi-_san_ has more experience than the both of them put together!"

Shizuru continued to watch the game. "I'm sure they'll find a way out. For instance, Oishi-_san_ may have the experience but I don't think he's ever dealt with someone as sneaky as Getsugan or Kobayagi for that matter. Kobayagi always had tactics that could even put third year doubles players to shame and still play fair. Getsugan on the other hand has an abstract mind – there may be times where she can't contort like Kikumaru-_san_ but she makes up for it with control."

Haruka watched Kiyone do another cord ball and Kikumaru rush towards the edge of the net to hit it. "Wow but, isn't there a technique called the…?"

"Oishi Territory," Hitomi confirmed while scanning her notebook, "in this case, Oishi-_san_ analyses the style of both players and comes up with a counterattack which will assure them victory. It's rather similar to the Osakada Stadium but with less flaws. Osakada-_senpai _could only apply this to herself and then later on learns she and Haruka-_chan_ can do it together."

Kiyone began her volley against the older volleyist. "Wow, you're fast! I didn't know you could grab the ball after all that jumping!"

Kikumaru smirked. "Hoi nyah, just because I'm sweating doesn't mean I'm out of breath," he gasped between breaths.

"Yane," Kiyone dodged a ball on purpose, "I'm sure you want a work out don't you?"

Ayane backhanded it hard. "You bet, give it all you got – Oishi-_san_!"

Oishi caught her heavy shot and had to do a double fisted backhand to return it. "Wow, her shots are really something…!"

Kikumaru jumped up to send it behind Ayane. "Oishi, you okay, nyah?"

"Yeah," Oishi felt his hand tremble after returning, "her strength is somewhere near Taka-_san_'s but his shots are more destructive. Hers are just plain accurate and heavy!"

Kikumaru saw that Ayane was going to do a double fisted. "Oishi, look out, nyah!"

Kiyone jumped up excitedly. "Here it comes – the _Kotsubushi no Katana_!"

Ayane, pivoting with her right ankle, did a pile driver towards Oishi. "Kiyone, get ready…!"

Oishi was going to return it until he heard Kikumaru's racquet clank against his. "Let's do it together, _aibou_!"

Nodding slowly, Oishi clocked the speed of the ball and signalled. "Now – swing it hard, Eiji!"

Despite swinging it together and though the ball managed to head towards the net, Oishi saw that the shot was too heavy to return. Momoshiro may have the Jack Knife but there was no way that this first year vice captain could match the strength of someone who was five inches taller than she was. Momoshiro gaped at the tangerine haired vice captain. "Wow, the vice captain's strong – she makes me look like a wimp!"

Kaidoh snorted. "That's because she trains more while you goof off, _baka_ peach."

Momoshiro grabbed Kaidoh by the jacket collar. "What did you say, _Mamushi_!?"

Gakuto stared at the two. "I wonder how people stay sane with those two making so much noise…"

Oshitari shrugged nonchalantly. "That's the same thing people ask me when I'm stuck with you."

Gakuto twitched. "I'm not noisy!"

Hiyoshi shook his head. "Gakuto-_senpai_, you make more noise than the entire Seigaku team put together."

Atobe watched Ayane jump high to bring down a smash. "Here…I…go…!"

With two consecutive smashes, Ayane used the first to knock out Kikumaru's racquet and the second to score. "Ha," Kiyone gripped her sides, "ha…"

"Fifteen – thirty," Ayane stared at her doubles partner. "You look like you saw something funny. What's up?"

Kiyone began rolling on the floor. "YOU USED IT! YOU ACTUALLY USED THE _HAMUTSU E NO RONDO_! THE LAST TIME I MENTIONED IT, YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD USING THE MOLE DIVA'S MOVES! YOU'RE HILLARIOUS!"

Oishi and Kikumaru had a sweat drop while Ayane gripped her racquet tightly. "Kiyone, do you mind…?"

Kiyone however continued laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, THIS IS TOO MUCH! Ayane used the Rondo towards Destruction!"

Rin shrugged. "I don't get why that's funny."

Isane stifled her laughter a bit. "Well, it's teasing material for the both of them. I guess Ayane swore she would never use something that belonged to Atobe."

"Her hatred for Atobe-_san_ is now quite erratic and pointless," Hitomi began scribbling down. "She has blamed him for everything bad in her life. Not only that – everything has something to do with him."

Haruka shook her head at the vice captain. "Geez, I think she's actually in love with the guy but afraid to admit… ah!"

Ayane threw a small pebble at her. "Would you like to," she had a 'turtle' smile with her sing song voice, "repeat that statement?"

Haruka shut her mouth immediately. "Uh, no thanks I'd rather not."

"Ayane's learning from _buchou_, isn't she?" Rin whimpered while clinging on to Haruka.

Haruka shook her head in dismay, "Ya think?"

Ayane inhaled before facing Oishi again. "I'm sorry, Kiyone's much undisciplined."

Kiyone pouted impishly while wobbling a little, "Says the girl who swings her racquet at me like a paddle ball!"

"Says the one who runs into glass objects all the time," Ayane walked towards the baseline. "Time to shape up, Kiyone."

Kiyone cracked her neck and loosened the shoulders. "Hehe, I don't think they're going to think properly after that!"

Oishi saw a mischievous glint in both players' eyes. "Eiji, be careful okay? They may be first years but don't underestimate them."

"You got it," Kikumaru stayed at the baseline while looking at the score. "Nyah~, the score right now is one game to love and fifteen-thirty! Ouch, our score's ugly."

Oishi laughed a little while readying his service. "Yeah, it's kinda shameful to look at really. Then again – maybe we'll learn something, Eiji."

With a loud crack, another rally ensued with Kiyone volleying towards Kikumaru while Oishi sent another Moon Volley to the baseline where Ayane was ready to receive. Then, Ayane and Kiyone switched places and Ayane's shots because they were powerful, forced Kikumaru to lob his shots. Kiyone jumped on Ayane's shoulders and fired a smash straight at Oishi who was far enough to return because of waist level. Ayane then ducked to allow Kiyone to make another cord ball while she retreated to the back. Oishi and Kikumaru did a Doubles Approach while Ayane didn't mind sending them a pile driver. "Good luck returning this…!"

When he tried to volley it across, Oishi found his racquet flying off his hand again and Kiyone dropped it right over his shoulder. "Yay, we got another point!"

"Fifteen – forty," Kikumaru stared at the fallen racquet. "Wow, Kobayagi-­_chan_'s really strong, Oishi."

Oishi, picking up his racquet for the umpteenth time, sighed while returning to the baseline. "Well, we should try another strategy, Eiji. This game's actually getting out of hand."

Kikumaru lowered himself at the net. "Okay, let's start it then!"

Ayane recognized the formation immediately. "Wow, they're bringing out the big guns now."

Kiyone tilted her head towards them. "What's that, Yane-Yane? It looks weird."

"The Australian Formation," Ayane began brushing her chin, "the Australian formation is when the person at the net stays at the same side of the court as the server. This is to cut off the angle and make the opponent go for the more difficult down the line shot and is mostly used for second serves. Another is the I formation is wherein the net person stays at the middle of the service line and points to what side of the court they are going behind their backs. They both go to different sides and hope that they hit it to the net person also; this is good for confusing your opponent. The I formation is not a smart decision on a second serve though."

Kiyone tilted her head towards the other side. "In other words, Kikumaru-_san_ is staying at a place where we can't do linear shots?"

Nodding, Ayane motioned to Kiyone. "Yeah and you're receiving this time. By the way, try to do that thing again."

"What thing?" Kiyone cocked her head to the side again.

Ayane did a couple of hand signals. "Oh," Kiyone nodded vigorously with a mischievous smile. "You want that one."

Oishi shivered at the sound of her evil tone. "Eiji, be careful up front okay?"

Kikumaru nodded while Oishi began his service. Kiyone rushed forward before it even bounced and sent it straight towards Oishi again. The vice captain quickly returned it with a Moon Volley while Ayane managed to smash it down. Kikumaru jumped for the ball while Kiyone resumed to being a net player. "Wow," Isane was amazed on how fast Kiyone was moving. "I thought Kiyo-_chibi_ would be exhausted after all this."

"I don't think she would," Haruka watched Kiyone dive for another ball and recover. "Kiyo-_chibi_ is anything but low on stamina. Sure, clumsiness is part of it but she can recover instantly."

Shizuru watched Ayane fire another _Kotsubushi Katana_ towards Oishi who had to lob it because of the heaviness. "This is the fifteenth lob they've made this time," Kiyone backhanded the ball towards Kikumaru in the air. "Don't you think your shots are getting a bit too heavy, Yane-Yane?"

Ayane shrugged while doing another pile driver. "No, they're not really strong. I don't mind it at all."

Slapping her forehead, Kiyone shook her head disbelievingly. "Didn't you hear a word I just said?"

"I did hear what you just said," Ayane now flustered sent a forehand towards Kikumaru.

Kiyone smirked. "Okay, then what did I just say?"

"Huh?"

The sandy haired girl wanted to kick her doubles partner. "How can you be so deaf? I just said to lower your power a notch!"

Ayane shrugged. "Yeah but, won't it take the fun out of the game?"

Oishi fired another forehand towards her. "Actually, I'm getting used to the amount of power Kobayagi-_san _is sending to so – she doesn't need to hold back."

Ayane smirked while delaying her shot a little. "If that's the case, time to take it up a notch!"

Her shot cracked off and slammed into Kikumaru's racquet causing the red haired acrobat to roll backwards. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: two games to love!"

Kikumaru shook his head after rolling backwards. "Nyah~, that hurt!"

Oishi helped his best friend up. "Wow, we're really taking a beating. Thing is – they're first years and supposedly, Kobayagi-_san_ isn't supposed to have this kind of experience in Doubles."

Ayane on the other hand was talking to Kiyone. "This is one of the best matches we've played so far. They never went easy on us and I saw the Moon Volley coming several times. Not only that, Kikumaru-_san _brought out his acrobatic play and still – we're actually winning by a slim chance to none."

"Yane," Kiyone tapped her shoulder, "we won two games straight. How is that slim?"

Ayane curled her fist. "Simply put – they could have brought out the big guns and finished us off right there and then. Not only that – Oishi-_san_ and Kikumaru-_san_ are baiting us. The moment we make a mistake, it's game over for Hyotei. It will be hard to remedy the mistake and the two of them can keep attacking us until our defence is shot."

Kiyone shuddered. "Isn't there a way to make sure that the bait doesn't work?"

"There is," Ayane looked at Kikumaru and Oishi discuss another strategy, "however – it will take more than just the Waltz Formation to dish out some serious damage."

Fuji glanced sideways to Sanada Momo who was relatively calm despite everything. "Saa~, you don't know who you've just angered, Sanada-_san_."

Tezuka nudged Fuji a bit. "Fuji, that's enough. Echizen is still in one piece."

"How can you let that slip," Fuji stared with his electrifying blue eyes, "she did use violence on the court after all."

Momoshiro punched his hand. "Tch, that girl's really dangerous! At first, she was this calm and calculating person and then – BAM! The girl goes wild on Echizen!"

At the Hyotei girls' side, Momo hung her head low. "I really got out of hand, didn't I?"

Haruka rolled her eyes at her. "Yeah, sure you didn't."

"It was just a momentary loss of control," Hitomi pat Momo on the shoulder. "I'm in the same boat as you are. Inui-_san_ used my own technique against me and I let Isane take most of the beating. That's why – Isane is very valuable as a friend, doubles player and maybe singles once in awhile."

Momo turned back to the court. "I envy them."

Hitomi looked at the female Sanada, "Who?"

Momo pointed at the two first years playing doubles. "They only had each other to trust in during their first middle school year in Hyotei. Both players learned each other's faults and strengths and began to surpass the boundaries people set. Ayane is no ordinary doubles player; she can probably outwit Oishi-_san_ and Kiyone can knock down Kikumaru-_san_ because her top spins are deadly. From what I heard, the acrobat has motion sight so, the top spins and under spins will confuse him."

Haruka shrugged. "Good luck to him then, his stamina will shoot down faster than normal."

Rin watched Kikumaru struggle against Kiyone's second _Chire Gaigetsu Sakura_. "Kiku-_chan_, be careful…"

Gakuto saw concern wash over Rin's face. "Tch, why does it always have to be Kikumaru? She snaps at me but cares for Kikumaru more than anything."

"I guess you're feeling jealous, Gakuto?" Oshitari saw Gakuto gripping the wired fence.

The magenta haired acrobat pointed at Kikumaru who was losing stamina. "She even told him how powerful the sandy haired brat is! Of course I'm jealous!"

Oshitari, shaking his head, remembered distinctly that Gakuto was very open with his emotions either way. However, his eyes were more concentrated on Fuji who was constantly glaring at the female Sanada that attacked Echizen. One thing he understood about Fuji was that when someone from Seigaku gets hurt, the offender pays a lot. "It looks like Nagisaki's going to have to play her best."

Atobe sensed the aura from Fuji. "_Ore-sama_ doesn't think Nagisaki will stand a chance against Fuji. After all – he's Seigaku's _tensai_ and your counterpart, Oshitari_._"

Hiyoshi watched Kiyone sail into the air again and fire another smash down. "Kiyone has control over Kikumaru's movements now. There's no chance for the Golden Pair to get out of this one."

Inui tilted his glasses. "Kobayagi sealed off Oishi's accuracy by sheer brute force while Getsugan knows how to top spin so well that it drains Kikumaru's stamina faster. However, they're not going to last long at this rate. Despite all the efforts, Oishi and Kikumaru always found ways to make their own loopholes through strategies and I think Kobayagi hasn't realized that yet."

Kiyone did another backhand towards Kikumaru while the red haired acrobat quickly volleyed it towards Ayane. The rally ensued between the two baseliners while Ayane fired a pile driver towards Oishi who managed to return it despite the ache in his wrist. Ayane did another _Kotsubushi Katana_ while Kikumaru jumped forward to reflect it with the same power. Kiyone volleyed it using Ayane's leftover strength in the ball while Oishi this time became the volleyist and Kikumaru retreated to the back. "Kiki," Ayane pulled out another forehand, "do you think we should start…?"

"If we want to finish it early," Kiyone backhanded towards Oishi, "then – yeah, go ahead. Do what you feel is right, Yane-Yane."

Ayane kept a close eye on Kikumaru's movement. "Kiki, someone stole your _taiyaki_!"

Kiyone backhanded it far. "No one… NO ONE STEALS MY _TAIYAKI_!"

"Fifteen – love," Kikumaru tried to bend far back but couldn't reach in time. "Wow, she sent it so far back, nyah!"

Oishi saw what Ayane just did; it was a doubles language. The vice captain infuriated the smaller girl and made her do a pile driver right past Kikumaru who obviously couldn't react to it on time. Ayane was very clever for a first time regular and mostly, freshman tend to get very jittered when facing opponents older than them. Watching Ayane toss back her strawberry blonde (tangerine) hair, Oishi couldn't help but almost melt. "She's so…"

"Oishi," Kikumaru began snapping his fingers, "hoi hoi, you're spacing out, nyah!"

Shaking his head, Oishi found Kikumaru with a childish grin. "Nyah, you must really like her, Oishi! I can get a friend of hers to…"

Oishi clamped his hand over Kikumaru's mouth. "Eiji, please don't mention anything."

Kikumaru gave him a thumb up. "You got it! But – how are we going to take the next two games, Oishi? It's their service game too!"

Oishi had a small smile. "I already have an idea, Eiji."

Once again resuming the Australian formation, Oishi received Kiyone's serve which cracked off barely touching the service line. Kikumaru volleyed towards Ayane and because she couldn't react on time, the ball went straight up into the air. "Eiji, do it now!"

Kikumaru, spinning in the air, exploded his forehand down towards the baseline, "Kikumaru Bazooka!"

The ball blasted past Kiyone but the little girl didn't seem the least bit stunned. "Cool, you should do it again!"

All the _senpai_ sweat dropped at the sight; Kiyone just faced something new and breaking down wasn't in her vocabulary. "Well," Kikumaru scratched his head, "I didn't know you enjoyed it that much."

Kiyone tugged Ayane's sleeve. "Do you think that you can fire that back harder?"

"Maybe at least three times the power," Ayane glanced at the doubles lines, "start targeting the corners, Kiki. We're going to end this in a six games to one match style; if we prolong it, the Golden pair will have their advantage and shoot us down."

Kiyone lowered her body at one side. "Can we break them first?"

"Breaking seniors isn't easy, Kiki," Ayane remembered what happened to Isane and Hitomi, "much more that we're only first year students. They have more experience than we do and most probably – the plan would backfire badly. Kikumaru-_san_ and Oishi-_san _are really going to give us a run for our money so, dish out whatever you can!"

Walking towards one side, Kiyone lowered her body at the net while Ayane waited for Kikumaru's service. "We'll have to use that formation if anything else gets worse. If they beat that then, we better come up with a new formation and fast!"

Kikumaru served it towards Ayane who backhanded it far towards Oishi. Doing another Moon Volley, Oishi expected Ayane to be the one to receive but Kiyone was now the one at the baseline. "Peek-a-boo, I see you!"

Before his Moon Volley could touch the ground, Kiyone smashed it towards Kikumaru who lunged with a forehand towards Ayane. "Ayane's too strong for the net; her shots will go…!"

Unexpectedly, Ayane flicked her wrist and the ball gently let itself off where Oishi was standing, "Love – fifteen!"

"Thought I was only a baseline player, didn't you?" Ayane pointed her racquet towards Oishi. "A lot of people thought that way because my shots were too heavy."

Oishi looked at their formation and Kikumaru tapped him on the shoulder. "Nyah~, I haven't seen that formation anywhere. What is that?"

Inui began scribbling in his notebook. "Oishi and Kikumaru now face a new doubles formation that was invented by the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair. This formation is not used by any other pairs they have played against except these two first years."

Hitomi had her business smile. "It seems like they brought out the Waltz Formation. With this style, Ayane-_chan_ and Kiyo-_chibi_ will be able to train in both styles and end this game quickly without wasting much stamina. However, there is a flaw in this formation…"

"You have to follow a certain rhythm," Oishi noted while recalling the past few shots. "Though you guys look like you're moving slowly, both you and Getsugan-_san_ are actually rotating in roles. However, there's a catch: Getsugan-_san_ won't be able to return pile drivers if she's at the baseline. If I remember right – her shots are not strong enough to sail over the net from that distance. The good thing is that – the longer the formation takes place, the faster and more rhythmic the two of you will be. Also, you both will be able to confuse the opponent because they would think twice in returning the shot."

Ayane and Kiyone exchanged glances with each other. "Wow that was one fast analysis."

Oishi had a small smirk but Ayane shook her finger. "But that isn't all, Oishi-_san_. You might want to check Kikumaru-_san_ before you analyse it again."

Taking a sideward glance, Oishi found Kikumaru sweating profusely and unable to stand up. "You see," Kiyone rested her racquet on her shoulder, "we weren't aiming for you to begin with. Kikumaru-_san_ is the one doing all the work and you're doing all the thinking. What happens to a body when its limbs are torn off?"

Oishi couldn't understand how a little girl could be so sadistic. Why hadn't he seen it before? Kiyone and Ayane were targeting Kikumaru all this time and now, he was the last one standing. "I wanted to seal off his movement. Kikumaru-_san_ was becoming a little too fast for me," Ayane noted while heading towards the baseline. "So, one down: one more to go."

Shaking his head out of frustration, Oishi headed towards the other side while Kikumaru flimsily picked up the ball. "Getsugan-_san_ knew that he was low on stamina. That's why she kept doing cord balls and top spins. But – how did she know that he had…?"

"How did I know he had motion sight?" Kiyone clapped her hands impishly, "Simply put, Kikumaru-_san_'s eyes flicker very quickly while watching the ball. So, I figured – 'hey, how do I make this guy go cross-eyes?' Therefore, I used the top spins and under spins to make him go whoo-hoo!"

Kikumaru began his service which sadly smacked the net, "Fault!"

A second one flew towards the net again, "Double Fault, love – thirty!"

Kikumaru, heavily breathing, couldn't float the ball properly. His hand felt limp and his whole body felt like lead. Dropping the ball, Kikumaru nearly slumped to the floor until Oishi caught him. "Eiji, you might need to time out first. You can't float a ball even if willed if this continues."

Kikumaru nodded weakly. "I'm sorry, nyah."

Oishi, hauling Kikumaru over his shoulder, helped him to the bench while the arbiter initiated, "Time out!"

Kiyone and Ayane walked towards the bench and began downing a whole bottle of C2 iced tea. "Geez, I didn't know he'd get exhausted after five games."

"That's how short his stamina must be but if we didn't use the formation – do you think he would have lasted longer?" Kiyone remembered how many times he had been jumping around.

Ayane sealed her bottle. "It's not that he'll last longer – we'll be defeated faster. _Buchou_, do you think that Fuji-_san_ will…?"

"Tear up Mai for revenge," Shizuru glanced at the cerulean eyed genius, "actually – yeah. He feels dangerous and from this angle, I can tell that Mai's going to be the receiver of his vengeance. Mai, please be careful when you face Fuji-_san_. He's not your everyday _tensai_ and his moves might be paralyzing. So, Kobayagi, Getsugan, I'm sorry to pressure you but – you guys have to win. That way, even if Mai loses – I can make up for it after I face Tezuka-_san_."

Hitomi checked her notebook. "_Buchou_, Tezuka-_san_ isn't very easy to beat either. You know that from facing him awhile ago in the other court."

"I know," Shizuru remembered the close game they had between them, "but, I can't afford to lose now."

Isane nodded. "Besides, _buchou_ isn't the type to lose to the same opponent twice. Even if it's Tezuka Kunimitsu, she'll definitely find a way."

Ayane wiped her forehead. "You know, I was a bit afraid at first. I thought Oishi-_san_ was going to make us break in the first part. But truthfully, he's a really nice guy."

They all stared at the vice captain while Haruka slithered towards her. "You look guys like that now don't you?"

"W – What," Ayane blushed furiously, "I have to admit – he's a really, really, sweet guy. The way he takes care of that acrobat – I'm amazed that Oishi-_san_ hasn't grown white hair yet."

Kiyone snickered to Mai. "She probably doesn't want to admit it: Oishi-_san_ must be good looking in her eyes."

Ayane shook Kiyone silly. "Why I ought to…!"

Shizuru split the two apart. "Both of you, that's enough riff raff. Concentrate on the game: are there any things that you need to polish?"

"Well," Ayane scratched her chin, "the Waltz Formation needs tweaking here and there. They discovered that Kiyone can't do baseline and I can't do volley well. So – that's one thing we might need to fix. Also, there's the counter for the Kikumaru Bazooka – darn, he hits hard."

Ayane contemplated for a moment while looking at Kikumaru's present state and at Oishi's body language. "You know – I think we might have a slim chance of winning if we don't keep up the pace."

Kiyone stared at her. "Why?"

"Take a look," Ayane pointed at Oishi and Kikumaru. "They're already coming up with a counter attack for our Waltz Formation and if they find something to counter all our moves – we are so dead."

Kiyone hung her head. "Man, this is getting more complicated! Isn't there any way we can seal the game without them making such a fuss?"

Ayane, stroking her chin, glanced at the Golden pair again and then at the court. She remembered Hitomi mentioning the Oishi Territory technique and how it was very similar to the Osakada Stadium. She needed to know what it was like to go against a technique so loopholes were recognizable. Taking a seat, Ayane began twiddling her thumbs. "I never thought this would happen but: if Kiyone and I don't come up with anything right now, we're going to take a beating from those two seniors at a humiliating score."

Kiyone snapped her fingers. "Hey, what if we tried slowing both of them down? You managed to seal Oishi-_san's_ accuracy anyway. So, I don't see what's going to be hard about making Kikumaru-_san_ pant like a doggie. He even says that 'nyah' all the time. Is he part cat, Yane-Yane?"

"Come to think of it," Ayane cracked her knuckles. "Kiyo-_chibi_ has a point. Kikumaru-_san_'s speed dropped drastically after watching the _Chire Gaigetsu Sakura_ several times and Oishi-_san _had to double his efforts and his stamina shot down too. Actually, we're a little tired ourselves and we can't even make a proper strategy."

"You're going to lose to them, arn~?" A mocking voice echoed in her ears.

Wincing at the sound of Atobe's voice, Ayane stood up to her full height which sadly wasn't enough. "Oh please, you can't even play doubles properly and still decide to ask if we're going to lose? You've got some nerve to tell me that in the face, Atobe Keigo! If I remember right, you're just a singles player and have to live up to being King of Hyotei Gakuen!"

Atobe brushed his hair back. "If you really want to win then, come up with something that is somewhat like theirs but better or find something that is completely undefeatable."

Ayane got ready to bite him until she realized that Atobe had a point. If there was something she could do, it was coming up with techniques on the spot. However, the situation was a bit tricky because of the experience both Seigaku regulars had. "Hitomi-_senpai_, please describe the Osakada Stadium to me. You did say it was very similar to the Oishi Territory right?"

Hitomi scanned her notes. "The Osakada Territory allows Yuri-_senpai_ to examine the opponents' style very closely and find a way to counter them. However, _senpai_ believed that it was applicable only to her until Haruka-_chan_ somehow learned how to counter the technique. This move was used in the Kanto Regional Tournament when it made its first debut. Yuri-_senpai_, by using this technique, won the Doubles Two with a score of six games to love. What trick do you have now, Ayane-_chan_?"

Ayane snapped her fingers. "I think I have just the strategy. Kiyo-_chibi_, forget the Waltz Formation for now."

"But that's always been our basic formation!" Kiyone whined, "You can't expect me to forget it like you!"

Ayane slapped her forehead. "Please, we need a new formation otherwise these guys will hand their butts to us right now!"

Kiyone, solemnly nodding, trudged towards the court and waited for Kikumaru's service. "Okay, if I remember right – Kikumaru-_san_ has his Kikumaru Bazooka and Kikumaru Beam which is comparable to Yane-Yane's strength. I need something that can use the power from the shot."

Ayane glanced at Kiyone for a moment and sighed. "Hopefully, she can receive it and return it with the same power. Right now – baseline isn't her forte and we're doomed if this plan doesn't work."

The serve cracked off and Kiyone rushed forward. "I'm going to beat you so fast – that you won't notice anything!"

Oishi was at the net and began his volley while Ayane threw herself back to the baseline with Kiyone advancing. The Seigaku vice captain didn't understand what Kiyone was pulling out but the moment she got close, an impish smile appeared on her face. "Get ready for this one…!"

Soon, the volley accelerated forcing Oishi to stretch his reach. His arm felt like it was going to fall off with that kind of speed but Kiyone didn't let up. She flicked her wrist left and right forcing the volley to either bounce awkwardly or fly straight at him. Soon, Oishi lost balance and the volley zipped past him, "love – forty!"

Kikumaru ran to his doubles partner. "Are you okay, nyah?"

Oishi looked up while Kiyone twirled her racquet. "I bet you think that technique is Yamaguchi-_senpai_'s Sonic Volley. But guess what – it's not."

Ayane pat Kiyone on the head. "Yeah, that was the _Obana Volley _– Pampas Grass Volley. You do know what that is right?"

Momoshiro turned to Inui. "What is that, Inui-_senpai_?"

"The Pampas Grass," Inui jotted down, "very interesting. Those plants are very fast in growing and when waved around, the seeds easily disperse. That was her basis for the volley. While the Sonic Volley is a one shot kill volley, this technique increases speed each time it is returned. In other words: no matter where Oishi shoots it, Kiyone will get it because there is an abrupt slap against the ball making it harder to return. However, this technique requires full flexibility of the wrist otherwise – the technique won't be as effective."

Kikumaru watched Kiyone sway towards the service box again while Ayane was going to receive. "Wow nyah, this is the one who has really hard returns. How am I going to return that kind of power…?"

Fuji watched Kikumaru toss the ball up into the air. "Eiji and Oishi might not win this… These girls have them out-powered but…"

"They're not out-classed, Fuji-_senpai_," Echizen continued sipping his Ponta.

Inui continued to jot down data. "Oishi and Eiji may be more skilled but the two are definitely prepared for something like this. How they managed to become that strong is something we might need so it can be implemented into the training regimen."

Hitomi passed a fleeting smile to the two first years. "If you two lose," –she held up a glass of neon red liquid with blue in the middle and pink on top while her glasses gleamed evilly, "then you both will have to drink this. I now present to you my Winning Juice 2.5."

Ayane covered her hand with her mouth. "Eww, don't make me even get near that thing!"

Kiyone faced down. "That… that has poison in it…"

Oishi noticed the two slumping down after they saw the liquid while he heard a loud crash. "Yamaguchi-_senpai_, will you please stop using that drink as a threat! They're only first year!"

Hitomi pointed towards the court. "But, it works doesn't it?"

Ayane faced towards Kiyone, nodding. "We can't lose, otherwise – we drink that."

"Mm hm," Kiyone turned to the doubles pair of Seigaku, "let's finish them off quick and easy."

Ayane had a smirk. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Kiyone nodded earnestly. "Oh yeah," –casting an evil glance at the two Seigaku players.

Kikumaru clung on to Oishi right away. "Nyah, she's so scary nyah!"

Oishi felt his body shiver when he saw the glowing juice on one side. Is that what made the two girls stronger? If so – then, they should have no problem since Inui basically pulls off the same stunt if the two of them don't train well enough. However, it seemed that these two were playing Doubles together longer than the both of them because they weren't even exchanging many words except when both girls were terrified of something or shift of plan. Other than that – it was like their playing style was flawless. "Everything has to have a loophole," Oishi continued to watch their hand movements and body language. "They may have good strategies but I'm sure they can't keep up the consistency."

Kikumaru waited for Kiyone and Ayane to assemble themselves back into their formation. "Let's do this, _aibou_!"

Ayane ducked while Kiyone rushed towards the serve with another volley. "Come and get it!"

Oishi volleyed again this time to Ayane. "Alright, since Kiyone will be attacking the net, I might as well go for baseline."

Ayane was far enough to twist her body, sending a heavy two fisted backhand_._ "You better think twice than firing at the baseline."

Oishi sped towards Ayane's backhand and returned it with the Moon Volley. "We can't keep doing this – hopefully, she won't keep that same consistency later."

Kiyone jumped up ready to smash until she turned three hundred sixty degrees and cut the ball. "Wheeee, you thought I was going to smash, didn't you?"

Kikumaru lunged for the ball sending it towards Kiyone. "Don't be so sure yet!"

Landing gracefully, Kiyone flicked the ball up while Kikumaru smashed it towards her. However, the little girl was fast enough to react and pelt it back towards Oishi who backhanded it. "As long as I'm her partner," Ayane had a smirk, "nothing will get past her or me!"

Oishi fired another backhand towards Kiyone who volleyed it towards Kikumaru. The red haired acrobat purposely volleyed it flimsily towards Ayane who made the ball into a cord shot. Kikumaru volleyed it towards Kiyone again and this time, she let it slip, "Yane-Yane, finish them off!"

Ayane backhanded with her full body weight. "Game face, let's finish them off!"

Oishi caught her backhand by the net and volleyed it towards Kiyone. "You do have the strength but you don't have the leg power to keep running around, do you?"

Kiyone volleyed cross court which Kikumaru managed to recover and strike back. "Wow, this rally's getting more intense," Momoshiro gaped at the smaller girl.

Hiyoshi couldn't help but smile at Kiyone who was having so much fun playing against those of higher rank. These two girls were first years yet they were handling those who had experience. Watching Kiyone's leap high into the air for a smash, Hiyoshi gripped the fence tighter. "I need to…I need to _gekokujo_ Atobe."

Jirou watched Kiyone's volley progress. "Wow, she's really got flexible wrists like I do! It's so cool and Kiyo-_chan_'s so pretty too!"

Oshitari didn't pay attention to the doubles play but he couldn't stop himself from trembling. Shizuru was right below and she was about to play one of Atobe's greatest rivals and maybe a soon-to-be his. The _kansai_ genius turned to the score where he saw that both doubles play were ending up in their favour. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: three games to one!"

Oishi felt his whole body tremble at the shock Ayane could deliver by simply backhanding the ball with her whole body weight. Looking at the score of three games, the Golden pair felt at a loss upon what to do up next. Kikumaru had only gained enough energy to run for the next two games and if Kiyone keeps top spinning the ball then, his partner's going to drop dead. "Eiji, don't go wasting your energy yet okay? We're not even in the latter part of the game yet."

Kikumaru steadied his breathing. "Nyah, they're really good for first years. I didn't expect this, Oishi."

Ayane inhaled sharply. "Well, other than that – I think the Golden Pair is going to lose to Hyotei's Diamond Pair am I right, Kiki?"

Kiyone danced around while sticking her tongue out. "You bet!"

More shots flew in, one after the other with Ayane doing the _Kotsubushi Katana_ right past Kikumaru, "Fifteen – love!"

Kikumaru managed to sneak in an acrobatic volley past Kiyone, "Fifteen all!"

Kiyone did a top spin that bounced away from Oishi, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Fuji watched Kikumaru jump around. "Getsugan-_san_ is really making things hard for Eiji. I'm surprised someone her size could actually do that."

Kawamura watched Ayane explode another ball cross court. "I'm surprised that Kobayagi-_san_ was strong enough to send Eiji flying."

Ayane glanced at Kiyone who simply missed the ball on purpose, "Thirty all!"

Kikumaru sailed up high into the air and did a backhand straight down, "Thirty – forty!"

Oishi did a high five with Kikumaru. "I think it's time we get this show on the road, Eiji."

Kikumaru nodded vigorously. "You bet!"

This time, the two came up with their Australian Formation once again and the Hyotei vice captain pretended to be confused. "Oh my, where am I going to hit it now? They're covering all sides…"

Kiyone sat on the ground, yawning. "Do we let them win?"

"Of course not," Ayane smacked her head, "that's insulting to both sides. Besides, they're pretty good for them to be able to run us out like this."

Oishi saw Ayane's service flying towards him and this time, he returned it with a forehand. Ayane attacked the baseline corners while Kiyone hit the service boxes, leaving them totally baffled at their pattern. Kiyone began pivoting faster and soon, her body was soaring left and right across the court. "She's doing the split step like _ochibi_," Kikumaru gaped.

"Actually it isn't," Hitomi continued scribbling down. "She's simply just staying on her toes, a trick that Mai-_chan_ gladly taught her."

Kiyone jumped high into the air, twisting her body in a full circle. "Weee, time to finish you guys!"

Expecting a drop shot, Kikumaru lunged forward and volleyed it towards Ayane which landed right in between her legs, causing her to trip over. "Owie," Ayane rubbed her butt. "That's gonna leave a mark."

"Game, Oishi-Kikumaru: two games to four!" Kikumaru bounced over worriedly. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, nyah!"

"It's okay," Ayane waved her hands dismissively, "I fall all the time!"

Kiyone sniggered. "Yeah, our _fuku buchou_ is such a klutz; you'd think her husband was Atobe Keigo."

Ayane grabbed Kiyone by the collar of her shirt, shaking her roughly. "What did you say!?"

"Waaaah _buchou_, she's abusing me," Kiyone faked tears.

"Why I oughta…!"

Shizuru sighed while rubbing her temples. How could the team's best doubles pair keep fighting like this? She always wondered what would happen if the two got into a really big fight but that was wishing for bad. "I should have brought three more bottles," Shizuru smiled bitterly.

"You're too young for that," Mai pat her on the back. "Kiyone's the one who started it anyway."

Isane walked towards the court, sighing and pinching their ears. "That's enough – Kobayagi-_san_, you're supposed to be a role model to your doubles partner and Getsugan-_san_ – stop picking fights."

Kiyone pouted like a child while Isane pat her on the head. "Okay, we'll get back to business."

Ayane went towards the baseline, sighing sheepishly. "I guess we gotta resume our game then."

This time, Kikumaru got much faster by sending in a rapid assault of volley shots towards Ayane, "Fifteen – love!"

Kiyone clucked her tongue. "Darn, these guys are getting faster!"

Ayane watched Kikumaru's movement, managing only to get herself dizzy. "Kiyone, we have to drop this game and the next one."

"Why," Kiyone stared at her as if the vice captain had gone crazy.

"Do you have any better idea on how to deal with a hyper acrobat?"

Kiyone bit her lip while missing the ball on purpose once again. There were times that Ayane couldn't figure out a plan but how they managed to get past others was something she didn't understand. Her body trembled with sweat trickling down while watching the ball zoom past her again and again, "Forty – love!"

Ayane had tried to return Kikumaru's volleys but he proved to be even faster than she was. Kiyone tried to volley only to have it smack the net. "Game, Oishi-Kikumaru: three games to four!"

Hitomi began scribbling down. "Kobayagi seems to be deep in thought – she ordered Kiyone to drop two games."

"She's probably trying to come up with a plan," Momo watched Ayane shift glances from left to right. "Knowing her, Kobayagi wouldn't do this unless she can't figure it out."

Oishi sent up a Moon Volley which Ayane promptly missed, "Love – fifteen!"

"I knew it," Oishi began doing another Moon Volley, "they may be strong in the first four games but the two of them don't have the consistency to pummel down the opponent. Eiji," –Oishi backhanded the ball towards Kiyone, "do you still have enough energy?"

"Love – thirty," Kikumaru jumped up high into the air whilst doing a smash. "I still have a lot to go on, nyah!"

Ayane watched Kiyone bite back her tears. "I know you don't like dropping games like this but we have no other choice, Kiyone. If only I came up with a better strategy," Ayane watched Kikumaru sail into the air and fire a Kikumaru Beam right past Kiyone. "I'm so sorry."

Kiyone gripped her racquet tightly while watching the Golden Pair breeze past them. Ayane was getting tired and so was she. They had two games left to come up with an idea on how to defeat the Golden Pair without exhausting each other badly. Her ocean blue eyes glittered angrily while trying to recompose herself. What was all that training for? The _Obana _Volley was okay a few minutes ago but now, Kikumaru just got past it easily. "Game, Oishi-Kikumaru: four games all!"

Kaidoh let out a low hiss. "They finally caught up."

Momo punched the air. "Now's the time for you to show them a great comeback Eiji-_senpai_, Oishi-_senpai, _give it your best shot!"

Oishi and Kikumaru did a high five. "We need two more games, Eiji. Let's wrap this up quickly."

However, the two third years sensed a powerful aura from the other side and found the two breathing with the same rhythm. Soon, they were walking in the same pace and their eyes were empty looking. Ayane walked towards the baseline while Kiyone lowered her stance at the net again. "_Ikuze_, Kiyone," Ayane's voice was more transparent like a ghost's.

Oishi shivered. "What in the world…?"

Inui began scribbling. "The first years believed that they were in a pinch against the two therefore, this allowed them to open a new source of power: Synchronization."

Hitomi tilted her glasses with a business like smile. "A new form of power unlocked when a doubles pair is in a pinch. Ayane and Kiyone never tapped into this kind of power so the outcome might be…"

Ayane's servicer cracked off immediately and sent Oishi's racquet flying, "Fifteen – love!"

Kikumaru's shot smacked the net despite him throwing his entire body weight, "Thirty – love!"

Oishi's eyes widened. "This is… Synchro…?"

Kikumaru rushed forward to deflect another shot but Kiyone and Ayane were both at the net. "Which one of them is going to hit it? They're actually moving in the same rhythm, nyah!"

Ayane and Kiyone swung their racquets at the same time resulting into confusion for Kikumaru and a fast volley which zipped past the Golden Pair, "Forty – love!"

Kiyone leaped high into the air and did a top spin towards Kikumaru. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: five games to four!"

Oishi and Kikumaru exchanged glances with each other while nodding. The two began working with their new formation and began catching up, "Fifteen – love!"

Ayane exploded a shot towards Oishi causing him to stumble back a little, letting the ball smack the net, "Fifteen all!"

Kiyone sailed high into the air and smashed right in between the two third year players, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Atobe watched Ayane quickly close the gap against the Golden Pair. He remembered that she had lost against Shishido and Ohtori but now, there was something that she never realized. It could have been possible that this feeling was induced by the two but Atobe considered that an anomaly. Ayane always played cautiously against her opponent in order to avoid the pressure and muscle atrophy which was something Kiyone was not very good dealing with. "Arn~, _ore-sama_'s very impressed. Kobayagi, I wonder how you managed to induce this kind of feeling into both you and your partner. Getsugan from what I remember hated dealing with pinches like this."

Deep in Ayane's mind, the vice captain shamefully looked down. "I'm sorry for getting us into this mess."

"It's okay," Kiyone shrugged it off, "I don't even know what we're doing anymore. It's like – every time you move, I move too!"

Ayane couldn't feel any of her limbs but she knew that there was something going on. The wind blew in her face and explosive shots were heard from their side of the court. "Is this what doubles players call…Synchro? I mean – people said that Synchro occurred when the doubles pair felt like that the game wasn't going their way."

"Maybe we subconsciously felt that," Kiyone couldn't feel any of her limbs, "you know – if only we could do this by will, we'd win the Nationals no problem!"

Ayane nodded while trying to regain control of her body. "Hey, Kiki," the little girl tilted her head to the side, "I'm glad to have played doubles with you."

Kiyone gave her thumbs up. "Yeah, I'm glad I got to play as your doubles partner too, Yane-Yane!"

Feeling the sensations returning to her control, Ayane managed to see what was going on and her body was midway through the _Kotsubushi Katana_. "Perfect, I've delayed it long enough!"

Zipping past the Golden Pair, Ayane's shot exploded on the court creating such a loud commotion for both teams. "Game and match, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: six games to four!"

Oishi walked over to Ayane to shake her hand. "That was amazing, I didn't know you guys were that close."

Kiyone shook her head. "You know – I don't even remember what happened."

"Actually," Ayane scratched her head sheepishly, "I'd say the same too. Though, I wish that I knew what was going on during the match."

Kikumaru bounced over while ruffling Kiyone's hair. "That was some cool acrobatics, nyah!"

"It's barely even acrobatics," Kiyone pouted. "But, thanks anyway for the compliment!"

While the two walked off the court, Mai began warming up. "It looks like I have to deal with the vengeful one then."

Shizuru saw Fuji's aura shift the air easily. "Be careful, Mai. Don't let him drive you into a corner."

"I'll do what I can," Mai twirled her racquet. "Hopefully, nothing bad's going to happen."

Fuji smiled angelically. "Shall we begin, Nagisaki-_san_?"

Mai winced at his smile. "Yeah, I think we should."

-That's chapter 13! Please review! Sorry for late update!


	14. Drawn Out Beast

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 14 – Drawn Out Beast

Mai, swinging from side to side, took one glance at Fuji who was calmly adjusting the strings on his racquet. He was smiling but Mai knew what that meant – she was in for a world of pain. Her body racked with fear and bewilderment. Mai took a look at the bleachers and saw Oshitari glancing at Fuji from time to time. For him to get Oshitari's attention, this meant that Fuji was hell bent in making them pay. Unfortunately, Mai was at the receiving end of his fury. "Hopefully, I'll live. Then again – why do I feel so… terrified? It's like there's this voice in my head that's telling me that I'm about to die."

"Are you alright," Fuji smiled angelically from the other side, "Nagisaki-_san_?"

Mai shivered at Fuji's tone. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

Haruka watched her _kohai_ face Fuji and it was clear: Mai was scared out of her mind. Glancing at Hitomi, she nodded. "You have any information about this guy?"

Hitomi flipped through her notebook. "Unfortunately, no, I don't. Many data masters can't get precise data about Fuji-_san _and now that he's facing Mai, she'll have to hit blind."

Watching the ball fly up into the air, Mai gripped her racquet tightly as Fuji sent a fast one. Mai luckily was fast enough to react and Fuji did a top spin but the female _tensai_ sent it straight down the line. Fuji forehanded it towards her again but Mai did a top spin and sent the ball awkwardly to Fuji. Taking a step back, the team knew what was going to happen next. "Here it comes," Momoshiro fixed his jacket, "the _Tsubame Gaeshi_." (Swallow Return)

The ball flew over the net and descended quickly without even bouncing but Mai managed to sprint towards it and sent it cross court. However, Fuji fired it straight up in the air. Mai got ready to jump until she froze; something told her not to smash. Fuji continued to angelically smile but Mai retreated to the baseline to top spin it again towards him. Fuji expected this; Mai was playing right into his hands. "She doesn't know what her teammate just got her into. Poor girl, I wonder what will happen next…"

Fuji aimed the next shot right at Mai's body but the ball flew up in the air, "_Kuro,_" Mai inhaled sharply, "_sakuraso_." (Black Primrose)

Seeing it as a mimic, Fuji smashed the ball right at her but Mai uncoiled like a spring. "That wasn't the end of it."

Fuji, despite being mid-air, managed to twist his body and smashed right at her knee. "Fifteen – love," Mai wobbled while trying to gain balance. "Wow, you're pretty accurate."

The _tensai_ said nothing while walking towards the baseline with his eyes flashing. "You're going to be the one paying for your _senpai_'s mistake."

Momo curled her hand into a fist. "Mai wasn't involved in any of it," she spat while resisting Haruka's restraint.

Fuji didn't reply while he did his usual ace service. Mai backhanded a cord ball while Fuji did a top spin. She increased the top spin but Fuji countered with the usual. "I wouldn't keep doing that if I were you. Don't you know what makes the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ perfect?"

Mai did an under spin to neutralize the _Tsubame Gaeshi._ "You use the opponent's top spin against them."

Fuji smiled maliciously. "That's right, how long did it take you to figure it out?"

"As soon as," Mai did another under spin, "I learned how to do under spins!"

The _Tsubame Gaeshi_ limply flew over the net and Fuji didn't have enough time to return the shot. "Fifteen –all," Fuji winced at the shot, "hmm, impressive. Although I want to ask – how long will you be able to keep that up?"

Mai shivered at the intensity of Fuji's gaze. The two _tensai_ showed a long exchange of rallies with an alternating pattern, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Soaring up into the air, Mai sliced the ball towards Fuji, "Thirty – all!"

Fuji backhanded the ball again. He glared momentarily at Momo while recalling the match between her and Echizen. "Sanada Momo," Fuji smiled ghostly, "your _kohai_ is going to pay for your mistake. Hurting Echizen is something we Seigaku won't let go."

Momo bowed down, gripping her skirt. "Mai, I'm so sorry."

Mai inhaled deeply while doing a forehand the ball right at Fuji. The brunette backhanded it back while Mai did another cord ball. Rushing towards the net, Fuji lobbed it into the air. "That was silly of me," Fuji lowered his gaze from the ball.

Mai smashed the ball straight down, "Forty – thirty!"

Fuji smiled while pointing past Mai. "Take a look behind you."

Mai found the tennis ball bouncing at the baseline's edge. Also, she found Fuji standing at a lowered position. "Triple Counter: the _Higuma Otoshi_," Fuji smiled slyly at the Hyotei _tensai_.

Momoshiro gulped when he saw Fuji's cerulean orbs pierce through Mai. "This is scary; Fuji-_senpai_ is really going all-out on her. There's no way we can stop him after he's seen what Sanada-_san_ did to Echizen," the black haired dunk smasher turned to Echizen. "You didn't get hurt did you?"

The capped prodigy downed another Grape Ponta. "No, I just rolled backwards. So?"

Oishi winced at Fuji who let out all his lethal moves. He was playing her; everyone knew that. Fuji was the type to bring them high only to crash his opponents hard in the end. Mental destruction was more of Fuji's style and Mai was going to get a heavy load of it. Though their playing styles were very similar, Mai had speed while Fuji relied on strategy. "Tezuka, don't you think Fuji is going a bit too far on this?"

Tezuka remained silent but noted that Oishi did have a point: Fuji often did things excessively, especially when one of the team members get hurt. He could recall many times Fuji got called into the principal's office for beating up a couple of seniors, particularly the ones who busted his shoulder. Also when someone threatens Fuji Yuuta, Tezuka barely shuddered at the memory. "Fuji," –his voice was low but commanding, "I don't want to see any violence on the court."

"I know," Fuji smiled innocently, "I won't be getting verbal anyway. It will be fairly easy to break this one."

How Fuji became a sadist no one knows. However, his style changed into a more aggressive style and forced out Mai's Jazz Tennis. "This is the first time I used Jazz Tennis at the start," Mai backhanded the ball to the corner of the Singles Line. "Then again – this is Fuji Syuusuke we're talking about; he's no ordinary cookie."

Fuji fired another forehand towards Mai who floated the ball into the air again. "_Kurosakuraso,_" Mai smirked at the cerulean eyed _tensai_.

Taking steps back, Fuji was ready to run towards the baseline but it slid down the net and rolled towards him. "Deuce," Fuji exchanged glances with her and the ball.

"So, by applying a combination of top and under spin," Fuji turned away to serve again. "I see – it's very similar to a move I've been working on."

Mai shook the uneasiness off while she waited for Fuji's service. Holding back wasn't in her vocabulary but Fuji was hiding something. She couldn't tell what it was though; her body shivered violently at the thought of having this _tensai_ for an enemy. His service cracked off again while she sped forward to make sure it wouldn't bounce. The two forced each other into an intense volley, forcing Fuji to use the _Tsubame Gaeshi_. "How long will you keep doing this?"

Mai fired the ball straight up. "Until you go blind from looking at the sun, this will have to do!"

Fuji closed his eyes immediately and waited for the ball to drop. Jumping up, Fuji timed his smash straight at Mai who uncoiled her body again, "Advantage, receiver: Nagisaki."

Clucking his tongue, Fuji knew that he couldn't keep doing this otherwise; she was going to beat him. The _tensai_ was usually laid-back in most of the matches but this one was different, this was personal. After watching Sanada Momo give Echizen Ryoma a beating, Fuji was going to make sure that the team suffered defeat. "You're not going to escape this, Nagisaki Mai. You're going to see what happens when someone close to me gets hurt."

Fuji began targeting her body more and even tried aiming low. Luckily, Mai contorted around to dodge and repel all of Fuji's shots. Her form was becoming more and more strained, sweat poured down her face while Fuji was exploding shots from his side of the court. "So, you're getting a little more vengeful now. Alright – time to kick it up a-!"

Before Mai could retaliate, the ball smacked her stomach and propelled the _tensai_ back. Pivoting around, Mai volleyed it towards Fuji again while he lobbed it again. "He's going to use the _Higuma Otoshi_ again? Doesn't this guy have any originality?"

Fuji, instead of using _Higuma Otoshi_, took several steps back and backhanded the ball towards her. "Tch," clucking her tongue, Mai pile drove it towards the Singles Corner. "You nearly threw me off back there. Now, I'm…"

"Deuce," The ball floated and slid down the net. Mai's eyes widened in horror, did he just copy the _Kurosakuraso_? "Wait, wasn't that my…?"

"_Kurosakuraso_," Fuji angelically smiled, "was something similar to what I was working on. Copying it won't be a problem, Nagisaki Mai."

Shivering slightly, Mai retreated to the baseline, trying to calm herself down. "I don't believe it, are my techniques that easy to copy? Kabaji-_kun_ is understandable but this guy…"

"What's the matter? You want to forfeit?" Fuji's voice laced with venom.

Mai gripped her racquet tighter. "Fuji-_san_ won't stop until he's completely avenged Echizen-_san_. I should know – _tensai_ have the same mentality: we have the tendency to become sadistic against the people that hurt our loved ones. Although, I've learned something: never release your anger on the innocent. This guy doesn't know what that means apparently."

Fuji's eyes became more serious while serving the ball. "I hope you can keep up, Na-gi-sa-ki Mai-_chan_~."

_That was the exact way how she taunted Motomiya in the Tokyo Prefectural Games._

Mai remembered that day and now, she was at the receiving end. This was the fear people experienced in facing tensai; no one could tell how or what they were thinking. For the very first time, Mai was at the receiving end of someone who thought like her. Her knees buckled, sweat trickled down, the heartbeat echoed in her ears and the racquet slipped out of her hands. "What's the matter," Fuji's smile became more evil, "scared already?"

Mai wanted to slump onto the floor but she remembered: this wasn't the first time that a _tensai_ was her opponent. However, Fuji's aura aroused fear that could make people pee in their pants. Stiffening at the sound of his voice, Mai shook her head. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not easy to break, Fuji Syuusuke."

"That's a lie," Fuji's smile widened, "you dropped your racquet just a few minutes ago. Your heartbeat is echoing in your ears, sweat is trickling down, your mouth is dry – the three signs of fear."

Mai didn't understand how he knew that but the thought was creepy. His cerulean blue eyes pierced through her and Mai could feel everything becoming dark. Shaking it off, Mai continued to rally against him with a hard forehand towards the baseline. "Yeah right – tell that to someone who cares!"

Fuji knew that Mai wouldn't be easy to break but he didn't expect her to last this long. Mai backhanded another shot towards him while Fuji lured her with a lob. "You know – I'm kinda aware on how to deal with that kind of shot. Sorry about that, Fuji-_san_."

Doing a cord smash, the ball spun awkwardly when Fuji did the _Higuma Otoshi_, "Out! Advantage, receiver: Nagisaki."

Fuji, clucking his tongue, went to the sidelines first to get a drink. "Fuji," a commanding voice came from the bleachers.

"Ah," Fuji resumed back to his usual mask, "what is it, Tezuka?"

Tezuka rubbed his temples, sighing. "Don't pull off another vengeance spree, this is a friendly match."

"She hurt Echizen, Tezuka," Fuji's eyes flashed, "are you going to let her get away with that?"

Tezuka knew he couldn't argue with that. "Fuji, two wrongs don't make a right."

"True," Fuji's eyes gleamed sadistically, "but I think a few tweaks here and there may prevent other bad things from happening, ne?"

Again, another point Tezuka couldn't argue with but he was wondering what Shizuru was telling Mai. The _tensai_ from Hyotei was shivering intensely while trying to stay calm. "I can't believe what the heck is happening. He's going through me as if I'm just a worthless bug."

"This is Fuji Syuusuke we're talking about," Haruka folded her arms. "This guy's dangerous; if we get him even more riled, who knows what will happen?"

Rin glanced at Fuji who was talking with Tezuka. "Man, can't we forfeit the match?"

Mai stared at her aghast. "No way, I will never redeem myself if that happens!"

"There are times wherein you have to accept defeat," Ayane shivered at the intensity of Fuji's gaze. "I think now is one of these times."

Shizuru handed Mai a towel. "Wipe your hands. I have to agree with Kobayagi though – Fuji-_san_ is making this match personal after what had happened between Echizen and Momo-_senpai_. He won't let this rest; think if you were in his position. What would you do if one of us gets hurt?"

"I'd tear their confidence into bits," Mai tossed the towel aside sullenly.

Shizuru smiled faintly. "Sure you will but, what happens when you're facing someone with the same principles as you?"

Mai realized that her captain had a point; once again, the _tensai_ was in a battle against oneself again. Standing up, Mai walked towards the court with grinning goofily at her captain. "I know what to do now – thanks a lot, Shizuru."

Shizuru took her seat at the coach's bench below while Oshitari watched Shizuru twitch inconspicuously. "She's scared for Nagisaki; Shizuru knows what's going to happen if Nagisaki doesn't keep herself focused. Fuji is no ordinary opponent and he will crush anyone… who stands in his way."

Fair enough, Fuji began his service again effortlessly crushing Mai in the first game with two _Tsubame Gaeshi_. "Game, Fuji: one game to love!"

"I can't believe one game took that long," Rin stared at her _kohai_.

Gakuto shook his head at Oshitari. "Is Fuji that dangerous?"

"Are you that brainless?" The kansai prodigy gave him a droll stare.

Atobe brushed his hair back. "As long as someone who is close to Fuji is injured, the _tensai _will make sure that whoever hurts that person will pay. I picked it up from one of the matches Seigaku had."

"With St. Rudolph," Oshitari recalled Atobe using the subs as the regulars at that time.

"Fuji Yuuta was taught how to do the Twist Spin Shot by Mizuki," Atobe recalled hearing rumours about the match. "Hearing this, Fuji humiliated Mizuki in the match by letting him win five games straight and taking seven out from him instantly. He's quite the wildcard, this Fuji Syuusuke."

"Cherry head won't be far behind," Hiyoshi muttered. "She's not the type to back down either especially – when she finds an opponent who will not toy with her."

Mai jumped into the air smashing right in between Fuji's legs, "Fifteen – love!"

Fuji backhanded but Mai sliced it twice causing his shot to hit the net, "Thirty – love!"

Feeling his hand become numb, Fuji lobbed the ball by accident allowing Mai to do another cord smash, "Forty – love!"

"Something's wrong with you," Mai rested her racquet on her shoulders. "You're holding back or you're scared, which is it?"

Fuji smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mai shrugged while returning to the baseline. "Suit yourself, girly boy. I'm not going to be the one crying after this."

Fuji liked a good challenge and not many people were good enough to give him one. Not only that – the _tensai_ always gave it his all when someone he loved got hurt. Echizen, being one of them, became Fuji's reason for plastering Mai all over the court. Though it wasn't the _tensai_'s fault, she was still a friend of that person who had hurt Echizen. "Game, Nagisaki: one game all!"

Mai forced herself to bring out her best otherwise – Fuji was going to beat her to the ground. Dragging her body, Mai struggled to keep her eyes open while trying to lay out another plan. Fuji's attacks directed itself more to her body and nearly gave heavy impacts. His cerulean eyes were screening her every move and Mai heard her heart beat resonate loudly. "This… this is the _tensai_'s real power? Ever since awhile ago, there's been this tingling feeling in my spine that's been telling me that I'm about to die. Is this what it meant?"

"How long will you stand there?" Fuji's cold voice cut through her thoughts.

Shuddering at the iciness, Mai returned to the baseline to receive Fuji's service. The two _tensai_ battled it out again, exchanging rallies with forehands and backhands. Mai's footwork increased inexplicably and Shizuru saw what was going to happen. "At the fifteenth shot, Fuji-_san_ will not return the shot properly."

Her teammates watched the prediction come true; Fuji's shot went straight up into the air giving Mai a chance to smash, "Love –fifteen!"

Mai bounced from left to right. "Well, looks like you can't keep up with my Jazz Tennis then."

Fuji continued to smile. "Well, I guess we should try that again and see what happens, ne?"

Oshitari shivered a bit at Fuji's smile. What was the _tensai_ planning now? Mai never faced someone of this calibre; the only one who could draw her out this much was his _senpai_, Midoriyama Nanako. Fuji could equal a lot of players if he wanted but Oshitari could tell: the _tensai_ was playing with her now. Mai was stuck in a web and only Fuji knew how to break it. "He's going to break her down piece by piece," Oshitari tilted his glasses, "Mai-_san_ won't make it."

"How can you tell, Yuushi?" Gakuto bounced over to his doubles partner.

Atobe brushed his hair back. "_Tensai_ think alike, Gakuto. Fuji will not stop until whoever hurt the _kohai_ is dead. In this case – Nagisaki is at the receiving end of all his fury."

Shishido's lips curled while his fist turned visibly white. "Damn, he's going to massacre Nagisaki on the court and she had nothing to do with Echizen's damage to begin with."

Ohtori poked his classmate. "Shizuru-_chan_, aren't you going to stop Mai-_chan_?"

"If I stop her," Shizuru lowered her head, "how will she learn how to face stronger opponents? Mai had always been looking for stronger opponents to defeat. This might be one of the very few asides from Midoriyama-_senpai_. I know it might be mentally damaging but if it gets bad – then, Fuji-_san_ will be a dead man."

Rin shivered at her captain's words because the younger girl had one principle that was always upheld: tennis is not a tool for war. Mai and Shizuru were very close and that's what complicated the matters. If one of them gets hurt – the attacker faces the entire team. Fuji was going to get a beating from Shizuru if he doesn't stop his style now. "Shizu_-buchou_, I think you should stop the match. Mai can barely keep herself calm and Fuji will use that to his advantage."

"I know," Shizuru tightly gripped her racquet. "Even if she loses, hopefully, it won't be as horrible as we all expect it to be."

Fuji fired a lob straight into the air with Mai smashing it straight down. "Thirty – fifteen," Mai watched the ball land on the baseline again.

Straightening up after the _Higuma Otoshi_, Fuji smiled innocently at her. "So, don't you feel scared yet?"

Mai, sweating profusely, shook her head while stopping herself from trembling. "I'm not scared; I'm just trying to warm up!"

"Sure you are," Fuji's eyes pierced through her, "I don't think this game will even last thirty minutes."

Mai didn't like the tone of Fuji's voice. His every word cut through venomously and his shots were more lethal too. She knew how to counter the _Higuma Otoshi_ but Fuji countered every one of her strategies without much effort. Another backhand flew past the redhead, burying itself into the overgrowth at the wired fence. "Forty – fifteen," Fuji walked back to the baseline.

Momo hung her head, with tears overflowing. "I'm sorry, Mai. I didn't mean to bring this on you."

Isane bit her lip while Hitomi continued taking down information. It annoyed the data master to lack data about certain people but Fuji wasn't an easy person to get data about. Not even her friends or Inui had a clue on what Fuji's true style was. Nobody had lived to see what Fuji's real tennis style is and the only one who could probably bring out that kind his real strength was Tezuka. "Fuji Syuusuke, _tensai_ of Seigaku and probably one of the most mysterious, his style is Aggressive Baseliner like Nagisaki-_chan_ but his is more lethal. His favourite food is Wasabi and likes taking photos. Fuji Syuusuke was born on February 29 and has two siblings…"

"We don't need any of that," Momo waved her hand dismissively. "We just need how bad he's going to drag out this game!"

Hitomi, shaking her head sadly, pointed at the court. "I don't think I need to tell you how bad it's going to be."

Mai slid on the floor while the ball rolled past her. "Game, Fuji: two games to one!"

The boys were fine with giving it their all but Fuji was on overkill. The _tensai_ sadistically played with Mai's style while even making sure she wouldn't score. "You know – the team doesn't care whether or not you come home with cuts and bruises," Fuji smiled slyly. "They just want you to win, that's all there is to it."

Mai shook her head. "Now you're trying to fill my head with lies? Good luck with that!"

"Every captain thinks that way," Fuji handed the ball to her. "Kurenai-_san_ must be even more lethal than Tezuka. She thinks that you're just a tool for the Nationals."

The _tensai_ backed up while shutting her eyes. "You…"

Fuji noticed her grip becoming tighter. "You know nothing about _buchou_. Don't claim that you know the way she thinks."

"_Souka_," Fuji tapped his chin. "I guess the other method needs to be used."

Fuji looked at her eyes flicker angrily at the insult. With a sadistic smile, Fuji returned Mai's service with a backhand. The female countered with a top spin followed by Fuji's Tsubame Gaeshi however, Mai knew how to return it this time. "The _Tsubame Gaeshi _works only on top spins to make it a sure fire shot. However, once nullified – there's nothing you can do about it!"

Mai twisted her body like a pirouette and the ball zoomed past Fuji right at the Singles line. "_Kosouku Yaribana_ (Speeding Spear Flower)," Mai inhaled sharply. "Think of it this way: you double your top spin, I don't need to make another spin just to score."

"By nullifying his spin," Hitomi began scribbling down. "Mai made sure he cannot do another _Tsubame Gaeshi_ again because it would be easier to return by lowering your centre of gravity. Not only that, she already can counter the _Higuma Otoshi_ after seeing someone from Yuugetsu Chuu. In other words – she has sealed all his counters and her odds of winning have increased to eighty percent."

"I don't think you should base it on data alone," Shizuru focused on Fuji's shots. "This guy is still holding back; he's waiting for the right time to strike."

Rin gulped. "The higher they are, the harder they fall."

Mai pile drove a shot down the line, "Thirty – love!"

Fuji backhanded the shot while she sliced it down, "Forty – love!"

Oishi noticed another pattern; Fuji was doing it again. The _tensai _was holding back and he was having fun doing it. The _fuku buchou_ couldn't understand but Tezuka had a slight idea why Fuji was doing this. "Fuji-_senpai_," Echizen lowered his cap down, smirking, "_mada mada dane._"

Fuji continued to fire heavy shots at Mai while pin pointing her every weakness. "Her Jazz Tennis can't last forever – I might as well cripple Nagisaki while I'm at it."

The _tensai_ from Hyotei watched his shots make her hand tremble while trying to keep up the rhythm. Mai knew that it would put heavy strain on her legs but this game required everything. Fuji's aggression increased and her racquet nearly slipped out several times. His top spins were getting faster and Mai felt her eye lids become heavy. "No, I can't stop here! Fuji may be a _tensai_ but that doesn't mean I'm not one!"

Feeling lightheaded, Mai shook off the nauseous feeling while returning one of Fuji's _Tsubame Gaeshi_. "Wait a minute, because he's so angry – Fuji-_san_ can't formulate a proper plan. Every angry person leaves openings in their attacks so," Mai saw a small spot in between Fuji's legs. "This is worth the shot."

Seeing the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ come at her again, Mai pirouetted and sent the shot in between Fuji's legs. "Game, Nagisaki: two games all!"

Kikumaru gulped. "Wow, they're playing such a close game, nyah!"

Oishi shuddered at Fuji's aura. "Fuji won't stop until he's decimated her. Fuji's only playing with Nagisaki until she completely runs out of battery."

Tezuka remained expressionless but if people knew him better – they would have noticed the anger in his eyes. Fuji sometimes made things too personal and often got himself into a trouble that was unredeemable. Fuji fired the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ towards the service line while Mai rushed forward to get it. "Fifteen – love," Fuji smiled while walking towards the baseline.

Mai shuddered a bit while trying to regain her breath. "God, this man is making me run miles. Thing is – I don't think this is even his real potential yet. That smile's hiding it and the chances of winning are kind of slim. How do I take down a guy this strong?"

"You look a bit afraid," Fuji's eyes stared down at the _tensai_. "Are you sure you don't want to back out?"

Kikumaru bit his lip. "Nyah, Fujiko-_chan_'s becoming scary! What do we do, Oishi?"

The vice captain watched Fuji bring down a smash at Mai who recoiled her body again. Counters from both sides flew back and forth but Fuji was gaining the upper hand. Mai may have motion sight but that's what chewed up most of her stamina. Mai trudged a bit while Fuji's rhythm continuously increased. "Thirty – love," Fuji adjusted the strings, "if you don't get up soon, you won't be able to walk after that, Nagisaki-_san_."

Mai knew that behind the innocence, Fuji was ready to kill her. She felt her knees buckle up and everything began swirling around. Wobbling uncontrollably, Mai tried to look him straight in the eyes only to feel weak again. Her body trembled violently with sweat pouring profusely all over her face. His shots sped past her right away with no obstruction. "Forty – love," Fuji smiled sadistically at her. "You should start doing something, Nagisaki-_san_."

Trying to move, Mai heard her heart beat pound while nothing came out. She couldn't speak and sweat trickled down even faster; Mai was completely numb. "Why, why can't I move? It's as if – I can't lift a finger against him anymore."

"The yips," Hitomi shook her head. "This is one of the worst times to have it – then again, it is acceptable since Fuji is no ordinary player."

Shizuru bit her lip; this was one of the very few times Mai gained the yips. Despite being one of the best players, Mai never faced a _tensai_ who could be this merciless. People would have chosen to attack Momo directly but Fuji's was different; he chose to hurt the people closest to the attacker. This was one of the most damaging styles against most opponents. "I can't move my body anymore… I can't even see where I'm going."

Fuji smiled; this was exactly what he wanted the girl to feel. "You might want to stop now," Fuji's cerulean eyes opened. "I could be very nasty when I play against people who hurt my teammates."

Momo stood up, furious. "How immature are you!? Mai never did anything to Echizen and you're making her pay for it!? It should be that's getting busted, not her!"

Gakuto pulled back Momo before she lunged at Fuji. "Wait – I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

"Give me ten good reasons why," Momo spat at the magenta haired acrobat.

"You'd ruin my pride is one," Mai stood firmly while shaking her head. "Another is that – I would never be able to redeem myself. Number three – you'd ruin the game and many more. I can give you a whole list but right now, I have to deal with Fuji-_san_."

Fuji, staring with surprise, gripped his racquet with a shrug. "Good luck to you then."

Lowering her body stance, Mai inhaled sharply while watching Fuji begin his service. "I need some way to at least grab some games from him."

The two began their rally with Fuji backhanding the ball towards her. Mai darted quickly and began using a wild rhythm to throw Fuji off balance. The _tensai_ nearly stumbled allowing Mai to become more aggressive. Her movements were fluid; not a bit of energy wasted. However, Fuji developed an upper hand, smashing right at the corner of the Singles Line. "Game, Fuji: three games to two!"

Mai inhaled deeply while trying to calm down her nerves. "It's alright, Mai. He isn't going to kill you. Then again – this is Fuji we're talking about so, I'm sure he has a few tricks up his sleeve other than scaring the blitzes out of me. Okay, he's already countered the _Kurosakuraso_ and my Jazz Tennis but there's the _Adonisu Otoshi _that he might have found a way against. So, it's my service now…"

Bouncing the ball lightly, Mai fired it straight at Fuji with it bouncing awkwardly. "That's it," Rin pointed excitedly, "the _Sazanka Serve_!"

"Fifteen – love," Fuji, seeing the ball roll past him, smiled at Mai. "Hmm, that's an impressive service for someone who's only second year. You really live up to the name then."

"_Tensai_ _no watashi wa_," Mai smirked while pointing her racquet straight at him. "How do you like my genius?"

Haruka smacked her forehead. "Geez, are you sure she's not hanging around Rikkai Dai that much?"

"Well, she can't help it," Isane shrugged with a smile. "Marui-_san_ and Yukimura-_san_ go to the same tutor house for Pre-Calculus."

Haruka stared at Isane. "They're taking pre-calculus? We're only in Geometry!"

Mai jumped into the air and fired a cord smash towards Fuji, "Thirty – love!"

Fuji fired a _Tsubame Gaeshi_ across the court, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Seeing the ball coming down in the form of a smash, Mai was going to do the Adonis Drop until she tripped. "N-no, wait…!"

Fuji smiled innocently, "_Sayonara_, Nagisaki-_san_."

Clutching her racquet tightly, Mai forced herself to get up until she felt something rush through her body. It couldn't have been adrenaline because soon, her mind began to fade and somewhat, Mai performed the _Higuma Otoshi_ perfectly. Everyone stared at the ball that dropped right behind Fuji, shocking all the players, "Forty – fifteen!"

"There's a foggy aura around her," Gakuto pointed out while Mai slowly wobbled into an erect position.

Hiyoshi looked at Mai's faded eyes. "It's as if – her mind's completely empty."

Hitomi pulled out a notebook. "Under extreme circumstances, Nagisaki Mai pulls out a new ability namely the _Muga no Kyouchi_."

Fuji tapped his chin with surprise. "Hmm, interesting – I wonder, how far will your experience take you?"

Mai fired something new towards Fuji, catching the _tensai_ off guard. "Isn't that," Ayane tapped Kiyone on the shoulder, "your _Obana _Volley?"

Kiyone's eyes widened while Mai began pulling out more moves. However, Fuji was eerily calm for someone who was facing a player who had just unlocked _Muga no Kyouchi_. He returned the shots with ease and didn't even panic when Kiyone's _Obana Volley_ was used. His eyes watched Mai's movement intently and then, he smiled sweetly. "Mai-_chan_, you're running out of stamina, aren't you?"

Hiyoshi noticed the sweat pouring down the _tensai_'s face. "Is this the side effect of the _Muga no Kyouchi_?"

"Though you will be able to tap into your past experiences," Inui explained to the dumbstruck Seigaku regulars, "it chews up a heavy amount of stamina."

Kikumaru bounded towards the fence. "No wonder she's sweating buckets, nyah!"

Haruka poked her captain. "_Buchou_, is there any way to keep going with that kind of power?"

"There is," Shizuru bit her lip. "There are three gates but a person needs a lot of practice and experience before you even get to master one of them."

Hitomi poked the younger girl. "Didn't you do one of the gates before?"

"It was sheer luck," Shizuru's reply was curt. "I didn't even know that my shots became double the return of the opponent."

Oshitari watched Mai snatch one game from Fuji. "She's already closing the gap. As long as she keeps this _Muga no Kyouchi_ up then, there's no way that Fuji's going to win this."

Gakuto saw Mai soar into the air. "She's doing my Moonsault! Is she crazy!? Her body's not used to it!"

Hiyoshi saw her changing position into something more unorthodox. "My… _Enbu_ Tennis…"

Mai fired shots faster down the line and Fuji had to sprint off a few times, "Love – thirty!"

Momoshiro stared at the second year _tensai_. "Man, she's faster than Eiji-_senpai_ right now. Nagisaki can even put that guy Kamio to shame."

Kaidoh hissed while watching Fuji reach out for another corner shot. "She's really making Fuji-_senpai_ run. Question is – how long can she keep up the _Muga no Kyouchi_?"

Fuji noticed that Mai was slowly losing her stance and foundation. Her shots were getting flimsier and Fuji found it easier to return. "Running out of energy already, Nagisaki-_san_?"

Mai felt her throat run dry while trying to keep stable. They were only in the fifth game and she was losing stamina too fast. Fuji was barely doing his true style and the red haired _tensai_ couldn't even lift a finger anymore. The energy of the _Muga no Kyouchi_ slowly died down while Mai tried to pace her energy. "I can't believe it, what in the world was that? I never unlocked that kind of power before. I couldn't even control what my body was doing."

Fuji smiled innocently. "You don't know what the _Muga no Kyouchi _does, do you?"

Mai was about to shake her head but didn't bother doing so when Fuji explained. "Your mind is in a state of emptiness when using this technique. One cannot control his or her moves when this technique is used because the body focuses on all the experience one has had. However – because the mind has to delve deeper into one's memories, it takes out a heavy chunk of stamina from the user."

The Hyotei _tensai_ didn't really care because she didn't even listen to a word Fuji had said. Flinging herself back and forth, Mai began using all the moves she encountered including the Roundhouse Return or the _Higuma Otoshi_. Some were even thought to be impossible to return or do. "That's the," Isane gaped, "_Subera Kagerou _of Shizuru-_chan_."

"That's my _Kotsubushi Katana_," Ayane jumped excitedly. "How did she do that without busting her arms?"

Hitomi began scribbling down on her notebook. "Mai-_chan_ has now unlocked the secret of the _Muga no Kyouchi_. However, she is not able to maintain her consciousness and therefore cannot monitor her stamina and when to stop the technique."

"She's gonna get bushed," Momo shook her head.

Shizuru gripped her skirt tightly. "If she didn't activate the _Muga no Kyouchi_, Mai would definitely lose. Fuji's just playing with her now, waiting for Mai to collapse. She has to stop the technique so at least she can conserve her strength for the next few games."

The ball disappeared, bouncing away from Fuji, "Fifteen – forty!"

The Seigaku _tensai_ wasn't the least bit disturbed while Mai wobbled back and forth. "You're really a mess right now, how are you going to win the next games?"

The aura died out while Mai gasped between breaths. "I can manage. It's not as if I'll run out of stamina really fast anyway. I'm more worried about you!"

"Oh," Fuji's smile became sly. "You shouldn't worry about me. I can still go on but I don't think I can say the same for you."

Mai knew that her bluffing wouldn't get her anywhere but being cornered pulled out that tactic. Backhanding the next shot towards him, Mai forced out her Jazz Tennis to snatch the next game from Fuji. "Game, Nagisaki: three games all!"

Fuji nodded while getting ready for his service. "Alright, time to get very destructive."

Mai bit her lip while Atobe analysed the situation from afar. "Nagisaki has already sealed her fate. She used the _Muga no Kyouchi_ too early."

Oshitari watched Fuji use another _Tsubame Gaeshi_. "Fuji's going to decimate her…"

This time, Mai bent low enough to lob it into the air. Fuji waited for it and pile drove to the baseline while Mai managed to spring back and backhand it. Fuji sent a cord ball in which Mai was also fast enough to return. Fuji saw how fast she could move despite having the _Muga no Kyouchi_ slowing her down but Mai had second thoughts. She wasn't going to let a single technique run her down. Though Fuji may have defeated the _Kurosakuraso_, Mai knew that there was a strategic way to get it done. But first – she planned to wear out his legs. "Let's see how long you'll last Fuji-_san_, after my Jazz Tennis."

Seigaku's _tensai_ didn't seem to care because one after the other, top spins flew past the net while Mai pile drove it with some under spins. The two _tensai_ rallied it out with Fuji backhanding towards Mai again. Mai watched his footwork and saw that some part of it was getting clumsy. Being a dancer had its advantages, Mai sprinted on her toes immediately and pile drove the shot down the line, "Love – fifteen!"

Fuji did a spinning backhand smash, "Fifteen – all!"

Mai rushed towards the net volleying cross court, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Fuji watched Mai's movements become more lagging. A smile curved up even wider while Oshitari knew what could happen to Mai next. "He's been playing Nagisaki all this time. What she's facing now is barely half of Fuji's potential as a tennis player. Nagisaki has so much to work on if she's going to be playing against players like Fuji."

Fuji forehanded the shot towards Mai's left side. "What's the matter? You seem a little more exhausted than before."

Mai backhanded it towards Fuji again. "You know, I never really cared if my legs fell off. _Buchou_ tends to play like that too and you know – there's this one thing I live by: play with no regrets!"

Fuji was surprised by her sudden burst of adrenaline. She sped up and Fuji found himself lagging behind. Her eyes flashed intently when Fuji did the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ again. Returning it in high speed, Mai made sure that he won't have the chance to recover from constant top spins. Watching him do it again and again, Mai sent more flat shots towards him. "As long as my shots don't have a spin, Fuji-_san_'s _Tsubame Gaeshi_ won't have much of an effect and therefore cannot score. I can still lower my centre of gravity well enough to return the shot."

Before Fuji could use another _Tsubame Gaeshi_, the _tensai_ felt his arm freeze. "What in the world…?"

The ball zipped past him slashed the baseline, "Fifteen – forty!"

Momoshiro tapped Inui. "Inui-_senpai_, why did Fuji-_senpai_ just freeze like that? He normally doesn't…"

"It's because he's been using the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ in succession," Inui began scribbling down. "Nagisaki must be very experienced in handling players like Fuji because not many players know that he won't be able to recover fast enough to do another. Or – she knew that repeated _Tsubame Gaeshi_ would make Fuji freeze in place."

Kaidoh hissed. "She's not too bad for a _tensai_. Nagisaki is younger than Fuji-_senpai_."

"Most likely she won't have enough experience to deal with Fujiko," Kawamura noticed Mai pile driving the shots past Fuji again. "But, where did she get the idea that would work?"

Mai wiped the sweat from her face. "Game, Nagisaki: four games to three!"

Fuji, shaking his head dejectedly, walked towards the baseline to receive Mai's service. "_Souka_… it seems like you have more experience than I thought, Nagisaki-_san_."

Mai stared straight at Fuji while gripping the yellow green ball tightly. "I should probably dish out that serve by now."

Cracking off her racquet, the ball slid towards Fuji nearly becoming a cord ball but spun around only at the service box, "Fifteen – love!"

Fuji looked up while Mai inhaled deeply. "Think you can keep up with the _Sazanka Serve_?"

Isane rested her chin on her hands. "Wow, this is a new service."

"For her to come up with that level of control," Gakuto gulped while Mai sent another one. "Fuji is completely screwed."

Shishido couldn't help but nod. "That serve doesn't even bounce, it slides."

Fuji didn't seem to be worried because the moment she sent another one, he sent it back with the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ before the ball touched the floor. "That was one of the very few ways to counter it, ne, Nagisaki-_san_? The ball has applied amount of super spin because the moment you serve, power must be exact to the many times that you snap and flip your racquet."

Mai stared at him, how did he know that? She hadn't showed that move to anyone except Shizuru. "How did he counter it right away? That's impossible!"

"Your service is very similar to the _Tsubame Gaeshi_," Fuji adjusted the strings on his racquet. "I just borrowed the spin of the service for the _Tsubame Gaeshi_. It's an interesting move though for someone who is only in Second Year."

Mai, trembling a bit, couldn't believe that all her techniques were returned. She lost here and there but this one was simply overwhelming. Accidentally serving it weakly, Mai saw Fuji's backhand speeding towards her while she began a rally again. The speed increased once more and Oshitari saw the shot explode past Mai, "Fifteen all!"

Fuji did another _Tsubame Gaeshi_ that forced Mai back, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Soon, Mai could no longer feel her body. The _tensai _wanted to collapse but now wasn't the right place. The rally intensified almost immediately sending Mai far back to the baseline. Although she could still use her Jazz Tennis, her body wouldn't permit her anymore. "I can't do this anymore but…"

Fuji's smash zipped past her, "Fifteen – forty!"

Mai shuddered in terror while Fuji had this sweet smile. "I got you now."

"Game, Fuji: four games all!"

Hiyoshi gripped the fence. "Cherry head isn't used to dealing with someone like Fuji. Not many people are geniuses like her except Oshitari-_senpai_. Other than that – most of the girls she plays against are nothing compared to him. Mai-_chan_ actually might lose…"

Atobe brushed his hair back. "So, if Nagisaki cannot conquer Fuji now – there may be some out there who will mimic Fuji and use that to their advantage."

"The only one I know who can do that well is Isane-_chan_," Gakuto noted. "Some people can do mimicry but not many of them can do it properly."

Jirou yawned while sleeping on Kabaji. "Mai-_chan_ better be careful then."

Taki began looking at his watch. "Fuji's going to decimate her in at least two hours."

Hitomi couldn't believe what was happening. Mai was one of the queens and she was losing to the _tensai_ of Seigaku. "Looks like she still has so much learning to do," the data master adjusted her glasses, "Mai-_chan_ may be excellent in dealing with girls but when it comes to things like this – she's a goner."

"She's not as dangerous as Oishi claimed her to be," Fuji continued to backhand the shots. "Then again – I was losing to her at the first part. She's still growing but, it needs to be faster."

Mai fired a forehand towards Fuji but the _tensai_ returned it to her easily causing her to trip. "Fifteen – love," Fuji wiped the sweat from his face.

The younger _tensai_ never realized how strong Fuji could be especially when he was on a vengeance spree. However, Mai managed to do another _Kurosakuraso_ that landed at the corner of the net and singles line. "Fifteen – all," Mai closed her eyes; she knew she was going to lose. This _tensai_ as beyond her level and playing against him was the best thing she could have ever asked for. "Fuji-_san_ is really strong but there is someone who is stronger than him. Someone…"

Fuji saw the seriousness on her face. "Hmm, she is growing but it's taking her some time."

Inui began scribbling on his notebook. "Fuji is practically and virtually undefeatable for now. However, Nagisaki seems to have caught up with him every step of the way despite the exhaustion from the _Muga no Kyouchi._"

Oshitari took a seat next to Shizuru. "So, you're playing against Tezuka?"

"Mm-hm," Shizuru began warming up her legs. "I'm sure it would be a great match."

Gakuto bounded over to the two of them. "Hey, don't you think you should make him pay for stealing your first kiss?"

The female captain blushed madly. "What-? Mukahi-_senpai_, I don't think that's necessary."

Oshitari overlapped his hand with hers. "I think you should you know."

"He was drunk," Shizuru shook her head, disapprovingly at the grudge bearing pair. "He could have kissed anyone and so happens, I was the closest thing there."

Oshitari twitched inconspicuously. "He could have at least kissed a guy instead."

"Oshitari-_senpai_, we shouldn't wish bad things on people," Shizuru chided while picking up her racquet.

Sighing at his very forgiving _kohai_, Oshitari continued to watch while Fuji smashed in between Mai's legs. "Thirty – fifteen," Fuji shook his head to rid himself of sweat. "You're doing a pretty good job, Nagisaki. I'm sorry for releasing my fury on you."

Mai gave him a droll stare. "He only apologizes now? What's wrong with this guy?"

Fuji resumed smiling normally. "Well, maybe we should have a more enjoyable game, ne?"

Mai forehanded the shot cross court. "Yeah, we should have done so twenty minutes ago!"

Fuji and Mai continued their fast rally with Fuji backhanding and doing a top spin. Mai recovered well enough to use the Jazz Tennis again and began sprinting left and right to return the ball. Both _tensai_ noticed a shift in their playing style and Fuji started using more strategy while Mai just got much faster than before. Her top spin clipped the net falling right in front of Fuji. "Thirty all," both teams looked at their watches. "Only an hour has elapsed," Taki watched Mai again. "Be careful, Nagisaki-_san_."

Atobe noticed Hiyoshi handing a _Dalandan_ Soda to Kiyone at the same time smiling a little bit. The Hyotei captain always knew that his successor had feelings for the control master after that exhibition of lowering the room temperature by a few degrees. Momoshiro and Kaidoh got a long with her pretty well but Hiyoshi wasn't the type to share either. "_Ore-sama_ wonders – how is Hiyoshi going to talk to her and confess? As far as he's concerned, the only thing Hiyoshi says is _Gekokujo_."

Jirou saw Hiyoshi talking to Kiyone and glomped her from behind. "Kiki-_chan_, can I sleep on your lap please?"

Kiyone was a bit startled by her _senpai_ and Jirou just ignored the murderous intent of Hiyoshi Wakashi. "Ah, I guess it's okay."

Snuggling, Jirou yawned while sleeping contentedly on Kiyone's lap. "Thankie…"

Hiyoshi resisted the urge to knock Jirou over. "Geez, I can't believe he can sleep at a time like this."

"Thirty all," Fuji smiled while letting the _Higuma Otoshi_ drop deftly at the baseline.

Mai sprinted towards the left and sliced it under, forcing Fuji to move towards the net. This time, she sped up the volley forcing Fuji to keep lunging left and right. Both players were equally skinny but Mai was more fluid in movement because of the dancing she often did. The ball tapped the net falling on Fuji's side. "Thirty – forty," Fuji returned back to the baseline.

This time, Fuji revealed the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ in different patterns which threw Mai off guard, "Deuce!"

Wincing in annoyance, Mai bolted towards the corners and attacked the baseline with top spins and under spins. Fuji couldn't use the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ because of the awkward angles they were going in but soon, he managed to use one only to be countered by the _Kosouku Yaribana_ in which became a flat shot again. Fuji noticed that she was provoking him to use the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ repeatedly but inched closer to the net so she couldn't use the top spins properly. Mai however managed to contort and backhand the shot towards Fuji. "Nyah, she's so flexible," Kikumaru gaped in awe.

"I know but," Oishi watched Fuji play like he usually did when things were alright. "I wonder why Fuji decided to take out all his frustration on Nagisaki-_san_."

"Advantage, server: Fuji," the brunette smiled sweetly while heading towards the baseline.

Mai shuddered at the smile. "The last time I saw a smile like that was on Hitomi-_senpai_."

Shizuru watched her doubles partner deuce against Fuji again. Mai may have the skill but dealing with someone like Fuji was not really the _tensai_'s forte. "Game, Fuji: five games to four!"

"One more game," Hiyoshi muttered while watching his classmate being clobbered by Fuji Syuusuke.

Atobe looked at the _tensai_ and then at Shizuru. "So, you're playing against Tezuka, arn~? Good luck to you, Kurenai."

Oshitari saw Mai reeling back to backhand the shot back to Fuji until he supposedly volleyed. The shot went straight up into the air and Mai stared at him awkwardly. "Okay, what in the world was that?"

"I don't have a name for it yet," Fuji smiled while pointing behind her. "That was only a test run for that technique."

The ball landed on the baseline bouncing back to Fuji. "What in the world was," Mai gaped while exchanging glances. "That was so cool!"

Fuji shrugged. "Like I said, it's very similar to your technique, the _Kurosakuraso_."

Another similar shot soared into the air while Mai decided to jump and smash it. "Better hit it before…!"

"She jumped for it before the ball dropped," Hitomi began scribbling. "Interesting…"

Kikumaru pointed out excitedly. "That won't be the end of it, not for Fujiko!"

Fuji, using the centripetal force of his body, deflected the smash into the air. "Triple Counter, _Higuma Otoshi._"

Mai couldn't recover in time as it landed on the baseline. "Love – fifteen," Mai closed her eyes to inhale properly. "Alright, looks like I'll have to use the _Sazanka_ _Serve_ again in order to get through this."

This time, Fuji wasn't fast enough to react to the _Sazanka Serve_, "Fifteen – all!"

Mai and Fuji rallied again with Mai starting off with top spins. To counter the top spins, Fuji used the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ consecutively each being cut off by the _Kosouku Yaribana_. Forced to play with flat shots, Fuji knew that Mai was trying to seal off his counters until he decided to fire the ball straight up into the air again. Seeing the same technique, Mai this time didn't jump up to smash. Instead, she retreated to the back waiting for it to come down and before it could touch the floor did a cord smash that smacked the top of the net, falling on Fuji's side. "Thirty – fifteen," Mai began with another _Sazanka Serve._

Fuji countered immediately with the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ until Mai used the _Kurosakuraso_ instead, sending it straight up into the air. Fuji rushed forward, presuming it would land near the net instead dropped right unto the 'T' of the service box. "So, you're a _tensai_ gifted with motion sight. That's pretty interesting though may I ask you something?"

Seeing that the _Sazanka Serve _was returned, Mai forehanded the shot towards Fuji. "What is it?"

"Between Tezuka and Shizuru-_chan_," Fuji fired another backhand towards her. "Who do you think is stronger?"

Mai didn't understand what that had to do with anything. "Well, I'd say _buchou_ but I haven't seen Tezuka-_san_ play yet. I'm just playing it by ear."

"_Souka_," Fuji smashed while Mai uncoiled her body to deflect the shot. "However, I think we might have the same perception. Shizuru- _chan_ does have this feel that tells others that she's a good tennis player. Other than that, I too would have said that Tezuka is stronger in terms of physical capability."

"Ability and strategy wise," Mai gave him a top spin. "I think I'd say _buchou_ might floor him."

Fuji remarked offhandedly while backhanding towards her again. "You know, Shizuru-_chan_ is a very pretty girl."

"I noticed," Mai winced at him addressing her _buchou_ by first name. "She's kinda slow on the pick-up lines."

Fuji glanced at where Shizuru was sitting while doing a drop shot cross court. Ayane and Kiyone were arguing something while she got stuck in between again. She even pat Kiyone on the head while smiling sweetly to the first year vice captain, causing the two to back down immediately. However, that wasn't the one that caught his attention.

Well, I think now I see why Tezuka's going crazy for her. She doesn't look half bad...

Fuji snapped himself out when Mai decided to smash at the Singles line. "Forty - fifteen," the brunette shrugged. "Oops, I forgot that was there."

Momoshiro tapped Kikumaru. "_Senpai_, is it just me or is he glancing at Kurenai-_san_?"

"Fujiko's probably looking at her fingers, nyah," Kikumaru scratched his head sheepishly. "He always told me that he liked girls with nice fingers."

Kaidoh rolled his eyes. "He probably wants them to be as sadistic as he is too."

Momoshiro, Kikumaru and Kaidoh could only shudder at what would happen when Fuji got a girlfriend as sadistic as he was. "Though I have to admit nyah, she's not cute."

_She's beautiful_, Tezuka bit his lip before anything tumbled out of his mouth. "What am I saying? I only met her recently…!"

Inui on the other hand was busy taking down data. "Tezuka now blushes at the mention of Kurenai-_san_ perhaps, he has feelings for her and this now proves that he is not a rock."

Fuji noticed a sudden shift in Tezuka's gaze despite the stony expression. "Saa~, I know what you're thinking, Tezuka. But like I said, if you don't come into terms with your feelings soon, someone else will take her away from you."

_Someone named Sanada Genichirou that is..._

With the constant exposure Hyotei had with Rikkai Dai, Atobe had unwittingly gave Sanada more chances to talk to Shizuru and perhaps gotten more intimate with her. The _tensai_ sighed while looking at his best friend and then looking at the Hyotei team. All the girls were very well guarded by their male counterparts especially the four queens. Nagisaki Mai however had a tongue that can slice through anyone's mind but Kiyone being the baby had the most protection. He chuckled lightly before glancing at Tezuka and shaking his head.

_It's a pretty steep mountain. Would you still climb it, Tezuka?_

Mai noticed that Fuji's head was no longer in the game but, he was hitting pretty well despite that. "Fuji-_san_, your shots are getting flat and boring…"

"Really," Fuji switched back to serious mode. "I'm sorry; I just wanted to send my friend a message."

Mai didn't understand what he meant but she too started getting distracted when the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ rolled past her, "Forty – thirty!"

Fuji then gained the upper hand once again with two consecutive _Tsubame Gaeshi _moves, "Deuce!"

Mai jumped high into the air to smash while Fuji did the _Higuma Otoshi_. However, Mai this time managed to fling herself higher into the air and did a backhand drop shot. "Advantage, receiver: Nagisaki!"

Fuji resigned to not using the _Higuma Otoshi _anymore since Mai knew how to counter it already. The rally intensified with Fuji firing a _Tsubame Gaeshi_ down the line and bringing it back to a deuce. Mai followed up with the _Kurosakuraso_ which Fuji jumped up to counter right away. Mai saw Fuji smashing it and used the opportunity to bring out the _Adonisu Otoshi_ again. Seeing the ball fly high up into the air, Fuji reached out to backhand it only to fall on his back. "Fujiko, nyah," Kikumaru bit his fingernails.

Mai rushed towards the net in order to make a sure fire in but only to trip as the ball clipped the net. The whole court was in silence while Kiyone rubbed her hands together. "Mai-_senpai_…"

"In or out," Ayane nudged her doubles partner.

Atobe smirked while running his fingers through his hair. "It's over for Nagisaki."

The ball slid down on Mai's side shocking the crowd with an epic finish. "Game and match, Fuji: six games to four!"

The brunette _tensai_ walked towards Mai, extending his hand. "You're much more stable than your _senpai_."

"Ah, thank you," Mai raised an eyebrow while taking his hand. "Just remember not to release your anger on the innocent."

Fuji glanced at her and resumed his usual smiling face. "I guess that's a lesson I have to keep in mind. Then again – we might have a good spectacle later on."

Mai raised her eyebrows. "Oh, what do you mean?"

"The pillar will be lit upon by the sun," Fuji had a cryptic smile. "Get what I mean?"

Mai thought for a moment and nodded. "Ah, you mean the two captains…"

Shizuru rose from her chair while shedding off the Hyotei Regulars' jacket. "Alright, looks like I'm next. I'm not fond of tiebreakers really."

Tezuka didn't say anything but pulled out his racquet as a sign of consent. "Ah."

Fuji and Mai went to the sidelines while the red haired genius apologized to the captain. "Sorry about that, _buchou_. It looks like I left you with Tezuka."

Shizuru shook her head. "It's alright; I wanted to play against Tezuka-_san_ anyway. I like having a good match."

-That's Chapter 14, please review!


	15. The Pillar and The Queen

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 15 – The Pillar and the Queen

Tezuka and Shizuru went to the court quietly while the whole place was engulfed in a deadly silence. "Arn~," Atobe leaned against the wired fence with anticipation. "_Ore-sama_ wants to see now who is stronger between the two of them. Is it Hyotei _Gakuen_'s queen or my rival…?"

Oshitari watched Shizuru and Tezuka do the usual courtesy handshake before reporting to the baseline. "Shizuru, be careful. He may not be vengeful like Fuji but this guy is extremely talented."

Gakuto waved excitedly to the smaller girl. "Good luck, Shizuru-_chan_!"

"Win one for Hyotei," Kiyone cheerfully chirped.

Ohtori gave her a thumb up. "It's all for one and one for all, Shizuru-_chan_!"

"It seems like we're going to attract a crowd again." Nodding at her cheering friends, Shizuru smiled faintly, "May the best tennis player win."

Tezuka nodded stiffly before going to the baseline. "Ah."

Oishi raised an eyebrow at Inui who was scribbling and muttering about something about collecting data. "Inui, what are you doing? Is that a whole bunch of new notebooks you bought the other day?"

"I need more volumes for data about Tezuka especially when Kurenai is included in the equation," Inui mumbled while scribbling down.

Kaidoh stared at his doubles partner. "Well, at least he's not stalking anyone."

"You forgot that he does it any time of the day," Kawamura sheepishly noted. "Then again – the weather doesn't look too great now."

Fuji glanced at the silver lined skies. "Yeah, we might have to postpone it if that's the case."

"Then again, Tezuka isn't the type to stop playing just because it's raining," Oishi remembered their freshman years when Tezuka was yet to become a regular.

Echizen leaned lazily on the tree. "Wake me up when the match is over."

Momoshiro sweat dropped at Echizen. "How can you be lazy at a time like this?"

Hiyoshi leaned against his fists. "Well, let's see what the queen of Hyotei can do."

Beginning her service, Shizuru lowered her stance immediately when she saw Tezuka fire a forehand straight at the corners. Flashing there almost instantly, Shizuru backhanded it towards the right corner. "How did she move that fast?" Gakuto stared agape. "She makes Shishido look like a snail!"

Shishido slugged the magenta haired acrobat. "Shut up, Gakuto! You can barely even move as fast as Kabaji!"

"Yes I can," Gakuto lunged at Shishido to wrestle with him.

Oshitari slapped his forehead. "They just don't understand the concept for Shizuru's _Shunpo_." (Flash step)

Mai noted the bouncing movement and also Shizuru's difference in ball impact. "By lessening the power in the upper torso, Shizuru can transfer almost seventy percent of her energy into her legs. Doing this, she can dash instantly as if she was 'flashing' towards that place. However, I think this is only one – eighth of her real speed."

Hitomi noted while clocking how fast the _kohai_ captain was going. "Her reaction time has increased to 0.003 seconds, that's almost impossible to do."

"Well, she did do a lot of things that not many players can," Haruka remembered the times the _kohai_ was a freshman. "She really made Naomi-_buchou_ run for the ball using that same speed."

Shizuru did a top spin which clipped the net on purpose while Tezuka lowered his racquet. "Here it comes," Inui adjusted his glasses. "The _Zero Shiki Drop Shot_ will now make its appearance."

The ball glided towards one end until Shizuru appeared right at the net. "You might want to do that shot cross court next time."

Volleying it across, Shizuru forced Tezuka to move forward and both began doing an intense volley. Their exchanges increased in speed until it was invisible and people could only see the ruffling of the net. "Wow, even I can't volley that fast yet," Kiyone watched her captain volley cross court and top spin once in awhile.

Ayane jumped up and down in her chair. "Go get 'im, _buchou_!"

Shizuru sliced the ball down causing it to disappear on Tezuka's end. "Fifteen – love," Shizuru retreated to the baseline. "We had twenty exchanges, didn't we?"

"I didn't bother counting," Tezuka didn't understand what she meant.

Shizuru noted gently. "During the volley, we had at least twenty exchanges there alone. I lost count after ten."

"They had twenty exchanges," Ayane gaped at her captain and Tezuka. "That's almost downright crazy!"

Rin latched onto Haruka. "Ne, Haru-_chan_, who do you think is going to win?"

"It's too early to tell," Momo folded her arms while watching Shizuru beginning with a fast service. "Both she and Tezuka are highly skilled and it would take them almost all their capacity to defeat one another. There are too many things to consider."

"That's quite an assumption but I think Kurenai might have this well in hand," a red haired captain appeared behind the Hyotei team with the other regulars.

Kiyone hid behind Ayane. "Yipe, it's Seigaku's Souma Fuuka! What are you doing here?"

"What I should be asking is," Vera pointed at Ayane's chest. "What is Tezuka-_sama_ and Fuji-_sama_ doing among you low class people?"

Enma closed her black notebook. "Then again, this could be a training session that the two captains agreed on."

Midori watched Shizuru do a backhand smash, pointing excitedly. "Wow, look at that kid fly!"

Rin glared at her green haired counterpart while Hitomi stared at her own counterpart. "The Seigaku girls are pretty good only to have a fan girl as their vice captain. Then again – they don't know exactly how to deal with our rookies and matchless stars."

"You seem to have noticed the difference, Yamaguchi-_san_," the data girl of Seigaku noted while scribbling down as well. "I get a lot of useful data form Kurenai-_san_'s style."

Hitomi smirked while tilting her glasses. "But, you don't know exactly how to use that data, do you?"

The Seigaku data girl stared at her counterpart while Hitomi scribbled down continuously. "Kurenai-_buchou_'s data is very inconsistent. However, it climbs up and doesn't shoot down in terms of performance. Among all the girls, she is the hardest to read next to Uchiha Isane. So, you might want to consider several variables before setting up a basis for her playing style."

Momo stared at her classmate. "Hitomi, how do you manage to argue like that while taking down data?"

"Simply put," Hitomi closed the notebook gently. "However putting my data gathering methods aside, Shizuru-_buchou_ has changed for the better if you haven't noticed."

Mai turned to her blonde _senpai_. "What do you mean 'changed for the better'?"

"Her style has changed and not only that – her performance has increased drastically ever since she came across Tezuka-_san_ again," Hitomi's eyeglasses glinted. "I need more notebooks to keep track of her progress so I can send it to Naomi-_senpai_. She would like to know how well her protégé is doing."

Haruka noticed Rin trying to choke Tashiko Midori. "Oi, sit down, Rin-Rin! Don't strangle her just yet!"

"We didn't even invite the Seigaku girls here except the guys' team," Rin protested to her doubles partner.

Haruka slapped her forehead. "That doesn't give you any right to strangle your counterpart from Seigaku!"

Oshitari folded his arms with his usual poker face but Atobe could tell that the _kansai_ prodigy was annoyed. "Oshitari, you've been annoyed with Tezuka haven't you, arn~?"

"Atobe, I don't need your antics right now," Oshitari glared at Shizuru's bespectacled opponent.

The captain smirked while running his fingers through his hair. "_Ore-sama_ doesn't understand why you're still acting like sulking old man. Kurenai's able to defend herself from fan boys no? Also, Tezuka's not much of a bad person."

"Tell that to someone who knows him more," Oshitari turned away from the icy eyed captain. With this, the _kansai_ prodigy silenced the king of Hyotei with just one line.

Atobe was a little puzzled by Oshitari's sudden bad mood however, he somewhat understood it. Oshitari grew quite close to the younger sophomore but as far as an older brother. One thing Atobe was aware of was how many guys had confessed to her only to end up tortured mentally and somewhat, cracked. Some even ended up avoiding her every time Oshitari appeared behind Shizuru. The _kansai_ prodigy probably made up for the brothers she could never have. "_Ore-sama_ is wondering how long you're going to keep shielding her. Kurenai's not a lost puppy."

"What I do is none of your concern," Oshitari did his best to maintain his poker face around Atobe.

Shizuru and Tezuka on the other hand were still rallying it out. "I can't believe that we're still on the second point," the brunette female smiled while firing a cross court backhand. "Honestly, there is no one who could give me the thrill in tennis the same way he can."

Tezuka didn't know what to say about the younger captain because he was too busy trying to gain the next point. She returned every shot that he had sent her including the _Zero Shiki Drop Shot _which was almost impossible to return for most players. For a moment, his hazel orbs and her auburn eyes met each other at the net and began another intense volley. "How could they play like this? It's almost as if they were playing in the Finals in the Nationals," Momoshiro began scratching his head.

"Tezuka has always been like that," an old voice came from behind. "That also leaves the question – what are you boys doing here watching?"

Fuuka smiled to Seigaku's old coach. "The Hyotei girls wanted to test their limits against someone stronger. I guess the boys' team can't exactly keep up with them."

Atobe fumed upon hearing that but ran his fingers through his hair to calm down. "_Ore-sama_ will not be annoyed by that snide comment."

"Actually, what they say is true in a way," Taki noted. "I mean – this is **THE** Kurenai Shizuru we're talking about. Undefeated in grade school and now virtually undisputed in middle school."

"Kobayagi-_san_ is pretty strong too for a first year," Kabaji noted quietly.

Jirou bounced happily while remembering the exchanges in the Doubles One match. "Kiki-_chan_ isn't too bad either, Atobe! You should have seen how cool her spin shots were!"

Shishido watched Shizuru's speed increase. "She may have gotten you on a lucky shot but heck, if she can prove something now – you're in for it now."

Without being noticed, Oishi slid over to Ayane. "Hey, that was a great game you gave us back there."

"You weren't too bad yourselves," Ayane cheerfully noted while drinking a bottle of C2. "You guys would have pummelled me and Kiyone if we didn't come up with a new formation."

Oishi however wasn't really listening anymore while he watched the water from the side of the C2 bottle slip down to Ayane's skin. It glistened like little crystals and Oishi couldn't help but blush madly. "Ah, Kobayagi-_san_, you're shirt is getting wet by… by… the…"

"Oh, its okay, I'll change later. By the way, please address me as Ayane-_chan_," the tangerine haired captain smiled cheerfully. "You make me sound old."

The two ended up exchanging laughs while the female vice captain ignored Atobe's glare again. However, unlike before, Atobe intentionally threw a towel in her face. "Kobayagi, clean your face."

Swiping it off her face, Ayane glared at Atobe. "What the hell is your problem? You could have at least tapped my shoulder instead of throwing it at my face!"

Atobe turned away while trying to keep his temper in check. "_Ore-sama_ has no reason to explain himself to you."

"Oh, I think he does," Ayane stood up while grabbing him at the collar of his jacket. "You have three seconds, my oh almighty _ore-sama_."

Atobe didn't like arguing with her but, it stung when he saw her cheerfully laughing with Oishi. He never got that with Ayane and often times or always, the two ended up fighting each other. "Just clean up," the king of Hyotei hissed before leaving.

Groaning inwardly, Ayane glared at Atobe's fleeting figure but couldn't help that she saw something in his eyes. Was it jealousy? Did he want so say something? Why did he have to glare and be so cold towards Oishi when they were simply having a conversation that had no harm in it?

Unless…

"That's impossible," Ayane shook the thought off immediately. "Atobe's just used to me diverting all my attention to him."

When Atobe went back to the bleachers, Gakuto nudged him. "That was pretty smooth. I would have given you an F minus."

Oshitari looked up, smirking at his captain. "You didn't do it right. At times like these, she's going to pummel your face into the floor hard."

Atobe glared at the _kansai_ prodigy. "You're not doing much success either, Oshitari. Go watch your stubborn _kohai_ or something."

Shishido raised an eyebrow. "Well, look at the mirror before you say the word 'stubborn'."

Finally, they heard a loud crack at one side of the court. "Fifteen all," Tezuka managed to smash at the corners of the singles court.

Fuji watched Shizuru return to the baseline. "Both of them have physical handicaps, interesting. Not only that, it's on the same side of their body."

Kikumaru gaped at Fuji. "Nyah, how did you know that, Fujiko? You're so creepy, nyah!"

"It's true," Fuji pointed at Shizuru's swollen left knee and Tezuka's swollen left shoulder. "Both of them are ignoring the pain and are going all out in this one match. Let's hope that Tezuka can still play a decent game against the other schools when this is Singles One over."

Soon, Kaidoh felt a drop hit his nose. "Say, is it just me or is it beginning to rain now?"

Momoshiro looked up into the sky. "Yep, we're getting rained in."

"Hey," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ called the two captains from the bleachers. "It's raining out here and no way am I letting you continue a game."

Sakaki-_kantoku_ also happened to pass by with Ryuuzaki-_sensei_. "Kurenai, pack it in. We cannot afford a player to get sick in the middle of the season."

However, the two captains didn't seem to care because the ball was still flying across. Thunder cracked and Shizuru fired another backhand. "Geez, I hate it when things get rained in."

Driving it down the line, Tezuka couldn't help but agree with the captain. "Ah."

Ayane called out from the benches. "_Buchou_, I know you're crazy but please get under the roof! You look like something a cat dragged in!"

Shizuru ignored her Vice Captain once again and continued top spinning the ball. "Because the court is wet, the ball has a tendency to spin away or stay at the same spot. This should work to my advantage; Tezuka-_san_ can't flash as fast as I."

However, the ball suddenly returned to him despite firing a short shot. "_Tezuka Zone_," Shizuru flashed forward again and feeling her legs tremble painfully. "Looks like I might have to wrap this up right now. Although, I have to admit; this is a great game."

Tezuka saw that she wasn't the type to back down either. Despite the rain drenching her clothes, Shizuru kept on returning the shots and even accepted the challenge to see who would drop first. It was his _Tezuka_ _Zone_ versus the _Shunpo_; no one expected the two to bring out the best out their best moves in the rain nonetheless. However, he couldn't look away from the graceful figure that stood at the opposite end. "Oi Shizuru," Mai called from the benches, "I know you're completely obsessed but isn't this going a little too far?"

Ryuuzaki could only smirk at the girl who was really making Tezuka have a hard time. She remembered the time Souma Fuuka and Tezuka Kunimitsu got into a match and things weren't the same. Fuuka couldn't break the zone but she did nearly give Tezuka the yips. But experience was a better teacher and Tezuka won: seven games to five. What unnerved her however was the growth rate of both captains. She noticed that Souma Fuuka wasn't progressing nearly as fast as Shizuru and they were already at the same playing level. Last year, Souma Fuuka was dubbed as the Queen of the Court until Shizuru popped out of nowhere and exceeded the Seigaku captain. "Tezuka, Souma, both of them were being driven off by this one second year girl from Hyotei. Sakaki didn't say anything much about her either."

Finally, the ball slipped away from Tezuka causing him to break his zone and go after the ball. "Thirty – fifteen," the crowd stared in awe at the two amazing (or maybe even crazy) captains who were playing in the rain.

"A single rally between Tezuka-_san_ and Kurenai-_san_ lasted for thirty minutes," Kawamura stared in awe at his captain. "Really, just how strong is she anyway?"

Momoshiro pointed out. "Good enough to make _buchou_ wince at his shoulder for a moment."

The rain got harder and Ryuuzaki began stepping on to the court. "Hey, you both better get inside! You're going to get sick that way!"

Shizuru didn't want to stop. "Finish one game or do we stop already?"

Tezuka returned to the baseline as a sign of consent. Once again, the two began an intense rally again with Shizuru backhanding the ball single handed towards the corners of the singles court. Tezuka fired it back with double her power but she nullified it with a spin easily. The two continued to rally until their sight was beginning to fog up. "Hey you guys," Oishi panicked a little. "Tezuka, I don't think you should continue. The fog's getting worse!"

However, the two captains ignored the warnings and used their ears instead. Their feet moved fast despite the slippery court and Shizuru though nearly losing her footing managed to use the water to her advantage. Sliding with the water, she exerted less effort to go after the ball. Tezuka didn't notice this but Shizuru's shots became heavier every return. In fact, the rally's speed made the ball look like it disappeared forcing them to listen and whatever motion sight they had left. Tezuka forced her in a volley in order to accurately tell where she was but he could only see a shadow. Like Shizuru's end, the girl was forced to rely on her sense of touch and hearing to tell where the ball was. Thunder cracked in the sky and their teammates were now thinking whether or not they should stop the two from playing and getting sick before the tournaments. "_Buchou_," Isane called out. "Finish the game already!"

Echizen and the others were already going in while Fuji and Oishi decided to wait for Tezuka to finish up. "Saa~, Tezuka never knows when to give up, ne, Oishi?"

"Yeah," the vice captain didn't know whether that should be a good thing or bad.

Shizuru scored the next point with the _Subera Kagerou _bouncing lower than normal, "Forty – fifteen!"

Tezuka sliced the ball with the shot rolling back towards him, "Forty – thirty!"

Shizuru backhanded the ball but Tezuka sent it back with double the force while the racquet flew out of Shizuru's hand, "Deuce!"

Oshitari got out his umbrella from the bag. "Shizuru, how can you play in weather like this?"

Atobe watched her continue the match while maintaining the consistency of her shots. "So, this is why Kobayagi respects her so much. Rain or shine, she will continue to train even if means throwing away her own health."

Tezuka's shot landed right at the corner of the service box. "Advantage receiver: Tezuka!"

Shizuru sliced the ball downwards causing it to spin away from Tezuka awkwardly, "Deuce!"

However, Tezuka returned it back with a powerful forehand aiming for the right corner. "Advantage receiver: Tezuka!"

Shizuru instead of smashing spun around with a slicing drop shot, "Deuce!"

Ayane gaped at the news. "My golly, that's three deuces in a row!"

Mai shook her head, shrugging. "Well, you can't stop her."

Haruka listened to how fast the rally was going and her eyes widened. "Even if I can't see, I can tell this game is something that the world would gladly give a hundred bucks for."

Tezuka fired another smash down right at the corner. "Advantage receiver: Tezuka!"

"That's the third time we heard that statement." Shrugging, Momo folded her arms while waiting for her captain.

Another smash cracked off, "Deuce!"

Slamming her head on her racquet, Ayane began pulling her hair. "That's the fourth deuce already! When will their game ever end?"

"I'd like to know the same thing." Kiyone hung onto Rin in fear of being blown away.

The ball was moving awkwardly now because of the turbulence but the two didn't care. They were in their own world of tennis and the thunder didn't even bother the two. "This game is something I would remember for the rest of my life. This is the only time I actually met my match," Shizuru slid to the other side quickly.

Tezuka couldn't help but think the same thing. Not many girls were this crazy about tennis and she was one of the very few who had the same mindset as he did. She wasn't careless but something was bothering him. Does she always smile faintly whenever people talk to her? Or rather – was that a form of intimidation for her? "Kurenai Shizuru, you're…really…different…now. Your playing style alone says all that."

"Saa~, Kurenai may have the skill but there's one thing she doesn't have," Fuji smiled while everyone turned to the Seigaku _tensai_.

"Tezuka has always been training hard sometimes people may deem it unreasonable," Oishi sheepishly laughed a bit.

Fuji pointed out as Tezuka fired a strong backhand. "Well, but his training in unfavourable conditions are coming handy here, ne?"

This time, Shizuru fired the _Subera Kagerou_ but Tezuka managed to out power her in both rallies with one backhand. "Game, Tezuka: one game to love!"

Sakaki hovered over the fence. "Alright, pack it in, Kurenai."

Seeing that there was no point in arguing with the coach because Kabaji had an umbrella over her head, Shizuru sighed while smiling ruefully. "It looks like we'll have to keep ourselves in suspense."

Tezuka couldn't help but smile. "Ah, I guess."

Shishido and Ohtori got onto the court while the capped regular gave Shizuru his jacket. "I don't want you doing that again! I know you want to become strong but, check if you can survive a storm!"

Smiling faintly again, Shizuru followed Shishido and Ohtori off the court with Sakaki while Oishi held an umbrella over Tezuka. "So, how did it feel like playing against a girl?"

"It was different," Tezuka watched her figure vanish behind the fog. "I didn't know it was foggy for this year."

Fuji headed for the hotel rooms. "I think we better get going unless we want to get soaked and sick."

0000000000000000000

Drying her hair, Shizuru glanced at her racquet before recalling the recent exchanges. She looked at how soaked her clothes were and sadly smiled. "You know – if it weren't raining, I think he would have had the upper hand in the game either way."

"You actually had him cornered already," Mai removed her earphones. "How can you say that he had the upper hand when you were making him run all over the place?"

Shizuru stood up while opening the window. "The _Tezuka Zone_ allows the ball to return to him every time and I was already at my limit with the Flash Step."

"But isn't the _Shunpo_ less straining than the _Tsuuro no Shichihinge_? At the same, doesn't it have the same effects of the _Tezuka Zone_?" Haruka remembered the time Hitomi and Shizuru broke into a wild rally. "I mean, the ball is returned either way because it's sucked into the zone."

Hitomi flipped the pages of her notebook. "The _Tsuuro no Shichihinge_ and the _Tezuka Zone_ may have the same concept but their functions are very different. For the _Tezuka Zone_, Tezuka-_san_ puts a heavy spin on the ball to the point it will keep coming back to him therefore – straining his shoulder. The _Tsuuro no Shichihinge_ however focuses energy on the legs and therefore allowing Shizuru-_buchou_ to make long trips seem short and also, she does a top spin making it stronger with each shot. Most of the time, her opponents cannot return the seventh spin shot since it doesn't cross the net after that."

Kiyone swung her legs while hanging. "Well, at least we left it at a tie."

Ayane slammed the door open. "The nerve of Atobe, that man deserves to get trampled!"

"What did he do this time? Well, you do say that every time something goes wrong." Kiyone rested her chin in her hands, "so, what?"

Ayane growled while throwing out her clothes. "What kind of man asks you clean your face by throwing a towel in your face while you were having a decent conversation with a friend?"

"Well," Rin shrugged while hanging upside down. "You have a jealous Atobe and maybe even Gakuto might do something like that."

Ayane sighed while slumping on the chair. "Anyway, forget about me. Did you want to kick Tezuka's butt for kissing you like that?"

"Kobayagi, if I were heartless – I would have made you run laps in the storm until I told you to stop." Shizuru began reading a book.

Mai lowered the book. "That still doesn't answer the question. Thing is – do you have feelings for him?"

"We only met for a few days," Shizuru continued reading.

Kiyone bounced over. "Yeah, how can she develop feelings if they only met for a few days?"

Smiling, Isane put her hand lightly on Ayane's shoulder. "Besides, I don't think it's something that _buchou_ wants to talk about anyway."

"You know – Oshitari's been trying to make passes at you," Momo remembered the bravery test they did a night ago.

Rin shrugged while snatching a lollipop. "He does that to every girl he can find! As long as she has nice legs, he's going to keep on looking at her and trying to get attention."

Hitomi smirked. "Well, enough about _buchou_, Kobayagi-_san_ seems to be caught in a love triangle."

Ayane stared at her _senpai-tachi_, flustered. "Wh-what are you guys talking about? I'm in no mood to discuss about Atobe or anyone for that matter!"

Kiyone smiled evilly. "Oooh, Yane-Yane is getting 'too close' to Oishi-_san_. You can practically see hell freeze over when Atobe sees what's happening."

"As if I need a brat to control my actions," Ayane folded her arms, pouting.

Shizuru laughed softly. "Don't you think it's about time that you admitted it yourself?"

"Says the captain who can't express her emotions properly," Ayane snorted at Shizuru.

Mai shrugged. "Hey, she has a reason for that. Anyway, _buchou_, I think we should have a game of truth and dare!"

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Give me a good reason why we should."

"Stop being an old lady," Ayane nudged her while they got in a circle. "Alright, Kiyone, choose one – truth or dare?"

Kiyone pouted. "_Mou_~, we should have the guys do it, not us!"

Mai leaned back smirking. "Yeah, imagine Oshitari being dared to do something really not him."

"Wait," Haruka nudged her _buchou_. "Why don't we have a little thing…?"

Rin clapped her hands together, "A confession forum!"

Mai and the others stared at the Dragon pair awkwardly. "What the hell is that?"

Isane stared aghast at the two. "Ohmigosh, no, we're not having that again! I mean…!"

Hitomi shook her head sadly. "Naomi-_buchou_ had an idea of playing strip _pusoydos_ that night."

"_Pusoydos_," Kiyone recalled the card game Shizuru and Ayane taught her. "You mean that one with the two as the highest card and diamonds as the highest suit among them?"

Momo shuddered at the thought. "Good thing that _buchou_ isn't the type to down five tequila shots in one night."

"Tell you what," Haruka made the rules. "The person who is about to confess has to give clues and the people have to guess who that person is, alright peeps?"

Rin nodded while grabbing a fistful of potato chips, staring intently. "Okay," Haruka inhaled deeply. "This guy… he's tall, muscular and well – let's say he's not from Hyotei Gakuen."

Kiyone jumped up excitedly. "Is it Akutsu?"

Rin stared at her. "No, of course not, is it?"

Haruka shook her head. "He's one of the best doubles players around and okay, he's not…"

Ayane snapped her fingers, "Aha, its Jackal right?"

Hitomi was ready to write down some data when Haruka hid her face. "Bingo, one point for the Queen of Hearts," Ayane punched the air. "Do you have anyone, Momo-_senpai_?"

The female Sanada sighed while folding her legs. "He's kinda… a playboy."

"Oshitari Yuushi," Mai snorted while restraining her laughter.

Momo shook her head. "Nope, he's worse than Oshitari Yuushi."

Rin jumped up freaking out. "You… you mean you like Sengoku Kiyosumi!? Are you alright?"

Hitomi began scribbling down. "Haruka has something for bald men and Momo now has something for playboys. I'm getting interesting data here."

"You're not to share with anyone but us," Shizuru noted to the data master. "I'm not saying anything."

Mai leaned towards the vice captain. "I'm more interested in Ayane's choice of guys. So, who is the lucky man?"

Ayane blushed furiously. "N-nobody, I don't have anyone in mind!"

"_Souka_," Mai tapped her chin. "What about you, Isane-_senpai_? Do you have anyone in mind?"

Isane shook her head confidently. "Nope, I'm clean and crush-less."

They all stared at her with a smile until Hitomi spoke up. "Isane-_chan_ has a crush on Shishido Ryou and often times, becomes jealous when he diverts his attention to Shizuru-_buchou_. At times, Isane-_chan_ would stay at the fence and watch him practice with Ohtori-_san_."

Isane blushed furiously. "Where did you get that information from?"

The whole group burst out laughing while Isane nodded somberly, hanging low. "Actually, he did reject my chocolates last year."

Then, the laughter died out immediately. "What is wrong with that man," Rin ate chips.

"Shishido-_san_ said he liked someone else," Isane scratched her head sheepishly. "In fact, we all know her very well."

Haruka and Rin exchanged glances. "If we do know, can we tell her to back off?"

Isane smiled bitterly. "Not if you want laps from her."

The two got hit by a lightning bolt and all eyes went on the auburn eyed captain. "What? What did I do?"

They all fell on the floor sighing at their ever dense captain. "I wonder how you manage to live without making such a fuss," Mai scratched her head.

Shizuru stood up. "Oh, I have to go check something."

"Oh no, you don't," Ayane yanked her captain down. "You're not leaving until you tell us who has smitten you."

All eyes fell unto the Hyotei captain while she started. "Well, he's a tennis player."

"Obviously," Ayane wanted to smack her. "Get real specific details!"

Shizuru tried to get up but Mai grabbed her down again. Sighing, Shizuru mumbled while looking away. "He's a captain…"

"He is what now," Rin leaned to hear her captain.

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Dear, did you just say he's a captain? Please tell me it's not Atobe!"

"It's not," Shizuru looked away blushing with a small smile. "Besides, it's one-sided. He won't know and no one will ever know."

The clues Shizuru gave were very vague, how the heck were they supposed to find the guy if she won't even say anything about him?

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

In the other room, Seigaku was fixing up and Tezuka just finished bathing. Fuji leaned against the chair while glancing at some pictures. "Saa~, you know – I get to see nice conversations between you and Shizuru-_chan_. You two seem to have a lot in common, mind telling me what?"

Tezuka twitched when Fuji called her 'Shizuru-_chan_'. He wasn't even able to call her 'Shizuru-_chan_' yet. "It's nothing important, Fuji."

"Why," Fuji's cerulean eyes stared straight at Tezuka, "is it that big a secret, Tezuka?"

He hated Fuji's teasing about this. This had gone as far as elementary school because Tezuka always waited for the same little girl to appear in the tennis courts. Without fail, she would appear and they would play. However, there was something that grew after a long time. Tezuka often didn't show it but kept a small keychain in form of an Iris flower that was attached to his wallet. He never got rid of it and didn't want to but Fuji was starting to make a habit of even hiding it somewhere to the point Tezuka gave him more laps than he normally would. "Fuji, that's enough. You shouldn't stick your nose into many things that don't involve you."

"Oh but it does involve me," Fuji raised an eyebrow. "Because my best friend is a rock and I'm here to make sure he confesses."

Tezuka preferred doing things his own way without Fuji butting in. Because most of the time, Fuji did things that could make people wish they were dead if they interfered or make things come out sadistically pleasing for him. There was an article about this and Tezuka remembered reading that most _tensai_ contribute to their captain's growth of white hair.

Whoever wrote the article must have been right.

Inui appeared behind his captain. "There's a ninety percent chance that Tezuka will now walk out the door and bump into Shizuru-_chan_."

Now, another person was calling Shizuru by first name and Inui didn't even know her. "Inui, eighty laps…now," Tezuka rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Kikumaru bounced onto Oishi's back. "Nyah, _buchou _likes someone? Who is it, Oishi?"

"I'm not very sure who it is really but Fuji knows," Oishi pointed at a smiling _tensai_.

Momoshiro shoved more cookies into his mouth. "Wait, so Tezuka-_buchou_ likes someone from the girls' team?"

Fuji, you're going to die one day.

That was the only sentence ringing in his ears over and over again. Tezuka remained completely unaffected but if he was more uncontrolled, things would have been more different. First of all, he couldn't even understand what he was feeling towards her. Every time he saw her with Shishido and Ohtori, Tezuka felt his blood boil and when she was under this pool of sunlight he heard his heartbeat echo loudly in his ears. But because the captain was good in controlling his emotions, Tezuka managed to let people ignore that issue. "_Minna_," his jaw twitched visibly. "Once the rain stops, you're all doing a hundred laps."

The regulars dropped their jaw at their captain. "Saa~, you're being mean spirited today, Tezuka," Fuji clucked his tongue.

Oishi drew aside the curtains. "It looks like the rain won't stop for awhile."

Before the captain could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Momoshiro opening the door found Souma Fuuka informing them. "There's hot chocolate downstairs with a warm fire. You guys might need it since we're up here in the mountains."

Tezuka nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, we'll head down later."

The moment Fuuka closed the door, Fuji resumed to teasing Tezuka. "So, do you think she'll be there?"

"Fuji, not now…" Tezuka wished he brought more aspirin with him.

00000000000000000000000000000

In the other rooms, Oshitari sat back and began contemplating on how he would approach the situation. How would he get a tennis obsessed girl like her to notice his reasons why guys started avoiding her? Oshitari had tried a lot of things including going with her to lunch and making sure most guys backed off, pulling her away from a guy he deemed "unlikeable" and even telling her flat out that the guy was the worst person she could end up with. If it were tennis, she would have pin pointed all the details immediately without fail. Oshitari leaned against the back rest of his chair, contemplating on how to tell her that there were some guys who could take advantage of her. Shizuru often would ask why she ended up hanging around third years more than her own batch when she didn't even know much people from the senior batch. Knowing her kind personality, Oshitari simply pat her head and would tell her that the people from her batch were "too immature".

"Arn~, _ore-sama_ is wondering how long you're going to scheme against Tezuka. Besides, there's nothing you can do for now."

The kansai prodigy leaned back to listen to romance music. "Well, I'm not plotting. I'm just annoyed that he was the one who stole Shizuru's first kiss."

Gakuto began shoving chocolate pudding into his mouth. "Yuushi, I know you're really close to her but she needs to get some guys in her life you know!"

Sighing miserably, Oshitari stood up while heading towards the door. "There's hot chocolate downstairs and a warm fire. Though, I didn't know it rained this much during summer."

Hiyoshi beckoned Ohtori. "Are you coming with us downstairs or staying here?"

"Well," Ohtori noticed Shishido crumpling paper balls and throwing it at the wall. "_Senpai_, I don't think imaging a TV to be Tezuka-_san_ and trying to clobber a TV with paper balls is a good idea."

Shishido glared back while giving another a fast pitch. "Argh, it's just--! Of all guys, why did it have to be some... guy from another school!?"

Oshitari shrugged while closing his iPod. "Well, he was drunk... But I do think that someone else had a hand in this."

Ohtori stared quizzically at Oshitari. "What do you mean _senpai_?"

"Think about it," Oshitari pointed out. "Tezuka drank it without knowing someone spiked it up. That usually doesn't happen, considering his personality. Someone who knew him pretty well gave him quite a dose when he downed the drink. This narrows down the suspects to one person..."

Gakuto popped up with an idea. "It's Kikumaru!"

Everyone stared at the acrobat as if he were crazy. "You idiot," –Shishido threw a paper ball at his head. "What makes you think Kikumaru knows a thing or two about alcohol!?"

Oshitari stood up. "I'm going to get hot chocolate. Is anyone coming with me downstairs?"

"I need a rest from insanity," Shishido sauntered out the door right past Oshitari.

Walking outside, the two sighed to themselves, trying to figure out the mess. Shishido couldn't believe that **THE** Tezuka Kunimitsu had the balls to actually kiss her, curling his fists tightly. How long had he known her? Shizuru, Ohtori and he were known as the Silver Trio ever since the first year. How it became Silver Trio, no one knows but they were close. Shishido beat up bullies who harassed the two younger ones but Ohtori got his fair share too. Shizuru on the other hand happened to be the one who calmed down the two from knocking out the lights of the upperclassmen.

"You know," Shishido kicked a random dust bunny. "I wouldn't have minded if you or I accidentally got her first kiss. Ohtori's fine too but heck, why Tezuka!?"

"Well," Oshitari shrugged nonchalantly. "There are times that life decides to kick you in the face. This happens to be one of them."

Shishido grumbled at the _kansai_ prodigy. "Yeah, I kinda know what it's like to lose."

Finally, the two stopped at the fireplace where Shizuru was covered by her regular's jacket with a cup of hot cocoa in her hand. "I can't believe its summer now and it's becoming this cold."

"You need some company?" Oshitari took a cup from the tray and sat next to his _kohai_.

Shishido grabbed his own cup and sat next to Shizuru on her left. "I can't believe you played in the rain. I know you and Tezuka are crazy but at least you two captains have something in common."

Shizuru smiled faintly. "Well, I guess but, I really wanted to finish my game with him. He's one of the few to bring out my fullest potential in a game."

"I guess," Oshitari had to admit; Tezuka was no easy cookie. Shizuru may have not played in conditions like that but, her stubbornness really gave him quite the heyday. "Shizuru-_chan_, you do remember what happened that night of the bravery test right?"

Shizuru swirled her hot chocolate. "Yeah, but... it's nothing really..."

Shishido would have face palmed himself if he could. "Geez, you just got kissed by a statue and you're not affected!? Come on, why from Seigaku!?"

"I don't see what's wrong with that," Shizuru tilted her head innocently. "I mean, it's just a kiss."

Oshitari inhaled deeply before starting. "Shizuru, most girls would panic over something like that."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Hm, what do you mean, Oshitari-_senpai_?"

Again, her density prevailed over the rest. Oshitari knew being a hopeless romantic would have somehow rubbed off on her but, it didn't. "Shizuru, a first kiss is something that a girl would remember for the rest of her life. Once that person kisses a girl, a girl wouldn't forget the man who stole that from her."

Shishido nodded vigorously. "Yeah, why do you think we're around you all the time?"

"Because you're my friends and we hang out together," Shizuru sipped her drink again, causing the two to sweat drop.

Oshitari ruffled her hair affectionately. "Yes we are, yet somehow... I don't think you got the message why we're talking to you about this."

"_Buchou_," a loud voice echoed from behind. "Yamaguchi-_senpai_ is trying to feed us juice again!"

Sighing, Shizuru walked towards the source. "I'm sorry about this, Oshitari-_senpai_. I'll get back to you as soon as I spare my teammates from LBM."

Oshitari watched her fleeting figure while Shishido leaned against the sofa. "Damn, one way or another – I'm not having Tezuka as her boyfriend."

"Being over protective over the _buchou_ has its quirks," Oshitari smirked, turning away. "You know – Kobayagi-_san_ might have done that on purpose. You do know what she thinks of both of us."

Grunting, Shishido leaned against the fence. "I wonder – who would she really consider as a nice boyfriend for her captain?"

Oshitari shrugged. "Well, she is the mother hen of the Hyotei team."

"But she's not even Shizuru's mother for crying out loud," Shishido wanted to bang his head.

The _kansai_ prodigy walked away from Shishido. "Look, as soon as the opportunity arises, I'll take it. I expect you to not be there."

Shishido glared at him, "As if I'm going to allow you to go after Tezuka without me!"

"I wouldn't even dare try to," Oshitari smirked before standing up. "After all, she may be a queen but she's still our sister."

Shishido couldn't help but have a wider smirk. "Well, so how do we make sure he stays away?"

"We're not going to ward him off," Oshitari tapped his chin. "More or less, we're going to show Seigaku what happens when they mess with our _kohai_."

0000000000000000000000000

The next day, the teams resumed to training on their own. Ayane had been firing pile drivers at her partner ever since that morning. "You know, I simply don't understand why _buchou_ doesn't see that Oshitari-_san_ is making moves and even hinting! I don't think he's even going to stay faithful to her!"

"You can't decide who _buchou_'s boyfriend is going to be," Kiyone sliced it down towards the net. "Besides, _buchou_ can take care of herself fine."

"Ayane, you're probably overreacting again," Mai forehanded the shot cross court. "You know – I wonder, what if we set her up on a date?"

Hitomi, scribbling down some data, perked up at the sound of that. "Hmm, but with who shall we set her up with?"

Haruka fired the Dragon's Tail towards Rin. "Maybe we should set her up with Shishido-_san_. She's a tomboy and he likes sporty and boyish girls."

Rin back flipped and sent it back at Haruka. "Nah, maybe we should try someone outside of Hyotei. I mean – maybe we should get Sanada-_san_ or maybe even Yagyuu-_san_. Any girl would die to have a Gentleman as her boyfriend and anyone would want to have the Emperor as their guy."

"Are you crazy? That man knows nothing," Momo smashed towards Isane. "Genichirou's a total piss off when it comes to dates. Yagyuu fine but Genichirou, please… eat my socks first."

Kiyone shrugged while spinning the ball again. "Maybe we can get Fuji-_san_?"

Everyone stared at the smaller girl as if she was crazy. "What? You want her to date a sadist," Ayane raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, think of it this way," Kiyone tried firing a baseline shot. "Maybe she can relate with him somehow."

Isane shook her head. "I doubt it, maybe Tezuka…"

"No," the whole team screamed at her in unison. "He's a total rock," Mai gaped at her _senpai_.

Ayane shook her head. "We're supposed to have a guy who can help her express herself not turn herself into a statue."

"You're just saying that because you don't want the prophecy to come true," Kiyone winked.

Ayane glared at the smaller girl. "What prophecy are you talking about?"

"The day you date and love Atobe is when pigs fly and _buchou_ gets a statue for a boyfriend," Kiyone mimicked. "Remember that statement?"

Ayane backhanded the next shot hard. "Well, it's still impossible! Pigs cannot fly!"

Hitomi mumbled quietly while scribbling down a plan. "I shall borrow Atobe-_san_'s jet and throw pigs off it."

"Pigs jumping out of planes don't count," Ayane screamed at her data master _senpai_. "What about Oishi-_san_?"

"That guy will make her grow even more white hair," Kiyone rolled her eyes. "Can't you ask her what she likes in a guy first!?"

All the _senpai_ stared at her first and then Haruka burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me? She would never tell us even if her life depended on it!"

"You know what's weird," Ayane hit the ball linear. "Shizuru-_buchou_ doesn't want to love someone and yet, she wants someone to love her. I don't get _buchou_ anymore."

Mai rolled her eyes at the vice captain. "After being betrayed by her family, it's no surprise. Give her time; things are not going to happen overnight."

"Betrayed is such a strong word," Hitomi began scribbling down a larger training regimen for the regulars. "I prefer the term – deserted by her family."

"Another thing is that you guys shouldn't be slacking," a soft voice reprimanded the girls.

They all whipped around to see Shizuru back from her laps. "Oh, we didn't know you were there _buchou_! We were still rallying with each other."

"Still, that means you should keep up the pace. Your performance slipped a bit," Shizuru bluntly stated while walking towards the other court. "Rin-_senpai_, please rally with me."

"Alright," Rin shrugged and went over to the other court.

Hitomi began writing down. "Ayane, work on your foot speed and Kiyone must work with her upper body disadvantage. I know you're more 'serve and volley' but times now call differently."

Rin, serving the ball, watched Shizuru easily keep up with her acrobatic play. The younger captain backhanded it cross court while Rin jumped forward to volley it. Dashing towards the net, Shizuru sliced the ball under causing the ball to vanish for a moment while Rin dived for it again. "_Buchou_, I noticed that you are a lot more cheerful."

"Really," Shizuru forehanded the ball right down on the line. "What makes you say that?"

Rin shrugged while volleying it again. "Well, you talk a lot more. That's one sign."

"Perhaps Tezuka-_san_'s kiss had affected her demeanour," Hitomi began scribbling down. "I need more data."

Shizuru blushed madly accidentally making the shot stronger than it should. "Guys, I don't think you want to run laps more than required, do you?"

Rin bounced over after promptly missing the shot. "Aww, look at her, she's so cute!"

"I have to admit, _buchou_. I won't be surprised if you two became best friends," Haruka smirked at the younger.

Kiyone began gazing into the sky. "You know, maybe it's possible that you two might end up together, ne, _buchou_?"

Shizuru turned away. "Guys, that's downright impossible. Stop making such weird assumptions and continue training."

Mai pointed out, smiling wickedly. "I bet you're still hung over by Tezuka-_san_'s kiss aren't you?"

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Meanwhile, the team didn't realize that Tezuka was passing by from the rest room and had heard every word that they have said. He couldn't see the girl's reaction due to the large hedges but Tezuka didn't expect that she was the one who got affected. A bittersweet smirk appeared while he finally was able to recall the last part of his memory. Tezuka knew that Fuji had something to do with this and maybe even Inui. "I kissed Kurenai-_san _that day?"

Tezuka continued walking, having a small glimpse of the girl who looked like she wasn't even affected. Was it density or maybe her mind was too focused on tennis to even feel anything towards that kiss? Breathing in relief, Tezuka couldn't help but feel that deep inside his mind he wanted a reaction out of her. That last game didn't show any changes either in her behaviour but then, he did notice that her smile became a little different. Usually, he would see a faint smile but Shizuru's smiles now became shyer, not the usual cloying and irritating one he sees on fan girls. Tezuka felt his mind race wild for the first time and when it came to things like this, Tezuka knew that there was only one person who had advices for this.

Though it pained him to do it, Tezuka knew that he was going to kick himself after asking Fuji on how to deal with a problem like this.

Upon opening the door, Tezuka saw Fuji adjusting the strings of his racquet. "Ah, Tezuka, just the person I wanted to see."

Once Fuji said that, Tezuka knew he was in for it. "Fuji, what did you do that day?"

"What day?" Fuji smiled innocently at his captain.

Tezuka rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You did something to my drink, didn't you?"

Fuji shrugged. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

"Fuji," Tezuka didn't like where this was going.

Echizen got downright to the point. "He got you drunk," the capped rookie smirked.

All the Seigaku regulars clamped their hand over Echizen's mouth. "Don't say anything, Echizen/_ochibi_!"

Tezuka glared at Fuji. "I'm pretty sure that you did something."

Fuji's eyes opened while he slyly smiled. "Perhaps, a game if you win would get me to tell you everything."

Tezuka didn't hesitate in accepting the challenge. Walking over to the other side of the court, Tezuka waited for Fuji to serve. "What exactly happened back there?"

00000000000000000000000000000000

Atobe on the other hand was troubled by two things. Shishido was running wild again as in he blew up tennis balls for pent up aggression issues and Oshitari was pissing him off more than usual. Not only that, another freshman was occupying his thoughts most of the time.

"_The day I date Atobe Keigo is the day pigs fly and buchou gets a statue for a boyfriend!"_

That statement echoed in Atobe's mind over and over again. The king couldn't remember what he had done to make her hate him so much. "_Ore-sama_ has a pleasing personality so, why is it she hates me so much?"

That never bothered him until now. Ayane had been insulting him ever since her first year and she never swooned. In fact, when given the choice, she'd rather jump into a pool of nerds than to kiss Atobe. Ayane always flared up at the sight of him and finding the reason was exhilarating. "Busy thinking about the girl who wouldn't move," Oshitari smirked at Atobe.

"Oshitari," Atobe glared at the _kansai_ prodigy, "I don't need your snide remarks right now."

Wow, he actually forgot to use his favourite pronoun. Oshitari took note of that while pestering him. "Atobe, you do know that we have _Kantou_ Regionals coming up right?"

Gakuto passed a glare to the other court. "Stupid Kikumaru, thinking he's so much better than me! Not only that, Kikumaru's getting all the attention of Rin-_chan_ and Shizuru-_chan_!"

Ohtori sighed at his scowling _senpai_. "Shishido-_senpai_, I think that's the fifth tennis ball you blew up."

Shishido picked up another ball and began his service. "Well, of course I'm annoyed! Ever since that… that… guy kissed her, she's more… more…!"

"Cheerful," Hiyoshi noted while hitting the shot towards Kabaji. "Mai-_chan_ told me everything. She smiles a lot more now."

"What's frustrating is that," Shishido forehanded towards Ohtori. "How can a stone faced guy like him make her smile like… like… Agh, forget it!"

Atobe brushed his hair back. "Well, we will defeat Seigaku. No matter what happens, the winner will be Hyotei!"

Kabaji fired the shot towards Hiyoshi, "Usu."

Hiyoshi recalled Kiyone laughing with Momoshiro and Kaidoh, "_Gekokujo_."

Gakuto recalled Rin's new nickname for Kikumaru. "I'm gonna make that guy eat my dust!"

Oshitari didn't say anything but his eyes started reflecting something that said something like. "This ought to be interesting."

Shishido backhanded towards Ohtori. "We're gonna show them what 'undefeated' means, Ohtori!"

Ohtori couldn't believe that his _senpai_ were so fired up and it was one month before the games. Then again, Shishido looked like he had a reason to be and Atobe wanted to get even with Shizuru. After all, the girls have been winning one game after the other and there wasn't even much resistance except against Seigaku or Jyosei Shounan. Ohtori remembered everything Shizuru had told him about who she deemed as 'challenges' to the team.

"_Jyosei Shounan and Seigaku put up really good fights. Rikkai Dai's okay but those two are the ones I cannot play normally against. Yamabuki, Fudomine, St. Rudolph and the others don't do that much damage. But that's only in the Kantou region because last year, Shitenhouji put up a harder fight than Jyosei Shounan."_

Ohtori sighed while firing another Scud Serve towards Shishido who returned it easily. Shizuru and the others were training hard and the boys' team were soon being over powered. "I have to keep getting stronger. Otherwise, Shizuru-_chan_ will be so pressured."

Atobe stretched his neck while slinging his jacket over. "Kabaji, let's go. I need to talk to Kurenai about something."

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Putting back her sweaty shirt, Shizuru pressed her finger against her lips. The kiss still left an impression and the captain couldn't help but blush. Shaking her head, Shizuru walked out the dressing room while trying to calm down and sort out her thoughts. By sheer dumb luck, she ended up in the gardens of the training camp they were in. The cool wind brushed past her face until Shizuru heard some of the leaves rustle behind her. "_Ore-sama_ has something to ask you," a holier-than-thou voice echoed from behind.

Shizuru found Atobe leaning against the tree. "I see you haven't found a way how to communicate with Kobayagi-_san_ properly."

Rolling his eyes, Atobe ran his fingers through his hair. "_Ore-sama_ wants to know if there are other games that Kobayagi is good at."

"Getsugan-_san_ is the one you should be asking not me," Shizuru noted while watching the leaves flutter from the tree.

Atobe raised an eyebrow and noted. "Oshitari's been riled more lately. Do you think it has something to do with that night?"

"Atobe-_senpai_, just because Tezuka-_san_ was drunk gives Oshitari-_senpai_ no reason to be mad at him. I don't think he even knew Fuji-_san_ spiked his drink," Shizuru remembered Fuji's sly smile when he was holding the disgusting bubbling liquid.

Atobe smirked at the younger captain. "Well, tell that to Oshitari. He's been irritating _ore-sama_ more than ever since that incident happened."

Shizuru smiled faintly. "So, you want games Kobayagi-_san_ can play well right? Well, asides from tennis – there's badminton, volleyball and also deck tennis. Are you seriously going to try and play?"

"Do you have any idea what that vice captain of yours is doing to me?"

"Other than insulting you," Shizuru smirked, "pray do tell."

Atobe wanted to say that the vice captain had been driving him crazy in other aspects but stopped short when he saw the younger captain's smirk. "Oshitari is a bad influence to you."

"That's what Shishido-_senpai_ always tells me," Shizuru noted while watching a bird land on her shoulder. "So, what do you plan to do for Kobayagi-_san_?"

"I was thinking…"

-That's chapter 15! I wonder what Atobe is going to do for Ayane! Please review!


	16. Eating Takoyaki, Osaka Style!

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 16 – Eating Takoyaki, Osaka style!

"The rain ruined everything," Kiyone muttered while walking around the small parks up in the mountains. "I'm hungry, isn't there any place to get some good food?"

"Hey, Yuushi's _kohai_," a kansai accented voice called from behind.

A vein popped from her head. "Don't call me 'Yuushi's _kohai_'! That man is a pervert!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I know my cousin's a helpless romantic but not a pervert," Kiyone turned around only to see Oshitari Kenya and Shiraishi Kuranosuke standing in front of her. "Besides, I would have nailed his butt on the wall for it anyway! So, I thought Hyotei was in a training camp?"

"I'm allowed to walk around as long as I have a cellphone," Kiyone waved a silver coloured rectangle in front of Kenya. "Besides, I'm not too far from the camp anyway!"

"Uh," Kenya scratched his head and looked back. "Wasn't the camp back there?"

Kiyone clammed up immediately. "Well, uh, I'm sure I can find my way back! Hehe…"

Kenya shook his head. "A first year shouldn't be wondering out alone. You might fall off somewhere you know."

Shiraishi pat the sandy haired girl on the head. "Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for a girl to be wondering off alone."

Kiyone, pouting impishly, sighed in consent. "Fine but I'm only going with you guys since we're in the mountains."

Grinning sheepishly, Kenya and Shiraishi then began following her down towards the river. "Hey, what's your name by the way? I didn't quite catch it when I was with Yuushi."

"Getsugan Kiyone," the freshman absentmindedly responded while watching some fish float around. "You should have asked when I was with Kurenai-_buchou_!"

Kenya scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that, hey, I'm Oshitari Kenya."

"Yeah, heard about you," Kiyone watched the water splash around. "You're the _Naniwa_ Speed Star while Shiraishi-_san_ is the captain of Shitenhouji right? I know – Oshitari-_senpai_ told me."

Smiling casually, Shiraishi pulled her away from the river before she fell in. "Well, that's good. Now that you know about us, do you mind telling us about you?"

Kiyone scratched her chin. "Well, I'm part of the Hyotei tennis club as you both know. Not only that – I'm going to be the next captain after two years!"

"The next captain sounds pretty ambitious," Shiraishi noted. "So, who's the current captain?"

"Kurenai Shizuru," Kenya remembered Oshitari telling him a thing or two about her. "Yuushi's been saying that she's a girl worth dying and waiting a lonely lifetime for."

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "He's dreaming again. _Buchou_'s so dense that she wouldn't even understand a pick up line when a guy tries to kidnap her or something."

Shiraishi shook his head. "Maybe she's concentrated more on tennis and prefers to ignore all those approaches. I mean – from what I hear, she's one of the 'Angels of Kantou'."

"Angels of Kantou," Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Kenya pulled out a piece of paper. "In the several regions of Japan, the girls who are at the top are usually dubbed as 'angels'. In Kansai District, we have several: Captain Amakusa Natsuki and _Tensai _Fukuhara Erika from Shitenhouji, Captain DeLaine Maria and Data Master Shourin Izumi from Makinofuji Gakuen and Kanazaki Diana along with Kouranskonova Audrey from Maikozaka. All in all, Amakusa-_san_ and DeLaine-_san_ have the upper hand among the competitors. I don't know the others but I know only Kantou and Kansai. In your district, I know the angels are your captain and Nagisaki Mai from Hyotei Gakuen, Souma Fuuka from Seishun Gakuen, Yukimura Ai, Torinaka Yui and Hachishika XiaoLi from Rikkai Dai and last but not the least – Jyosei Shounan's Hoshimura Florence and Tousaka Umeyumi. Funny thing is – among the many names there are only several that are most prominent: Amakusa Natsuki, Souma Fuuka, Kurenai Shizuru, Yukimura Ai and Hoshimura Florence."

Kiyone shook her head. "I don't want to remember all those names. But, I wonder – those five play as if they were Nationals Ranking players!"

Shiraishi shrugged. "I guess that's what earned them the name of 'angels'. Though, shouldn't you be qualified as one?"

"Me? Someone like me is one of the angels of Kantou? No way," Kiyone laughed. "I'm nowhere close to _buchou_'s calibre of playing. Not only that, Nagisaki-_senpai_'s really good too! It will take me a long time before I can play like the both of them!"

Shiraishi pointed to a court. "Then, maybe we should start training you hm?"

Kenya shrugged. "Yeah, it's the best way to start. Not all players were born great. So, you play Singles or Doubles?"

"I do Doubles," Kiyone scratched her head sheepishly. "I suck at baseline so, yeah."

Shiraishi nodded while nudging Kenya. "Why don't you play Doubles? I need to train anyway."

Kenya shrugged while getting behind Kiyone. "Well, I'll start the service then."

Watching the ball fly fast, Shiraishi backhanded it towards Kiyone who volleyed it towards his left side. Every volley Kiyone sent returned much faster than before some even with more spin. Kiyone sliced it down with Shiraishi rushing to the front and volleying towards Kenya who sped towards the ball. Despite there being two players, Shiraishi didn't show the least bit of disturbance. In fact, he looked like that the match was getting very interesting and his shots became faster and faster. "Wow," Shiraishi returned with a forehand. "I didn't know this was one of the _Kantou_ Angels successors. If so, she might actually have the potential to kick out DeLaine from _Kansai_."

Kenya noticed the way Kiyone was slicing the ball down. "For a first year, she's pretty good with control. Getsugan-_san_ can actually put Marui to shame if she wanted. No, that was a bit exaggerated. Maybe she's actually better than Kouranskonova."

Kiyone, tossing back her sandy brown hair, jumped high into the air for a smash. "Here it comes – Getsugan Rocket!"

The smash exploded right next to Shiraishi, "Fifteen – love!"

Kiyone, clicking her feet together, cheerfully made a 'v' sign. "Yeah, we rock!"

Shiraishi watched Kiyone toss back her sandy brown hair while Kenya sheepishly scratched his head. "Yeah but, I wouldn't get cocky against Shiraishi though. There's a reason why he's our captain."

Kiyone shrugged while waiting at the net. "Wow, I really want to see what this Shiraishi guy is capable of. Besides, if Oshitari-_san_ says he's good then, there should be at least a small amount of skill."

Shiraishi forehanded the shot towards her while Kiyone volleyed to his left side. Shiraishi sprinted left and right to keep up with the speed shots coming from the two and often times, he had to lob with Kiyone coming down with a smash. Shiraishi however backed up far enough to return the shot with a backhand. Kenya rallied from behind returning it back and forth between him and Shiraishi. The captain quickly volleyed it towards Kenya and then did a top spin to stop Kiyone in her tracks, "Fifteen – all!"

Kiyone twisted up in the air, smashing straight down with a backhand, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Shiraishi smashed right in between Kenya and Kiyone, "Thirty – all!"

Kenya dashed to one end of the court, forehanding towards Shiraishi. "She's cool, isn't she, Shiraishi?"

The captain nodded wordlessly while watching Kiyone dash left and right with top spins coming from all directions. Kenya wasn't even doing much because Kiyone had a faster reaction to volley the shot towards him right away. Shiraishi watched her sparkle under the sunlight while she flew straight up in the air for another drop shot feint. "Amakusa-_san_ wasn't kidding about this kid. I've heard a lot of stuff from Kouranskonova that this kid can put some Rikkai Dai members to shame. The captain is someone I hear about a lot too."

Kenya had his own thoughts about the flying sandy haired volleyist.

"She has flexibility in the wrist and not only that – Getsugan-_san_ can easily coordinate with anyone in doubles. Getsugan-_san_ is pretty creative too, coming up with all those top spins and feints," Kenya watched her slice the ball again. "Hyotei sure has a lot of National Calibre players this year. The first years last year gave Shitenhouji a good run for their money and now, that same girl is the captain."

Kiyone dashed towards one side while Shiraishi continuously volleyed. "I can't believe that a first year is making her way against me easily. Not only that, she has a really flexible wrist and her reaction time isn't half bad. Getsugan-_san_ seems to be evolving every time I send a shot at her."

But you can't deny that she's cute, no?

Shiraishi, shaking his head, couldn't believe he thought of something like that. Forehanding the ball towards Kenya, the Shitenhouji captain slid towards the left in order to return Kenya's speed shot. Kiyone volleyed towards him and the two engaged in an increasing speed volley. Shiraishi felt his wrist become numb with Kiyone's non-stop volleys and her smash was pretty strong for someone smaller than him. "Hey," Shiraishi snapped his head up while Kiyone sliced the ball down. "You shouldn't be staring into space like that, Shiraishi-_san_."

"Forty – thirty," Shiraishi noticed the ball roll towards him while he smiled. "Well, I'm surprised that you have a high skill in terms of controlling the ball. Most first years would choose to explode the shot before strategizing on where to hit."

Kiyone shrugged. "Well, that's because I have a brain and I'm not as stupid as some of those crazy first year fan girls of Atobe!"

Kenya raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl. "You're first year? I thought you were grade school!"

This earned Kenya a kick in the shins. "Ow, what was that for!?"

"I'm just a late bloomer," Kiyone pouted while returning to the side to volley again. "You're all just giants! I might even be taller than you guys one day!"

Kenya and Shiraishi broke into a loud laugh while Kiyone restrained herself from kicking them both. "Wait a minute, before we continue – what are you guys doing here?"

Shiraishi explained while pointing to the opposite direction of the camp. "Coach Osamu thought maybe going to Kantou for awhile wouldn't be so bad. By the way, shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Yeah but _buchou_ gave me free time," Kiyone shrugged while readying herself for the next shot. "She's also busy dealing with the line-up for the Kantou tournament. We definitely won't lose! We're going to win the Nationals the second time!"

Shiraishi, laughing softly, went to the baseline again to receive the next serve. Kenya's shot sped faster than normal and Shiraishi forehanded it towards Kiyone who volleyed it towards him. Though it was unfair, Shiraishi thought it was a good way to get some training in him. However, he didn't expect that Kiyone would make him burn more calories than normal. Kiyone backhanded the next shot to him and Kenya now moved towards the net and Shiraishi began volleying with the both of them. "This is amazing though I have to admit, I'm starting to feel like my legs numbed."

Kiyone noticed that Shiraishi's moves started to get slower. "Hey, you wanna stop for awhile?"

"It's alright," Shiraishi inhaled deeply. "I can still keep going."

Shrugging, Kiyone continued volleying towards the Shitenhouji captain. To her, his movements were flawless and even more graceful than Mai who happened to be a dancer. Normally, Kiyone would see the opponent use too much energy for a simple shot but in this case, Shiraishi knew exactly how to time it. The only reason why Shiraishi was slowing down was because he was playing Singles against Doubles. What amazed her that was despite Kenya's speed play, Shiraishi showed no hesitance in returning.

"This guy is amazing," Kiyone noticed him jump for a smash while Kenya was ready to receive it on waist level. "I've never seen anyone play like him. It's as if he can return all your shots and make them seem like nothing. But, Shiraishi-_san_ did miss one _Obana_ Volley because he was already losing his footing."

Finally, Kenya sent a corner shot towards Shiraishi in which the latter missed. "Game, Oshitari-Getsugan pair: one game to love!"

Kenya shook his head. "Forget it, we've been rallying for an hour and I feel like my legs are going to fall off. We should get some food."

"No," Kiyone shook her head repeatedly. 'We're gonna finish the game now!"

Kenya ruffled her hair. "Come on, you're not exactly at tip top shape either. You're sweating more than a pig."

Kiyone remained adamant; Shiraishi served the next shot towards her and did a cord ball which could piss people off, "Love – fifteen!"

Shiraishi then noticed her weakness. "She can't baseline properly. I thought her shots would at least reach the service box but Getsugan-_san_'s only reach the top of the net. It's either – she has that good amount of control or her power is really lacking."

Kenya received the next shot and got the rally going. Choosing to end it quickly, Shiraishi smashed it down right at the net, "Fifteen all!"

Kiyone stared at what just happened. "Okay, he just exaggerated his smash. The ball just spun in circles!"

Kenya shook his head, disgruntled. "Well, I guess you decided to bring out the _Entaku_ Shot huh?"

"It would be boring if I didn't," Shiraishi smirked while returning to the baseline.

Kiyone gaped at what Shiraishi did. "How in the world did he do that?"

Kenya shrugged. "Well, it's hard for me to tell but Shiraishi somewhat clips it in the sweet spot when he smashes. In doing that, the ball is given a top spin and it spins on the floor the moment the shot lands. That's my theory but I'm not very sure on how to explain the shot really."

Shiraishi did another _Entaku Shot_, causing the two to be unable to predict, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Kiyone volleyed using the _Obana_ Volley again, "Thirty – all!"

Kenya used his Speed Shot to score another point, "Thirty – forty!"

Shiraishi however used the _Entaku_ Shot twice to score the next two consecutive points. "Advantage: Shiraishi!"

Kiyone and Kenya were already being pushed to their limit despite playing doubles. Shiraishi was initially the one to get tired but Kiyone and Kenya were drooping soon after when the next smash sounded off at one end. "Game, Shiraishi: one game all!"

Kenya shook his head. "We're already playing doubles and lost to someone playing Singles. Isn't that undermining?"

Kiyone fell back on her butt. "Yeesh, I can't believe we lost one game to Shiraishi! He's playing Singles and we should have been done with him by now!"

Shiraishi couldn't help but laugh at the two's predicament. Though deep back in his mind, Shiraishi was reassessing the game they played. In the first game, Shiraishi knew it was hard to adjust but at the second part Kiyone and Kenya nearly took the game from him. "Getsugan Kiyone, Amakusa-_san_ was right about her. Their doubles pair might have a problem in dealing with her. Let alone that she isn't even with her real doubles partner yet. It would take more than what they have to stop the Getsugan-Kobayagi pair."

Kenya called out from the other side. "I think we now know what Amakusa-_san_ meant, huh, Shiraishi?"

"Yeah," Shiraishi saw Kiyone dusting her skirt. "She's pretty too and not to mention that Getsugan-_san_ can give third year regulars a run for their money."

Kiyone pointed her racquet at the captain. "Hey, what's going on? Why did you two just stop? We only had two games!"

Shiraishi shook his head at the junior. "You look like you took a bath with clothes on."

Kenya noticed her hair shaping her face. "Yeah, I would love to add to that but then again – Shiraishi said it all for me."

Pouting and sighing in defeat, Kiyone stopped and laid her racquet in the green and black tennis bag. "Fine, I'll stop. So, what do we do now after all that?"

Kenya tapped his chin for a moment. "Hey, why don't we all get _Takoyaki_? I mean, I bet you haven't tried it yet!"

"_Takoyaki_, what in poop's name is that?" Kiyone tilted her head to the side.

Shiraishi and Kenya stared at her as if she had grown a new head but then, they remembered that Kiyone was from Kantou region and never had real _Takoyaki_. "Maybe we should cook you some," Kenya offered cheerfully. "That way you'd be able to taste how Osaka cooks it."

"There are several different ways?" Kiyone again tilted her head to the other side.

Kenya shrugged while explaining to her. "Yeah, you have the normal Kantou way where in they don't really put in the octopus and Osaka is where in they give you the real stuff! Wanna try?"

Kiyone, being as adventurous as she was with food, followed the two Shitenhouji regulars. "Alright, lead the way you two!"

Shiraishi and Kenya led her towards their camp while Kiyone was trailing behind, taking a look at all the animals. "She's so pretty when she does that," Shiraishi mumbled a bit while watching Kiyone look into the very detail of the animal. "Not many girls are connected with nature – they usually find bugs gross."

Kenya nodded, hearing a bit of what Shiraishi had said. "Yeah, she's pretty unique. Then again – even her tennis skills are awesome for a first year."

"Most people tend to underestimate the first years," Shiraishi shrugged while remembering the first time he had met Tooyama. "All because they're younger and believe that they have more experience than the first years."

"There are a couple exceptions to that rule," Kenya pointed out. "There's Kintarou, there's that Echizen Ryoma I've been seeing all over the newspapers and maybe the girls' team have some like Shibuya Rangiku and Getsugan Kiyone. The year before them was the one that had most of the angels. I mean – Kurenai Shizuru's one, Nagisaki Mai and Kouranskonova Audrey are all at the peak of their careers as tennis players. Speaking of which, won't her captain wonder where she went?"

Shiraishi turned back to find Kiyone still looking at other animals. "Well, Kiyone did say that as long as she had her cellphone and doesn't wander too far off then, nothing will happen."

"If we do something wrong," Kenya shuddered at the thought. "I don't think we're going back to Osaka alive."

Kiyone noticed them shuddering. "Hey, you guys caught the flu or something?"

Kenya and Shiraishi shrugged. "Nah," Shiraishi inhaled sharply. "It's just something we were thinking of. By the way, are you sure it's okay for you to wander around like this?"

"Like I said," Kiyone stuck her tongue out. "As long as I have my cellphone, nothing can go wrong!"

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Meanwhile, back at camp, Ayane was busy fixing her hair until she spotted Hitomi's glasses lying on the dressing table. "Hm, I wonder how strong Hitomi-_senpai_'s grades are on her glasses."

Picking them up, Ayane began walking around with them on. "Whoa, I'm so dizzy! These must be on grade eight hundred or something!"

Swaying uncontrollably, the tangerine haired vice captain leaned against the wall in order to make sure she didn't slam into anything. "Wheeee, I have to admit – I look good with glasses! I'm gonna show _buchou_!"

When she got to the door, Oishi happened to be there and because of her instability, Ayane ended up crashing on the poor vice captain. "Waaaah, I'm sorry! Wait; is that you Oishi-_san_?"

Oishi couldn't help but realize that she was now on top of him. For a first year, she was quite mature physically and her clothes were quite a mess. Oishi gulped while trying to stop the blush climbing up his face. "No, this is such a bad position. But I can't exactly move and why," Oishi couldn't help but stare at the "things" in front of him. "Why is that thing right in front of my face?"

Ayane scrambled up. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't know we were sitting that way for a long time! You okay?"

"Sitting is an understatement," Oishi noted to himself while smiling sheepishly at her. "Yeah, I don't remember hearing anything crack when I fell."

Ayane scratched her head sheepishly. "I'm really sorry, Oishi-_san_. I didn't know you were at the door."

"It's okay," Oishi noticed her wearing glasses. "I don't remember you wearing glasses awhile ago."

Ayane took them off. "Oh yeah, I wanted to show my captain that I was wearing glasses. You like it?"

_She looks so cute_.

That sentence was the only thing that echoed in Oishi's mind and not only that, her assets were staring right at him again. Resisting the urge to have a nosebleed, Oishi turned away while blushing madly. "I can't tell her that! It'll sound so wrong! Not only that, she's from a different school and a regulars vice captain too! I might risk a scandal between the both of us and then, both captains are going to kill us for it! I can't have that happening but then again, I want to be honest."

"You worry a lot," Ayane stifled her laughter. "I just need your honest opinion."

Oishi blushed madly while mumbling. "You look cute with glasses on."

Ayane, seeing his shy smile, blushed a bit too. "Ah, thanks. I just wanted an honest opinion. I think it's scrawled all over your face."

Oishi managed to fight back his blushing. "Yeah, anyway – I was looking for Eiji. Have you seen him?"

"Nope," Ayane looked around. "I've been looking for Kiyone too! She's been wandering off more and more lately!"

Oishi and Ayane ended up taking a walk through the club house, hoping to find their missing doubles partners and to make sure the team's there. "So Oishi-_san_, how did you manage to become partners with Kikumaru-_san_? You two seem really close and you're calling him by his first name, 'Eiji' was it?"

Laughing a bit, Oishi nodded. "Yeah, Eiji insisted that I call him by first name. Not only that – he thinks that being addressed as 'Kikumaru' makes him sound like an old man."

The glass statues lined the hallways with the mirrors reflecting the soft glow of the light making a more romantic feel. This wasn't just a tennis club but an entire community. Sports equipment was on one side and then there were five star restaurants in another. "Geez," Ayane scratched her head in annoyance. "Atobe sure knows how to blow everything out of proportion. Man, I wonder what's going to happen to him when he loses all that money."

"How come you always complain about Atobe?" Oishi couldn't help but feel curiosity tickle him. "I mean – every time you two come across each other it's like you want to kill him."

Ayane folded her arms, ranting. "That guy has no sense of respect! I mean – _buchou_ already kicked his butt but he's still up and about using the term '_ore-sama_'! Atobe likes being worshipped by his stupid fan girls and he expects me to act like that! No way in hell – Atobe may be king of Hyotei Gakuen but that doesn't make me his slave! He's already got everything so, would one girl make any difference?"

Oishi shrugged. "Maybe he's just like that because it gives him motivation?"

"Agh," Ayane yanked her hair. "Forget it, even if pigs do fly, I will never like that egotistical brat! I prefer guys who are kind and do have a sense of humility!"

Unknown to her, Atobe was at the other hall and Ayane's voice was loud enough to echo around. Atobe wouldn't care at first but now Ayane hating him? Since when did it start bugging him about it? Atobe recalled many times wherein he didn't care but now, Ayane's words were becoming sharper and more poisonous every time they met each other. At first it didn't hurt but after hearing her conversation with Oishi, the pain was simply excruciating. He never realized that her words could be that sharp.

"_Ore-sama_ never knew that Kobayagi thought that way," Atobe turned away while listening to their conversation even further.

"I mean," Ayane was all flustered. "What kind of man throws a towel in your face? Let me ask you, does Kikumaru-_san_ do that? Of course he doesn't! I don't think your _buchou_ does it either now does he?"

Oishi shook his head. "Nah, Tezuka wouldn't do anything like that ever."

"See what I mean? Atobe is just beyond my understanding!"

Oishi shook his head but he somehow understood what Ayane was trying to say. There were times that Atobe could be unbearable but then, he had to admit that Atobe did have his redeeming qualities. "All I know about Atobe is that he is a talented tennis player. I mean – he did beat Yamato-_buchou_ last year."

"Yeah," Ayane tossed her head back with a snort. "That's all that he is!"

Oishi began laughing a bit. "Well, people can't be perfect now can they?"

"I guess that's a good way of saying it," Ayane sighed while raking her hair. "Then again, this is Atobe that we're talking about. He has no sense of humility or whatsoever."

Oishi then found a vacant court. "Hey, did you ever play Singles before?"

"Sort of," Ayane recalled her elementary school days. "But I rarely did that because I always had Kiyone as my doubles partner! We're going to be number one in Japan!"

Oishi remembered the same promise he had made with Kikumaru when they made it into the regulars. Everyone thought that Kikumaru's style was beyond reckless and Oishi was a bit too conservative so, the two easily covered up for each other. Ayane and Kiyone had the same relationship except in terms of strength – Ayane's power exceeded beyond normal and Kiyone was the best control master among the Hyotei regulars.

"So, how do you guys usually deal with losing?" Oishi didn't know what to say really.

Ayane placed a finger on her chin. "Well, it's simple – we talk about it amongst ourselves and then we go to _buchou_ to tell her that we need training against she and Nagisaki-_senpai_."

"You're really close to your _buchou_," Oishi noted when Ayane mentioned Shizuru again.

"Well," Ayane scratched her head sheepishly. "I can't say we're really close but that's because Mai-_senpai_ and she were one of the best doubles pair in Japan until _buchou_ was forced to play singles."

Oishi remembered Shizuru playing against Tezuka and it was quite hard to imagine that girl playing doubles with someone. Her skills nearly equalled Tezuka's and she was no small fry in the strategy department either. Although, he was left wondering: where did Hyotei find tennis players like them?

"I know what you're thinking – you're wondering how Hyotei managed to recruit people like us," Ayane winked at the third year vice captain. "Well, that's something I'm not sure of Mai-_chan _and _buchou_ because Kiyone-_chibi_ and I studied here Hyotei Gakuen ever since elementary school."

Oishi looked at his watch. "You know, I'm starting to get worried – Eiji and Tezuka are missing. I know that they're old enough to take care of themselves but, it's just that we're about to have lunch soon."

Ayane began dialling numbers. "Well, Kiyone better have charged her cellphone or else, she's going to miss lunch!"

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Shizuru, tossing a tennis ball into the air, served it towards the even court. The crashing sound echoed in the cement court thus making it more intimidating. Two machines stood in front of Shizuru and were ready to open fire. Though feeling a bit miffed that her game got cut, Shizuru walked to the other side to activate both machines on high speed. The people managing the area just watched Shizuru send the ball back with double the force or with a completely neutralized shot. When a shot was supposedly out of reach, Shizuru flashed right next to it and sent the shot back. Marks appeared on both sides of the court with some spinning and creating more marks.

"Your accuracy never fails to amaze me," a voice mumbled from behind. "Kurenai-_buchou_, I think you have enough to even put pros to shame."

Shizuru saw Hitomi taking down data from behind. "Shouldn't you be gathering the team and having them do their respected training menus?"

"_Buchou_," Hitomi smiled her usual business smile. "Isn't that more your job?"

Shizuru sighed while firing it towards the left. "After that game with Tezuka-_san_, it made me realize a lot of things, Yamaguchi-_senpai_. I need to deal with something but I can't have the team now. So – I'm asking one favour of you: please manage them until I'm done with my solo training."

Hitomi, nodding slowly, walked out before watching another shot fly over the net with abnormal speed. The data master couldn't help but scribble it down as she looked at the statistics. The speed of the ball was increasing higher and higher. The skill level, the time needed to defeat an opponent and reaction time had increased incredulously that to Hitomi, she was beginning to think that Shizuru might be Yukimura's counterpart when it came to the female division.

"Kurenai Shizuru, one of the angels of Kantou, the Queen of Hyotei Gakuen, once again has left me completely baffled." Hitomi began reassessing her data. "The team is progressing well but not as fast as before. Ferero-_senpai_ and Isane-_chan_ were good doubles partners and actually beat the top one. Midoriyama-Sanada would have been good too, if not what had happened."

Hitomi walked outside, contemplating what menu she should use to train the regulars. "You shouldn't be stalking me, Inui Sadaharu," Hitomi smiled evilly.

Inui rose from the bushed, smiling evilly. "It seems like you discovered me very easily, Yamaguchi."

"Of course," Hitomi adjusted her glasses while tossing back her blonde hair. "One thing stalkers end up using is a bush."

Inui's glasses glinted while glancing at the second year captain. He had heard a lot of rumours about her from Seishun Gakuen and often times – Souma Fuuka talked about how powerful she was as an opponent. No matter how many times he calculated through Shizuru's playing style; there were no blind spots. Souma Fuuka and Kurenai Shizuru were the two top contenders for the Nationals Title in Kantou and everyone knew about the intense rivalry between Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei.

"I was wondering – how much do you know about our team?" Inui began taking down notes. "After all – you are widely known as Hyotei's Mastermind."

Hitomi too began scribbling down some notes. "Yes, I happen to remember that you are known as Seigaku's Data Man."

Inui held up a notebook. "Perhaps, we could trade some notes on how the regulars react. After all – Kurenai-_san_ is someone I don't have data on."

"Tezuka-_san_ seems to be a harder catch," Hitomi's glasses glinted evilly. "So, what exactly do you have for the trade?"

Hitomi and Inui took a seat at one of the wooden tables, swapping notes. The inconsistency of Tezuka and Shizuru's data is what made things very complicated. The two captains' playing styles were the only things consistent but everything else was all out of place. Shizuru didn't even show any signs of abnormal behaviour and Tezuka was simply just being a rock. Then again, there was something Hitomi knew that even Shizuru didn't know.

Shizuru and Tezuka were dancing circles around one another.

Hitomi shook her head sadly at her captain's predicament. The former captain, Kotetsu Naomi was also aware of Shizuru's feelings towards him but didn't understand on how the current captain could be so dense. Then again, the data master always found the captain in the tennis courts; it was no surprise on why Shizuru seemed so dumb in romance. Sighing in defeat, Hitomi glanced at one side towards her captain. "What about you, Inui-_san_? Have you found out anything about Tezuka's romantic life?"

"Tezuka doesn't have a love life at all," Inui set down his notebook. "However, Fuji seems to know a few things which could give me more data and pieces to complete the puzzle."

Shizuru was by no means, stupid. The captain smiled faintly when she heard Hitomi discuss things over with Inui. "I plan to make you run a lot of laps, Yamaguchi -_senpai_. Be prepared to run to the ground."

Shizuru believed that it was best that no one knew whom she had in mind. Ever since that day, Shizuru remembered being inspired by his playing style. Nothing had changed since then and often times, Shizuru often had to restrain herself from blushing in front of the man. Serving towards the odd court, Shizuru resumed to thinking about the Kantou tournament coming up soon. Seishun Gakuen was training with them and she was a bit worried about Rikkai Dai. Momo wasn't stable after last time and if she sees the person who supposedly "destroyed" Midoriyama-_senpai_ then, Shizuru was sure she had to exclude Momo from the game against Rikkai Dai.

"Although Momo-_senpai_'s flexibility as a Singles player and as a doubles player is an asset," Shizuru returned the ball while continuing to wall. "Momo-_senpai_'s instability and vengeance spree is what's preventing her from growing. Among all of us, Isane-_senpai_ is the only one who knows how to take losing gracefully. Yamaguchi-_senpai_ was shocked when her own data cornered her and Momo-_senpai_ blew a fuse when playing against Echizen and after hearing the name "Sanada". Not only that, Kiyone and Ayane are only first year but, they're progressing pretty well considering that they've already lost to the Shishido-Ohtori pair."

"Doesn't your team need you right now?" A voice interrupted from behind.

Shizuru found Fuuka standing behind her with folded arms. "You know – I don't think they want a crippled captain before they enter the Kantou tournament. After all, you're the one keeping them all together and once you fall, everything goes with it."

"My team members are not solely dependent on me," Shizuru continued walling. "They can stand on their own and so can I. We rely on each other not just on one person."

Fuuka smirked while watching the second year practice her footwork. "Kurenai, you better not go suicidal before I play against you."

"Same goes for you," Shizuru quietly whispered while watching Fuuka leave the court.

When Fuuka left, Shishido slung his racquet over his shoulder. "Hey, Shizuru, are you sure you're ready to do that despite your leg?"

"Yeah," Shizuru smiled kindly at Shishido despite the rude tone. "I can manage a game for an hour. Longer than that – I might feel double the pain."

Shishido, sighing in defeat, beckoned her. "Look, your team's looking for you and Yamaguchi is trading recipes with Inui Sadaharu. Good luck in dealing with stomach pains."

Shizuru laughed softly. "I think I know Yamaguchi-_senpai_ well enough to know what she puts in those things."

"Speaking of which," Shishido went to the other side of the court. "Wanna rally with me before you go?"

Shizuru shrugged. "Is a one ball match fine with you?"

Shishido lowered his stance. "Yeah, we'll just have to keep the ball in play for a long time, right?"

Shizuru nodded while Shishido started his service. Between the dash and flash step, the two looked at par in terms of speed. Shizuru backhanded it towards Shishido who in turn dashed towards the shot and made sure she couldn't reach it in time. Shizuru however flashed towards it and sent it back to the baseline causing Shishido to keel back in order to return it. The rally intensified from baseline to volley and soon, Shizuru sliced the ball down towards the net causing it to spin and bounce back. "It looks like your reaction time still needs work, Shishido-_senpai_."

"Yeah," Shishido took off his cap to fan himself. "God is it hot today or is it just me?"

Shizuru, handing him a towel, smiled faintly. "Well, the weather's a bit unforgiving today so, I'm going to have to check on my teammates. Kiyone doesn't specialize in desert heat."

Shishido grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Wait, Shizuru…"

"Hm, is there something else?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

With a groan, Shishido scratched his head before ushering her to sit down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Shizuru blinked several times; where had that come from? "Excuse me?"

"You know after that guy from Seigaku kissed you," Shishido glanced at her with worry and concern before shaking his head. "Tsk, _gekidasa daze_. It's not that I don't trust you or anything...!"

Shizuru laughed softly, fixing her shoelaces. "Well, of course I am. I can't let one little kiss stop me now can I?"

"My sister threw a hysterical fit when her first kiss got stolen so," Shishido pulled off his cap before twirling it around his finger, chuckling darkly. "She was a complete mess. She even started rolling on the bed, groaning and eating at least 4 boxes of chocolate a day. Would you believe that she even tried washing her mouth with detergent?"

Shizuru laughed and wiped a tear from her eye. "It must be someone she really hated then."

"No kidding and that same man's gonna be her husband," the capped regular threw his hands in the air in surrender, smiling and ruffling her hair. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you know. I don't like my _kohai_ getting her heart broken by some jerk who can't even feel as much as a cardboard box."

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Returning to the courts, Shizuru found Ayane and the others gasping for air. "Is this what happens when I leave you all alone?"

"But _buchou_," Rin sat up, childishly pouting. "The weather's unforgiving and we're about to pass out any minute now!"

Ayane stood up, stretching her arms. "Well, we can't slack otherwise Atobe's going to beat us! We don't want that do we?"

"I think you're the only one who cares, Ayane," Mai splashed water on her face. "Speaking of which, where is the smaller girl?"

Shizuru looked around and noticed that her protégé was missing. Sighing, Shizuru rubbed her temples while contemplating on her thoughts about the team a few minutes ago. She was more worried about their stability in the game because amongst all of them, the only ones with calm enough mind to deal with tricky situations were Mai, herself and Isane. Hitomi was learning and the Twin Dragon pair was winning their games without a problem. Ayane and Kiyone were handling things pretty well also so; it was just Momo and maybe Hitomi.

"I'll just have to make Getsugan run laps when she comes back. As of now, we're an even number so we're going to play a little game," Hitomi smiled while placing a few cones on the other court.

The team stared at her while Hitomi placed five cones on each court. "Each of these cones," the data master pointed to them, "symbolizes things that we need in tennis. Concentration, power, skill, agility and most of all – experience. Now, what we're going to do is this: since we're eight all in all right now, we could split into four. Group A would be composed of Kurenai-_buchou_, Momo-_senpai_, Uchiha-_senpai_ and Ayane. The other team will be as follows. The object is to defend your side of the court and knock down your opponent's cone at the same time. If one cone is knocked down then – one player must be dropped out of the team. The team that depletes the other first wins."

The seven perked up immediately and took their place at the courts. Rin flipped into the air for a backhand while Momo returned it with the _Oto_. Bending down, Haruka curved her shot towards Ayane with the Dragon's Tail which nearly hit the cone if not for the vice captain's brute strength to send it back.

"However," Hitomi noted while pointing at a pitcher. "The losing team has to drink the Penal Tea over there."

Mai's eyes widened at the sight of the bubbling neon yellow and green pitcher. "Eww, I am not drinking that!"

Rin and Haruka became more aggressive with their shots. "I'm not drinking that monstrosity!"

Momo laughed at Rin and Haruka's predicament. "Well, as long as we have _buchou_, we're never going to drink that thing!"

Shizuru remained serious throughout the entire training session even using the _Ayame Gaeshi_ to slip in between their legs, knocking down one cone. "As expected of Kurenai-_buchou_, Rin's out of the game," Hitomi smiled devilishly at the acrobat.

"Wha," Rin jumped up in the air while sending a backhand towards Momo. "B-but that's a cheat shot! It rolled in between our legs!"

Hitomi's glasses glinted. "You have to drink it now, Rin."

Rin stared at the pitcher, sighing in defeat. "Here goes nothing, don't forget to fix my obituary…"

Drinking it down, Rin shuddered and leaned against the wired fence. "Rin," Haruka bit her lip while returning one of Isane's shots. "Don't drink everything!"

Rin collapsed a few moments after causing the others to become more aggressive. "Saa~, I didn't know the Penal Tea was that dangerous," Mai noted devilishly while firing the _Kurosakuraso_ right on top of one of the cones.

Seeing the cone tip over, Isane fired another shot towards Haruka take out one of the other cones. "Oh man, I didn't see that coming."

Hitomi pointed straight at the pitcher. "You must drink it…"

Isane, shivering while holding the glass, downed it all in one gulp to lessen the yucky taste. Feeling a knot forming in her stomach, the Sniper turned away while trying to maintain her composure from vomiting all over the plants. "You know," Momo shook her head at the plants that decorated the sides. "I pity the plants if Isane-_chan_ vomits."

Mai volleyed it towards Shizuru who sent it all the way to the back cone. Haruka deflected it but was taken down by Ayane who sent her _Kotsubushi_ _Katana_ all the way there again. One by one, the regulars succumbed to the Penal Tea and the last standing was Shizuru, Mai, Ayane, Momo and Hitomi. The five exchanged rallies with one another and soon, Ayane was the next to miss.

"Aww man," Ayane stared at the bubbling goo. "Do I really have to drink this radioactive stuff? I'm not planning to become the female Hulk you know."

Shizuru forehanded it towards Hitomi and knocked down one of the cones. "It looks like you're drinking it next."

Momo smashed it straight at Mai who uncoiled and sent the shot back at her. "Darn it, looks like Mai won't be going down quietly. You got any ideas, _buchou_?"

Slicing it, Shizuru forced Mai to move forward to return it. The moment Mai returned it allowed Shizuru to duck and deceive her opponent. "Momo-_senpai_, the cone's open!"

Bringing it down, Momo knocked the cone all the way to the side. "Yeah, we're not drinking the stuff!"

Shizuru, letting out a sigh of relief, leaned against the fence while watching Mai down the disgusting radioactive drink. "I'm glad that we didn't have to drink it."

"Kiyone would have freaked out at the sight of it," Momo breathed in heavily.

Most of the regulars were puking at one side while some were strewn all over the floor. "I wonder where she got the recipe from," Momo stared at the pitcher queerly. "Though, I'm curious – what does it taste like?"

"Are you sure you want to end up like them?" Shizuru pointed to the other regulars.

"It's worth the shot," Momo shrugged while taking a swig.

The whole team stared at the Sanada female while licked her lips. "Hey, this stuff isn't as bad as you think it is!"

Everyone sweat dropped at Momo who began drinking more of it. Hitomi was on the side while taking down notes, Ayane stared at her _senpai_ incredulously while Isane snatched the bottle away from Momo. "I can't believe you can digest this stuff! Isn't it spicy, sour and salty all at the same time?"

"That's what makes it interesting," Momo shrugged while trying to take the bottle back.

Shizuru, shaking her head, began looking around for Kiyone. The protégé hadn't come back ever since she let the girl go wandering off around the club. Shizuru pulled out her cellphone and dialled up her number while wondering where on earth the smaller girl could have gone.

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"This is the real deal," Kiyone ate another _Takoyaki_ ball. "I love _Takoyaki_! But the one I like the most – it's _onigiri_ with _natto_! Isane-_senpai_ always has that for snack so, she always makes me one!"

Shiraishi was surprised on how fast Kiyone could eat _Takoyaki_. She ate at least five in one sitting and after that, he kinda lost count. Kenya poked at the smaller girl. "So, how is it that you manage to take down more experienced doubles players?"

Kiyone shrugged while chomping down another _Takoyaki_. "Well, I'd say its raw talent. Yane-Yane and I are the best doubles pair there is! The only time we lost was against the Phantasm Pair and Shishido-Ohtori pair! Other than that, our record is squeaky clean!"

Hitouji and Koharu loomed over Shiraishi. "Really, do you two have Synchro like most doubles partners?"

Kiyone, shaking her head, poured more sweet and sour sauce. "Well, Yane-Yane and I don't focus on accomplishing techniques. What we focus on is how to have fun and win at the same time. When one concentrates so much on perfecting techniques, he tends to forget the spirit of the sport. The only thing ringing in the head would be: I have to win."

The whole Shitenhouji team was stunned with what the smaller girl said. She was only first year and Tooyama couldn't even make a statement like that. "Well," seeing that she stunned the regulars, Kiyone sheepishly scratched her head. "I just picked that up from Kurenai-_buchou_. She was the one who told us to treat tennis not as a battle for the top but a way on how to enjoy life."

Shiraishi nodded with agreement. "Actually, your captain does have a point. But, once you get into the tournaments – it's kinda hard to recall all that."

Kenya took a look at Kiyone's green and black racquet. "Hey, I haven't seen this kind of model. Where did you get it?"

Kiyone shoved another _Takoyaki_ into her mouth. "That's the Prince EXO3 Graphite 100 I got from my uncle. He asked me one day what are my favourite colours and I told him green and black. The next day was Christmas and this happened to be his gift to me. It increases my spin by 25% according to Yamaguchi-_senpai_ and boosts the stability and control over the ball. Each of us has our own designated racquet colour – funny, I noticed this only now! Yane-Yane has violet and black, Mai-_neechan_ has black and blue while _buchou_ has red and black. I forgot what they're called though."

"Question, why did you choose something with such a big head size?" Shiraishi noted on the slightly bigger frame of her racquet.

"I can't do power shots properly so – the bigger the head, the more power I can get in," Kiyone noted cheerfully while getting her racquet from Kenya.

Gin looked at the racquet while checking the grip. "You're a 4¼? That's pretty small…"

"I know," Kiyone placed it back in her bag. "The one with the biggest grip among us girls is _buchou_ and Momo-_senpai_, they're both 4½. Yane-Yane's a 4 3/8 like Mai-_neechan_. By the way, Shiraishi-_san_ what year are you guys anyway?"

Shiraishi pointed to Tooyama and Zaizen. "Those two are the youngest, Tooyama's first year and Zaizen's second year."

Kiyone spotted the black haired _tensai_ of Shitenhouji and the red haired super rookie. "Oh," Kiyone placed all the toothpicks together. "That's like in our team too! Yane-Yane and I are the only first years, _buchou_ and Mai-_neechan_ are second year and everyone else is a senior! By the way, we also have a game to finish! I don't like leaving unfinished games!"

Shiraishi looked at his watch. "We might have to postpone it again. Check what time it is."

Kiyone looked at her watch, shrieking. "Waaaah, I missed out my tennis practice!"

Shiraishi pat her on the head. "Maybe we should walk you back, that way you don't get lost."

"You might want to check your cellphone too," Kenya pointed at her bag. "I heard ten vibrations."

Grabbing her phone out, Kiyone found her screen blinking with the words FIFTEEN MISSED CALLS AND TWENTY MESSAGES staring accusingly in her face. Opening it, most of the calls came from her captain and Ayane while the messages came from her seniors. However, there were two messages that caught her off guard.

_Where are you? Dinner's almost ready and you're not here._ – Hiyoshi Wakashi

_There's chocolate Malakoff cake, you're gonna miss it!_ – Akutagawa Jirou

"They never texted me before," Kiyone clicked on reply while typing _ok_ _I'll be right there_. "It's rare for Hiyoshi-_senpai_ and Akutagawa-_senpai_ to text me."

Shiraishi stood up while nodding. "So, shall we bring back the youngest to the queens?"

"Yeah," Kenya looked at the dark sky. "Come on, you better get going."

Kiyone bowed down politely. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Tell us that when you get there," Zaizen snorted while following after his _senpai_.

Kiyone, grunting at Zaizen, walked past him next to Shiraishi. "Someone woke up on the wrong edge of the bed today."

One of the taller players shook his head. "Zaizen's always been like that. The name's Chitose by the way. I see you got to know most of the Shitenhouji team."

Kiyone nodded vigorously. "Their names aren't hard to remember! I just hope that _buchou_ doesn't get angry at me for being late."

"Well from the way you talk about her, she sounds pretty understanding," Chitose noted while seeing the sports club a few minutes away. "Well, here we are."

"GETSUGAN KIYONE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN," A loud shriek came from the front door.

Kiyone cleaned her ears. "I could've sworn there was an avalanche somewhere."

The one to meet Kiyone was a very worried Ayane who grabbed the junior's collar. "Kiki, where have you been? We've called you fifteen times and sent you twenty messages and you never answered!"

Kiyone stammered while being shaken uncontrollably. "Oi, d-don't k-keep sh-shaking m-m-me!"

"You were gone and got us all worried and even _buchou_ was freaking out," Ayane screamed even louder.

Kiyone rolled her eyes at the vice captain. "I'm surprised that there's no second wave avalanche coming this way now."

Ayane threw her hands up in the air. "Agh, you're impossible! _Buchou_, I found her!"

Shizuru stepped out while bowing politely to the Shitenhouji regulars. "Thank you for escorting Getsugan-_san_ home. Tomorrow however, she won't have enough time to slack."

Kiyone gulped at Shizuru's serene voice. "Oh man, I'm gonna be dead tomorrow!"

"Your little escapade has earned you an extra hundred laps tomorrow," Shizuru noted with finality. "Also, for every missed call and message you get – it's an additional forehand and backhand swing for you. So, if I give you fifty forehands – you need to do sixty five."

Kiyone could have sworn that her jaw touched the floor. She knew that her _buchou_ was forgiving but realized that even Shizuru had her limits. "I understand _buchou_. I won't run off again next time."

Shizuru shook her head. "It's okay to explore, just come back on time."

Nodding vigorously, Kiyone followed after her captain while Ayane stared aghast at Shizuru. "You're going to let her get away with that?"

"Who says I am?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow at her Vice Captain. "She will be making up for the time lost tomorrow."

Watching Shizuru leave them with Kiyone and Ayane, Shiraishi couldn't help but keep looking at the smallest one among the three. Despite her petite figure compared to her Vice Captain, Kiyone made most girls look extremely shameful be it in tennis or…

Looks, perhaps?

Shiraishi shook that out of his head as soon as he could when Kiyone was already gone from his line of sight. While heading back, Shiraishi couldn't help but reflect on the game he had with the soon to be angel of Kantou. He opened his cellphone and saw that there was a message from someone. Opening it, Shiraishi was surprised from whom it came from.

_I hear you met the protégé of Kurenai Shizuru. She's quite a handful, ne? –Amakusa Natsuki_

Shiraishi smirked for a moment while texting back. _"She's getting to her goal pretty fast. You better train the doubles team better if you want to knock her down. That's not counting the fact that she still has Kobayagi Ayane to back her up. I only tested her with Kenya and she made up for some points that he didn't have."_

Chitose leaned over Shiraishi's shoulder. "It's from Amakusa?"

"Yeah," Shiraishi closed his cellphone. "But I wonder – will Hyotei win this round despite not having Espada Kotetsu Naomi on their team? Shitenhouji won third place last year and that's because Kotetsu floored the captain before Amakusa-_san_. Natsuki was considered the super rookie for the girls but she was taken down by Hyotei's Angel, Kurenai Shizuru. Though, I hear that the captain has an injury that never healed."

"It limits her play time," Chitose noted. "Not the consistency of her shots. All her techniques are still usable to her as long as her left side doesn't give."

Hitouji swayed towards the left. "Shiraishi-_buchou_, do you think that our doubles team would win against the freshmen of Hyotei?"

"I doubt it actually," Gin quietly admitted. "Kobayagi Ayane from what I hear is the sister of a body builder/wrestler. She deals a heavier punch despite her size."

Zaizen pulled out his video camera. "I remember taping one of those doubles matches of the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair and they really know how to make third years look bad."

Shiraishi watched Kiyone volley the ball to one side while the person forcibly lobbed it into the air. Ayane came from above and struck fast, hearing a bullet like sound on the court.

"Game and match: Kobayagi-Getsugan pair! Six games to love!"

Shiraishi looked at their opponents who looked like third year middle school players. The two were leaping up in joy and Shiraishi began to wonder: have the two ever lost before? Where did they get that kind of synchronization? The two looked like they were able to command it by will and activate Synchro at such a young age.

"This time," Shiraishi nodded inwardly to himself. "Shitenhouji will have to work harder than ever."

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Kiyone pouted while Ayane began scolding her again for walking off. Shizuru gently chided her, saying that it's alright to walk around as long as she comes back in time for practice. Kiyone in the end blocked off what her partner was saying and listened more to her captain. Kiyone though never held respect for Ayane because they were more like sisters; Shizuru was the only one who had the ability to pacify her. Mai didn't understand how Kiyone could only listen to Shizuru and Ayane had no idea how Kiyone could easily agree to whatever the captain said.

"You whine too much," Kiyone snorted at the vice captain. "I'm surprised that there isn't any avalanche yet!"

"Then – I wouldn't be whining if you didn't walk off like that," Ayane shot back at the smaller girl.

Mai put a stop to this. "Guys, I'm surprised that you two have been arguing for thirty minutes straight but right now – Isane-_senpai_, Rin-_senpai_ and Haruka-_senpai_ have a headache from the Penal Tea so please, shut up."

Momo didn't seem affected by the juice and even took more than just one beer bottle full. Isane had puked out all her lunch and now couldn't even stand up. "Hey," the door opened with Shishido and Ohtori coming in. "Whoa, what did Yamaguchi feed them this time?"

"It's a long story, Shishido-_senpai_," Shizuru scratched her head sheepishly. "I don't know where that recipe came from but hopefully – we will never drink it again."

Ohtori poked Rin's leg. "Wow, she really did pass out bad."

Mai leaned against the wall, sighing. "Well, I thought I was going to die after drinking that abomination. I don't understand how you managed to survive all of Yamaguchi-_senpai_'s poisons."

Shizuru shrugged. "I guess being used to eating crumbs is a good thing."

"You should eat more, you're even thinner than Gakuto," Shishido flicked her nose. "To think I thought Gakuto's skinny then – you're anorexic."

Shizuru tilted her head towards Shishido. "Oh yeah, you wanted to tell me something?"

All eyes went on Shishido and Ohtori nudged his doubles partner. "Well, it's kinda a private thing."

"Yeah, it's a Silver Trio thing only," Shishido looked away from Shizuru's curious eyes.

Kiyone leaned over Ayane's shoulder. "What does he want to say anyway?"

"_Buchou_ is so dense," Mai slapped her forehead. "She can't even tell if a guy's going to confess to her or what not."

Shishido slapped his forehead, why were many people making them a couple? Too many people were now staring at him and if he didn't have strong nerves, Shishido was going to faint. The dash specialist walked closer to Shizuru and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Shizuru, Chouta, we better get going if we're going to discuss things. I mean, heck – her team might blow everything out of proportion if we say it here."

"Uh, okay," Ohtori followed after them while watching Shishido and Shizuru walk out the door.

In the hallway, Shishido heard his heartbeat echo loudly in his ears. Shizuru walked slowly next to him while smiling at the reddish sunset. Shishido shook his head, how could she not recognize that men could make funny ideas? Then again, that's why he was here; including Oshitari. Ohtori though chose her happiness above anything else.

_God, you're both naive._

"Hey," Shishido felt the words being torn from his throat. "The sky's nice this afternoon isn't it?"

What a stupid thing to say, Shishido.

Shishido wanted to slap himself here and there. His heart didn't want to stop echoing in his ears either and a faint voice was questioning him in his head:

Maybe she didn't want to say anything to not worry anyone?

Shizuru could have any guy she wanted, Shishido knew that. To the guys, Shizuru was their dream girl but she was as dense as a rock. It took her almost thirty minutes to comprehend a pick-up line a boy just told her and thus, developed the friendship between her, Mai and Shishido. The two protected her from flirts and Shizuru often just stared at boys who flirted. Ohtori wasn't even sure how she couldn't understand it. Shizuru was not childish; she could command a team despite not understanding some things. Then another question appeared in Shishido's mind:

Maybe she's still confused and the kiss made her even more... crazy?

That was the only plausible question in the dash specialist's mind. Shizuru had tried opening her heart only to get stabbed in the end by her own family. Maybe that's what made her dense; Shizuru forced regression on herself perhaps? Shishido wasn't sure but he was determined to make sure that whoever hurt his _kohai_ was going to pay ten times over for the damage. Though the female captain never had an intimate relationship, Shizuru didn't seem the least bit interested especially when he wanted to rant to her all about how he wanted to kill a certain someone for kissing her just like that.

"Shishido-_senpai_," Shizuru's voice was soft. "I understand what you're trying to tell me…"

Shishido's eyes widened; did he just hear what Shizuru just said? "Y-you do? Are you serious?"

Shizuru nodded while smiling ruefully. "_Senpai_, never in my life have I ever been able to hate someone. I…"

Shishido ruffled her hair, chuckling while throwing his cap on Shizuru. "I know it's just... heck, I'm worried. Considering some drunkard got your kiss, you do realize I can kill him if you want?"

"I know," Shizuru sheepishly smiled at Shishido. "You've always been family to me. You're the last person whom I want to see hurt… both you and Ohtori-_kun_," her voice gave away.

Shishido bit his lip while slinging his arm over Shizuru. "Same here it's just… well, if any other guy thinks they're going to get to you that way – God please forgive me, I WILL BE COMITTING MASS MURDER."

Shizuru laughed softly, nudging Shishido. "_Senpai,_ you don't have to be that violent."

"I have every right to," Shishido scowled as Shizuru put the cap back on his head. "You think I'm going to let some second rate idiot go get you? Are you insane!?"

Shizuru saw the café up ahead. "You wanna get some food before we go back?"

Ohtori glanced at Shishido who simply shrugged. "I guess a cheesecake wouldn't hurt."

"_Senpai_," Shizuru shook her head. "A cheesecake won't kill you."

Shishido rolled his eyes. "Tell that to the crazy mole diva who expects us to not eat any junk food when it's sitting right in front of us."

Ohtori's shoulders slumped. "Shishido-_san_, Atobe-_san_ is just worried..."

"Worried? You're telling me he cares," Shishido stifled his laughter only to end up choking on his own saliva. "Damn, that's a good one."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Shishido-_senpai_, he does care. He's just... a little more unique in showing it."

"Why can't you tell me straight out he's an ass," Shishido grumbled a bit, folding his arms. "You have every right to. It's a free country!"

Shizuru scratched her head, smiling meekly. "Well, I can't insult him after all he's done."

"True," Ohtori remembered the first time Atobe came to Hyotei. "Hyotei wouldn't be the way it is if he weren't here."

Shishido threw his hands up in the air, resting them at the back of his head. "Agh, I give up."

Shizuru and Ohtori began laughing at Shishido's pout while the female captain flicked his nose. "You're silly, _senpai_."

"You always have that innocent streak," Shishido shrugged, flashing a smirk as he gave her a noogie. "Why I oughta drill it into your head...!"

"Hey," Ohtori tried to free Shizuru from Shishido's tight grip. "That's mean!"

Shizuru managed to wriggle herself free. "Well, that is Shishido-_senpai_ after all."

"You can bet your leg on that," Shishido pat Shizuru on the head. "It's just that, I'm not comfortable with Seigaku hanging around us anymore."

Ohtori checked his watch. "Oh yeah, Atobe-_senpai_ wanted us to train early."

"Damn," Shishido saw the clock, snorting. "Well, catch you later. If any guy tries anything, kick him the nuts."

"_Senpai_," Ohtori stood back aghast.

Shizuru giggled a bit. "Don't worry Ohtori; I think stepping on his foot is a good enough message."

"Like I said," Shishido rolled his eyes. "The nuts are the best place to kick a man in when they try something funny."

Watching them leave, Shizuru shook her head sighing. _I wonder where Shishido-senpai gets his mean streak..._

-That's chapter 16! Please review!


	17. Kantou Tournament: Pure Service

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 17 – Kantou Regionals: Pure Service

Despite the times Shishido had violent streaks, Shizuru couldn't believe he could get away with things like that. Ohtori, being the exact opposite, usually calmed him down before a wild gang fight came about but there were times when the taller regular lost his cool. Munching on a strawberry cheesecake, Shizuru watched the gray clouds part to reveal the sun. It had been raining lately and Shizuru thanked God inwardly that she didn't catch anything. Their position in the Kantou Regionals was crucial and right now – there were three hard contenders: Rikkai Dai, Seigaku and Jyosei Shounan.

"After reading about their winning streak," Shizuru put down a magazine she had been reading. "It's hard to imagine now a six games to love match between them. The captains are at my level and even though Kotetsu-_buchou_ trained me well, I don't think I'm going to be able to go for a protracted game."

"Saa~, I didn't know you were out here," a voice came from behind.

Turning around quickly, Shizuru found Fuji with a camera in his hands. Ignoring her shock, the smiling _tensai_ strode forward while taking a seat next to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No," Shizuru noted quickly. "I'm alone anyway."

The two sat in silence while Fuji showed her a few shots in his camera. "I took this awhile ago. You look good in these shots."

Shizuru looked through the gallery of pictures wherein her hair was blowing in the wind, a small smile and one even had her looking at the flowers. Sliding through the photos, Shizuru saw a few with Ayane and Kiyone with their doubles play, Mai practicing her Jazz Tennis, Hitomi plotting with Inui and a lot more of the Hyotei and Seigaku regulars. Shizuru eyed at him warily while shaking her head.

"Are you a stalker?" Shizuru bluntly stated while staring at him.

"Of course not," Fuji smiled innocently at the second year captain. "Why do you assume that?"

"You have pictures of people you don't even have a personal connection to," Shizuru noted while looking at the other photos. "Secondly, why would you get photos of us when you're supposed to be busy training for the Kantou Regionals?"

"Saa~, you're so serious," Fuji pouted innocently. "You're really like him or maybe you're just dense."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the _tensai_. "Who are you talking about exactly?"

Continuously smiling, Fuji was pretty intrigued by Shizuru's distrustful character. "I'm surprised that you're a captain despite you making assumptions like that."

"I don't always do this," Shizuru's gaze remained on Fuji's smile. "I only do this when I know that there's something wrong with the situation."

Fuji didn't know how Shizuru became so perceptive but he was surprised that despite having his eyes closed, she could tell. The captain quietly bowed to the _tensai_. "I'm sorry for being so blunt. I just didn't know a better way to phrase it…"

"It's alright," Fuji smiled bemusedly. "Though I'm impressed, you don't even need to look through my eyes to tell who I am."

Shizuru shook her head. "You shouldn't be. It's a curse more than a gift really."

"You have Insight?" Fuji tilted his head to the left.

"No," Shizuru shook her head. "I just have the ability to sense emotions from other people. From this, I derive conclusions about them."

"Interesting," Fuji couldn't help smile even wider. "Though, would you like to come with me? There's something I want to check out."

Shizuru stood up and followed after the _tensai_ while Fuji took out his tennis racquet. "Would you like to play one more game before we call it in?"

Shizuru didn't say anything but pulled her racquet out as a sign of consent. Walking to the court, Shizuru recalled the brutal way Fuji had attacked Mai. _Tennis is not a weapon_; she thought while glancing at him, _Fuji-san had no reason to vent out his anger on Mai_. Lowering her stance, Shizuru waited for Fuji's service until she saw it was an underhand serve. Watching the ball vanish, Shizuru closed her eyes. "There is no such thing as a ball that vanishes."

Seeing the ball being returned, Fuji positioned himself for a _Tsubame Gaeshi_. "The only way to return the Disappearing Serve is to hit it with a top spin…!"

"Not necessarily," Shizuru volleyed it over to Fuji. "You just need to hit it hard enough for it to go over the net."

Fuji, smiling inwardly, sent the ball towards the left corner which Shizuru suddenly just flashed towards it. "Saa~, you sure live up to your name…"

"I have a name?" Shizuru returned the ball with a top spin drop shot.

Fuji forehanded the shot to the other end of the court, forcing Shizuru back to the baseline. "You didn't know?"

"As far as I'm concerned," Shizuru noted while backhanding the ball. "My only title is 'captain' of Hyotei Gakuen."

"Saa~, that's not true," Fuji had a wider smile. "Don't you know the girls who own the title 'Angel'?"

Shizuru smashed it down to the left. "Souma Fuuka-_san_ is one and Kotetsu-_buchou_ is one as well…"

"And you," Fuji did the Higuma Otoshi which landed on the baseline. "Didn't you know that you are one as well?"

Shizuru flashed at the baseline right away. "Well, titles never really mattered to me. They just make people more curious for their own good."

"True," Fuji forehanded towards Shizuru again.

Flashing at the net, Shizuru delayed her shot and returned it with a powerful top spin, not giving Fuji enough time to prepare a _Tsubame Gaeshi_. Shizuru knew that one mistake could end up making her lose but somehow, the way he played now was much different from the one against Mai. _Unless he's giving me a handicap_, she thought while returning the shot,_ but Fuji-san has no reason to_. The ball flashed past Fuji, cracking at the intersection of the singles side line and baseline, "Love – fifteen!"

Fuji's eyes opened and saw the mark it had created. Shizuru-_chan_'s so much like Tezuka, he chuckled inwardly to himself, and maybe that's why Tezuka likes her too. Fuji watched Shizuru return his shots with much ease and sometimes flashing here and there. "They have so much in common," Fuji smiled inwardly again to himself. "She's goal oriented, completely oblivious to everything else and an excellent tennis player and student. She's a female version except less stone faced."

Shizuru volleyed the ball across while Fuji returned it with a backhand top spin. The returns increased in speed when the two began volleying and Fuji followed it up with the _Tsubame Gaeshi_. Seeing that was coming, Shizuru caught it with a top spin drop shot which rolled and bounced back towards her, "Love – thirty!"

Fuji never realized that a girl would be able to push him to his limits. Then again, he lazily hit the ball only using the counters every now and then. Shizuru watched his playing style and noticed it almost immediately that Fuji was holding back. If there was anything that would piss her off, it was that men or her opponents don't take her seriously.

"Fuji-_san_," Shizuru's tone sounded polite and glacial at the same time. "Please use all your counters against me. I don't mind and secondly – I hate it when people hold back."

Fuji smiled at the brunette. "You're that observant?"

"It's not obvious to those who haven't played against players who do the same," Shizuru forehanded it towards him again.

Fuji smiled inwardly to himself while thinking of a plan. With the _Shunpo_ alone, Shizuru had already sealed his _Higuma Otoshi_. The _Tsubame Gaeshi_ was countered by her _Subera Kagerou_ already and in other words, Fuji didn't have any techniques except the other one he had been working on. Fuji wasn't sure whether or not it would work but he tried it anyway. The ball spun straight up into the air causing Shizuru to halt in her steps.

"_Triple Counter_," Fuji's cerulean eyes gleamed with achievement, "_Hakugei_."

Shizuru saw it aim high and landed on the baseline bouncing back to him, "Fifteen – thirty!"

Glancing at where it landed and the pathway of the shot, Shizuru knew that this technique was the one Fuji was telling Mai about. It's really similar to the _Kurosakuraso_, she noted silently, the only thing different is that it lands on the baseline and bounces back to him. Shizuru watched Fuji return back to the baseline to serve, smiling faintly. She knew that Fuji was a _tensai_ like Mai but the Hyotei captain never realized he would give her almost the same amount of thrill both Tezuka and Atobe gave her when they played. Flashing to the left, Shizuru hit towards an open spot flatly while Fuji backhanded it cross court.

"Fuji-_san_ is quite an opponent," Shizuru backhanded towards the corner. "However, his level as a player is nowhere near Souma-_san_'s right now since he's holding back. But, hopefully – someone could bring out his full potential. I don't think I'm going to be enough."

Fuji watched Shizuru give it her all and even noticed swelling on her left leg. "Saa~, she's giving it her all in this game. Flashing left and right like that puts horrible strain on the user but, why isn't Shizuru_-chan_ reacting to the pain her legs are giving her?"

Shizuru smashed towards one end allowing Fuji to use the_ Higuma Otoshi_. However, Fuji was shocked when she twisted her body in mid-air and smashed again, not giving him enough time to prepare another _Higuma Otoshi_. "Fifteen – forty," Shizuru landed on her feet. "It's instinctive isn't it?"

Fuji raised an eyebrow while Shizuru explained. "Your _Higuma Otoshi_, your body immediately presumes that the opponent can't return the shot anymore and so, you don't prepare another shot."

Shaking his head out of a daze, Fuji left his mouth slightly ajar when Shizuru became that specific with details. "You're pretty interesting, Shizuru_-chan_."

"Thank you," Shizuru mechanically returned the shot. "A lot of people tend to tell me that."

_If I were to assess her performance right now_, Fuji thought while backhanding the shot again. I'd say she's strong enough to deal with Sanada. Shizuru's speed was on a different level; Fuji could feel his legs numbing after three rallies and that wasn't normal. While Mai danced to a rhythm, Shizuru forced him to stress his legs so he wouldn't be able to return anything after. Fair enough – the effects showed themselves when his shot hit the net.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"

Shizuru, inhaling deeply, took the ball while getting ready to serve. "I may be a girl but that doesn't mean my service sucks."

Fuji bent his knees to receive the shot. "I'm not underestimating you, _Shizuru-chan_."

"Subconsciously," Shizuru noted while tossing the ball into the air. "Most people tend to do that."

The service flashed towards Fuji which he didn't have enough time to back swing causing him to volley. Shizuru forehanded it towards the corners and Fuji managed to return them but not without feeling the numbness in his legs. The _Shunpo_ match they had a few minutes ago whittled down his legs resistance twice as fast as they should have and Shizuru's consistency wasn't showing any flaw yet. Seeing a top spin, Fuji took this chance to double it. However, Shizuru tapped the ball the moment the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ flew over the net instead of using the _Subera Kagerou_.

"Fifteen – love," Fuji breathed in sharply; Shizuru was giving him a good run and not many players could force Fuji far. "Saa~, that's quite impressive. But – how long will your legs last?"

Noticing that her legs were trembling, Shizuru gripped her left leg to alleviate the pain while biting her lip. How could things go downhill now? Shaking the thoughts away, Shizuru finally managed to stand up properly. "I don't feel any pain, Fuji-_san_. It's just a bit wobbly every time I use the _Shunpo_ against someone very skilled."

"Thank you for the compliment," Fuji smiled a bit wider. "However – are you sure your teammates want you crippled?"

"They won't notice as long as I walk properly," Shizuru jumped up for a smash. "Besides, I'm very well capable of handling myself, thank you."

The smash echoed throughout the entire court area and despite using the _Higuma Otoshi_, Fuji saw the ball slide off his racquet. "Saa~, you're really different. Compared to most girls – your footwork is impeccable but not equal to the _tensai_; your strength is not equal to that of your vice captain and control skill is at par with the smaller girl's. However, what made up for all that was your consistency and strategic thinking…"

Because he was deep in thought, Fuji promptly missed a backhand heading behind him. "Thirty – love," the _tensai_'s eyes glinted seriously.

"You're only using your true form now? I think you're going to have a lot of catching up to do then," Shizuru fired a no return serve.

Fuji swung his racquet but her service flashed past him, "Forty – love!"

Fuji couldn't believe that there was someone like Shizuru in Hyotei. She didn't seem to be like a fan girl either considering that even Atobe doesn't have much command over her. The Hyotei regulars had a great deal of respect towards her and one thing that everyone noticed: Shizuru was the most dense when it came to romance. It took her awhile to understand why everyone was disappointed when she got paired up with him. Shizuru however didn't have that normal girly giggle when she scored. Fuji gazed at her cold, serious and focused auburn eyes; Shizuru was not joking when it came to tennis. Sailing up into the air, Fuji managed to smash down at her left side, "Forty – fifteen!"

Shizuru dashed towards the right to score with a cross court top spin. "Game, Kurenai: two games to love!"

Fuji shook himself out of the daze. Shizuru was still second year and Hyotei had already won the Nationals for the girls so, she still had one more year to allow Hyotei a mark in history. Fuji now understood why Fuuka often had videos of Shizuru's games. No matter what happened – all her strategies were different. The one he saw when Shizuru played Tezuka was something way different than how she was playing now. Shizuru's top spins and under spins were hitting in so many patterns that there was no definite timing for Fuji to use. Sure I have the _Tsubame Gaeshi _but, Fuji thought grimly. It's going to take more than that against this girl.

"You seem to be thinking a lot to yourself now," Shizuru remarked offhandedly while volleying the shot to his left side. "Are you analysing my style or are you thinking about another game?"

"Love – fifteen," watching the ball slip past him, Fuji used his 'smiling face' again. "Saa~, I was just reminiscing in the past. I'm sorry… I'll be more serious this time."

"Don't fall back," Shizuru received his service again.

The rally intensified again with Fuji using the _Tsubame Gaeshi _twice in a row. Shizuru on the other hand continued using the _Subera Kagerou_ to counter the _Tsubame Gaeshi._ However, Fuji fired a lob and Shizuru jumped for a smash. Glancing down, Shizuru noticed that he was ready to send the ball far end to the baseline.

"Fuji-_san_, your _Higuma Otoshi_ is quite impressive but there is something wrong with that technique," Shizuru smashed towards the grip of the racquet causing him to let go. "There's another technique that can beat it: _Hamutsu e no Rondo_."

"Love – thirty," Fuji smiled at the younger. "Is that your technique?"

"More the courtesy of Atobe-_senpai_," Shizuru reminded herself to thank him later. "This technique's pretty useful when it comes to smash nullifying techniques. The _Higuma Otoshi_ requires the smash to hit the sweet spot but the _Hamutsu e no Rondo_ aims for the grip of the racquet."

Fuji fired the Disappearing Serve again causing Shizuru to narrowly miss it, "Fifteen – thirty!"

"Thirty all," Shizuru returned one of his services but he fired the _Hakugei_ straight up causing Shizuru to miss it again. "Is this your real power?"

"Maybe," Fuji smiled evilly. "It's up to you to figure it out."

Shizuru, smiling inwardly and faintly, saw the _Hakugei_ rise up again and used the _Shunpo _to catch up with it. "Most of your techniques," she jumped while smashing it down. "Send the shots towards the baseline when the opponent is at the net already. Quite a good strategy but what happens when another technique is able to counter the technique?"

Fuji performed the _Higuma Otoshi_. "Then, you just have to learn how to make good use of the technique, ne?"

"True," Shizuru flashed to the right side, backhanding the shot. "But it's better if you have variety…"

The ball curved awkwardly on Fuji's side and didn't bounce anymore. "So, that was the famed _Ayame Gaeshi_ I've been hearing about?"

Shizuru nodded wordlessly. "However," Fuji's cerulean eyes revealed themselves. "I know how it works now."

"The top spin is so intense that it curves awkwardly," Fuji analysed the technique on the spot. "You flipped your racquet at least twice in order to do this."

Shizuru smirked while returning to the receiving end. "Well," –shrugging nonchalantly, "that's the gist and basic idea. You've seen my _Shunpo, Subera Kagerou _and _Ayame Gaeshi_. I plan to win this game – with those three alone."

"You contradict yourself then," Fuji remembered what she said a few moments ago. "You said that it was better to have variety."

"It is," Shizuru shrugged nonchalantly. "At times – it's best to keep the others hidden so no one will be able to tell when you're going to use the technique."

Fuji sent a forehand across with Shizuru flashing towards the right and returning with an under spin. Fuji brought out the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ only to have it countered by the _Ayame Gaeshi_. Both players had to make sure none of the shots bounced off the floor and Shizuru flashed by with ease while Fuji had to lower his body completely to return the shot. This style's quite ambiguous, Fuji fired another lob into the air, no matter what I do – it's like she can return every shot with ease except the _Hakugei_. Unless, it suddenly hit Fuji, she's just waiting for the right time to strike.

A faint smile appeared on Shizuru's face after the _Hakugei_ sailed into the air. "Just like the _Kurosakuraso_," Shizuru jumped up into the air. "You just have to hit it before it touches the ground."

Fuji got ready to bring out the _Higuma Otoshi_ only to never hit it. "Thirty – forty," the ball limply dropped over the net right on his side while Shizuru landed with a faint smile.

"Saa~, you knew," Fuji let his racquet rest on his shoulder. "That's not a bad analysis for a second year student."

"Let's say," Shizuru walked towards the baseline again. "I just watched Mai often enough to know how that technique works."

"You mean – Nagisaki-_san_?" Fuji's cerulean blue eyes revealed themselves. "She knows how to use it as well?"

"No," Shizuru readied herself for Fuji's serve. "She's just played against two players who now how to use the technique very well. You're the original creator so – obviously there would be times, Mai would not be able to return the shot."

Fuji used a no return serve which Shizuru easily parried with a fast top spin backhand. Seeing the speed, Fuji had no other choice but to send it straight back at her. Shizuru fired a faster one towards Fuji which didn't give him enough time to prepare the _Tsubame Gaeshi. _The third top spin was even faster than the first two but Fuji managed to put some top spin into it in order to return fast. How is it that the speed gets faster and faster? Fuji wondered while returning an even faster top spin than the first three. I can barely return the first three and now – the speed's getting faster.

At the fifth spin, Fuji missed it after seeing it vanish for a few moments. The _tensai_ looked at where the ball marked and at his racquet a few times. How did those top spins suddenly increase in power like that? Not only that – the speed of the shot is even more different than its predecessor each time.

"Game, Kurenai: three games to love!"

"You still haven't figured out what I just did?" Shizuru's voice cut through Fuji's trail of thought.

Fuji couldn't believe that his match was turning out so one-sided. Three games straight and this was the same girl who had played against Tezuka at par. However, Fuji noticed that her reaction time slowed down a few minutes later when the ball slipped past her. That wasn't a ball she couldn't return, Fuji noted while seeing Shizuru's legs tremble. I guess the longest she'll last is at least an hour more.

Shizuru knew that Fuji was analysing how long she would last. Her legs were giving out on how long the rally can go on and seeing this, Shizuru took in a deep breath. "I was saving this technique for the Nationals," she quietly noted. "However – Fuji-_san_ is forcing the technique out and if I don't use it now, chances are I'll cripple myself even more."

Soon, the rallies turned out like that. An exchange of top spins and under spins caught the attention of many attendants, causing a crowd to gather at the bleachers. Fuji fired the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ back at her while she tried using the _Ayame Gaeshi_ however, she couldn't bend properly anymore. Shizuru gripped her leg to alleviate the pain and prayed that she would last longer than intended.

"Love – Fifteen," the arbiter declared in shock.

Despite that, Shizuru took back the score with a forehand that hit exactly on the baseline. Her body trembled due to her weak legs but that didn't mean she wasn't going to stop running. Shizuru forced more speed out of her legs causing Fuji to strain himself even more against the Hyotei female captain.

"Fifteen All," the crowd couldn't believe that they were even middle school students.

Fuji smashed right in between her legs, causing her to stumble but not fall backwards. She's doing pretty well for someone who's getting crippled, the _tensai_ noted. Saa~, she does play like Tezuka though. Both play with no care in the world for their injury. Fuji watched her strategy change into something more aggressive and defensive at the same time. She guarded her left side well despite it being the source of her injury. Both of their speeds increased subconsciously as the next serve came about.

"Fifteen – thirty," the whole crowd worked up into frenzy.

Shizuru stole the point back with a backhand aerial smash. Jumping was really forcing her legs to do some extra work but Shizuru knew that if she makes one mistake – Fuji could easily overtake her. The Hyotei captain did a quick draw backhand causing Fuji to miss and slip.

"Thirty all," soon, the crowd was wildly cheering for the two middle school players.

"Saa~, it seems like we have a Kantou Regionals simulation," Fuji scanned the crowd while hearing the chant 'Fuji' repeatedly.

Shizuru remained silent for awhile while scanning the crowd who cheered 'Kurenai' over and over again. There she saw Atobe at the very back of the crowd. That's funny; he usually wants the front seats, Shizuru raised an eyebrow at that thought. So, why is it that he decided to take the backseat for now and watch my match with Fuji? He usually didn't care.

"Shall we continue," Fuji called for her to serve, his cerulean eyes glinting, "Shizuru-_chan_?"

Tossing up high, Shizuru smiled faintly. "Get ready – because this one's going to make sure we don't end in a deuce!"

However, Shizuru couldn't believe how wrong she was. Fuji returned both serves and her legs collapsed under due to their wobbliness. Wincing inwardly, Shizuru dusted her skirt while watching the ball roll towards her. She knew that Fuji was no small fry but then again – Shizuru didn't expect him to almost equal Tezuka.

"Game, Fuji: one game to three!"

_Now the counter attack begins_, Atobe thought while watching the two from afar. Fuji and Kurenai are working their way through; this is also good training for the junior. She may have beaten _ore-sama_ but that doesn't mean that Fuji will be easier. In Seigaku, there are two matchless stars; Atobe smirked at the counter attack Fuji pulled out. There's him and Tezuka; Kurenai's in for it now.

Shizuru however didn't seem to feel the fear people usually felt when they faced a _tensai_. In fact, thrill over powered the fear and Shizuru brought out more of her potential every time. Because her legs were about to give, Shizuru decided to stop while letting the ball pass her every time.

"Game, Fuji: two games to three!"

The crowd stared in shock; why wasn't Shizuru moving anymore? The only thing she was doing was service and Shizuru was still in the lead. She wasn't breathing heavily but they saw how swollen her legs were. Fuji couldn't help but see a small smile return to her face. At first, he didn't understand it until the _tensai_ realized her reason in doing so.

She was waiting for the right time to strike.

"Game, Fuji: three games all!"

"I just needed two games to fix up," Shizuru brushed her hair away from her face. "Thanks for giving me time, Fuji-_san_."

Atobe raked his hair, muttering. "Arn~, Kurenai, you're becoming reckless again."

Fuji didn't show the intimidation's effect however, Shizuru proved to be more powerful when her _Shunpo_ came back. The _tensai_ realized now that he was at the end of the rope and Shizuru was starting to make him look like he was nothing. Fuji then understood why Fuuka was so hell bent in training everyday; if Shizuru played this way and he had hell of a time, what more she? The Hyotei team despite having two first years were winning consecutively with Shizuru, Mai and the Dragon Pair alone. Fuuka was training both Vera and Sakuno so intensely that sometimes, the first year would collapse out of exhaustion. He remembered hearing that Shizuru was once a doubles player but the way she played now proved otherwise.

"Love – fifteen," the crowd saw Shizuru's famous _Subera Kagerou_ as a decoy.

Fuji used the _Hakugei_ to send it straight up but Shizuru jumped high enough to smash it all the way to the back.

"Love – thirty," Atobe smirked at the score; Shizuru was now making it one sided again. However, he wasn't paying attention to that. Atobe was more focused on Shizuru's expression because most players would be desperate to end the game. However in Shizuru's case, it was really different.

A smile that no one has ever seen spread across her lips.

"Oshitari," Atobe tossed his hair back, smirking to himself. "You better know how to give Kurenai a good game because that's what's going to earn you some points."

Shizuru's _Ayame Gaeshi_ and _Subera Kagerou_ gained the last two points from Fuji, causing a wild uproar from the crowd.

"Game, Kurenai: four games to three!"

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"Yuushi," Gakuto pestered Oshitari. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? You could start a whole war between Seigaku and Hyotei! Well, not that I mind but still! Shizuru-_chan_ wouldn't want that!"

_Shizuru-chan never liked violence but no one knows that there's someone to do it for her,_ Oshitari thought slyly. _No one just waltzes in and sweeps Shizuru off just like that_. _It's amazing I hadn't heard any news of murder or torture yet from Atobe. Knowing Shishido,_ Oshitari breathed out and shook his head while thinking out how to put it through her thick skull that the incident made her a target for fan girls. _He'd naturally kick anyone's butt if they either hurt Choutarou or Shizuru, piss him off in a match and other things that added to his stress list..._

The _kansai_ prodigy continued walking to the tennis courts since it was most likely where he would find the girl while recalling what Shishido told him that night.

_Flashback_

"So, were you able to tell her," Oshitari raised an eyebrow. "Or, does she completely understand that you're going to kick someone's ass if he tries something like that on her again?"

Shishido continued doing sit-ups. "Well, she knows. She's my best friend, obviously she'd understand how violent I could get."

"Did she ever tell you if she had affections for anyone," Oshitari began looking through a drawer. "Well, we could be putting her beauty to waste you know."

Shishido rolled his eyes, grumbling. "We're filters, Oshitari. I'm not handing the third of the Silver Trio to some lame jackass who can't get things right."

Oshitari hung a magazine in front of Shishido's face. "Considering that Shizuru's very tennis oriented, do you think she found someone amongst the tennis players that she truly likes?"

"As long as they're not from a second rate school or Seigaku," Shishido brushed the magazine away from his face. "I'm cool with it."

Oshitari flipped through the pages. "Let's try something... anything to associate with the name Shizuru. That could piece things together."

Shishido popped open a can of soda while sitting next to Oshitari. "Well, let's see...challenge, tennis, book, history, English, Geometry..."

"She hates Geometry," Oshitari pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Shishido shrugged while drinking it down another can, smirking. "Hence the reason, she hates Geometry and therefore sucks at it."

"We all know that and besides, she's on borderline 85," Oshitari rolled his eyes. "So, is there anything else?"

Shishido leaned back, putting his feet on the table. "Well, if she would ever like a guy – it would be someone stronger than her, definitely. Most probably, it would take us a long time before we beat them... kinda like a hundred years?"

_Flashback End_

_That narrows down the suspects,_ Oshitari looked through a list he and Shishido made. _Definitely not Rokkaku or Yamabuki regular_, the _kansai _prodigy slowed his pace down a bit. There are only several people here who can surpass her calibre or play at the same level: Myself, Sanada, Yukimura, Echizen, Atobe at some point and Tezuka though Fuji's quite an option. It's definitely not Echizen; they're not the same year and Echizen's too dense to even notice a girl's affections. Sanada's plausible, Fuji's not a good idea and I'm pretty good looking.

But you're forgetting Tezuka, Oshitari. Don't forget him.

He did say someone who's beyond her calibre. I mean – a hundred years may be a bit exaggerated but Shishido narrowed it down already to at least seven people. Only a few people are Nationals Calibre like the Rikkai Regulars, Atobe, Tezuka and I'm not sure whether or not to consider myself a Nationals Calibre player. So if considering looks and the height, there would be me, Atobe, Tezuka, Fuji and maybe... Goodness, I'm growing white hair by trying to figure out who she likes.

But, it would be worth the white hair if it was you.

"Shizuru's my favourite _kohai_ and at least I know what she likes," Oshitari noted to himself again. "So, I better pray it's someone decent or so help me, I'm going to get moody again."

"Yuushi," Gakuto whined again. "You're spacing out and mumbling again!"

"Sorry about that," Oshitari replied absentmindedly. "I was just trying to discover Shizuru's mystery crush."

Gakuto shrugged. "For all you know – maybe he doesn't show that he's better. Maybe he's from a no namer school!"

_Gakuto, you're an idiot sometimes,_ Oshitari wondered to himself. How did this guy become his doubles partner again?

"We can cross Atobe and Yukimura off the list," a grumbling voice echoed from behind. "Yukimura would turn her sadist and Atobe is a psychotic narcissist. Besides, what makes you think they like vampires and tennis the way she does anyway?"

The Dirty pair exchange glances. "Ryou," Gakuto poked the dash specialist, "are you sure it's Shizuru we're talking about or did we switch to Seigaku's Mouri Enma?"

Shishido shook his head. "She just doesn't dress Goth. If you're trying to get her a gift, get something that **NOT** is pink, fluffy and cuddly."

Gakuto once again pokes Shishido. "We're supposed to make her happy and perky; not make her more vampire-like!"

Before Shishido could respond, they hear a loud cheer from outside that even the other regulars gather together. Ayane dragged Kiyone with her who was still eating a caramelized apple, Isane was with Momo, Hitomi, Haruka and Rin were exchanging glances with a fork in their mouth. Most of the Seigaku regulars showed up also with Eiji having his toothbrush in his mouth. Hiyoshi was dragging Taki with him while Kabaji and Jirou showed up (obviously Jirou was sleeping throughout the ordeal) and even the female Seigaku regulars showed up.

"Where did that come from," Taki began surveying the area.

"It could be from outside," Fuuka noted while heading towards the door. "Hey, did you see Fuji-_kun_, Tezuka-_kun_?"

Tezuka noticed the blue eyed _tensai_ was missing as well. "Fuji could be taking pictures for all we know."

A few moments after, Oshitari picks up his cellphone. "Atobe, where are you?"

"Watching a good match between the _tensai_ and the angel," Oshitari could have sworn he saw Atobe smirk. "It's a good match. Kurenai's been playing more than her normal endurance. Fuji's already going down for the count. Five games to four, deuce with Fuji holding advantage."

"Who's five and who's four?" Gakuto happened to overhear Atobe's voice.

"Kurenai's in the lead," Atobe's drawl came out smoothly. "If Fuji fouls this up, Kurenai takes the game. Better yet – why don't you check your window?"

Oshitari looked out the window he was beside and saw Shizuru soaring in the air going for a smash. Despite the _Higuma Otoshi_, Shizuru sealed it with the _Hamutsu e no Rondo_. The _kansai_ prodigy couldn't help but feel proud of his _kohai_ for beating his counterpart. Then again, this was Hyotei's angel they were talking about. The very same freshman who, partnered with both _Espada_ Kotetsu Naomiand Breeze Stepper Nagisaki Mai rescued Hyotei from losing its chance to reclaim the title.

"Deuce," another call was heard from the crowd.

Shizuru was the one who held service. Tossing up, she curved her service causing it to spin and bounce irregularly on the floor. Fuji couldn't return the shot; it was _Tsubame Gaeshi_ in service form.

"Advantage, server: Kurenai!"

Fuji, biting his lip, knew he couldn't return a service like that. Unless he lowered his body to the floor but, that would cause him to have an opening and Shizuru would smash it right there and then.

"This is our last round," Shizuru called from the other side.

Fuji looked up to see a smiling Shizuru. "Let's make it last, okay?"

Feeling a tingling sensation in his spine, Fuji smirked while watching Shizuru serve. This time, it was just a normal serve which was fairly easy to return. The rally intensified instantly after the service with shots zooming back and forth. Some went cross court and even were short volleys. Fuji fired the _Hakugei_ again but Shizuru jumped before it even touched the ground. Seeing the smash, Fuji repelled it with the _Higuma Otoshi_ but Shizuru sealed it off with the _Shunpo_. Seeing the top spin, Fuji fired the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ once again.

However, the ball rolled towards the net while bouncing back to Shizuru. "I guess – this game belongs to me."

"Game and match, Kurenai: six games to four!"

The whole crowd was in awe and Atobe couldn't believe what had just happened. "Kurenai was never forced above ten games. In fact – the opponent only gets one to three games from her."

Fuji, breathing heavily, saw a hand extended for him. "Are you alright?"

Fuji's cerulean blue eyes met with Shizuru's auburn eyes that gently gazed into his own. Most opponents would snigger and mock but Shizuru bent down to help Fuji up. The _tensai_ now understood what Tezuka saw in her. Shizuru wasn't the fan girl type either; in fact – her denseness made the girl look obviously naïve. However, Shizuru hid more than that and the potential as a tennis player is what caught Fuji off guard.

Shizuru-_chan_'s skill level is very different from Nagisaki-_san_'s. Both their styles are different since Nagisaki-_san _attacks viciously at the baseline and Shizuru-_chan_ is more the rotate type. That would explain how she can tackle all sorts of techniques since she's also an all-rounder. However, Shizuru-_chan_'s injury is preventing the release of all her techniques. Sad to say – she can only last so long and if someone brings her to play a protracted game which I'm sure Shizuru-_chan_ would accept without hesitation. The results could be disastrous.

"Are you alright," Shizuru's soft voice penetrated through Fuji's thoughts.

The _tensai_ resumed to smiling like he usually did. "Saa~, I was just thinking about something. Shall we head back?"

"You did quite a job, Fuji," a deep voice called from the door. "Not many can push Kurenai like that."

Fuji and Shizuru saw Atobe leaning against the wired gate. "Kurenai's quite the second year don't you think?"

"Saa~, that's true," Fuji couldn't help but feel unnerved. "So, why are you here then?"

Atobe showed them his white gold watch. "I'm here to tell you both that you're about to miss the bus. You're lucky all your things are packed up already."

"That was a great game though," a _kansai_ drawl answered from behind Atobe. "You really pulled out all the stops."

Shizuru smiled while taking a towel from Oshitari. "Thank you, _senpai_. But, I could only wish I did better. Some of my techniques are not good enough to beat **his** yet."

Oshitari noticed that she didn't point to Fuji. There was no reference to him either; it narrowed it down much faster. However, looking back on all the mock matches they had – she basically surpassed almost anyone except a few leading to one conclusion:

The only place where they had players with god-like calibre was from Rikkai Dai.

_We have a lot of information gathering to do,_ Oshitari tilted his glasses a bit. Sanada couldn't be it, could it? No, Oshitari shook out that thought. He can't even get a word out of her, I bet then again, it doesn't hurt to keep him as a prospect. It can't be Yagyuu either – he hasn't really spoken to her except during the karaoke performance party of Nagisaki. However, the thought of it being Tezuka unnerved him even more that his poker face was giving away.

"_Ore-sama_ is wondering why you're getting so riled up by something so simple," Atobe smirked at the _kansai_ prodigy.

Oshitari adjusted his glasses. "Well, I was just thinking about something. Nothing related to the statement for that matter."

However, Oshitari thought differently from what he had just said.

There are only very few who can bring out her power. Most of them would be guys but after hearing Shishido talk about the way she thinks , I can easily narrow it down. There's Sanada, Yagyuu most probably in doubles, Tezuka's another, Fuji as I've seen now. But who can really push her to her limits?

But, it would be more Fuji, Sanada, Yagyuu and Tezuka now would it?

_No_, _it can't be,_ Oshitari shook his head again. He looked at Shizuru converse freely with Fuji but then shook away the thought that she would end up with Fuji or Tezuka. The _kansai_ prodigy dragged along his stuff while Shizuru trailed behind him.

"_Senpai_, is there something wrong?" Shizuru quietly placed her hand on his shoulder.

_You have no idea how much stress you can cause by simply talking to a boy._ "I'm fine, don't worry," Oshitari smiled at the _kohai_ who didn't buy the lie.

Shizuru watched Oshitari climb up while looking back at the camp. Shaking her head, Shizuru knew that thoughts about romance were just going to distract her now. However, she couldn't help but recall only one game that made her feel like she was really having the game of her life.

"I don't know what's going to happen now but," Shizuru gazed into the sky. "We're going to win the _Kantou_ Regionals no matter what!"

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The week was pretty uneventful until the _Kantou Tournament_ came around. Walking towards the grounds, Shizuru led her team into the courts wherein they would have their opponents posted on a bulletin board. Checking the board, Shizuru searched for the name of Hyotei Gakuen until it came down to several teams:

Preliminary Rounds:

Hyotei Gakuen vs. St. Rudolph (court A)

Yamabuki Chuu vs. Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu (court B)

Jyosei Shounan vs. Kamata (court C)

Seishun Gakuen vs. Fudomine Chuu (Court D)

Kakinoki Chuu vs. Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu (Court A)

Ramusen Gakuen vs. Yamakuga Chuu (Court B)

Mizuiro Chuu vs. Kasumi Daiyon (Court C)

Rokkaku vs. Ginka (Court D)

*many more are listed*

"So, lemme get this straight," Ayane looked at all the teams. "We beat all in Court A in order to kick the butts of those from courts B to D?"

"I guess that's how it works," Haruka noted while seeing Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu in Court A. "I guess we're playing my older sister after all."

Hitomi placed a hand on Haruka's shoulder. "Don't worry; it's not as if she's that strong is she?"

"She's a doubles player – my very first partner," Haruka glowered at the bulletin board. "When she moved school, she was pulled down one grade because of late transfer."

Shizuru nodded while walking towards Court A. "We can't loiter here, let's go do our games."

"Wait."

Turning around, the captain faced the playmaker of the Doubles Two pair. "Please," bowing down, Haruka begged her captain. "Please put me and Rin in Doubles One when we play against Taishaku!"

The black haired acrobat stared at her aghast. "Wha---, you're asking her to do a suicide note on our record???"

Haruka didn't budge until Shizuru asked her. "Are you sure you're willing to risk your career and relationship as a doubles pair?"

The whole team fell into a deadly silence when Haruka looked towards Rin. The black haired acrobat turned away ruefully while Haruka couldn't help but feel selfish. Rin and she had played Doubles One only once and even though they won, the pressure was horrible. Rin wasn't good with pressure and nearly peed during the game if not for Haruka's quick kill strategy. Haruka, sighing stood up, shook her head.

"I guess not," Haruka laughed ruefully. "Sorry to have busted your concentration, Kurenai-_buchou_."

Shizuru noticed a difference in Haruka's eyes. "Do you want to win because you want to step on your sister or do you want to win for yourself?"

Haruka's head shot up to face the second year captain. "I want you to contemplate on that before the game against Taishaku," Shizuru walked towards Court A with the others. "Your position in the roster will be based on your answer, Hikifumi-_senpai_. Please think about it carefully. As of now, Shimohi-_senpai_, will you be able to play doubles today?"

Glancing at Haruka, Rin turned away in disdain. "I don't play with people who want to win to step on people."

Shizuru shook her head, sighing. Her Doubles Two pair just decided to fight right before the tournament and luckily, there was no need to send in a roster so – she could easily make changes. Deep down, she didn't want to do this pairing but apparently – the Dragon Pair had quite a fall out.

"Nagisaki, Uchiha-_senpai_ will be in Doubles Two," Shizuru noted with finality.

The whole team stared at her as if she were crazy. "_Buchou_, Mai's playing in Singles Two isn't she?"

"Not this time," Mai nodded seeing that Shizuru had a plan. "It looks like Hitomi-_senpai_ will be taking my place today!"

Hitomi nodded with a smirk. "I don't think St. Rudolph should be a problem. Not many of them are Nationals players."

"Alright, the roster is simple: Momo-_senpai_ will be playing Singles Three, Yamaguchi-_senpai_ will be in Singles Two, myself in Singles One, Doubles Two: Nagisaki-Uchiha pair or the Sonic Pair and Doubles One: the Waltz Pair, Kobayagi-Getsugan. Do you have any objections?"

The whole team shook their heads until they heard someone sneer at them. "Well, well, well, look who it is: the new Kotetsu Naomi of Hyotei Gakuen."

Ayane spotted a group of girls in pink and silver uniforms. "Hey, aren't those Ramusen Gakuen Regulars?"

"Tch, they look all so weak," Kiyone tossed her head back, sniggering. "You have no right to criticize Kurenai-_senpai_ since you guys would lose 6-0 to her either way!"

"She wasn't like that til Kotetsu found her," a girl with pink pigtails stood out. "Besides, I don't think we have anything to fear since she's a doubles player anyway, right?"

Ayane nearly lunged at them if not for Momo's strong half nelson, "Lemme at those losers! I'll show them who the sucker is!"

"Yeah," Kiyone glowered at the girls. "They really need to know how to keep quiet!"

Shizuru pulled back her best Doubles Pair. "It's alright; they may insult me but they can't speak with their tennis."

Aggravated, the pink pigtailed girl marched towards Shizuru while pointing her racquet at Shizuru's left knee. "We'll see about that, Kurenai. I would like to see you cry for Kotetsu!"

"I don't understand why underlings would pick on those bigger than them," Shizuru nudged the racquet away. "Then again – I wonder how long you would last against Rikkai Dai. I hear Yukimura-_san_ has been training with the _Kami no Ko_ himself."

The girl paled at Shizuru's comment. "You mean – she's been training with Seiichi-_sama_?"

"You have no right to call him that," Mai spat at the girl. "Let alone you're not allowed to call him by first name!"

"Why are you so defensive about it?" The girl sniggered at the fuming _tensai_. "You must be one of his fan girls too then!"

"So, what's that got to do with anything?" Mai glared daggers at the captain.

Shizuru looked at her watch. "Guys, unless you want to forfeit against St. Rudolph then I suggest we go already. We'll talk to them – tennis style."

Mai couldn't help but glare into some random person, Ayane growled while Kiyone was ready to bite the girl's hand. Shizuru could only sigh at the three other queens who got so pissed off with someone who wasn't even of their calibre. Isane ushered Kiyone away before she started gnawing someone's leg and Ayane was yanked away by Hitomi and Momo had Mai in a headlock.

"I'll break her nails with my racquet and make her lick the floor," the smallest regular gripped her racquet tightly until her fingers turned yellow.

"You guys ought to learn better control," Momo noted. "I know I'm a hypocrite for saying so but, I'm telling you so you won't make the same mistake."

Isane pat Kiyone on the head. "I know you're angry but like what _buchou_ said: we'll talk to them using our racquet not our mouth."

"How can you be so calm after they've insulted you," Ayane glared at the Ramusen Gakuen's retreating figures until she found Shizuru stopping in her tracks. "_Buchou_, you okay?"

Shizuru gripped her racquet bag tightly. "I just have to work harder then."

"Of course she's angry," Hitomi told the vice captain. "But she has to be a role model for all of us after all."

"She doesn't even look it," Rin raised an eyebrow towards the second year captain. "Then again, she never really showed anger."

"_Minna, _stop discussing about my expressions and let's get down to business," Shizuru pinched the bridge of her nose as she saw Sakaki take a seat in the coach's bench. "Doubles Two prepare, Singles Three warm up."

St. Rudolph marched in, fearful of Hyotei's tennis team. The captain saw Shizuru retreat to the bleachers with several of the other regulars. Seeing Mai and Isane as the first pair, she threw her head mockingly. "You're sending in a makeshift pair? What is this? Are you trying to mock us?"

Mai flipped her racquet over her wrist. "Saa~, maybe you should play against us before mocking us."

"Alright," Isane bowed graciously. "I hope this would become a good match."

Hitomi began glancing at the pages of her notebook. "Most of their team consists of third year students such as their captain, self-proclaimed _tensai_, best doubles pair and the manager."

"Have any rivalry, Hitomi-_chan_?" Momo noticed Hitomi's circular glasses glinting differently. "You look like there's someone there who you want to kick butt."

Hitomi hid her face in the notebook. "Never mind, let's proceed with the match."

Walking to the courts, Mai saw the two girls talking with their captain first. She did have some experience in the doubles area but then, it had been a long time. Also, Mai had been more used to Shizuru's speed of play. Isane though may be both a singles and doubles player – she was safer off in doubles while as Momo stays Single player. Mai, beckoning to her _senpai_, waited at the net to greet the two players.

"So," Mai extended her hand. "May the best player win?"

The ponytailed blonde haired girl extended her hand with a smile. "Yes, same here. You must be Isane-_san_ and Mai-_chan_?"

"Yeah," Mai looked at her opponents. "Mind telling me who you two are?"

"I'm Fuutenshou Aoi," the blonde girl curtsied and then pointed to the two toned violet and pink streaked haired girl with twin low braids. "This is my partner: Natsunaga Madoka. I'm sorry but even if you're National Calibre – a makeshift pair never wins."

The arbiter took his seat in the referee's chair, raising his hand. "Alright, Doubles Two begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Uchiha-Nagisaki pair versus St. Rudolph's Fuutenshou-Natsunaga pair! Uchiha serves first!"

Isane took her position while Mai waited up front. She nodded at her _senpai_ who in turn fired the Sniper Serve right at the middle of the service court. The two were too frozen to move and didn't even bother trying to return it.

"Fifteen – love," the arbiter trembled after seeing the speed.

"It looks like Doubles Two will end in ten minutes," Mai noted. "If they keep up this pace but either way, we'll win six games to love. Highest amount of games they'll ever get is two or one."

Isane positioned herself for another serve. "Don't get too cocky though. It's like they're planning something."

Seeing one of the other players in the receiving end, Mai made a sign to Isane. _Don't hit the Sniper Serve._

Isane, hesitating at first, decided then to hit a normal serve. The other player, smirking, gave the ball a heavy top spin causing it to bounce awkwardly on the floor. Preparing to hit it, Isane couldn't even connect as it zipped past her.

"Fifteen – all," the arbiter was wondering whether or not the players were even middle school players.

The captain twirled her hair. "Nfu, it seems like your players can't even connect with the ball."

Shizuru knew she had seen that mannerism somewhere but focused more on the match. She saw Mai glance at the court and closing her eyes. That was the _tensai_'s way of recalling the ball path and the Hyotei captain knew that by just seeing it once, Mai already found a measure.

"Isane-_senpai_," Mai nodded towards her _senpai_. "You have to serve normally again."

The silver haired Sniper Serve master stared at her awkwardly. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Trust me," was all Mai replied.

Serving normally, Isane saw her shot being returned and forehanded it. The other girl, Natsunaga fired the same awkward shot towards her.

"This is what I call – the _Habu_!" Madoka smirked while Isane rushed to the front. "Hah! You can't even return that shot, what do you plan on doing?"

Instead of hitting it, Isane dodged the shot and caused a great uproar amongst the bystanders.

"What the," Madoka dropped her jaw in shock. "What in tuttin' is she doing, yeah?"

Aoi then realized why Isane did that. "Madoka, Uchiha is just a decoy because the real attacker is…!"

Watching the Habu coming towards her, Mai repelled it with a short swing but sadly it hit the net.

"Fifteen – thirty," the arbiter announced.

_She adjusted that fast?_ Aoi was shocked but disguised it with a smirk. Well, they didn't call her Hyotei's _tensai_ for nothing and she is one of the _Kantou_ Angels after all. I shouldn't have expected less from Nagisaki-_san_. Although, the one I'm more afraid of is the Dragon Pair. I wanted to play against them and yet – Madoka and I end up with this makeshift pair. I prepared the entire strategy for the Dragon Pair and as far as I'm concerned – Nagisaki has never played doubles.

"You're probably thinking that I only know how to play singles," Mai winked at the blonde. "But – that's not true."

Aoi noticed Mai pointing at the auburn eyed brunette. "You see," Mai proudly smiled. "That girl over there may be my captain but she is my best doubles partner. She could have ended you guys in the next ten minutes."

Madoka raised an eyebrow at the red haired _tensai_. "Well, I don't buy it. Ya know, just because ya got yourself some haywire shot gun for a partner doesn't mean ya got the skill to keep up."

"She's partially _kansai_," Isane raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Riiight and for your information – I am not some haywire shot gun. I prefer to be associated with an anti-air missile."

The service cracked fast again and Madoka received it using the _Habu_. However, that was exactly what Isane needed her to do.

"Mai-_chan_, she's all yours!" Isane smirked at the _tensai_ who was up front.

Positioning herself and catching the spin, Mai closed her eyes. "I wanted to save this move for later but using the _Habu _again and again leaves me no other choice but to seal the technique."

Watching the racquet's movements, Hitomi began writing down. "This is the technique that terminates rotation – the _Kosouku Yaribana._"

The ball zoomed across the court giving Aoi no chance of returning the shot.

"Thirty all," the arbiter noticed Mai smirking at the opponent.

Madoka and Aoi exchanged glances with each other. That wasn't how the game was supposed to come out. The _Habu_ sealed off several techniques but how did she manage to return it? Aoi saw Mai and Isane do a high five after returning the _Habu_, sighing in regret. The _Habu_ was their trump card and Mai repelled it on the first turn. Madoka froze in place while staring in shock that her trump card was returned.

Aoi pat Madoka on the shoulder. "We haven't showed them our formation yet. Don't worry – this one was made for fast people."

Mai exchanged glances with Isane who was ready to serve again. Wondering whether or not she should see the formation, Mai gave a sign to Isane. _Don't sniper them._

Isane too wanted to see what the formation was and smirked. Most third years wouldn't take orders from those below them but Mai and Shizuru were an exception. Serving it normally, Isane saw the speedometer behind the court and smiled at how fast it zoomed across the court.

"She just did a 160 km/hr serve," Hitomi noted while listing it down. "Isane's been working on her serves lately. Normally, she would hit serves at 140 km/hr and people won't be able to return it by then."

Shizuru smiled at the match happening as Mai and Isane took the next two serves.

"Game, Uchiha-Nagisaki pair: one game to love!"

Aoi, shaking her head, got ready to serve. "Alright, this is my game now!"

"Wow, they're really taking a butt kicking, Mikurahara-_buchou_," the vice captain lazily drawled over.

She smirked. "Well, they can't lose as long as Aoi and Madoka have **that**."

Tossing it high, Aoi jumped up into the air and fired it straight down. Mai was ready to return until instead of returning, her racquet flew out of her hand.

"Fifteen – love," the referee noted as Aoi readied another serve.

Mai winced at the power of the serve. "She's just like Isane-_senpai_. Her serves are fast and heavy too."

Seeing what had just happened, Isane inhaled deeply while her form slowly began to change. Mai stared awkwardly until she saw who her partner was.

"KOTETSU-_SENPAI_, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"Mai stared at Isane's changed form.

Isane didn't say anything but Aoi jumped up high again, "Baboon Cannon Serve!"

Seeing it zoom towards her, Isane moved towards the front while Mai gaped at her _senpai_. "Isane-_senpai_, the shot is too strong, you'll get blown back!"

That's what everyone thought as Isane caught it a two fisted backhand.

Recalling back all those times, Isane recalled how Ayane compensated with all those heavy shots. Isane knew she didn't have Ayane's powerhouse strength but there was a way how to replicate it. Catching it, Isane tried to swing it back however the shot sent her flying as well but the ball rolled right in front of her.

"Thirty – love," the arbiter couldn't believe the explosive power of the ball.

"The Baboon Cannon Serve allows Aoi to fire it heavily and quickly. That way," the captain smirked at Shizuru. "Both your players will have to be forced to play until tiebreak."

"I doubt they would have to though," Shizuru replied quietly to the captain. "For Isane to return it just like that shows one thing: the power's dripping off bit by bit."

Madoka gave Aoi a high five. "That's not a bad shot. Do it again, the redette's at the receiving end."

"For her to make it roll limply is quite a feat," Aoi brushed her hair back. "Not many people can receive my Baboon Cannon Serve and make it reach at least a few centimetres in front of them."

Mai glanced at Isane. "_Senpai_, do you think the _Habu_ can be used as a serve?"

"I guess so," Isane watched Madoka's eyes shift left and right. "This game will be based purely on service. So – if you have any fancy serve there, you might as well use it. The Baboon Cannon Serve is something I can take care of. I'm not sure about you though."

Aoi fired another Baboon Cannon Serve causing Mai to fall back. _So, they're just banking on that shot_, Mai noted as she relieved her wrist of the pain. But, they can't keep using that service again and again because the power will drop and eventually – Isane-_senpai_ and I will return it.

"Forty – love," the arbiter waited for the next serve.

Isane was on the other end as the Baboon Cannon exploded again. Despite copying the former captain's stats, it wasn't enough. No matter how much strength they used but Isane decided to move farther back.

"Oh," the captain twirled her hair. "So, she's going to try getting it at its weakest point? The Baboon Cannon doesn't have such a thing."

"I have a question though," Mai turned to Madoka. "Why do you guys call it the Baboon Cannon Serve?"

"It's based off a TV show Aoi watched," the red haired girl noted while watching Aoi prepare her service. "I don't know what exactly it is though."

Isane saw her going for the service again and got ready to defend. Aoi smirked while bouncing the ball again and again. Ideally, Isane knew that this technique was used to intimidate opponents but she was more focused on how powerful the Baboon Cannon Serve was going to be. Upon returning the Baboon Cannon Serve, Isane knew that she and Mai would have to attack fast right after.

The serve's powerful and heavy; Mai can't return it so I have to be the one. Then again – even for me it's heavy. Hopefully, enough power will drop off in order for Mai to return the shot. I knew this was wishful thinking but somehow, I couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong here. Mai usually returned Ayane's shots with ease but now – why is she faltering?

Unless she's just playing nonsense to throw the two of them off guard then, that's a different story.

The moment the Baboon Cannon exploded again, Mai smiled evilly at the two. This time, Isane was dead sure that Mai had been fooling around with their opponents' heads to make them believe that the serve wasn't losing power.

Madoka's warning came in too late. "Aoi, don't! Nagisaki-_san_'s been fooling around with…!"

Mai, catching the Baboon Cannon Serve, returned it by sending it high into the sky. "I told you: We will finish this game in ten minutes."

"Forty – fifteen, return ace!"

Aoi tried using it again but Isane noticed something. A rally ensued in between them and Mai ended it with the _Kurosakuraso_.

It looks like Mai's mental game made an effect on them, Isane noted while watching Aoi tremble. So far – that's the only technique that's scored them points. The _Habu_ only scored one point against us and we didn't even put much effort. Hopefully, Mai's estimation is correct. My ribs are still aching from the last match with Yuugetsu Chuu.

Seeing that Isane's movement slowed down a bit, Mai knew she had to end the match now. "Alright, looks like you guys are going to get your butt kicked by me!"

Mai fired a _Kurosakuraso_ straight into the air and right at the corner of the net.

"Forty – thirty," the arbiter watched the match become totally one sided again.

Mai volleyed fast enough to score points leaving Isane with the easier shots.

"Deuce," the crowd started getting anxious and shocked while Mai ended the game with two of her techniques: the _Kosouku Yaribana_ and the _Kurosakuraso_.

"Game, Nagisaki-Uchiha pair: two games to love," the arbiter declared.

The two pairs were allowed to consult with their captains after the first two games.

"This is madness, you guys said you were prepared," St. Rudolph's captain ran her hand through her hair. "What's going on with you two!?"

"We're sorry," Aoi hung her head. "We didn't expect the _tensai_ to start playing Doubles."

"Let alone – we didn't even know she could return Aoi's monster serve," Madoka recalled Mai's evil smile.

"I'm still nicked about Uchiha's Illusion ability," the captain glanced at Isane and Mai who were nodding after bounding blow by blow with Shizuru. "I wonder how she managed to do that."

Again, the match became terribly one sided. Mai took hold of the service this time. She wanted to make sure that the game ended within her estimated time because she noticed something that her teammates probably didn't notice but Shizuru did: Isane's left side began bleeding again. Her injuries from Shina didn't heal properly and therefore tore open again causing her regular's jersey to be stained with blood. Isane however didn't look the least bit disturbed by the injuries.

"I'm going to end this now," Mai fired an awkward serve that simply spun on the ground and rolled away.

Everyone stared at her as the point was given to her. "_Buchou_," Ayane tugged Shizuru's sleeve. "What in the world did Mai-_chan_ just do?"

"That is what she dubs as the _Sazanka Serve_," Hitomi recalled Mai trying to make an 'a non-returnable serve'. "This serve has a very powerful spin and is clipped at the top part in order to do so. Mai-_chan_ rarely uses this technique unless she's in a hurry."

"I know," Shizuru saw Isane's shirt turning red. "She better use it because Isane-_senpai_ won't have much time left."

Isane noticed her regular's shirt turning red. "Wow, my shirt is red – how did that happen?"

Mai wanted to smack her silly. "You're an idiot, _senpai_. Your wounds haven't healed yet!"

"Well," Isane shrugged and lowered herself at the net. "I can still manage."

Aoi and Madoka couldn't raise a finger against Mai's awkward serves which won the Hyotei pair the next game.

"Game, Nagisaki-Uchiha: three games to love!"

Despite Madoka's _Habu_ serves, Mai countered it with the _Kosouku_ _Yaribana_ causing the two to back down in shock. Isane was able to return it once but allowed the second one to pass her. Other than that – they haven't managed to score even one point against the two.

"Love – fifteen," Mai sent the ball to one corner of the court.

"We have to use that formation, Madoka," Aoi glanced at her partner as the two began moving differently.

Mai and Isane noticed their shots getting faster causing them to snatch the two points from them. The formation allowed Madoka and Aoi to attack repeatedly but lose a bit of their defensive power. However, what made it hard to break the formation was that they were striking faster than ever and not leaving any rooms for an opening.

"Wait a minute – Yane," Isane called from one side. "Do you know what formation this is?"

Ayane stared at it for a moment. "Nope – I haven't seen that before."

"I know what it is," Mai mouthed softly while glancing at Shizuru who recognized it as well. "That was something Shizuru and I called the Roulette Formation. This required the usage of our speed attacks. They want to hit us fast and hard but are unable to do so. This formation requires the complete synchronization of rhythm and skill. I thought only Shizuru and I could do this."

"It's a good thing we learned it through that video, Aoi," Madoka drawled lazily. "Besides, this formation belonged to a pair called the…"

"Phantasm Pair," Mai cut in smoothly. "If I'm not mistaken – the Phantasm Pair was composed of two first year students right?"

Aoi nodded until Mai smirked. "I'm half of that pair and my partner is none other than my captain."

"Thirty – Forty," The two stared horrified as they froze allowing Isane to fire two hard shots on to the court.

Hitomi checked her watch while taking down data. This game will end faster than I thought. Most of the time, Mai would like to toy with her opponents while Isane would attack mentally and physically. Mai did say she was going to end this game in ten minutes but it's only been five and they've won four games straight now.

"Game, Nagisaki-Uchiha: five games to love!"

_Scratch that, it's five games now_, Hitomi began taking down more data. I can't believe Mai can still synchronize in doubles like this. She's been playing singles ever since the match against Rikkai Dai last year. They've broken all the serves and the Natsunaga-Fuutenshou pair is completely bummed out. Mai still has work to do but thankfully, she's covering for Isane's injury.

Aoi and Madoka reached hopelessly for the last ball.

"Game and match, Nagisaki-Uchiha: six games to love!"

-I know it wasn't that detailed but that was because it was getting too long! Please review! I'm sorry for the late update!


	18. Momo and Genichirou

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 18 – Genichirou and Momo

"Wow, we didn't even take long," Mai lazily sat on the bench. "How did we do that again?"

"You repelled two of their shots and made them get scared," Isane raised an eyebrow at the _tensai_. "Not only that – they were relying too much on their service. So, we just repelled it here and there."

Kiyone looked at St. Rudolph and their captain talk to the next player. She noticed that this player looked a bit different than Aoi and Madoka. This one looks as if she were an all-rounder. Not only that – she looks like someone not even from St. Rudolph. Why do I remember seeing her picture somewhere?

"I didn't know that she transferred from Rikkai Dai," Momo noted while looking at the player, smirking. "That's Habernägen Cynthia, a German exchange student; she used to be Rikkai Dai's Singles Three player before moving out."

"Wow, she's that good?" Kiyone looked up to her violet haired _senpai_. "Do you know how she plays?"

"A counter-puncher like most _tensai_ and Haruka," Momo recalled the ranking matches she once played in Rikkai Dai. "She replaced me when I moved out of Rikkai Dai in my first year. I was exhausted of hearing Genichirou being the 'Emperor of Rikkai Dai'."

Momo however didn't tell Kiyone what else that had happened. She felt it was of no importance since Kiyone won't be playing Singles for the mean time. Not only that, this was her past to confront and Momo never realized that she had to face the same girl again the last time she returned to Rikkai Dai. All her days in Rikkai Dai were put behind her and Momo didn't know that some of the regulars moved out. The Elemental Slayer recalled being under Yukimura for quite awhile and there was nothing wrong with the girl.

She's one of the reasons why I transferred to Hyotei Gakuen. Cynthia and I were best friends until she started getting too big for her boots. Her ego grew so big that even I had to hit her a few times to snap her back to normal. I don't know how Genichirou stood her but heck, there was something that always pissed me off. The Sanada family may have issues with people but Habernägen takes the cake when it comes to being the most wacko.

"Singles Three: Hyotei Gakuen's Sanada Momo and St. Rudolph's HabernägenCynthia, please come to the court now." The arbiter watched the two players meet.

Cynthia stared at Momo for a moment and smirked at the Hyotei regular. "So, you too left Rikkai Dai. Care to tell me why?"

"Got tired of living in Genichirou's shadow," Momo bristled at his name. "After hearing that he was proclaimed as the 'Emperor of Rikkai Dai' and my parents pressuring me, I decided to get a dorm here and enroll in Hyotei Gakuen. I've gotten more powerful than ever. I met a few _senpai_ who could pull up my power and then – my _kohai_ is wiser than she looks."

Cynthia looked to the bleachers and saw Shizuru standing there, waiting for her match. "She's Yukimura's counterpart isn't she?"

"Mm hm," Momo spun her racquet. "Pick one: Smooth or Rough?"

Cynthia watched it spin while putting a finger on her lip. "I'd say: smooth."

Fair enough, it landed on the smooth side. Shrugging it off, Momo went to the other side to receive while St. Rudolph began cheering.

_Shousha Habernägen_, _Shousha Habernägen! Katsu wa no St. Rudolph!_

"Isn't that like Hyotei's cheer?" Ayane looked at the St. Rudolph students supporting Cynthia. "Don't they have any originality?"

"Rikkai Dai is also like that," Mai recalled one of the games she went to. "They cheer really loud especially when Yukimura-_kun_ is the one kicking butt – that's when it all happens."

Cynthia started off with a hard serve causing Momo to return it quickly. The rally intensified and many of the girls were watching in pure shock. Were these two even middle school students or were they born with the genes that made them great tennis players? Momo's forehand gracefully flew over while Cynthia sent it towards the corner. However, Momo moved forward to leave a drop shot causing Cynthia to lob it high into the air.

"Uncontained like Water," Momo soared high in the air. "_Sui_!"

"Love – fifteen," the smash blasted forward like a fast current causing Cynthia to reel back a bit.

That was certainly unexpected.

Cynthia watched Momo tighten the strings of her racquet but never realized that Momo could make a devastating smash like that. With that kind of power, Cynthia thought while Momo returned to the baseline. She could have easily knocked down Sanada-_kun_'s _Ka_. Was this move made for that purpose? Sanada-_kun_, you better be watching this because I think your cousin might have surpassed you by now. She's gotten stronger from the last three years.

Right on cue, Sanada showed up right at the bleachers and Momo didn't seem to notice.

Cynthia spared a glance at him before resuming a service and signalled him to look at the court. There was a deep black mark from Momo's smash and Cynthia had a look that told him: _She's getting better._

Sanada didn't say anything but he was pretty amused now by what Momo 'supposedly' did. He was sure that Momo couldn't accomplish that but that's when the girl decided to prove him wrong. Another service cracked off as Momo returned it with even faster returns than ever. However, the moment she fired the second forehand, Momo saw Sanada standing there with his usual stone look.

That man is the reason why I ended up who I am today. I'm not saying it's a bad thing but Geni – I mean, Sanada gave me the opportunity to become stronger. This time, I'm gonna fry his whiny little butt and make sure he can't sit on his throne for days!

Momo's shots became increasingly heavy, causing Cynthia to use two hands to return Momo's shots. Seeing her opportunity, Momo closed her eyes. "Burst like Sound…_Oto_!"

"Love – thirty," the forehand zipped past Cynthia's ear causing an incessant ringing sound and vacuum to accumulate.

"Habernägen-_senpai_," one of the girls stood up in shock. "What does that Sanada idiot think she's doing?"

Momo stood there, cold and unfeeling towards the girl who fell to her knees. Her gaze however was more focused on her cousin who just stood there with a stone expression. Isane looked up and noticed Sanada gripping the rail tightly. _He may not show it but_, Isane noted the way how tight his grip was. _He's really concerned about her progress. _

Momo fired another _Sui_ down, causing a loud explosion like a waterfall current.

"Love – forty," the arbiter stared in shock as murmurs erupted from all sides of the court.

"Is this really the girl who's dubbed as the Elemental Slayer?"

"Man talk about having it run in the genes – it's no surprise since she's a Sanada."

"That _Sui _of hers is awesome!"

"She's much better looking too! I mean – Sanada's a rock and she's one heck of a chic!"

Ignoring all the compliments, Momo felt her blood boil at one of the other comments made.

_Man talk about having it run in the genes – it's no surprise since she's a Sanada._

Momo wanted to lose all connection to her cousin but everywhere she went, it was all the same. Everyone mentioned to Momo how great her cousin's skills were as a tennis player compared to hers. Also, it was mentioned how he had a vast fan club. She didn't mind not having one but being compared to Sanada constantly just pissed her off. Cracking the shot with a backhand, Momo sent it towards the corner where in Cynthia was forced to run around. The rally intensified the moment the comments and murmurs were mentioned, leaving Cynthia completely crippled by a more annoyed Momo.

"Game, Sanada: one game to love!"

The only ones she allowed to call her by last name were the referee and her teachers. There were only a few people allowed to call her Sanada but some chose not to take advantage of that like Shizuru who said if Momo was more comfortable with her first name then, Shizuru would use that instead. Isane, her best friend, who then chose Momo-_chan_ since Sanada (in her opinion) made her sound like a social retard. Hitomi also felt it was better for Momo to be known as 'Momo-_chan_' instead.

I've always abused their kindness because of all the issues. Being known as 'Sanada's cousin' only pissed me off so bad that sometimes, I forget that I can be my own person. This time – I won't aim for him anymore. Sanada's nowhere _buchou_ because this time…

I WILL AIM FOR HER!

Momo began her service with a loud crack, causing Cynthia to return it straight back at her. Momo increased the top spin and Cynthia moved forward for the drop shot. Momo quickly sent another volley towards her before it could touch the ground while Cynthia volleyed towards her again. The two moved exchanged so fast that no matter where it was sent, it was always returned to the player. Finally, Cynthia made a mistake for sending it up again.

"This is the second time I'll be using this," Momo prepared for a smash but Cynthia didn't look the least bit disturbed. "Uncontained like water…"

"Go on," Cynthia smirked at Momo's floating form. "Hit the _Sui_ already…"

Momo fired it straight down as Cynthia moved all the way back. "What in the world is she doing…?"

Cynthia got ready to repel the shot as it bounced towards her. _You left yourself open, Sanada-chan_, Cynthia watched Momo descend from the air. Because you used your entire body weight to put all that strength, you're left jumping in the air. Therefore, once it bounces towards me – I can return it!

Hitting a forehand, Momo saw her own smash zip past her. "Tch, what in the world--"

"Love – fifteen," Cynthia smirked at Momo who saw her shot zoom past her. However, the female Sanada wasn't the least disturbed by Cynthia's ability to return it. Somehow, Momo didn't feel any intimidation anymore. Returning to the baseline, Momo got ready to serve again.

"That shot didn't mean much actually," Momo looked at Cynthia spin her racquet. "It's just a little bit of discernment on how to return the shot. However – I know what to do now."

Serving hard again, Momo went near the net as Cynthia fired a backhand towards her. The former Rikkai Dai student knew what to do after staying with Cynthia for those few months. Despite being apart, Momo could see the same pattern in Cynthia's attacks like the last time. Holding her racquet like a kendo sword, Momo watched the shot return and this time – she was prepared.

"Smash and burst like a typhoon," Momo returned it with double the speed and spin. "This is the _Arashi_!"

Cynthia saw the ball zip past her real fast and multiply into several shots. Frozen in shock, Cynthia couldn't help but stare at Momo's smirking expression.

"Fifteen all," St. Rudolph wasn't sure that Hyotei was even meant for small tournaments.

Her creativity is getting better, Sanada smirked from the bleachers. Although, I'm more interested to see what Kurenai-_san_ is capable of. I only remembered what she did to me years ago. I was second place in the junior tournament and she took me out as if I didn't mean anything. A few minutes later, Sanada felt a tissue ball hit him in the head when he saw Momo glowering at him.

_Don't think about flirting with Shizuru-chan._

He didn't see a lusty look but he saw over protectiveness in Momo's eyes. He remembered that friend of his cousin who cracked after a game with Rikkai Dai. What was her name again? Ah yes, Midoriyama Nanako. Sanada recalled all the times when Momo would harp about nothing but Midoriyama and her genius streak. Not only that – he had seen the girl several times and at first, she was pretty decent compared to Momo. She knew what she was talking about until things got ugly.

"Hey, Momo-_chan_," Cynthia snickered while bringing a backhand to the corner. "Do you want to know something?"

"What is it?" Momo smacked the ball right on top of the net.

"I kinda find your cousin cute," Cynthia blushed a bit. "Do you think you can give me his number?"

Momo couldn't help but start hooting in laughter. "Are you serious? You find that rock cute? Please, did hell freeze over yet?"

"No, I'm serious," Cynthia admitted meekly. "Sanada-_kun_ is a pretty cool guy."

"I'm sorry but he's a social retard," Momo shrugged while doing a drop shot. "You can't get anything out of him."

Cynthia shook her head, sighing in regret. "You know – I don't understand why you think so negatively about Sanada-_kun_."

"I can give you a list, dear," Momo volleyed across again. "I know that man wouldn't like any woman for as long as he lived. Anything that his associated to tennis is something that would get his attention. The only girl who got his attention is the one who creamed him several years ago and I'm sure she's not in Kanagawa. He's been searching for that girl ever since and never found her."

Momo couldn't have been more right about that.

Sanada knew who she was and Momo didn't realize that was why he kept looking at Shizuru. Sanada watched Shizuru quietly observe his cousin's progress and often times – he would see her coaching Momo and telling her what she did wrong. Somehow, he found her quite attractive with the way she was. Her smile was its usual courtesy but there was something Sanada had seen before when she had played against him.

"Forty – fifteen," Momo had taken the next two points from Cynthia easily.

Sanada watched Momo take down Cynthia with one heavy service.

"Game, Sanada: two games to love!"

Cynthia, heavily breathing, stared at Momo who just tossed her hair back. She watched the former Rikkai Dai student take her place at the baseline with a sneer.

"Wasn't your partner Midoriyama?"

Momo froze at Cynthia's words. How in the world did she know that? Cynthia hadn't played against their team and by then – she had moved out of Rikkai Dai. "Wait a minute – you never faced me when I was second year! How did you know that…?"

"Midoriyama's injury was all over the news," Cynthia wiped sweat from her face. "I also heard that she got blasted in the face. Am I right?"

However after her game with Echizen, Momo didn't let it bother her anymore. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ is from the past. We're in the present and right now – I'm a Singles player! The only one who can be my doubles partner is either Isane or Yamaguchi!"

Shocked by her sudden outburst, Cynthia proceeded to serve. "You see, I've wanted to test out this technique against you. It's something that I've been working on for a long time."

Seeing her service, Momo returned it easily until Cynthia prepared to fire it. "This is what I call… the Roadrunner."

The ball sped past her, not even bouncing as it stopped at the very corner of the singles court.

"Fifteen – love," the arbiter watched Cynthia prepare another serve.

So, is this all you're going to dish out? Cynthia stared at Momo's ready figure. Following the movement of Momo's eyes, she quickly tossed the ball up in the air and aimed for a roller.

"Did you know," Cynthia smirked, "that the Roadrunner can be a serve technique?"

Momo watched the next ball slide past her again. She remembered someone from the other team who had a technique similar to that except it was used not as a service.

"Thirty – love," Cynthia smirked at Momo before readying another one.

Ah yes, it was Fuji Syuusuke.

However, Momo readied herself for the next shot. Though it bounced irregularly, the female Sanada knew that there was one way to return a shot like that and that was to hit it before it bounced. Seeing Cynthia bounce the ball again, Momo began figuring out ways how to move fast enough to counter the shot. Then, something struck her; there was someone back at camp who might have a move that was good enough to keep up with the service.

Momo shook her head. "You guys maybe good in service but that only makes you half a player if that's the case. Sure, the service is a major part but combination is pretty much what wins you the game!"

Watching Momo slide on the ground, everyone gaped at her while Momo hit it before it even bounced.

"Thirty - fifteen," Cynthia gasped at Momo with what she had just done.

"What in the world was that? I've never seen you slide like that," Cynthia watched Momo dust her skirt.

Momo tossed her hair away from her face. "It's a technique I borrowed from an opponent of mine in camp. He was pretty good. I'm sure Sanada can recognize it."

She glanced at her cousin whose expression became fiercer after using the technique. Both knew what it was capable of and who used the technique but the problem was: Cynthia already had seen the signal that Momo was going to use it so using it again wasn't a good idea.

"Not too bad though," Cynthia twirled her hair. "But – we better finish this quick. The Doubles One Pair is going to take down your little freshmen pair."

"Like what my grandfather used to tell me," Momo smirked while waiting for the next serve. "Haste makes waste."

Cynthia served again but this time, it wasn't the Roadrunner. Another rally ensued with Momo going on the offensive pretty quickly. She forehanded it to the singles line but Cynthia managed to fire it right at the service box. Momo pulled out another ground stroke as the two began to rally even faster than the first one. Cynthia backhanded it with the frame while Momo delayed the next shot. The shot exploded from one end and Cynthia tried catching it only to have the shot fly off.

"Out, thirty all," Cynthia glowered at the shot she just missed.

Momo tipped her racquet while spinning it a bit. "Gotcha, got any smart remarks for me?"

Cynthia, snarling inwardly, picked up the ball and began the service again. Momo fired it back with more power when Cynthia did a backhand cross court until Momo slid over to slice the ball. Cynthia skidded on the floor but lobbed it, allowing Momo to make a direct smash to the corner.

"Thirty – forty," Cynthia began her service again but with more power.

Momo delayed the shot with a low net clipping backhand. Cynthia hated running but Momo was really pushing it. Momo fired the _Oto_ towards Cynthia but she side stepped far enough to dodge the effect and returned it. Momo didn't seem disturbed because the next shot simply jumped over the net and landed lightly.

"What was that," Cynthia stared at Momo who retreated back to the baseline.

Momo smirked before starting her serve. "That was the _Aoba_, something very similar to the _Rin_ but not it."

"Game, Sanada: three games to love!"

Three games straight and she wasn't breaking much of a sweat. Momo isn't cracking as much either, Sanada noted while watching Momo fire another _Sui_ right at Cynthia. He continued to watch Momo slide to one side and backhand it back to Cynthia but accidentally sent one right at the net. Again, Sanada knew that Momo was probably playing with her since despite the friendship they had; the two often had their rivalries.

I guess she is growing, Sanada smirked inwardly. Momo never did show much of a good glance at me since the traditions put me on a pedestal. But, it seems Momo's working her way up and out of her depression. Midoriyama used to be the only thing in her head but now, she's moving up.

"Thirty – love," Momo scored another _Sui_ against her.

Cynthia wiped the sweat from her face while smirking. "It's time to bring out the big guns then."

Serving hard, Momo noticed Cynthia in a very weird position but sliced the ball straight at her. Being forced to shield her face, Momo saw the ball roll up with Cynthia scoring a smash.

"Thirty – fifteen," Cynthia smirked at Momo.

Momo glanced at the mark and then turned to Cynthia. "You should have recognized that shot by now. How come you don't know it?"

Ayane turned to Hitomi. "_Senpai_, why did she suddenly bend like that? Isn't that more like a…?"

Hitomi noted down. "She calls this the _Bundesmarine_, named after the Navy of Germany. In this position, she can attack and deceive at the same time. Like a navy ship when it comes across radar, it does its best to send out a feint missile to catch the enemy off guard."

Ayane, pretending to understand, turned to watch the game while Momo missed another shot.

"Thirty all," the arbiter found Cynthia in a crouching position again.

Clucking her tongue, Momo fired another serve as Cynthia struck in the same way by turning it into a cord ball. Momo forced herself to dash forward while Cynthia volleyed right past her.

"Thirty – forty," the captain smirked at Cynthia's progress.

Kiyone noticed that Cynthia had used that technique only as a return ace. Other than that, she had to change position every time. Kiyone watched again as Momo found her serve being returned double the power she had formerly used.

"Game, Habernägen: one game to three!"

Being given a time out, Momo returned to the bench where Sakaki motioned to her. "You were winning awhile ago, what happened?"

"I never saw that move before," Momo wiped the sweat from her face while fixing her hair. "It's actually pretty awkward and every time I send something at her, it's double the power."

Hitomi opened her notebook and explained to Momo. "It's not that she's doubling your returns, Habernägen-_san_ is simply making you believe it's double your power. First of all – the only technique that can do that currently is the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ which is part of the _Muga no Kyouchi_. This technique just makes the shot more delayed by a fraction of a second to absorb the power and return it."

"Well, I might as well just blast it," Momo shrugged before returning to the court.

"If you do that," Mai noted how she returned one of Momo's heavy serves. "She'll just move to the end of the baseline, delay the shot and send it back to you."

Momo stopped dead in her tracks. Boy, Mai just had to tell her now.

"Well, I'll figure out something," Momo shrugged while moving on to the other side of the court.

Tossing the ball on her racquet, Cynthia smirked at Momo. "I'm going to have to humiliate you in front of Sanada-_kun_. I'm sorry about this, Momo-_chin_."

Momo twitched at the new nickname. "Don't call me that."

Cynthia brought out the Roadrunner serve while Momo couldn't bend low enough to return the shot.

"Fifteen – love," Momo glanced back at Cynthia.

"Well, you're giving up already? That's sad," Cynthia served again and this time, it was a no return serve.

However, Momo felt her body move by itself because she performed a ground smash that sent the ball flying straight at Cynthia if not for her fast reflex. "Was that what I think it is?"

Momo stared at what she had just done. "I…I thought I did the…"

"She just did the _Zan_," Hitomi noted quietly. "It seems that she is capable of taking note of Sanada's techniques. Though, Momo did say that she wouldn't use it…"

"Fifteen all," the whole crowd stared in shock with Momo's sudden technique.

"Momo-_chan_ must have performed it out of pure reflex," Isane noted while Momo started rallying with Cynthia again. "After playing against Sanada-_san_ again and again, she probably picked it up from him. Other than that – she was in Rikkai Dai for awhile so maybe she was able to see some of his moves."

Cynthia allowed the Roadrunner zip past Momo, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Momo tried to return the Roadrunner with the _Oto_ only to have the technique descending faster than before, "Forty – fifteen!"

Now breathing heavily, Momo managed to glance at her cousin whose look hasn't changed since the first game. He was watching stonily but Momo saw through his eyes.

_Will you shame the Sanada name like our grandparents had always said?_

Momo, gripping her racquet tightly, stood up while waiting for the next serve. "Bring it on, Habernägen. I'm not afraid by that little Loony Toons shot of yours!" (No offense to Loony Toons in fact, I love the Roadrunner show! ^_^)

Cynthia served normally while Momo decided to bring out one of the other parts. "Smash like an avalanche, _Nadare_!"

The ball multiplied into several shots but Cynthia looked at the floor. "I only need to look for one ball after all, Momo-_chan_!"

Returning it, Cynthia sent the ball to the very corner of the Singles line.

"Game, Habernägen: two games to three!"

"I can't let her beat me," Momo snorted inwardly while bouncing the ball. "My pride… the family's acceptance… depends on this one match!"

Mom served it hard causing Cynthia to release once again the _Bundesmarine_. Momo however quickly recovered from her serve and rallied with the German very easily. Her footwork increased and Cynthia now was the one breaking out sweat. Momo released a variety of cross court shots, varying from left to right and down the line. Cynthia revealed the _Bundesmarine_ again only to see it completely nullified. The female Sanada smirked while multiple shots flew past Cynthia.

"Fifteen – love," Cynthia gaped at the shot that slipped past her.

Momo smirked at the former. "So, what happened to that famous shot of yours?"

Annoyed by the female Sanada, Cynthia got ready to receive as Momo sent another ace straight down.

"Thirty – love," Cynthia stared disbelievingly at the ace that Momo brought out.

_So, this is the power you've been hiding,_ Cynthia shook herself out of the daze while watching Momo fire another fast serve. She couldn't help but feel her body tremble at the impact of the service on her racquet. Cynthia noticed the power increase each turn and Momo's gaze turning sterner each time.

It seems her cousin is making quite an effect. Well, I've heard about the disputes in her family but I didn't know it was this bad. Then again – after that little scandal that Momo-_chin_ was a lesbian, it made a lot of drastic changes. I didn't know that the effect would be like this. However, I must commend her captain for doing a good job – she rebuilt Sanada Momo into a better person. Otherwise, I wouldn't have such a good match like this.

Momo fired it straight down the line again, forcing Cynthia back to the baseline. The two held a really long rally until Cynthia couldn't keep the consistency of her shots anymore.

"Forty – love," Momo saw Cynthia's hand trembling already; she knew that Cynthia was losing her stamina fast.

"So, that's something you haven't conquered ever since Rikkai," Momo rested her racquet on her shoulder. "I'm thankful that _buchou_ and Kotetsu-_buchou_ made me run more laps than intended."

Flustered and tired, Cynthia tied her hair tightly while getting ready for the next service. "Bring it on – Sanada, I'm not afraid of you!"

Momo had been so used to hating that last name of hers that when she heard it, the serve was a lot heavier than intended.

"Game, Sanada: four games to two!"

Sanada and Momo glanced at each other with a glower. One gripping the racquet tighter and the other getting ready to yank off the railing, the two were practically getting into a staring contest in the middle of the game. Not many understood the rivalry between the two but their glares were good enough to kill someone. Momo received Cynthia's next service with the _Oto_ sending Cynthia to the floor, keeling in shock.

"Love – fifteen," Momo kept her eyes focused on Cynthia; she wasn't going to lose this chance to make Sanada eat his words.

Cynthia fired the Roadrunner back at Momo, forcing the Sanada to miss it.

"Fifteen – all," with this, Cynthia's lips curved into a smug smile.

Snorting in annoyance, Momo saw the Roadrunner again and dashed forward to receive it. She sent it to one end of the court, forcing Cynthia back to the baseline. Momo forehanded it again while watching Cynthia's footwork. The female Sanada smirked; she couldn't handle the speed they were playing in anymore. After using the _Bundesmarine_ and the Roadrunner, Momo could see that Cynthia had strained herself too early.

"So that's the side effects," Momo returned it with a mean backhand. "The _Bundesmarine_ may allow you to absorb your power all because the basis of your shot is in the hips not the usual arm. Because of this, the technique rebounds at you and tires you out faster right?"

Cynthia gaped at Momo who forehanded her again. "W-wait, how did you figure that out so quickly?"

"A tennis player normally tires out at the seventh game," Momo explained while giving a top spin drop shot. "We were only in our fourth game and you were already sweating like a pig."

Curling her fist, Cynthia fired a baseliner at the left side but Momo was able to jump back and receive it. She then decided to seize her chance and dragged her racquet on the floor. Before Momo knew it, dust flew into her eyes causing her to miss the ball.

"Thirty – fifteen," Momo saw the ball fly out.

"That was a chance shot," Haruka noted while Momo shook her head. "What happened?"

"Dust flew into her eyes," Mai remembered seeing Momo squint. "It all happened in a flash so; we wouldn't be able to see it."

Momo never realized that Cynthia would stoop low to win a game. Brushing the dust out, Momo glared at Cynthia only to have her smirk.

"You have some nerve to resort to things like that," Momo chided while walking back to the baseline. "Do your teammates want you to win this that badly?"

"I'm going to win this for myself," Cynthia readied her service again but, this time with more power.

The ball spun with such rocketing force that Momo almost couldn't return it. The ball nearly spun up but Momo instinctively gave it a top spin to send it as a cord ball. Cynthia rushed to the net to force Momo into a volley but the Hyotei regular quickly countered with a ground shot.

"She seems to be doing well," a serene voice approached Sanada from behind.

Sanada found Yukimura watching Momo's game right next to him. "I saw the Doubles Two play; I'm impressed with Nagisaki-_san_'s footwork. She can probably outrun speed demons with that kind of speed. Then again – she is the resident _tensai_ for the girls. Momo-_san_'s quite impressive too, if I could say so myself."

"The girl's playing dirty," Sanada noted monotonously.

"I know," Yukimura continued watching. "But – it's up to Momo-_chan_ to step up her game or to let it overtake her. So, what do you think her choice will be?"

"She'd choose to kick Habernägen all the way to Wednesday," Sanada smirked at his cousin take the next two shots from Cynthia.

"Thirty – forty," Momo was taking in deep breaths while Cynthia was already slumping on the floor.

Hitomi flipped through pages, glancing once in awhile at Momo's game and at the notebook. In one page, it was recorded match against Echizen and the other was the match now. Scribbling with a satisfied smile, Hitomi watched Momo return another service from Cynthia.

Momo's power has increased since that match between her and Echizen. However, what tickles me the most is that – even her stats have taken a drastic change. Her true style is coming out and honestly, I have to say that I'm impressed. Momo's returns are heavier, she's becoming more aggressive in playing and surprisingly, she didn't crack when Midoriyama-_senpai_ was mentioned. Habernägen-_san_ has been pulling out everything that could destroy Momo's spirit but nothing's happening.

That's the biggest advancement you've made so far, Momo.

The female Sanada struck aggressive against the Roadrunner shot and didn't even show the least bit of amusement. Cynthia started making errors one after the other.

"Game, Sanada: five games to two!"

Being allowed a second time out (courtesy of St. Rudolph's captain), Momo then began breathing haphazardly. She slumped against the wall while Isane handed her a bottle of water.

"Here, you might want another one after," Isane let Momo grab the bottle from her.

Momo downed it quickly when Hitomi handed her a bottle. "You want to try?"

"No," was Momo's quick reply. "I'm not poisoning myself in the middle of a game."

Haruka ruffled Momo's violet hair. "You're doing better than ever! You haven't even used the _Arashi_ yet!"

"That's because it's not necessary," Momo slapped Haruka's hand away from ruffling her hair. "Quit ruffling my hair!"

Rin, casting a sideward glance to Haruka while nodding, gave Momo a thumb up. "Good luck out there, Habernägen's playing it dirty, _kuwee~_!"

Momo stood up while Sakaki just nodded at her while Shizuru noted to Momo. "It won't hurt to use the Drive B again. However, you just can't use it consecutively."

Brushing her hair back, Momo shook her head. "As much as I want to use it, I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Isane recalled the last time she used it. "Is this a pride issue again?"

"You can say that," Momo returned to the court. "Besides, _buchou –_ I don't want to owe a brat."

Shaking her head in distaste, Ayane shrugged while folding her knees together. "Geez, Momo-_senpai_ always has issues about pride."

"With Sanada here," Hitomi pointed to the bleachers. "Why am I not surprised?"

Momo began her service while Cynthia backhanded it to the corner. Momo slid towards the left with a fast forehand while Cynthia did a top spin. Soon, their pace increased from a rally to a volley and vice versa. The whole crowd stared in awe while the captains watched calmly.

"It seems like Cynthia's making a good comeback," the captain twirled her hair.

"Ah," Shizuru didn't peel away her eyes from the ball.

Momo fired a forehand towards Cynthia who quickly did a top spin. Watching her opponent's eyes, Momo noticed Cynthia slipping all over the place until the Roadrunner showed itself again.

"Love – fifteen," Cynthia smirked while seeing a new opening.

"So, you still can't return it now, can you?" Cynthia sniggered while Momo began trying to control her breathing.

"Love – thirty," another Roadrunner technique went in.

Momo snorted at the shot used consecutively. No matter what serve she used – it just came back as an irregular bounce ball. Momo tightly gripped the ball as she recalled how the Roadrunner was performed. Even if using the _Oto_ were possible, Cynthia sealed it by using the technique as a return ace. The only way for her to attack the Roadrunner was to hit it before it bounced. She remembered seeing a similar technique but it was different in execution.

Fuji's _Tsubame Gaeshi_ utilized the top spin of the opponent to make the technique more lethal.

However, the Roadrunner was rolling low even without the top spin. Momo missed another one as Cynthia sent another Roadrunner spiralling in.

"Love – forty," Cynthia prepared for another Roadrunner.

_If this keeps going, I'll just be feeding her the shots_. Momo snorted disbelievingly and in annoyance. Closing her eyes, Momo fired a heavy service which Cynthia used the Roadrunner to try and return it.

"Fifteen – forty," Momo opened her eyes and saw that Cynthia's arm was shaking.

Everyone stared at her and even Sanada was shocked with what she just used. Yukimura smiled serenely at what Momo had just done; that serve was only doable if someone was really on the verge of killing someone. The serve went straight for her body and even twisted more extreme than Echizen's Twist Serve. Momo began glancing at the bleachers and even her teammates were shocked. Shizuru's eyes widened slightly while the others were gaping at her. She didn't know what went wrong until someone yelled out.

"Oi, wasn't that Kirihara's Knuckle Serve she just used!?"

That statement made Momo stop in her tracks and recall what that person yelled out. The Knuckle Serve if she recalled only happened when Bloodshot Mode took over but then, Momo found Cynthia's body shaking. That was already good enough proof that she had used her fearsome serve. Isane's serve may be fast and accurate but hers was more destructive and heavy. Realizing Cynthia couldn't return that shot, Momo decided to use the service again. Trying to bring out the serve again, Momo failed to hit it allowing the Roadrunner to zip past her again.

"Game, Habernägen: three games to five!" Cynthia smirked as she took hold of the service.

Momo could feel her arms getting numb after that extreme serve. It was a lucky shot I suppose, Momo thought ruefully. Other than that – I can't perform it again unless someone tries to piss me off. But, if I do that – I would be blatantly defying _buchou_ since she hates violent tennis.

Because Momo was deep in thought, Cynthia smirked and fired her service.

"Fifteen – love," Momo snapped out of it when the ball rolled near her.

"She's still in a state of shock," Yukimura noted to Sanada. "When was the last time she performed the Knuckle Serve?"

Sanada couldn't even recall. He never paid any attention to Momo's progress as a tennis player since he was busy with his own. However, this game proved that Momo was evolving rapidly and might even prove to be a problem to him. Slapping himself mentally, Sanada couldn't believe that he was getting trifled over something so puny and that he should remain the same towards Momo's progress.

But, her achievement of the Knuckle Serve and own version of FuuRinKaZan simply infuriated him.

"Sanada," Yukimura saw Sanada's grip visibly tighten. "Just because Momo-_chan_ has new techniques doesn't mean you have to come up with new ones as well."

Sanada snorted while leaving the bleachers. "I'm going now, Yukimura. I need to train."

Watching Sanada's figure fade, Yukimura shook his head. _He's never going to change_, the bluenette turned to the red haired _tensai_ who was leaning against the fences. He recalled the Doubles Two game and she didn't play half bad in doubles considering that his sister mentioned that she only played Singles. _I guess that is the potential of a tensai_.

"There is a ninety percent chance that you're looking at Nagisaki Mai, _buchou_," Yanagi popped out of nowhere next to Yukimura.

"Ah, so I was caught," Yukimura had a smile that said _'Tell-this-to-anyone-and-rest-assured-no-will-recognize-you'_.

Yanagi shivered under the intensity of Yukimura's 'turtle' smile and moved away slowly. "But – the captain is something your sister might need data on."

"Well," Yukimura didn't tear off his gaze from Mai. "That's true but you said it yourself – even your friend could not get good data off this girl."

"The reliability of the data decreases every time," Yanagi flipped through twenty pages. "I only have little information about her true self, _buchou_."

Momo on the other hand had difficulty when the Roadrunner came in as services. When she tried to return it, the ball just rolled off her racquet and up into the sky. Gripping her racquet tightly, Momo noticed it was her service now. Momo knew that she could easily seal this game; she just needed to recall the Knuckle Serve again.

"Game, Habernägen: four games to five!" Cynthia tossed the ball to her.

Momo deeply inhaled as she recalled her match with Echizen. How exactly did he infuriate her that much to begin? Was it the cockiness? The things he mentioned about her and Sanada? Or was it the comparing between the two of them? Knocking her head with her racquet, Momo stood in the centre of the court while trying to induce the Bloodshot Mode.

"Inducing it won't do," a soft voice chided her from the bleachers. "The Bloodshot Mode is not something you can induce every time, Momo-_senpai_."

_I hate it when you're right about these things;_ Momo yanked her hair in desperation. _There's gotta be some way how to induce it or make it come out. Then again – maybe it's best not to rely on it…_

"Hey," Cynthia pointed her racquet at Momo. "Are you going to serve or what?"

"Sanada-_san_, please serve," the arbiter prodded Momo to snap out of her thoughts.

Momo, shaking herself out of it, returned to the baseline to serve. The match might end up one sided again because even if she did use the Drive B, there will be a way how to counter it. Momo used the Drive B again the moment the Roadrunner came into play only to have it smack the net.

"Love – fifteen," Momo looked at her racquet and then at Cynthia.

"You figured it out," Momo stood up after sliding on the floor. "Basically, you chose to make it descend faster so the Drive B won't be able to send it high enough."

Cynthia wagged her finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you were always so slow in figuring things out."

"Actually," Momo smirked at the German. "I did figure out how your Roadrunner works. You twist your wrist and racquet to spin it faster each time right? I would have returned it with the _Aoba_ if I wanted. After all – every technique has to have a loophole somewhere."

Cynthia paled at Momo's statement. "Wait, does this mean---?"

Hitomi smirked at Momo's analysis. "She's trapped you now."

"Hey, that's basically copying my style of kicking butt," Mai pouted childishly.

Shizuru smiled a bit. "Well, it did help her."

"Go, Momo-_senpai_!" Ayane and Kiyone chorused together. "Kick that German's butt!" (No offense to Germany or German readers)

Momo tossed the ball in the air. "You got it!"

Cynthia returned the service normally while Momo fired a fast one. "_Burst like Sound…Oto!"_

"Fifteen – all," Cynthia tried to keep breathing normally.

Kiyone saw Momo smash from the air. "There it is, the _Sui_!"

"Thirty – fifteen," an explosive sound echoed throughout the court.

The captain of St. Rudolph stood up, glancing one last time at Cynthia. This wasn't how she imagined the match to be seeing that Momo had completely plastered Cynthia in the next two games. However, someone stood up and followed her as well.

"You're not going to stay and watch," Shizuru approached the older captain.

Tossing her cerulean coloured hair back, the captain snickered. "I don't need a junior to tell me what to do. Why don't you just go cheer on your _senpai_?"

Wincing at the disdainful tone, Shizuru watched the captain leave while watching Momo increase her rally speed. She smiled at Momo's progress; normally, the girl would have cracked three games ago after mentioning Midoriyama to her. However, the game she had with Echizen probably taught her a few things and that was the only logical explanation she had to prove why Momo calmly played against her opponent.

"Game and match: Sanada, six games to four!"

Momo, wiping her sweat from her face, returned with a wide smirk. "Did I kick butt or what?"

"You sure did, _senpai_," Mai punched the air. "Then again – how were you able to beat her despite Sanada looming over you like a hawk?"

"I just imagined him to be on the court and I imagined that I would kick his butt," Momo smiled cheekily.

They all sweat dropped at her evil smile while Doubles One was being called. "Doubles One: St. Rudolph's Yanagisawa-Mikurahara pair and Hyotei Gakuen's Kobayagi-Getsugan pair, please come to the court immediately. Doubles One will now begin."

Ayane and Kiyone got on the court as the captain and her partner showed up.

"So," Ayane scanned the short brunette. "You must be the Yanagisawa girl right?"

"That's right," she gave a thumbs up. "My brother is such a loser really."

Kiyone nodded numbly. "Yeah, he's '_dane_' all the time like some duck!"

"I know right," the girl extended her hand. "I'm First Year Yanagisawa Ume! _Hajimemashite Yoroshiku! _This here is my captain Mikurahara Otohime!_"_

Kiyone clapped her hands together. "Oh, you're first year too? I'm Getsugan Kiyone, first year of Hyotei Gakuen!"

The captain snarled at her partner. "We're not here to have a tea party! We have two more games to nab!"

Ume stuck her tongue out childishly at Kiyone. "Well, we're going to beat you anyway!"

Kiyone lunged at her. "Why you little…!"

Ayane grabbed her doubles partner. "Oi, don't do that! We'll flatten the captain **our** way!"

"What's the matter," Otohime folded her arms with a sneer. "Can't control that little xanthippe in the breeding?"

"Oh," Ayane rolled up her sleeves completely flustered. "You're dead, you hussy!"

"Kobayagi, Getsugan," a voice commanded from one side of the court. "That's enough!"

The regulars froze at the tone; Shizuru, not once in her captaincy had ever raised her voice. Isane watched Shizuru's auburn eyes frigidly glare at the captain and the two. The tallest of the seniors could feel Shizuru's intention to have the match done quickly without any bickering and stupidity. Sakaki himself was shocked that someone as soft spoken as Shizuru had that kind of voice. However, the authority was seen when Ayane spun her racquet.

"Pick one," Ayane's tone was stiff. "Is it smooth or rough?"

The captain tossed her hair back. "Whatever it will be, it would be smooth."

The moment it stopped, it was about to fall on rough until it got hooked on to the net showing smooth instead. Ayane stared in shock while the captain grabbed Ume away. She couldn't understand how she managed to predict that on a 50-50 scale. Not only that, she seemed to be so confident on her choice when the racquet was spinning quickly.

"Its motion sight," Kiyone sighed while moving the service box line. "It's like Kikumaru-_san_ so I have to make her cross-eyed too."

Ayane passed a glance at Ume who was at the baseline. "Well, you're in luck. Mikurahara-_san_ plays at the net. Do whatever you can."

Kiyone nodded while glancing at her _buchou_ whose expression softened a little. _Sorry buchou for the fuss._

_It's alright_, Shizuru smiled at the younger girl as the rally began.

Yanagisawa's serve was soft but fast, allowing Ayane to explode it back at her. Otohime curved her racquet and spun it back to Kiyone who volleyed it fast. The rally increased speed when Otohime decided to show a little trick by baiting Ayane with a far end baseline shot. Of course, Ayane exploded it with a backhand and all of a sudden, Otohime appeared at the baseline.

"What the heck is that?" Ayane gaped at the speed Otohime just revealed. "She moved just as fast as…!"

The shot zoomed towards Kiyone who sliced it easily to stop her only to find Ume at front with a smash ready. Snorting in annoyance, Kiyone dodged the smash allowing Ayane to burst it with more power only to have Otohime return it to the very end of the baseline doubles corner.

"Fifteen – love," Otohime smirked at Ayane who was still dazed by that move.

"That wasn't the _Shunpo_ was it?" Ayane gaped at Otohime's speed. "I mean – she just flashed from net line to baseline!"

"That's gotta be it," Kiyone stared at the speed as well. "I don't know anyone else who can use that technique except _buchou_!"

Mai shook her head while clarifying with Isane. "That wasn't the _Shunpo_ right? It's too lagging to be the _Shunpo_."

"There is one technique similar to it," Momo recalled her and Sanada training in Okinawa before. "We were in the Kyuushu district that time and there was someone who could use that technique."

Haruka remembered facing someone using that same technique before. "That's what people call the… _Shukichi_ Method."

"What now," Isane stared at Haruka with her jaw dropping.

Sakaki happened to overhear their conversation. "The _Shukichi_ Method is something more based on Okinawa Martial Arts. It creates an illusion that the opponent reaches the baseline in an instant and back. It's usually used for backward and forward only."

"Why only usually," Mai turned to their coach.

"That's because if they have a good sense of balance they can do it sideways," Sakaki recalled watching some matches from Kyuushu as well.

Rin whispered to Momo, causing the Sanada female to snicker. "To think he is a Music teacher and he knows this kind of stuff. Are you sure he is a music teacher?"

Otohime fired another shot which curved randomly towards Ayane causing her to miss. "What's the matter? You were talking so big awhile ago."

"Wait," Ayane recalled the Doubles Two match. "Isn't that the _Habu_ Natsunaga-_san_ was using?"

Madoka snickered to the two first years. "Otohime-_buchou_ is the one who taught me that technique, you fool. It would take more than sheer brute strength to beat her."

"That means," Kiyone noted while realization hit her. "Mikurahara-_san_ is originally a Singles player???"

"Thirty – love," Kiyone got ready to receive as Otohime made a heavy serve.

Kiyone fired a cord ball but Ume managed to return it with ease. The Hyotei Diamond Pair switched places again as Kiyone volleyed with Ume, increasing her speed with each return and volley. Some of her shots were even deemed unpredictable but Otohime returned all of the volleys without any difficulty. Kiyone struggled as the two attacked her repeatedly and Ayane then moved forward to start a volley with them.

Otohime smirked while firing it back at Ayane. "Actually yeah, I'm an All-Rounder but the _Shukichi_ redeems me in doubles."

Ayane fired another heavy backhand while nodding to Kiyone. "Alright – time to make these guys eat their words."

Kiyone watched Ume move forward for a frontal attack while she backhanded it back to the other side. Otohime fired another shot towards Ayane who gave her a cannon forehand back at her. The shots became heavier and heavier until Ume's racquet flew off.

"Thirty – fifteen," Kiyone balanced her racquet on her finger.

Hitomi smirked. "It seems like the training has done her some good. Kiyone's ability to return heavy shots has increased by 5 percent."

Ume twirled her wrist around a bit after receiving a heavy shot from Ayane. The rumours she had heard about Ayane being wickedly strong were not exaggerations; it was shown after her racquet flew all the way to the bleachers after a good baseball swing. As far as she was concerned, there was no way she can return monstrous strength like that.

"There is a way," Otohime took a step back as she sent a different service, "_Habu_!"

Because Ayane was at the receiving end, the Hyotei vice captain missed it causing the ball to spiral behind her.

"Game, Mikurahara-Yanagisawa: one game to love!"

Clucking her tongue, Ayane picked up the ball and got ready to serve. Recalling how fast Otohime was moving, the vice captain knew that she couldn't outrun her as long as she had that with her. Ayane watched Ume swing from left to right to receive as she predicted which direction she would send it.

"It's the left," Ayane thought to herself while sending a wild ball to her.

The shot exploded on to Ume's racquet making the first year let go.

"Fifteen – love," Ayane picked up the ball to serve again.

Otohime watched Ayane swing from left to right as she read the girl's eyes. The captain smirked as she recalled all the newspaper articles she had read regarding Hyotei's Diamond Pair. The one she wanted to challenge was the captain who was supposedly a doubles player and didn't bother even showing up in the doubles line-up.

_What a waste_, she thought sourly while glancing at Shizuru. She recalled hearing stories about Hyotei's Angel and Tennis Goddess also known as the Crimson Angel due to her kind and caring demeanour. However, that all changed when the girl had approached the court. She remembered the former captain, Mizuki Hana speaking to Hyotei's former captain _Espada_ Kotetsu Naomi about the progress of their protégé for the captaincy. Apparently, she was Hana's choice while Naomi picked the first year.

_She will bring Hyotei to the top. She's no ordinary girl, Mizuki-san. You should know that by now. I'm sorry to say this but – Mikurahara-chan won't stand a chance against her._

Remembering those words sourly, Otohime returned Ayane's shot as another rally ensued. Kiyone started volleying with Ume and Otohime and Ayane had their own baseline battle. Otohime slid to return one shot before she saw Kiyone doing a fast volley.

"Ume, return it to the baseline," Otohime slid over to the middle of the court. "I have an idea!"

Ume quickly sent it to the baseline with Ayane returning with one cannon ball strike. This time, Otohime slid forward with a hard backhand which knocked out Kiyone's racquet.

"Fifteen – all," Kiyone went off to pick up her racquet.

Ume looked at Kiyone's trembling wrist and knew that any more would push it to the limit. She didn't like playing dirty but there had to be a way how to get through their defensive strategy. Ayane and Kiyone were dealing enough damage without even trying to win. Ayane served a fast shot knocking out Ume's racquet easily.

"Thirty – fifteen," Ume picked up her racquet again.

Mai noted easily. "So, there are two powerhouses and two flexies. Although Kiyone and Ayane are good, Otohime and Ume seem to know which one to hit and not to."

Otohime received Ayane's serve and the two ensued a baseline battle. Firing the ball towards Kiyone, Otohime knew that the smaller girl couldn't return such heavy shots.

However, she couldn't have been more wrong when Ayane fired a fast shot towards her causing a huge explosion on one side.

"Forty – fifteen," Otohime stared in shock at the first year.

Where did she get that kind of power? No first year can blow shots like that! It's as if all my shots are returned triple their power! They weren't joking about Hyotei having a freshman with Herculean strength but Getsugan-_san_ isn't too bad either. She can match up Ume's speed with that kind of height? My God, she's even shorter than our freshman player!

"Hey," Kiyone pointed her racquet while glaring menacingly. "Just because I'm short doesn't mean you need to keep staring!"

"I'm sorry," Otohime curtly waved her off. "You were in front of me? I was looking at Ayane, not you, pebble."

Kiyone felt a vein pop at her head. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PEBBLE!?"

"Kiyone," Ayane grabbed her before she lashed out and bit Otohime. "You can't give rabies remember???"

"She hasn't had her rabies shots?" Otohime raised an eyebrow.

Ayane rolled her eyes. "No – she never had any to begin with!"

Otohime smirked as she saw the two first years fuming up. _It looks like I've infuriated them well enough for us to snatch the game. They both have issues really._

Ayane's serve cracked off hard blasting Ume towards the floor. Everyone stared in shock at Ayane's cannonball serve while the two Hyotei first years gave each other a high five.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: one game to love!"

Otohime picked up the ball and handed it to Ume. "You better do **it** soon."

Ume nodded while smirking at Kiyone. "Should we use it soon, _senpai_?"

"We can't beat the other one but I notice she barely runs compared to the pebble," Otohime referred to Kiyone. "Let's use our formation."

Ume and Otohime assumed a different formation while Ayane and Kiyone began making changes of their own. Ayane stood behind Kiyone while Otohime and Ume stood diagonal of each other. The two formations came out: one was the famous Australian Formation and the other one was Hyotei's personal formation: the Waltz Formation.

"Alright," Ayane got ready to receive. "Show me what you got, Yanagisawa!"

Ume tossed the ball high and curved it towards the corner. Returning it with twice the power, Ayane fired it towards Otohime who began volleying with Kiyone. The two maintained the ball between them causing everyone to try their best to keep up with the speed. Kiyone sweated profusely while Otohime slid back and forth returning Kiyone's high speed shots.

I have to hand it to this girl, Otohime returned another volley. She knows where to attack despite being the baby of the team. She's no idiot; after all – it seems that Getsugan-_san_'s been learning under the great Angel Kurenai Shizuru who was under the Queen Kotetsu Naomi. Getsugan Kiyone however seems to have one weakness: she sucks at baseline.

Firing it all the way to the back, Otohime saw Ayane coming and nodded to Ume. "It's time."

Ume waited for Ayane's shot and with one wide swing, the ball zoomed past Kiyone, causing a big explosion.

"Fifteen – love," Ayane stared at the ball that was returned at the same strength.

"Now," Otohime smirked at the two. "The game begins."

-That's chapter 18! Please review or I will not continue this anymore!


	19. Diamond Pair

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 19 – Diamond Pair

Seeing that kind of strength coming from Otohime, Ayane racked her brains for another plan. They still had the Waltz Formation, Australian Formation and the I-Formation but Otohime's strength burst through Kiyone and Ume's speed started to tire her out. Kiyone managed to volley against Otohime but Ume became a problem because of her wild tactics. The shots were explosive and many times – Kiyone's racquet flew out if Ayane wasn't able to grab it on time.

_This is the first time I've ever seen a freshman hit the same power I do_, Ayane returned a shot cross court. Not only that, she practically knows where to hit and how to make me dizzy. These guys have been training hard as if they've been specifically taught how to take us down. How is that even possible? No – it's not that they've been specifically taught; there's something there that we don't get. Now, if Yanagisawa-_san_ moves to the right – Mikurahara-_san_ feints to the left. Alright, let's try a new strategy.

"Kiyone," Ayane fired a backhand cross court. "Someone stole your taiyaki!"

This infuriated Kiyone well enough to smash hard. "What? Why I oughta kick your whiny little butts for stealing my taiyaki!"

Both pairs noticed Kiyone's shots getting heavier and wilder. Otohime bent backwards while Kiyone split on the floor in order to increase her reach. Flicking her wrist left and right, Otohime sent the volleys near Kiyone's right side but the little girl managed to send it in between her legs. With one high lob accidentally sent, Kiyone jumped up for the finish. The smash landed right in between Otohime's legs causing her to stumble on the ground. Kiyone and Ayane did a high five, smirking at the St. Rudolph pair.

"Fifteen – love," both schools began cheering louder.

_The winner will be Hyoutei! The loser will be St. Rudolph! The winner will be Hyoutei!_

_Kobayagi, Kobayagi…_

Ignoring the cheer, Ayane received Ume's service with explosive power forcing Otohime to receive it. Kiyone volleyed while Otohime challenged her to another speed match. Kiyone's reach proved to be a disadvantage but the little girl was faster than Otohime. Though the third year had flexibility and length, Kiyone had technique and speed. The only question was: which one would prevail? Will it be length and flexibility or speed and technique? Only time could tell which one would win.

"Damn, this brat's fast," Otohime flicked her wrist to the other end. "Her technique makes up for that short reach."

Kiyone, sweating profusely, sliced the ball to the other side while it smacked the top of the net. She couldn't believe that Otohime gave her a run for her money and no matter how well she placed the ball – the shot always returned back to her. Ayane and Ume could only watch the quick paced match while Kiyone and Otohime were just flicking the ball back and forth to see which one would give up first.

Her speed's incredible, Otohime noted while Kiyone hit another right in between her legs. The very first Hyotei Regular to make me feel this excited. Not even Kotetsu Naomi could do this; the only one who could this well is the current captain. Kurenai Shizuru did mention about developing another protégé amongst the Hyotei regulars. I have a feeling this girl is the one. Ume may be my successor but her skills are nowhere yet close to mine.

Kiyone's eyes watched Otohime's wrist as the senior continued attacking. The two baseliners were made useless and they watched the two volleyists battle it out. Snapping her wrist with a slice, Kiyone noticed the ball finally going towards the baseline until Otohime appeared at that part.

"Che," Momo snorted while watching the Doubles Match. "The _Shukichi_ Method's a pain."

Hitomi looked at her counter while writing down some data. "Mikurahara Otohime is one of the very few to engage in fifty exchanges with Getsugan Kiyone. Interesting data…"

"Damn," Haruka punched her own fist. "If only there was some way to blow off that _Shukichi_ Method then, they wouldn't be in this mess."

Ayane, watching a forehand fly in, got ready to swing hard. "This better go in," –the vice captain eyed the ball carefully. "If this doesn't, nothing will."

Watching Ayane take a big swing, Rin gaped and dropped her bag. "Wait a minute, isn't that Kawamura of Seigaku's _Hadokyuu_? Is she crazy!"

"Taking a big swing is dangerous," Mai saw Ayane's right arm muscle tighten up. "If she's doing that, she could risk either losing the point or swatting her own head."

Isane recalled Ayane asking her a favour before they entered the _Kantou_ Tournament. She didn't understand why but the senior knew how hard Ayane had been working for the tournament. This is her first after all, Isane smiled while seeing Ayane delay the shot for a split second.

"_Hadokyuu_," Ayane swung her racquet in a wide arc causing the shot to blow through the lines.

"Love - thirty," Ume gaped at what Ayane had just done with her former technique.

That wide arc is dangerous, Mai raised an eyebrow while watching Ayane move towards the net. I'm amazed that she knows such a dangerous move and don't even mind the dangers. With that move, you could risk tearing a muscle, swatting your own head and losing the point if you don't connect with the ball. Then again, that technique is for power players but it's still dangerous to use such a technique. It's like Shizuru overusing the _Tsuuro no Shichihinge_ and the _Shunpo_. Sure, there are times that call for it but it shouldn't be used as a trump card.

Ayane pointed her racquet at Ume. "You're a former baseball player aren't you?"

Ume raised an eyebrow while Ayane continued to explain. "The way you swing is like how you would swing a baseball bat. When you play a former sport, it always leaves traces of itself on you. For example – Momo-_senpai_ used to be part of Hyotei's _Kendo_ team and she swings her racquet like a _bokuto_. Mai-_senpai_ is a former dancer and that's why she's always standing on tip toes and her tennis has a rhythm. No matter how much you want your mind to forget, the muscles always remember."

She's quite the analyst, Otohime noted while watching Ayane explain things to Kiyone. For a first year – she must have undergone harsh training in order to become what she is today. A doubles expert vice captain and the spin specialist Getsugan Kiyone, hmm, what an interesting pair. I've never met anyone so calculating amongst the first year students. In Seigaku, Shibuya Rangiku's a monster and Rikkai Dai still has that other girl and Hyotei Gakuen has Getsugan Kiyone and Kobayagi Ayane. I'm surprised that Kurenai Shizuru chose a first year for vice captaincy.

"Tell me," Otohime watched Ayane look up at her. "How were you able to analyse her that fast?"

"My uncle's a doctor," Ayane shrugged while glancing at her suspiciously. "Question is – why do you want to know?"

"It's just your analytical prowess is impressive for a first year," Otohime smirked while glancing at Hitomi. "Or, does your _senpai_ do all the thinking for you?"

Ayane, rolling her eyes, motioned to Kiyone to return to the baseline. She watched Otohime smirk while informing Ume of a new plan, which the first year seemed to be happy to hear. What irked her was why Otohime needed to know that. It wasn't needed in a doubles strategy in any way as long as she was concerned. It didn't give out any information about Kiyone either.

_Wait, does she want to anticipate my moves or something?_

"That's not possible, Yane-Yane," Kiyone called from behind. "What does your uncle being a doctor do with tennis anyway?"

Ayane scratched her head sheepishly, letting out a relieved sigh. "You're right; I shouldn't be so tense."

_Then again_, Ayane scrunched her nose up a bit. _She probably just wanted to rattle me a bit._

Ume tossed the ball into the air and started off with a hard serve. Seeing it zoom towards her, Kiyone volleyed it into a cord ball while Otohime began flexing her wrist to confuse Ayane. Sliding to one end, Ayane volleyed left and right despite net play not being one of her best points. Kiyone kept making cord balls while Otohime volleyed towards Ayane.

"This is bad," Mai watched Ayane slide back and forth. "As long as Ayane is in front, her strength is completely useless."

Haruka snorted in annoyance. "They know that they can't handle Ayane's insane strength but by leaving Kiyone in the back, they created a weak point for them to attack."

Rin jumped onto Haruka's back. "Hey Hitomi, what does she mean by that?"

"She means that any moves that both Ayane and Kiyone have," Hitomi watched Otohime appear from one place to another, "are completely sealed off."

Sakaki watched the two first years play against the third year and actually have a hard time. Normally, the game would have ended fifteen minutes ago with Ayane and Kiyone winning. He wasn't sure whether or not this pair was created specifically to counter Hyotei's Diamond Pair. Then again, there were too many instances when this happened and the two always rose above. He didn't do much actually; all their power came from one another and their drive to win.

That is something Atobe lacks, Sakaki noted quietly. Atobe may have the respect of the regulars but do they have the same drive as these girls? Shishido may have the fighting spirit but not as strong as Uchiha's. Oshitari may be a genius but Mai seems to be evolving in ways that even he hasn't understood. Gakuto's flexible yes but how high can he fly? These are the things that they lack that put the girls' team on a different level. Shizuru commands with honour and respect while Atobe commands because of his ego and skill. Yes, both earned the respect of their fellow regulars but it depends on how they harness that kind of skill.

Ayane, sweating profusely, slowed her breathing to conserve her energy. The match was starting to get to long and she couldn't understand how the two could keep going on. Volleying left and right, the vice captain prayed that Kiyone wouldn't move forward.

Unfortunately, life decided to be cruel to her today.

"Ayane," Kiyone rushed forward. "Take the baseline!"

Ayane saw Otohime smirking and realized the horrible mistake Kiyone was about to make. "Wait, Kiyone-_chibi_ – stay where you…!"

"Forty – love," her warning came too late. Kiyone stared at where the ball marked while Ume gave her captain a high five.

"Keh," Ayane cracked her knuckles. "They knew that you would try…"

Hanging her head, Kiyone turned around. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Ayane pat Kiyone on the head approvingly. "It's normal to make mistakes like that. What we're playing against now is experience. Remember what _buchou_ always told us?"

"_Minna, yudan sezu ni ikou,_" Kiyone tilted her head to the side. "That's what she usually tells us right?"

"Not that one," Ayane snickered. "The other one when she and Mai-_senpai_ were playing against us, silly!"

"Oh – experience is always the best teacher," Kiyone nodded proudly.

Ayane glanced at Otohime. "Obviously, Mikurahara-_san_ is much older than us. The wrinkles are evident," –earning a glare from the St. Rudolph captain, "so, it's something we have to anticipate."

"What? You mean the growth rate of wrinkles and pimples?" Kiyone tilted her head to the side again.

"No," Ayane playfully punched her. "I meant her style and when she's going to apply that strategy again!"

"Oh," Kiyone nodded while returning to the net. "It's time to snatch another point back!"

Ayane waited to receive Ume's serve when she noticed the first year going for something different.

_Funny_, Ayane watched Ume toss the ball in the air. _She wasn't doing that awhile ago_.

Ume went for a hard and deep right as Ayane slid over to return. The moment Ayane caught it, the ball spun excessively on the vice captain's racquet causing it to jump straight high into the air over the net. Otohime soared high up into the air and cracked it right in front of the smaller girl.

"Behold, the Brave Arrow," Otohime fired it past Kiyone's left leg causing a vacuum nearby.

Wincing at the pain, Kiyone fell on one knee while Ayane managed to return it straight back at her. Otohime noticed Kiyone's fast recovery after firing the Brave Arrow at her. Ume fired a largely swung shot towards Ayane who fired something more than twice its original strength. Kiyone volleyed towards Otohime who slid left and right with her _Shukichi_ method further pissing off the two. Otohime smirked at Ayane while the vice captain smashed straight at Ume forcing the baseliner to send it high up.

"You idiot," Otohime shouted at the younger. "Now you just gave them the chance to smash at…!"

Surprisingly, Ayane returned it with a heavy forehand that knocked Otohime's racquet away. While the captain tried to retrieve it, Ume moved forward only to see Kiyone up in the air, making a full body twist. Sensing a smash, Ume moved forward until it slid onto the net and rolled to the other side.

"Forty – fifteen," the whole crowd stared at the two first years who made a single rally last ten minutes.

"Crap," Otohime snorted while watching Ume twiddle with her thumbs. "I can't believe you let her trick you like that."

"I'm sorry," Ume bowed repeatedly to the senior. "I didn't know…"

A loud crisp sound echoed around the court and everyone stared in shock with what Otohime just did.

"Don't say you didn't know," Otohime spat at the younger girl. "You should have! I can't believe you got outsmarted by a midget who's nothing but a Hyotei brat nonetheless!"

Kiyone rolled up her sleeves. "Why I oughta show her…!"

"I just never understood why they're so strict on their team members," Ayane watched Otohime scold Ume in front of everyone. "Criticisms are fine as long as they don't sound so negative."

"Yeesh," Kiyone snorted in disgust. "Talk about a perfectionist. _Buchou_'s not like that right?"

Ayane shrugged. "Maybe it's because she believes more in positive reinforcement?"

"Maybe," Kiyone's voice trailed away while watching Ume shrink lower and lower after each sharp remark.

After five minutes, Ume returned to the baseline and tossed the ball in the air. With a weak service, Kiyone sent a cross court cord ball while Otohime volleyed it straight to Ayane. Seeing a repeat, Ayane returned the shot with a drop shot while signalling Kiyone.

_Finish her off, Kiyone!_

Kiyone rushed to the front while Ayane threw herself back resuming into the famous Australian Formation. Otohime, snarling inwardly, fired a hard baseline shot after receiving Kiyone's volley. Ayane swung widely, bringing out the _Hadokyuu_ again.

_This time_, Ayane thought gleefully. _She won't be able to…!_

Ayane's prediction proved wrong when Ume had two hands locked firmly on the grip and with one wide swing, the ball slammed straight into Kiyone's racquet. The smaller girl flew backwards straight into Ayane who managed to dig her shoes into the ground to avoid flying back as well. In the end, the two tumbled about but luckily, none were injured.

"You okay," Ayane dusted her skirt. "You're heavy! How much _Takoyaki_ did you eat the last time!"

"I only ate five plates," Kiyone mumbled sheepishly.

"F-five plates are you serious," Ayane gaped at the smaller freshman. "Did Shitenhouji really serve you that much!"

Kiyone scratched her head while retorting. "Come on – you'll have to admit it is so addicting once you've tried it!"

The two St. Rudolph players stared awkwardly at their conversation. Ayane and Kiyone shook hands and then faced the two players again. "Sorry," Ayane scratched her head. "Did we keep you guys waiting? Anyhow, shall we get back to business?"

Otohime glared at the vice captain. "Tch, you should stop wasting time!"

"And you guys," Ayane snorted while tossing back her tangerine hair. "You guys oughta learn how to treat your doubles partner."

"Game, Mikurahara-Yanagisawa: two games to one!"

Kiyone and Ume watched the sparks fly between the two playmakers. It was surprising to see how pissed off the two could be and when the two marched back to the baseline, things started to become more tense. Kiyone now took service and fired a weak one towards Otohime. Seeing the short serve, Otohime lunged forward while Kiyone rushed in for to receive. Ayane threw herself back when Ume sent a hard swing back.

"If I'm not mistaken," Momo watched Ayane return it the same way. "That's the _Hadokyuu_ of Fudomine _Chuu _right?"

"Ume's forte is more like blowing people up with her strength," Hitomi tilted her glasses up. "There's a ninety percent chance that Ayane will respond to the challenge. After all," Hitomi's eyes focused on the freshman vice captain.

_Strength has always been Kobayagi Ayane's playing field._

* * *

On the other side, Seigaku watched the girls play against Fudomine who didn't seem to have any fighting chance against them. Souma Fuuka sat in the bleachers while watching Shibuya Rangiku take out one of the ace players of Fudomine with a few shots per rally. The little girl, despite looking so dainty, practically sent her opponent flying into the net ruthlessly. Though this was only Singles Three, Fuuka didn't understand how Rangiku could blow someone who was three times her size backwards.

I'm impressed with her performance, Fuuka watched Rangiku jump all over the place with an arrogant smirk. Off court, she's this dainty little girl who's scared of a fly but the moment she gets on the court – her eyes change. Getsugan wouldn't have a chance against her or maybe Sanada won't have much either. Getsugan all I know is a doubles player – she can't do much as a singles player. However, Shibuya might need to take Singles One when we fight Hyotei Gakuen but then again, how will I face Kurenai if I play Singles Two?

"Souma-_senpai_," a soft voice nudged her from her left. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Fuuka waved her hand half-heartedly. "It's just that I'm thinking about the upcoming match between us and Hyotei. I don't want a repeat of last year. By the way, have you warmed up already with Jerrard, Ryuuzaki?"

Sakuno nodded vigorously while watching Rangiku take the next game for herself again. "Game and match, Shibuya: six games to love!"

"That was fast," Midori drawled lazily while tousling her green hair. "She's becoming more of a monster everyday, ne?"

Enma played with her voodoo doll. "So, who's our next pair?"

"That would be you two," Fuuka pointed out when Doubles Two followed up. "Ryuuzaki and Jerrard are playing Doubles One for this tournament. After all – Hyotei Gakuen does have a similar pair like this."

"Souma," a commanding voice came from the coach's chair.

Fuuka came down to face her coach. "Hai, is there something wrong, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_?"

"Don't get too obsessed with beating Kurenai," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ chided. "Ever since you were first year, you always grumbled and eyed her enviously. She's a batch lower than you for crying out loud."

"That doesn't mean she's not better than me, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_," Fuuka noted to her coach. "If she can force Tezuka-_kun_ on twelve games then, I might as well be more careful."

"She played against Tezuka-_sama_!" Vera shrieked loud enough for the other courts to hear. "Did she win?"

Fuuka's fists clenched together. "No but even though – I can't even get five games off Tezuka-_kun_. She's getting stronger every single minute and I haven't even improved!"

Enma glanced to the data master of Seigaku. "Hey so, have any fresh data of Hikifumi Haruka?"

"I'm afraid not," she turned through the pages of the book. "The only data I have about her are her techniques and lifestyle. Would you like to know?"

"Have anything mentally damaging?" Enma raised an eyebrow.

Fuuka kicked Enma's calf. "Hey, I want this to be a nice clean game. No sadistic plans or whatsoever."

"Is this all to play against that Shizuru?" Vera glanced at her captain. "I don't think she's even worth your effort and recognition. She's nothing more than a carbon copy of Kotetsu Naomi."

Fuuka remained silent after Vera's comment. Enma and Midori walked down to the court while Fuuka tried to reassess her play against Kurenai Shizuru the last time. Kantou Tournament was their very first meeting after so long. They tried meeting one another in the Tokyo Prefectural only to end up in different blocks of the tournament. Now, there was no turning back.

"Kurenai," Fuuka gripped her skirt. "I will never forget what happened that **day**."

* * *

"Game, Mikurahara-Yanagisawa: three games to one!"

Ayane and Kiyone breathed in heavily while the two didn't seem to be breaking a sweat. Ume snickered while Otohime mockingly taunted the two.

"What's the matter? Can't you guys play a decent match anymore?"

Ayane, gripping her racquet tightly, rose up while helping Kiyone up. They were only going through four games and they were breathing huge gasps of air. Leaning against Ayane, Kiyone nearly slumped onto the floor but was able to keep standing up by sheer willpower.

"The heat's annoying," Kiyone tried to block out the sunlight.

Ayane couldn't help but agree. The sunlight glared into their eyes that it was hard to follow the path of the ball. Otohime continuously broke in another volley while Ume blew up the next two shots. She couldn't believe that they managed to break one of their service games so easily. No matter what angle Ayane tried to look it at in – there always seemed to be a dead end.

"Forty – love," Ume began her service again towards the two.

Ayane couldn't remember the last time they were losing this badly. Otohime outsmarted them and outclassed them while Ume simply sent Kiyone all the way to the bleachers. The two freshmen stared at the shots that zoomed past them, realizing that they were no match for them to begin with. Ayane shook her head and when the next serve flew in, she received it with two times the force it was sent at her. Ume fired it back while Otohime dashed left and right to confuse Kiyone almost entirely. Ayane and Ume swung in wide arcs causing the ball to explode in kilojoules of power.

"I'm surprised that someone like you would catch the angel's eye," Otohime watched another cannonball explode to the other end.

Kiyone shook her head while getting ready to volley anytime soon. "Why, is it a problem?"

"You're a doubles player," Otohime noted while focusing on Kiyone's footwork. "Your strength is below average, your skill I have to admit is at high school level and your speed isn't so bad. So tell me – why is it that she chose you to be her protégé?"

Kiyone opened her mouth to say something but realized that she herself didn't know. Kiyone never questioned her captain's decisions but that question caught her off guard badly. Slipping and losing footing, Kiyone fell to the ground when Otohime managed to smash at her.

"Game, Mikurahara-Yanagisawa: four games to one!"

Ayane ran over to the younger girl. "Hey, are you alright, Kiyone?"

Kiyone nodded while dusting her skirt. _She did that to toy with me_, Kiyone snorted in annoyance while glaring at the St. Rudolph captain. However, what the captain said was true. Kiyone didn't understand why she was picked, ignoring the entire idea anyway. Kiyone found herself serving this time and she knew that a cord service couldn't work in this situation. Tossing it high up, Kiyone jumped while putting all her body weight into the shot.

"Fifteen – love," The ball zoomed past Otohime surprisingly while it rolled up the wall.

Everyone fell into a deep silence when they found out that Kiyone could blow a service down that hard. Ayane clasped her hands together while staring in awe and Kiyone inhaled deeply when her blue eyes met with Shizuru's.

_Now do you understand why I chose you as my successor?_

Kiyone's eyes widened while Shizuru's smile became more approving. _All this time, she believed in my potential,_ Kiyone couldn't help but get more pumped for the next serve. Jumping up again, Kiyone fired another serve that spun right on the service box T.

"Thirty – love," everyone started cheering for the smaller girl.

Hitomi began scribbling down. "I guess the weights did help her."

Rin gaped at the data girl. "You gave her weights?"

"It was the only way I could help her," Hitomi noted while calibrating the speed of Kiyone's service. "Her strength was believed to be below average but if you make her train well enough – she actually has a good set of arms that could send the _Hadokyuu_ back normally if it were Mai the one sending it."

"But Mai-Mai can't even do that," Rin jumped on Momo's shoulders earning herself a glare from the female Sanada. "That's not a good thing is it?"

"She can at least send the ball over the net now," Momo noted while throwing Rin off. "Before, sending it over the net from the baseline was almost impossible for her."

Mai folded her arms while grinning. "She's growing, Shizuru-_chan_. You sure it's a good idea to have her as your protégé? I think she'll overthrow you by the time you're third year."

"She still has ways to go," Shizuru watched Otohime discuss things with Ume. "She may have the talent but experience is something she needs to earn."

Kiyone won the next two points with her newly found stop and spin serve. Ayane hugged her cheerfully while whooping, people in the stands were loudly cheering and the ball rolled towards Otohime.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: two games to four!"

Otohime shook her head while picking up the ball to serve. Returning to the baseline, Otohime saw Ayane at the receiving end. Smirking, she knew the power Ayane had but with Ume in front – Kiyone was powerless. Ume, power wise, proved to be able to send Kiyone all the way to be the bleachers. However, Ume still needed work when it came to keeping up. The serve cracked off with Ayane returning it with a heavy backhand. Kiyone dashed to the left while sending it straight to Ume who sent the ball straight out.

"Out, love – fifteen," Otohime bit her lip while Ayane and Kiyone did a high five.

Hitomi scribbled on her notebook furiously. "Well, I'm amazed that Kiyone's strength increased by ten percent but she still needs work."

"You're going to make her lift weights?" Mai raised an eyebrow while watching Kiyone and Ayane rally again.

Ayane fired her _Kotsubushi no Katana_ all the way to the doubles line and Ume tried her best to return it, only to be foiled every time. The racquet flew straight into the air, slamming into the bleachers.

"Love – thirty," Ayane and Kiyone did a high five.

Otohime volleyed right past Ayane at one point of the rally, "Fifteen – thirty!"

"Thirty – all," Kiyone and Ayane missed Otohime's straight smash down.

"Thirty – forty," Ayane backhanded towards Otohime, making her racquet fly out of her hand.

Momo smirked while fixing her violet coloured hair. "Well, here comes the counter attack."

"Right on time too," Haruka noted while watching Kiyone volley and take the next point. "They could have lost six games to one to someone who's not even of Nationals Calibre."

"Actually," Hitomi tilted her glasses a bit. "Mikurahara Otohime used to play for Makinofuji Gakuen before transferring. She was the captain there as well."

_No wonder her name sounded so familiar,_ Shizuru thought while watching Ayane take the service.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: three games to four!"

A few moments later, the Hyotei team showed up while glancing at the game. Atobe watched the sweat soak up Ayane's shirt and listened to the echo of her shots. If he wasn't mistaken, Atobe could have sworn that he heard the echo of her shots all the way from the other side. Sure their match was finished but he didn't know that St. Rudolph could put up a fight against the Diamond Pair of Hyotei Gakuen. The thought of a lesser school simply infuriated him!

_Ore-sama_ knows that Kobayagi can win this – if she doesn't, Kurenai would be forced to play. Actually, they have a comfortable margin so it's not much to worry about. However, Kobayagi and Getsugan had never lost a game before. In fact – this could be their first time except the time they lost against the Ohtori-Shishido pair. However, that's understandable;_ ore-sama _did train them well after all.

Watching another shot fall in, Ayane and Kiyone were slumping on the floor while Ume leaned landed on Otohime's shoulder.

"Game, Mikurahara-Yanagisawa: five games to three!"

Shizuru knew that stamina wasn't really a strong point especially in this weather. The basis of their skill now was pure willpower; Ayane had spades of that but was it good enough to bring her and Kiyone to the top? She knew that Ayane wasn't the type to collapse in the middle of a match but this was the first time they played in summer sun. The heat started clogging her own vision as well and if something were to go wrong, well, it could be downhill for Hyotei.

Kobayagi and Getsugan may have the Synchro but right now – they're not bringing out. How they brought it out while going against the Golden Pair is unexplainable but they better use another formation because their Waltz Formation isn't as effective as it was before. Hopefully, they won't drag this game out to a seven-six because if that happens, Kiyone won't last in that kind of heat.

Kiyone inhaled sharply while Ayane took the ball to serve.

"Fault," the ball smacked straight into the net.

"Double Fault, love – fifteen," Ayane felt her chest tighten at what was happening.

Before throwing the ball up again, Ayane noticed Kiyone grab her arm with a raised an eyebrow. "Relax, pretend you want to bury Atobe's head in the beach and get him pinched by a crab!"

Ayane nodded when a newfound glint scared the other side. "You two suckers are in for it now!"

Her serve cracked off hard causing Otohime to receive it painfully when her wrist bent far back to send it over. Kiyone saw the weak return and attacked with a hard volley smash, "Fifteen – all!"

Ayane finally had the chance to calm down after that wild battle. Ever since Ume revealed her strength, Ayane's wrist and senses numbed at the sensation. She recalled the shot that Ume just did and couldn't believe it actually had a name. _Hadokyuu_, she thought while remembering how hard the shot exploded from her racquet. I did it awhile ago and yet, it felt like nothing…

"Taking that big a swing is dangerous," Hitomi pulled out a calculator and began typing in numbers. "There's a ninety percent chance Ayane's arm will tear a muscle if she does that again."

Mai recalled the speed of the ball. "If I didn't have motion sight, I wouldn't have noticed the difference."

Rin cheekily jumped onto Momo's shoulders again. "Ume and Ayane will be having a power play but – Ayane's going to be the winner."

"How sure are you?" Haruka raised an eyebrow at her.

Rin explained with a Hitomi-like voice. "Ayane's physique may be smaller but her body is used to having such power being blown off from the racquet. Ume can't even return her shots properly and therefore increase her chances of winning."

Haruka stared at her while shaking her head. "You've been working on your Insight haven't you?"

"I guess," Rin scratched her head sheepishly, "hey, Haru-_chan_?"

Haruka glanced at her doubles partner who scratched her head. "Haruka," – her voice spoke low, "if you want to play against your sister, go ahead. But make sure it's for the right reasons, okay?"

With her eyes gleaming happily, Haruka hugged Rin while the captain smiled at the predicament of her Dragon Pair. Switching her attention again to the game, Shizuru noticed that Otohime's racquet flew out of her hand when Ayane sent another _Hadokyuu_ at her. The game turned itself again on Otohime and Ume when Ayane finally busted another shot towards them.

"Game, Kobayagi – Getsugan: four games to five!"

Hyotei students jumped in delight while St. Rudolph chanted louder. Otohime couldn't believe that the two instantly turned the games against them. The heat bit them hard and even her vision was getting fogged up. Putting up a sign, Otohime and Ume headed back towards the benches for a drink.

"Timeout," the arbiter allowed the Hyotei Doubles One pair move back as well.

"How's the heat out there?" Rin handed Ayane water which the said girl threw all over herself.

"Horrible," Ayane snorted while stretching her arm. "I swear, I think I've turned into a sunny-side up out there!"

Atobe handed her a towel instead of throwing it like the last time. "Wipe your face, the sweat will sting your eyes."

"Since when did you decide to just give it and not throw it," Ayane spat at Atobe. "For crying out loud, I was just talking to Oishi-_kun_ and you just had to throw that damn towel in my face!"

Atobe twitched at the freshman vice captain. "Please – _ore-sama_ just didn't like it when you had **that** look!"

"What look," Ayane marched up to him with her green eyes glaring at him. "Come on, tell me – what look are you talking about?"

The two got stuck into a staring match when Oshitari took a seat next to Shizuru. "So, how's the team so far?"

"We've won the first two games," Shizuru noted while adjusting the strings on her racquet. "St. Rudolph is actually betting on this match."

_Tennis_ _is that all she thinks about_, Oshitari couldn't help but sigh. However, he couldn't deny that her focused mind is what kept her strong but sometimes; it never gave him an opening. She would always ignore everything else and aim for one thing: the Nationals. He wasn't even sure that she had anyone in mind except a vague explanation of Shishido. _Glasses,_ he thought again while looking around. All he saw were girls, no man showing up asides from them.

"So, did you win your first game?" She smiled at Oshitari.

He felt his heart actually leap at her smile. "Well, of course we did. We're playing Seigaku the next time we come here."

"I hear that you're playing Doubles like always," Shizuru beckoned Ayane and Kiyone to head back to the court. "Gakuto-_senpai_ sure is a good combination to your style."

"Yeah," Oshitari tried to steer from the tennis subject. "So, how did you find the resort?"

"It was good," Shizuru continued to focus on the doubles play while answering in three word sentences.

Oshitari didn't know how she became so popular with her useless social skills but it could have been the tennis that gave her popularity. He couldn't help but smile at how radiant her eyes looked whenever a tennis game happened. Her eyes switched left and right, analysing each shot as it left the racquet. Ume began service again and this time, Kiyone was at the receiving end.

"Ready," Ume tossed it up in the air. "This is a serve I had but I was saving it for a trump card: Plasma Slicer!"

The serve curled on the court causing it to zip past Ayane and Kiyone swung only not to connect with the ball.

"Its bounce," Mai noted while glancing at Shizuru. "It was delayed."

"Fifteen – love," Ume prepared another serve.

"I'm going to finish you guys here and now, hope you don't mind!" Ume fired another Plasma Slicer.

Ayane ran towards the ball, recalling how Kiyone couldn't return it. "I can't take a short swing then. It takes ten seconds for the ball to fly over the opponent."

Taking a big swing, Ayane watched the ball spin on the ground. _It looks like I'm going to have to burst it with the Hadokyuu then._

Slamming the ball with extreme strength, Ayane watched the ball zoom past the net but smack into the outer line.

"Out, thirty – love," Ayane's eyes widened at what had just happened.

_Wha-what the- how did that happen? _Ayane gaped at where the ball marked. She was sure that she hit it properly and yet, it flew all the way out. The _Hadokyuu _would have made a mark on the inside line but what stunned the vice captain was why it shot all the way out.

"Tell you what," Otohime signalled to Ume. "Let's finish this!"

Seeing what had happened, Kiyone knew she had to take the chance. It was now or never.

* * *

At the other end, Seigaku had finished their matches early. Fuuka walked alongside Tezuka while Eiji and Midori were exchanging tricks for the court. Seigaku won three games straight without a need to play the last one since it was already a hopeless situation for the other team. Then again, Fuuka was also interested in the other three teams: Jyosei Shounan, Rikkai Dai and Hyotei Gakuen. The rivalries were pretty intense between the four schools and they already dominated the entire Kantou Region.

However, what pissed off Fuuka was that no matter how hard she tried – how is it that Hyotei Gakuen always got the better of Seigaku?

It wasn't that case though with the boys but every time she had an encounter with the girls' team, it was the same old replay; Doubles Two would either win or lose then Singles Three would most likely belong to Hyotei, Doubles One usually went to waste and Singles Two was theirs. Singles One had always been the tie breaker but this time, Fuuka knew it was time to crush Shizuru. The girl was becoming more and more of a monster of a tennis player everyday and if she wasn't stopped, who knows what could happen?

_You're scared that she'll take that scholarship to Germany away from you, aren't you?_

Fuuka curled her hand into a fist while recalling the last match they had in the Nationals.

_Flashback_

"Game and match, Kurenai: six games to three! Hyotei Gakuen is the new Nationals Champion!"

Fuuka stared at the floor in total shock when she saw Shizuru glowing with a different aura. It wasn't the usual _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ but it was something more lethal. The aura shined brighter than ever when she actually had pushed Shizuru into a corner by winning three games straight. She had sealed off all of Shizuru's attacks and yet she couldn't even return the most basic one when the aura showed up.

Second year vice captain Souma Fuuka stared at what Shizuru had just done. "What the hell was that?"

"I," Shizuru stuttered, pretty unsure of what she had done. "I really don't know."

The crowds created an uproar causing the two girls to stand up a shake hands. Fuuka glanced at her captain who smiled ruefully. Fuuka knew she had let her down; she was chosen to lead the team only to be eliminated by someone who her captain dubbed as a newbie.

_Kurenai does have talent but, what is it that makes her so strong?_

Watching Shizuru head towards her _senpai_ with a hug, Fuuka quietly walked back to her team while hanging her head. "I'm sorry, Kaori-_buchou_."

"It's alright," Kaori put her hand on Fuuka's shoulder. "There is no way in hell that you could have beaten the _Teni Mu'ho_ anyway. The Pinnacle of Flawless Unity is a technique mastered by those who exceed their limit."

When the two teams were told to bow to each other, Kaori glanced at Naomi. The two captains' gazes intensified while Kaori glanced at the first year student who had brought Hyotei their victory.

"Where did you find that monster?" Kaori snorted at Naomi while pointing at a smiling Shizuru.

Naomi, despite being irritated, spoke gently to the rattled captain. "She's not a monster; don't you ever call her that. There's something that Shizuru has something that Souma-_chan_ will never have."

"Oh, what would that be?" Kaori raised an eyebrow to the Hyotei captain.

Fuuka noticed a change in her captain's demeanour. She didn't understand what Naomi meant about Shizuru having something she didn't have because as far as Fuuka was concerned, Shizuru and she had the same level of talent. The only difference they had was year level and age. Fuuka then began looking everywhere. What was it that she didn't have?

_Flashback End_

Fuuka never understood what that meant. Naomi became very cryptic that only Shizuru understood what she was saying. It pissed her off that Shizuru had the same gentle demeanour as Naomi but what was it that the two were talking about? The _Teni Mu'ho_ was something that only the Samurai Nanjirou had unlocked and he didn't even need to do anything. What did he do? What did Shizuru and he do that she didn't?

"Tezuka-_kun_," Fuuka nudged the taller captain. "You know about _Teni Mu'ho_ right?"

Tezuka nodded when the third year female glanced blankly at the floor. "Do you know how to get it?"

Although he wished he did, Tezuka actually had no clue on how to earn the technique. He only went as far as the pinnacle that could double his returns; other than, there was nothing. Tezuka noticed the uneasiness in Fuuka's eyes when he didn't reply.

"I'm sorry," Tezuka shook his head. "I don't know."

Fuuka bit her lip and heard another shot explode from the other side. A loud cheer erupted from that side while Fuuka started moving towards the source. She wanted to see whether or not she'll meet Hyotei Gakuen in the finals. Taking down Hyotei had been her goal ever since she had become captain.

_That must be the Doubles One pair of Hyotei_, her smile became a frown. _They're getting strong and Mouri-Tashiko_ _isn't getting anywhere. I'm not getting anywhere for that matter! No matter how hard I've trained – there's something that Kurenai has that I don't! What is that key component that I need? Would Shibuya have it?_

She glanced at the first year student who skipped along happily in front of Echizen playing with his cap and all. Biting her lip, Fuuka continued walking when Vera handed her a soda.

"Still in deep thought about that day, aren't you?" Vera ruefully smiled.

Popping the soda can open, Fuuka downed it in one go. "You think? Think about it: Kurenai's been totalizing Seigaku when she first stepped on the court! Kaori-_buchou_ played against her in Kantou and couldn't even lift a finger against her! I may have defeated Kotetsu-_san_ but it's the level of Kurenai's power that's pissing me off!"

Everyone stared at Fuuka's outburst while Oishi smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll find a way."

"Yeah," Fuuka murmured while glancing at her hand. "Maybe…"

She recalled using every bit of skill she had to plaster down the current Hyotei captain. The girl lost three games out of anxiety but took the next six from her as if it was like taking candy from a baby. Shizuru's eyes glinted with pure…joy of simply playing the game.

_Wait, is that what I lack?_

Fuuka shook her head. _No,_ _that can't be it. _The Seigaku captain beckoned her teammates to follow after her. "We're going to watch the Hyotei team. We're going to do a little data gathering."

Fuji glanced at Tezuka. "Saa~, do you want to watch as well?"

"It's quite refreshing after playing against St. Rudolph," Fuji glowered at the thought of seeing Mizuki again; how he wanted to rip the man's innards out.

"Ah," Tezuka simply went the same direction Fuuka was going.

* * *

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: five games all!"

Otohime stared incredulously at the two instantaneously caught up after a five minute break. The heat slowly cooled down and Ume couldn't believe that Kiyone could still move at the same speed as she did in the heat. The volleys actually zoomed past her and she could play at the no man's land for a baseline shot. Ayane's shots just became stronger after screaming at Atobe **AGAIN**. The regulars knew that this was the perfect way to get Ayane's stress off her shoulders: get her to fight with Atobe and then play tennis.

"That formula usually works," Hitomi scribbled down. "After screaming once again at Atobe, Kobayagi-_chan_'s power has no increased by forty nine percent."

Momo shrugged. "Well, after seeing that racquet fly off for the twentieth time – I think we should do that more often."

"You mean bring Atobe to the games?" Run clung on to Haruka like always. "Well, I have to admit – that technique does work."

Haruka shrugged while cleaning her ear. "Well, I guess that's true. I mean – Ayane just blew a hole in the wall with that power. Are her brothers a bunch of wrestlers or something?"

"Well," Hitomi opened her notebook. "Ayane has five brothers – two who are doctors and the other three who are athletes. She also has two sisters who are more of the business world. Her eldest brother, Kobayagi Sai is a UFC champion for the past five years; the second eldest Ozuma is a WWF calibre wrestler and Keiichi is a body builder. The last two are twins Soujirou and Kou are physical doctors: one is an orthopaedic and the other one is a physical therapist."

"Damn," Momo winced at the descriptions. "Her brothers must be able to lift cars by now."

Isane couldn't imagine the size of Ayane's brothers. "I bet they must be taller than Kabaji-_kun_."

The seniors couldn't believe what they imagined. All they could imagine about Ayane's brothers were big, bulky, muscle-bound and sweaty. The five seniors shuddered at the mere thought and turned away to continue watching the match.

Kiyone happened to overhear their conversation, restraining her laughter. She had gone to Ayane's house a lot of times for homework in Physics and Latin. Her brothers were actually the lean mean fighting machines except Ryoka since it was required to be big and buff. They were actually very big hearted and well, worrywarts since Ryoka tended to do a couple of suplex moves in a single wrestling match. Most of the time – they'd worry on how he's going to keep his back straight and all.

"Yane-Yane," Kiyone volleyed again towards Ume. "You think we should bring your brothers to show and tell next time?"

"Yeah," Ayane laughed while slamming another shot past the two girls. "Then everyone's going to think that **Hercules**, **Atlas** and **Titan** were my brothers!"

Ume snorted while letting out sigh. "How did they beat my Plasma Slicer so easily?"

"Getsugan threw her entire body forward to hit it when it touched the floor so she can scoop up the shot," Otohime explained while recalling Kiyone rolling on the floor. "Sure it was a lob but Kobayagi pretty much set up the point."

Ume snorted when Kiyone began her service. The shot flew at the letter T again when Otohime returned it with a sharp shot to the left. Ayane covered for the smaller girl and dropped it over to Ume when the girl exploded it back to Kiyone, sending the girl far back again.

_How I wish that girl would gain a little more weight, _Ayane snorted while shaking her head disdainfully.

"Love – fifteen," Kiyone dusted her skirt again.

"You alright," Ayane noted when Ume would be the one to receive.

"Yeah," Kiyone put two thumbs out. "Nothing bad happened! I just flew into a wall!"

Ayane counted her fingers. "Yes, you flew into a wall **TEN** times now!"

Kiyone shrugged while rubbing my head. "I'm still alive and kicking, see?"

Ume nudged Otohime. "Do you think we're playing them too hard, Mikurahara-_senpai_?"

"We're doing fine," Otohime put her hand on the girl's shoulder, smiling. "Just blow up Kobayagi and Getsugan with your attacks."

Otohime moved towards the service line to receive Kiyone's spinning serve. The shot bounced away from Otohime's face causing the said girl to run all the way back to backhand it to Ayane. Seeing it flash towards her, Ayane exploded the shot towards Otohime while Ume lunged forward to receive the shot. The shot limply smacked the top of the net but Kiyone lunged forward to lob it over. Otohime jumped high and with a straight smash, the shot exploded throughout the court.

"Love – thirty," Kiyone served towards Ume again who exploded the shot backwards.

"Love – forty," the people couldn't believe how one sided this match was becoming.

Hitomi closed her notebook while shaking her head. "They're getting pummelled."

"This is the first time they're going to lose in an interscholastic tournament," Isane smiled cheerfully. "Well, it's understandable. Everyone's bound to fall someway, somehow."

Ayane returned the shot with an exploding forehand with Ume returning it with the same power. Kiyone and Otohime got involved with a very fast rally until one flew all the way back for a baseline shot which Ayane promptly exploded towards Otohime. The captain, dodging the shot, allowed Ume to hit it who fired the shot towards Kiyone. The little girl did a one eighty split on the floor and recovered again while Ayane summoned all the power she had for an explosive _Kotsubushi no Katana._

"Fifteen – forty," the ball sent Ume's racquet to the wall.

Kikumaru clung onto Oishi while watching Ume flex her wrist to ease the pain. "Hoi, hoi, that's really ouchy, unyah~!"

"Yeah but I'm glad Ayane-_chan_'s doing her best," Oishi sheepishly scratched his head though still wondering where that monster strength came from. "Go for it, Ayane-_chan_!"

Ayane nodded while giving him a thumbs up. "Thanks for the encouragement, Oishi-_kun_!"

Atobe, growling inwardly, turned away from how friendly Ayane could be to the people. How she did that even befuddled his Insight ability and Atobe hummed mournfully to himself to knock the thoughts out. However, no matter how much he had tried to ban it away from his mind.

The jealousy wouldn't leave.

_Annoying Seigaku vice captain_, Atobe inwardly cursed while glaring holes into the unaware vice captain. If only she knew, _ore-sama_ swears – that vice captain would have been in pieces by now! How could she be so friendly to our rival school and at the same time, hate _ore-sama_ for nothing while like him for anything? The thought of it is simply…!

"Infuriating," Oshitari cut into Atobe's thoughts. "See, how it feels when you like someone and her eyes are someone else?"

"In your case," Atobe hummed coldly. "It's **something** else. Kurenai has no brain for romance, you know that."

"I know," the _kansai_ prodigy shrugged. "I'll just have to work hard. By the way, what's this majestic plan you have for Kobayagi?"

"You'll see," Atobe smirked when Kiyone's shot clipped the net while falling to the other side.

"Thirty – forty," the crowd couldn't peel their eyes off the match.

Ayane, breathing heavily, saw Kiyone slowly stabilize herself in any way possible. The smaller girl swung left and right, nearly collapsing on the floor while exchanging places with her. Ayane couldn't believe that Ume had forced the small girl down so quickly.

_Unless,_ Ayane thought sourly. _This had always been their main objective._

"Actually," Otohime slung her racquet on her shoulder. "I'm surprised that Getsugan is still moving around. She has spades of guts, that's for sure."

Ayane's eyes widened; the two of them had fallen without realizing it. Kiyone may have the speed but the stamina and the heat was something that wasn't considered yet. Kiyone preferred biting til she couldn't but Ayane realized that in this weather – there was no way they'll be able to keep their consistency until they unlock the Synchro. Problem is – did they have enough energy for it?

Kiyone's panting and exhausted expression showed otherwise.

"Even if we did unlock the _Synchro_," Ayane murmured to herself when she got ready to receive the next serve. Ume then stopped serving when Ayane turned back to see Kiyone staring straight into the sky at the front lines.

"Kiyone," Ayane went forward to tap her awake but the said girl collapsed on the floor.

"Oi," Otohime went past the net while Ume jumped over to check if Kiyone was okay.

The Hyotei team surrounded the smaller girl while she took in huge gasps of air. Ayane bit her lip guiltily; they prolonged the game and forgot all about the heat. No wonder Kiyone hit the floor.

"It's just fatigue," Isane inquired. "I don't think she's going to last…"

"Let alone get up," Momo slung Kiyone over her back. "We'll have to forfeit."

"Game and match by default: Mikurahara-Yanagisawa!"

When Otohime slid past Shizuru, she put a hand on the second year's shoulder. "You chose a good successor."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow when Otohime smiled. "She would have collapsed awhile ago if she didn't have that kind of willpower."

Watching the St. Rudolph captain walk away, Shizuru smiled faintly. She knew that this was Kiyone's first time to play in blazing heat and she held pretty well despite it. Looking up, Shizuru saw Seigaku while Fuuka remained calm despite the collapse of Doubles One. Next to Fuuka stood Tezuka who seemed as expressionless as ever while Ayane slumped on the bench.

"Yeesh," Ayane slapped a wet towel on her face. "I hate heats like this!"

Hitomi pulled out her racquet while heading towards the court. "Well, I'm about to play."

"Alright," Shizuru nodded while checking the temperature. "Pace your strength so you don't lose consistency."

While Ayane was splattered on the bench, Atobe approached her while handing her a bottle of orange soda. "This will help, get it."

Ayane lifted off the towel and grabbed it. "What do you want, mole diva? If you're trying to piss me off then, you got me at the wrong time."

"_Ore-sama_ wanted to ask if you're in the mood to do something else for a change," Atobe smirked while watching Ayane's flabbergasted expression.

"Since when have you cared?" Ayane gaped at the senior captain. "What's this all of a sudden? Go ahead and laugh in my face!"

"_Ore-sama_ has no reason to," Atobe chose words carefully in order to not make a scene. "Kurenai, I'll borrow your vice captain for a minute."

"Take care of her," Shizuru smiled faintly.

Ayane knew that her _buchou_ was also in on this. "_Buchou_, don't leave me with this arrogant monkey king! You know I can't stand him! Please _buchou_!"

"You're ignoring her," Mai whispered to the captain who simply nudged her back.

"Well, it's about time he made a move," Shizuru laughed softly while hearing Ayane's protests fade in through the background.

Hitomi on the other hand faced against St. Rudolph's _tensai_, Third Year Student Kyouza Keika. The St. Rudolph _tensai_ tied her long pink hair into three pony tails while smirking with her hexagon shaped racquet. That piqued interest for the data player who had rarely seen people use a hexagon shaped racquet. However, she had seen people use Octagon shaped racquets and most of them, were control specialists.

"Eight percent that this girl is a control specialist," Hitomi went over to the net to shake hands and decide the service.

"Hitomi-_chan_, what a pleasant surprise," the _tensai_ smiled gleefully. "I didn't know you chose tennis now."

"_Sou dana,_" Hitomi noted while looking at her racquet, placing it on the ground. "Pick: smooth or rough?"

Keika shrugged while tossing back her pink hair. "Well, down to business as always now aren't we – I pick rough."

The data girl smirked. "There's a ninety five percent chance that it would be smooth."

Fair enough, Hitomi's calculations were dead on. The data girl picked up the racquet and readied her service. "It's time to win this for Hyotei so Shizuru won't have to worry anymore."

-That's chapter 19! Please review!


	20. Unreadable

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 20 – Unreadable

Hitomi noticed Keika pick up the ball and go for her service. The racquet size truly bewildered her; why exactly was the racquet designed like that? Tilting her glasses up, Hitomi observed also the way Keika stood, how she looked into her opponent's eyes and also how she moved. Grinning more business-like, Hitomi bent down to receive Keika's service.

"Not bad," Hitomi squinted to see the specifications of Keiko's racquet. "Your racquet has a tight tension making it harder for most people to spin. However, if done properly, the ball would have a delayed spin causing the player to be awfully confused on where the ball will land."

Keika smiled serenely while tossing the ball up in the air. "Here I go!"

Zooming past the net, Hitomi slammed it with a hard backhand while Keiko lobbed it towards the data master again. Sensing a trap, Hitomi slapped it down gently over the net causing Keiko to run after it. The two began going for an intense baseline match while the ball started vanishing upon speed. The fifth shot however, Hitomi didn't run after it anymore.

"Net, love – fifteen," Keiko shrugged at where her shot had landed.

"That's Hitomi's Data Tennis," Momo smirked while leaning against the fence. "The only thing is that she doesn't murmur while smacking it back and forth."

However, Hyotei's Mastermind thought differently as she faced St. Rudolph's _tensai_.

Something doesn't seem right; she didn't seem to mind despite her first shot hitting the net. Is Kyouza-_san_ playing with me? No – that can't be it. I'm sure she knows a thing or two about my style of tennis. However, my data says that Kyouza-_san_ doesn't go easy on people whether they're weak or strong so, what's the deal?

"Care to share your thoughts with me," a serene voice cut through Hitomi's thoughts, "Hyotei _no Issei_?"

Hitomi shook herself out of the daze. "Oh – it's nothing. I was just pondering over some of my data."

"Really," Keika tossed the ball up into the air. "Just hope that your data is right about me."

Though Hitomi didn't know the meaning of that, she engaged into another rally with Keika. The two aimed for corners, forced each other to the front and went all the way to the baseline again. Sweat poured down Keika's face while Hitomi's eyes watched the ball fly back and forth between them. Sliding to the other side, Hitomi rallied it to the left corner while Keika volleyed it with a snap of her wrist. Hitomi ran forward again scoring with the Sonic Volley.

"Love – thirty," Hitomi glanced at the _tensai_ before returning to the baseline.

"You're not even trying, are you?" Hitomi noted to the _tensai_ as Keika continued bouncing the ball. "What exactly are you doing?"

Keika stopped bouncing the ball only to grin foxily at her. "Oh, you'll see soon."

That often spelt bad news whenever someone said that with a foxy grin.

Hitomi lowered her stance while Keika continued to bounce the ball. Nothing came from the _tensai_ and most of the time, Hitomi knew how to anticipate attacks by just looking at the gestures but this girl seemed to show nothing out of the ordinary. Her data showed no unique mannerism that Keika had, it was as if…

"You're trying to find something that will give you a signal, aren't you?" Keika smiled sweetly at Hitomi.

Hitomi smiled her usual business smile, considering she was already used to how Shizuru would smile. "Isn't that the normal instinct of every tennis player?"

"Not naturally," Keika tossed the ball in the air. "I just hope you'll show me something new after."

The ball zoomed past the net while Hitomi returned it with a forehand. Keika backhanded the ball right down the line while Hitomi forehanded it to the other corner. Constantly, their shots went to the corners of the singles line until Keika lobbed it up into the air. Hitomi took a few steps back while smashing it straight down.

"Game, Yamaguchi: one game to love," Hitomi picked up the ball while getting ready to serve.

Keika's style showed nothing extraordinary at all. Hitomi didn't mind but it simply pissed her off to realize that Keika disguised everything so well. Her shots were flat and occasional top spins, her footwork showed no extreme speed like Hyotei's _tensai_ and _buchou_ but Keika managed to keep up. Seeing another ball flatly pass over, Hitomi forehanded the ball straight to the baseline while reassuring herself the next point.

"There's a ninety percent chance that she won't be able to," Hitomi stopped mid thought while her eyes widened.

Keika received the shot and sliced it hard with a backhand. "This move should be recognizable to you."

"Love – fifteen," the shot zoomed past Hitomi landing right on the baseline.

Hitomi glanced at the mark it made while Keika adjusted the strings on her racquet. The _tensai_ didn't show it awhile ago and only chose to bring it out after Hitomi broke her service game. That's odd, Hyotei's mastermind thought. Most people wouldn't want to give up their service game since they hold control over the point. It would give the person a sense of relaxation when she would get her service game done. But why is it she sacrificed her first service game?

"You're probably wondering why I dropped my service game," Keika rebuked her thoughts without difficulty. "Most people wonder about that during their game against me anyway."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow while Keika raised her racquet to point at the score board. "The score when we're done – will be six-four with me winning the game of course."

Smirking with her usual business smile, Hitomi lowered her position while watching Keika's eyes. "There's a twenty percent chance you'll win."

The match started again and this time, Hitomi released her aura causing the ball to explode harder than normal. A red aura surrounded her almost immediately causing Keika to slightly flinch at Hitomi's glaring glasses. However, her shots came back with a lot more strength but Hitomi didn't even flinch as it pressed against the racquet strings. The data girl volleyed it across causing a loud explosion to erupt on one end.

"Fifteen – all," Hitomi picked up the ball and got ready for her service.

"_Moujuu Aura_," Keika watched the red aura surround Hitomi. "It's an interesting style for a data master."

Hitomi nodded stiffly before serving a fast one towards the middle of the service court. Keika slid over to receive with a forehand while watching Hitomi send another cross court shot. Despite the heaviness of Hitomi's shots, Keika sniggered at the sight. Sweat poured down Hitomi's face and Keika fired another drop shot forcing Hitomi to move forward towards the net.

_The Moujuu Aura's running her down_, Keika gleefully cackled in her mind. As soon as her stamina runs out, it would be game over for her.

* * *

On the other side, Rikkai Dai won against their opponent very easily as Ai dabbed her face with a towel. Winning against Yamabuki didn't matter to the regulars but rather, Ai knew that some were waiting for a good match from Jyosei Shounan, Seishun Gakuen and most of all – Hyotei Gakuen. Ai watched her Regulars slump lazily on the benches after thanking Yamabuki for a good match though; the Rikkai Dai players weren't exactly thrilled.

"You guys can't just slump like that," Ai slapped her face dragging it down a bit.

"Well, unless there's a better opponent," a black haired girl licked her chops while flicking her bell necklace. "We're just going to get bored."

"Um, um, well," an auburn haired girl twiddled with her thumbs. "I'm looking forward to playing with Seishun Gakuen or Hyotei Gakuen, desu."

The black haired girl punched her. "Stop using 'desu', you idiot!"

"_Gomenasai desu_," the auburn girl began to cry.

"Shut the fuck up and stop showing people you're such a whiny," the black haired girl stopped mid sentence when Ai appeared in front of her.

"I dare you to finish that sentence," Ai glared at the girl. "Stop hurting Torinaka, Inuzuka."

Clucking her tongue and licking her lips, the black haired girl glared even harder. "Bring it on, _buchou_!"

Ai sighed while looking at Yui and her Singles Three player. Rikkai Dai consisted mostly of seniors (herself included) plus two juniors – one who opponents often underestimated and the other became part of Rikkai's Wild Tiger Pair to counter Hyotei's Twin Dragon Pair. Running her hand through her hair, Ai glanced at her team members while looking through the roster for Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Gakuen. Blinking a few times, Ai showed the paper to her data master.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ai raised an eyebrow at her data master, Amane Kira.

Tossing her straight brown hair back, Kira showed Ai her notebook. "Why should we put you in Singles One if Kurenai-_san_ might end up in Singles Two to go for a straight win?"

"Do you think she would go to Singles Two? That position belongs to Nagisaki," Ai recalled seeing Mai play that the first time she met her.

"Kurenai-_san_ might have second thoughts in being Singles One considering you're one of the Angels as well," Kira began scribbling down.

_How she became much better than her younger brother is beyond me,_ Ai shook her head when she remembered Amane Hikaru hitting on her using lame puns. Luckily, Inuzuka wasn't there otherwise – consider him a dead man. Ai laughed fondly at the memory and glanced at the Rikkai Dai regulars who were simply lazing around.

"Miaka," Ai turned to the black haired girl with the bell necklace. "Would you like to play Singles Two tomorrow?"

"I thought that belonged to cry baby Yui over here," Miaka put off bluntly while Yui began twiddling with her thumbs again.

Ai shook her head while smacking the girl at the back of her head. "_Baka_," Ai huffed nonchalantly. "Will you stop teasing her?"

Yui clung on to Ai. "Mura-_buchou_, Inuzuka-_senpai_ is teasing me again!"

"Shut the fuck up, bitch," Miaka snorted while leaning against the bench again.

Ai slapped her head while XiaoLi bounced towards her. "Hey Mura-_buchou_, what do you think of our new formation? Is there anything we need to improve on?"

"Not really," Ai waved her hand absentmindedly. "Actually, why don't you ask Kira-_chan_? She might know a few things you guys might need to improve on."

XiaoLi bounced over to Kira who shook her head disbelievingly at her captain. Ai murmured an apology before glancing at the roster again. She knew that there couldn't be openings left recalling that Rikkai Dai would be dominating the B-Block easily and she would have to face Jyosei Shounan, Seigaku and Hyotei later on. Shaking her head, Ai stared at her other members as XiaoLi began pestering her doubles partner, Yumika Tora.

"_Mou~_ Tora-_chan_, are we going to watch Hyotei or Seigaku today?" XiaoLi bounced up excitedly. "I've always wanted to see Rin-_sama_ play!"

Brushing back her fuchsia red hair, Tora rolled her eyes at the smaller girl; she couldn't believe that Rin became her idol. "Well, if you want to see Rin play so much then go watch Hyotei!"

"Yumika," Ai warningly glanced at her. "Would you like to go with her?"

Paling a bit, Tora sighed while dragging a very excited XiaoLi with her. "I'll take her, _buchou_."

Ai watched the senior drag of the other junior as she looked at the scores. Glancing back at the regulars, Ai wasn't sure whether or not to tell them how badly Hyotei would beat them if they kept up that kind of performance. Though the scores were usually 6-0, Ai turned away from the scores while curling her fists.

_Hyotei would have finished us in all 6-0,_ Ai bit into her lip while glaring at the score board.

"_Buchou_, the board would have been dead by now," another girl took out her headsets to listen to music. "You don't need to glare at it until holes appear."

Ai ruefully smiled at their predicament. What were they going to do now?

_After all, Hyotei has been blazing through tournaments ever since Kotetsu Naomi and Kurenai Shizuru appeared._

* * *

"Game, Kyouza: one game all," Hitomi's knees buckled while sweat poured down profusely on her face.

Hitomi watched Keika smile naturally and her eyes sealed themselves shut. Noticing that face, the data master couldn't help but remember someone from Seigaku having that same expression. Recomposing her demeanour, Hitomi tilted her glasses while reassessing the situation.

Alright, Keika has one game and I have one. Apparently, she analysed my style in the first game and predicted my path of attack on my service game. It's a mental breaking strategy wherein you give the opponent a feeling of confidence that they are in the lead and only need five more games. Her style is somewhat similar to Mai-_chan_'s but hers seems to have little effect on me now. Maybe after playing against Mai a lot, I've grown a natural tolerance to it.

Keika noticed Hitomi sweating a lot and knew that she was about to hit her limit. Apparently, the _Moujuu Aura_ drained Hitomi faster than expected and what surprised her was that Hitomi still could maintain her consistency. She noticed that Hitomi's pupils soon dilated and smirked.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up anymore?" Keika folded her arms waiting for a sharp retort.

Hitomi raised her head, relaxing a bit more. "Ah, I think I can keep this up until three hours."

Isane recalled the data master showing her a technique. "That's Hitomi-_chan's_ COOL mode. After using the _Moujuu Aura_, Hitomi-_chan _uses that technique to conserve and replenish her stamina."

Haruka stared at the taller senior. "You're telling me she's just going to stand there like Kikumaru?"

"Of course not," Momo saw Hitomi take a position. "Though it's very similar to the _Moujuu Aura, _the effects are in reverse. Instead of increasing her power, the _Moujuu Aura's _power is concentrated on Hitomi's recovery rate and bodily functions as she plays. There's a catch though," Momo watched Keika serve.

Hitomi's shot barely rose over the net, "Fifteen – love!"

"Drastic change in power," Shizuru noted while watching Hitomi receive the next serve with a volley instead. "Her power drops down to a point she can't return from the baseline. However, it doesn't really matter. After all – Yamaguchi is quite the counterpuncher after all."

"Fifteen – all," Hitomi volleyed quickly and smashing it right at Keika's feet.

Keika dashed towards the left as she somehow split into three!?

Hitomi shook her head but they were still there. _Impossible_, she thought while Keika started showing not just three but five of herself. _She's that fast?!_

Keika volleyed again and Hitomi knew that ending this early would at least stop her from getting dizzy. Volleying faster than before, Hitomi lunged forward for the chance scoring the next volley.

"Fifteen – thirty," Hitomi managed to gasp for air before lunging in again.

Keika ran for the ball while trying to send it to the baseline but Hitomi kept her at the net. No matter how outstretched her shots were – Hitomi returned them with the same flat speed style and Keika tried top spinning her but Hitomi volleyed it over before it bounced.

"Eighty percent chance of a net," Hitomi stopped at the line when the ball smacked the top but crossed over anyway.

"Thirty – all," Hitomi stared wide eyed while Keika placed her racquet on her shoulder.

Keika twirled her hair a bit. "It seems like your data was a bit off, ne?"

Hitomi didn't look the least bit fazed but her mouth ran dry when she saw the ball roll towards her. However, the Mastermind quickly fixed her glasses before taking the line again and shutting down the COOL mode. Her eyes became clear again and her curly blonde hair fell flat against her face.

"I didn't consider your racquet at first but now," Hitomi lowered her position. "Now I know what to look for."

Inui and the others glanced at Hitomi's different style. From exploding shots accurately, it became tricking her opponent and encasing her into a box. Keika began running left and right while Hitomi didn't break a sweat anymore. Inui couldn't help but not peel his eyes off her seeing that Hitomi, despite being a nerd, actually had _quite_ the body.

_What I'm thinking is completely illogical, ii data,_ Inui tilted his glasses and raised his notebook higher to conceal the blush.

Kikumaru happened to steal Inui's notebook. "Nyah~, Inui's blushing! It's the end of the world!"

Everyone's head swivelled to his direction wherein Inui decided to hold up a pitcher of neon orange and green juice with pink dots. "Would you like to try out my latest drink?"

Oishi held his barf, Tezuka twitched and everyone else shouted bluntly.

"NO THANKS!"

Hitomi kept the ball in play for as long as she didn't need to leave the baseline. Keika sent more cord balls again and again to force Hitomi to the front. Ignoring the sweat trickling into her eyes, Hitomi dashed towards the net and slammed it back to the baseline corner.

"Thirty – forty," Hitomi took a breather before returning to the game.

Taking a sip of her own concoction, Hitomi grabbed a towel soon after as she hung it over her head.

"That was a great game," Isane pat her on the back. "She's practically falling deeper into your Data Tennis."

Momo folded her arms while glancing at one side. "I doubt it though."

"Why's that?" Isane turned to Momo while the female Sanada pointed at the captain and the _tensai_ of St. Rudolph.

"I think they were just toying around with her," Momo pointed out while watching Keika run her hair through a towel.

Inui out of nowhere appeared in front of Hitomi. "Her racquet is very similar to this person's racquet…"

Taking the notebook, Hitomi skimmed over the data. "You mean – Chiba's Aoi Kentarou?"

"Instead of having a normal racquet," Inui pointed to his racquet specs. "His racquet is hexagonal; hers is just something with additional two sides. The level of control is directly proportionate to the sides of the racquet therefore…"

"The more sides, the more control the player has," Hitomi murmured before patting Inui on the back. "Thanks, I needed that."

Inui felt his cheeks heat up but forced them back the moment he saw Kikumaru teasingly loom above him and Momoshiro smirking.

"We have blackmail," the two hyperactive regulars dashed away from Inui before he could give them his evil concoction.

Fuji laughed softly while nudging Tezuka. "Saa~, it looks like almost all of us are getting entranced."

Tezuka didn't reply at first. "Aa," –he shifted his gaze momentarily at the second year captain.

"It seems like you're already a hopeless case," Fuji opened his eyes which could even send shivers down Tezuka's spine.

Tezuka ignored Fuji's gaze. "Fuji, concentrate on watching the game."

However, his look didn't go unnoticed by Fuuka who couldn't help but feel jealous. She had known Tezuka ever since he was small and even when they started Middle School. How she remembered? It was her who made a big change to the female tennis club. Most of the regulars were fan girls and she even made her own set of regulars to crush the formers. After that, Kaori took her rightful place as captain and she as vice captain.

"I told you she was a hussy," Vera folded her arms, growling sideways at Shizuru.

"She's not," Fuuka exhaled sharply. "She's just…just…"

_She's just so much better than you?_

Fuuka didn't want to admit that; she only went as far as saying that Shizuru had potential but not saying that the girl could exceed her. Tennis was one thing; getting Tezuka's recognition was another. However, there was one question that really bugged her.

_Was Kurenai even trying to gain his attention? She already has Atobe for crying out loud!_

Her thoughts were sharply cut off when Hitomi scored the second game.

"Game, Yamaguchi: two games to one! Change court," Hitomi began moving to the other side.

Keika slid a comment towards her. "I'm amazed that you discovered how my racquet works."

"Its data I got from a friend of mine," Hitomi's glasses glinted. "Besides, your style isn't that hard to decipher."

Keika smirked while moving on to the baseline. _It's the data girl's serve now; let's see what she has in store._

Hitomi tossed the ball and hit with an explosive aura. Keika parried it but felt her wrist strain while Hitomi smirked.

"Ninety three percent that it will hit the net," Hitomi stopped at the baseline.

"Fifteen – love," fair enough, her data proved true as it fell on the ground rolling back towards Keika.

The _tensai _smirked at the data master when she saw the ball roll back towards her. "Alright, time to pull out all the stops."

When the next serve came, Keika saw the red aura surrounding it. _She's using the Moujuu Aura_ _instantaneously to explode her services. However, that doesn't mean I can't return it._

Keika began glowing with a rainbow colour and caught the ball immediately. With double the strength, Keika sent it back towards Hitomi who forced out the _Moujuu Aura _again. Shots echoed throughout the court and many of the people's eyes were just widening with shock. Inui began scribbling down and muttering "ii data" while the others could only wonder where that power came from. Shizuru and Tezuka recognized the technique right away.

_That couldn't have been_, Shizuru's eyes widened slightly. _There are only a few who can pull that off…_

Tezuka's lips twitched a bit as the ball's return exploded every time it was returned. Only Oishi, Yamato-_buchou_ and he knew about this part of the _Muga no Kyouchi_ but he didn't expect it to be in this part of the tournament. The two captains glanced at each other and it's as if one look said it all.

_It's the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_.

Finally, Hitomi's racquet was blown off her hands, giving Keika the point.

"Fifteen – all," Hitomi sighed to herself before returning to the baseline.

Keika lowered her gaze at Hitomi. "So, do you have an idea what this is?"

"Actually," Hitomi flatly stated while tilting her glasses up. "I do. This technique is what they call one of the gates of the _Muga no Kyouchi_ right?"

Keika paled a bit as the Mastermind continued. "This is the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ – instead of distributing the experience into the muscles, the power is concentrated at a single part. The side effect is that it lessens the exhaustion and gives the user ease in returning a heavy shot double its original power. You're not the only one able to use it; there are several: Shitenhouji's Amakusa Natsuki, Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru, Seigaku's Souma Fuuka and Shibuya Rangiku, Rikkai Dai's Inuzuka Miaka and Jyosei Shounan's Tachiwara Miho and Hoshimura Florence."

Keika shrugged. "Well, just because they have it doesn't mean they're the greatest."

Hitomi tilted her glasses while tossing back her long curly blonde hair. "Oh, your meaning of 'greatest' is quite shallow, don't you think so?"

"Really," Keika smirked. "Pray do tell and enlighten."

Hitomi activated the _Moujuu Aura_ before resuming her stance. "You'll find out on how wrong your definition is. If you can't even score a point properly against me, I don't think Kurenai-_chan_ would even need to lift a finger against you."

Keika returned it back double the strength until instead of blowing it up, Hitomi lightly tapped the ball forcing Keika to miss the shot.

"Thirty – fifteen," Keika struggled to move but felt heavy on the legs.

"Because of the _Muga_'s explosive power gathering at your arms," Hitomi noted while her glasses glinted. "Your legs become heavy and every other part loses its ability to move. That's why there was a combination move with that technique. Did you think I couldn't neutralize the power of that shot?"

Keika noticed Hitomi tilting her glasses yet again. "There's a seventy eight percent chance that your little prediction would be more in my favour."

"Really," she smiled serenely again. "I wonder how true your data is."

The serve cracked off again and Keika lunged for the shot while Hitomi reactivated the _Moujuu Aura_, exploding her shot across the court. Watching Keika's eyes, Hitomi slid to the other side while backhanding the shot right back at Keika. The _tensai_ amazed everyone with a backhand that went straight for the corner but Hitomi's data tennis prevented her from taking the glory. Hitomi knew what was going to happen next every time and when the fifth shot came, she stopped.

"Net, Forty – fifteen," Hitomi smirked while Keika inhaled deeply at the situation.

_Currently, I am up against Hyotei's Mastermind Yamaguchi Hitomi_, Keika breathed in sharply. Fighting against data forced her to break into large buckets of sweat and she felt her knees buckle down. Taking a different angle at things, Keika watched the next service crack as she flicked up into a lob.

Hitomi moved a little farther back. "I'm not going to fall prey to your _Higuma Otoshi_."

_Ho, so she knows about that as well,_ Keika smirked while she watched the ball come down. _However, that isn't my only counter…_

Seeing the ball zoom past the net, Keika turned her racquet upside down and smacked it hard, creating a delayed reaction.

"Forty – thirty," Hitomi watched the ball jump over her head.

_Hmm, interesting,_ Hitomi smirked while she served again much faster which gained her the next point.

"Game, Yamaguchi: three games to one!"

Hitomi fixed her glasses while gazing intently at Keika as she got ready to serve. The said girl smirked while she served with her racquet upside down causing a delayed reaction and Hitomi missed by a far gap. Staring in shock, Hitomi stopped herself from sliding far.

"Fifteen – love," Hitomi began calculating the pathway of the ball as she started taking steps back.

I can't move too fast otherwise I'll miss the ball. However if it's done otherwise, she'll fire it too far where in it's impossible to return. There has to be a way how to send it back without falling over, Hitomi pursed her lips while looking at the way Keika held her racquet. She's not just a control master but a reverse orthodox. What is this world getting into anyway?

Keika served with her reverse style but Hitomi tried predicting. "Eighty percent chance that it's going to spin!"

Unfortunately, the ball shot straight up and fell behind her, causing Hitomi to freeze in her tracks.

"Thirty – love," the game soon started to become one sided.

Fuuka glanced at Shizuru. "So, you don't mind if she loses?"

"Yamaguchi-_senpai'_s data wouldn't fail her," Shizuru quietly watched Hitomi take her place at the receiving end. "She's just analysing the next shot. Yamaguchi-_senpai_ would never falter when it comes to geometric calculations and physics, not when it's her favourite subject."

Hitomi watched the next ball fly and with a smirk, she dashed towards it and returned it. "There was a sixty percent chance of it being a flat shot."

Snorting in annoyance, Keika dashed madly for the next shot until Hitomi volleyed it fast enough towards the corner.

"Thirty – fifteen," Hitomi smirked while pointing her racquet at Keika.

"My data never lies," Hitomi grinned evilly. "I didn't know about your reverse style though. But I've heard about a few players who do that."

Mai watched Keika flip her racquet several times. "A reverse style shows a totally different timing especially when it comes to impact. The person using a reverse style can delay it for more than two seconds at the most and hit it when the opponent is already far away from the desired direction. The technique she just did… how come I remember seeing it somewhere?"

"That's the Viking Horn," Momo watched Hitomi play against the reverse orthodox player. "It's a technique that puts a huge impact on the ball while she delays the technique. There was someone from Higa _Chuu_ that had this technique. Mai, you saw through it didn't you?"

"It was some girl from Higa _Chuu_," Mai noted quietly while recalling her freshmen years. "Hikifumi-_senpai_ played Singles against her remember?"

Haruka knew what they were talking about and it wasn't odd that they were talking about it. She knew the technique so well because of what had happened. After Osakada-_senpai_ had to pair up with a helpless Sanada Momo, Haruka forced herself to play Singles in order to keep Hyotei in the tournament.

"That's where my Dragon's Retaliation came from," Haruka smiled inwardly to herself.

Hitomi saw the next shot coming and fired it with a forehand. Keika, sliding over, knocked the next shot as a cord ball forcing Hitomi to come forward. The volley intensified with each return, some soft and some hard. As the two started volleying faster and faster, Kiyone's eyes widened at how fast they were volleying.

"Wow," Kiyone couldn't help but gape at what she was seeing.

Ayane shook her head disbelievingly. "Wow, I didn't know _senpai_ could volley at that speed."

"Of course she can," Rin jumped unto Haruka's back. "She just rarely shows it."

"I wanna volley like that," Kiyone sighed while Shizuru ruffled the younger girl's hair.

"I'm sure you'll be able to," Shizuru smiled kindly at the smaller girl as Keika snatched the next point from Hitomi.

"Game, Kyouza: two games to three!"

Hitomi adjusted her racquet strings while watching the ball bounce towards her. It was her serve now and the data master couldn't help but smirk. Keika countered her _Moujuu Aura _on the first turn and not most girls do that. They usually end up cowering in fear except a few exceptionally talented ones like Nagisaki Mai and Kurenai Shizuru. Kotetsu Naomi was another but she only took in consideration the main players in Kantou Regionals. Hitomi bounced the ball up and down before looking back at Keika who didn't seem fazed by the _Moujuu Aura_. Smirking, Hitomi tossed the ball up and hit a very different serve.

Spinning around weirdly, the ball curled around like a spring and landed right on the cross of the service box. Keika tried to return it but the ball zipped past her cheek landing right behind her.

"Fifteen – love," Hitomi smirked while pointing the racquet at her.

"Ninety percent says you can't return it," Hitomi pushed up her glasses. "After all, this belonged to a famous player now didn't it?"

Everyone gaped at the new service and Mai recognized it right away. "It's Echizen's Twist Serve but less lethal, interesting."

Hitomi fired another Twist Serve but Keika moved back far enough to return the shot. The two began an intense rally again and Keika slipped from one side to another without losing stamina. Hitomi could feel buckets of sweat pouring down her face already and she hadn't used anything draining. Breathing in sharply, Hitomi continued hitting the shots towards the corners and Keika began sliding left and right without breaking much of a sweat.

"Your movement's slowing down," Keika smirked while backhanding the ball. "Is there something wrong today?"

Hitomi felt her knees suddenly buckle down as she fell on one knee but still able to return another shot.

_I shouldn't be buckling down like this,_ Hitomi recalled all the training she did. _There was an eighty percent chance that the heat could be this bad._ The data master of Hyotei continued rallying no matter how weak and heavy her arms felt. She recalled the times playing with her _senpai_ in the blazing sun and stormy nights; supposedly, this was nothing. However, the heat blazed on causing Hitomi to blur in sight and miss the target from a very large margin.

"Out, fifteen all," Hitomi rubbed her eyes to see that she had hit the other bleachers.

Shizuru covered her eyes from the blazing sun. "At the most, _senpai_ would only last another two hours."

Mai winced at the heat. "Hopefully, she wins the match and we can all go home!"

"It's not that hot," Hiyoshi snorted at the _tensai_. "You're just such a pampered brat."

"Please," Mai rolled her eyes. "Enlighten me, O Great _Baka_-Waka."

The two bickered again while most of the Hyotei regulars were wondering whether or not they would become an "item". Shizuru however kept her eyes on the game as Hitomi finally took the next point from the opponent. The second year captain couldn't help but smile at Hitomi's performance although she would have preferred if Hitomi figured out the racquet by herself rather than having Inui help her.

"She's doing well," Shizuru smiled while murmuring softly. "I'm sure she would be able to play both Singles and Doubles in the Nationals. Though, I hope she can play against Seigaku without sweating like a pig on the court. The heat's actually terrifying."

Soon, the clouds started getting thicker and thicker until thunder cracked when Hitomi sent the ball over.

"Forty – fifteen," Hitomi breathed hard while Keika readied herself for the next serve.

"I'm surprised that we're going to be playing in a storm now," Keika held out her hand. "This should be interesting."

Tossing the ball up, Hitomi fired it towards the lines again with Keika returning with solid flat returns. She knew that Keika would try something more complicated as the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ made its appearance again together with a technique that had shown itself recently.

The _Tsubame Gaeshi_ rolled straight towards Hitomi, forcing her to miss the shot.

"Forty – thirty," Hitomi tilted her glasses up while returning to the baseline.

I'm surprised that she brought out Fuji-_san's_ technique. Not many people can replicate that move, let alone understand the concept. I know how to return it but not at that kind of speed. By using my top spin, Kyouza combined it with the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ and the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ in order to triple the return power. Now, that is a _tensai_ style strategy, Hitomi grinned business-like at the outcome. Things are finally getting interesting to collect more data.

Keika noticed that soon, Hitomi's shots became deeper and deeper to the point of touching the exact intersection of two lines. The data master stared the next shot down as she performed the Sonic Volley right over the net.

"Game, Yamaguchi: four games to two!"

Hitomi breathed in slowly before taking another serve. _Kyouza-san is taking the match quite well despite the pressure she must be feeling,_ Hitomi fired another backhand at her. Well, I'm amazed that she isn't freaking out but what exactly is she planning to do now?

"A _tensai_ always has something planned up her sleeve," Keika smirked before slicing the ball as it promptly smacked the top of the net.

_Darn, a cord ball,_ Hitomi rushed forward to return the shot back at Keika. The shots are becoming more and more complicated and the percentages are fluctuating. This is quite the match. Her racquet lowers at least five centimetres before she does the _Tsubame Gaeshi_. However, there are many times that she looks like that it's just going to be a cord ball. The structure of the racquet plays with the level of control therefore giving her more spin every time. Quite the _tensai_ we have here, I wonder who designed her racquet…

"My grandfather did," Keika smiled serenely again. "Though, he kinda chose to teach in Rokkaku rather than St. Rudolph."

_Tensai_ _are the hardest to predict. Make sure you get all your data right,_ Hitomi dashed to the other end to make sure she could return the next reverse shot.

It's amazing how she could perform _Tsubame Gaeshi _with her racquet in reverse, Hitomi continued watching the ball zoom back and forth between them. Another Viking Horn came her way and Hitomi decided to stay in one place before it finally fired. The moment it cracked off, Hitomi dashed right away only forcibly lob it into the air. Keika smirked when the next shot was going to fire straight at her.

"You know, it's sad," Keika continued smiling. "You're going to force your captain to play."

"Not necessarily," Hitomi fired the ball with a forehand. "There is a seventy two percent chance that I will still win."

"Oh, your odds have decreased now?" Keika giggled softly. "Would you like to explain to me why?"

"Data would never lie to me," Hitomi spoke out of the blue. "So, it's quite simple; why should I give you the secret of my tennis to you?"

Keika shrugged while running towards the next shot. Hitomi started making a fool out of her as another shot soared over the net simply towards the corner.

"Love – fifteen," Keika smirked before preparing another serve.

It's always fun to toy with people sometimes; Keika fired a fast curve ball causing Hitomi to promptly miss the shot. Her data is what they deem 'perfect' but, there is no such thing as a perfect set of data. Data has at least a small percentage of flaws in it and I will show her now what that means…!

"Maa~, I don't see what the problem is," Keika fired another curve ball towards her. "Why can't you return it now?"

Hitomi let the ball zip past her again. She was catching up and the ball would zoom so much differently. _That's definitely not the Habu_, Hitomi remembered Madoka using it against the Uchiha-Nagisaki pair. _The shot would have been more lethal and if this is only her twenty percent level of control then, there is something definitely wrong. I need more data…_

Soon, Keika's moves became more and more unpredictable like a lob that landed exactly on the corner of the Singles Line.

"Fifteen all," Keika brushed her hair back before returning back to the baseline.

Hitomi breathed in sharply as the next shot zoomed over the net. She sent a volley towards Keika but her forehand zoomed right past her and landed right on the service box intersection.

"Thirty – fifteen," Hitomi snapped her head back at where Keika was standing as the _tensai_ got ready for her next shot.

Otohime smirked while watching the match turn back in Hitomi's favour. There was something the data master had forgotten to consider and even though the data wouldn't lie, Otohime knew something that Hitomi had forgotten to take down.

_Keika never uses her real style unless it's someone she knows she can't defeat._

Keika lobbed the next shot while Hitomi got ready to smash. However, the moment she smashed, Hitomi found the ball returning as a lob and dropping dead lock on the corner of the singles line.

"Forty – fifteen," Hitomi swivelled her head towards the direction of where the ball landed.

Keika scored another smash, bringing the control back to her.

"Game, Kyouza: three games to four!"

"She's catching up pretty fast, isn't she?" Cynthia lazily leaned against the bench. "Yamaguchi's got no chance against her now."

Madoka watched Keika forehand it fast only to have it returned by Hitomi's Sonic Volley. "Well, it's not too bad considering that Yamaguchi Hitomi is also a _Zenkoku_-calibre player."

"Wow, she's hitting so fast," Ume jumped up and down cheekily. "I can't believe her shots are flying faster than ever!"

"This data master's different, her data can be contorted in different ways and still work," Madoka noticed while Hitomi began shooting deep again. "I wonder how she does all those calculations in a single sitting without losing her concentration."

Hitomi's shot missed as Keika smirked after performing a super spin. "Not bad but you still have a lot more to work on."

Breathing heavily, Hitomi did her best to keep the consistency of her shots but with the sun blazing down, it seemed impossible. Her eye lids were drooping but she knew that the only way to win was through stamina. Keika wasn't too far behind and soon, sweat too began pouring all over her face. The data master stared down at the _tensai_ as the next shot made its way through.

"Thirty – love," Keika tossed her hair back with a smirk towards Hitomi.

"Forty – love," another top spin broke through Hitomi's defences.

Kiyone gripped the handle bar. "What's _senpai_ doing? She's throwing the game!"

"She's collecting data I think," Ayane tried to pacify the younger girl.

Momo winced at the situation. Hitomi never lost this badly to someone at the same time – the girl's data was barely wrong. Secondly, Keika never reached National Calibre level like they did and she was playing Hitomi down as if she were nothing. The rally ensued with Hitomi going on the defensive and Keika firing left and right, forcing the data girl to run. With her eyes widening, Momo watched Hitomi crash unto the ground soundly while the ball rolled past her.

"Game, Kyouza: four games all!"

"She's catching up," Haruka bit her lip while watching. "Hitomi, you better find a strategy or so God help us…"

Beginning with her service, Hitomi backhanded cross court while Keika did a top spin drop shot. Forced to move forward, Hitomi engaged into another volley and Keika began top spinning in all different angles. Hitomi watched the ball fly in different directions as Keika began to move more sluggish. Her feet dragged themselves while Hitomi noticed her vision was beginning to blur. The heat hit them harder as both their knees began to buckle down. Keika began breathing harder as Hitomi's volleys began slowing down.

"Hitomi only has thirty minutes after she completely collapses," Momo checked her watch before looking at the sun. "Man, the heat hasn't died out yet."

Inui held out a pitcher of neon green liquid. "Perhaps, my Energy Rejuvenator Hyper Remix 3.5 might be able to help her."

"Honestly, I think that will just kill her," Haruka raised an eyebrow at the bespectacled data master of Seigaku.

Hitomi forehanded the next shot across the court, landing right on the singles corner.

"Fifteen – love," Hitomi regulated her breathing before she started losing control of her limbs.

All of a sudden, Keika let go off her racquet, hearing a loud clattering on the floor. Her body trembled while sweat poured down her face and her eyes were slowly dulling. Hitomi could feel the whole world closing in on her. No matter how much she tried to stand, the world just started getting darker. However, Hitomi recalled the days when she first started her data tennis.

_Flashback_

"Hey, Hitomi," a taller girl called out to the smaller first year Yamaguchi Hitomi. "I hear you're working on a style of tennis?"

The smaller blonde girl nodded while she looked at an ever smiling _senpai_ of hers extended her hand. "Shall we take a look at the tennis courts? Usually, the street tennis courts have good sources of inspiration there. For all you know, you might make up your own tennis without even knowing."

_Flashback End_

_There's so much that still needs to be perfected. If I faint here, where does my effort go? _Hitomi shook away the daze as she got ready to serve again. Tossing the ball up, she watched Keika steady herself for the next serve. She watched Keika's right side twitch visibly and Hitomi smiled at the outcome. The heat turned the tables in her favour.

"Thirty – love," the serve cracked off right in the middle when Keika relied on her right side to spring sideways.

"Doesn't that move require absolute balance?" Haruka turned to Rin who poked Mai.

"This step is known as the _Carioca Step_, sometimes even dancers use it but this requires good balance because you need to cross your legs," Mai remembered trying to do it. "I managed to do it only once but the one who could really do it was Midoriyama-_senpai_. That's why she and Momo-_senpai_ made such a good team."

"Both of us had balance and martial arts oriented styles," Momo smiled ruefully before watching the next two serves score.

"Game, Yamaguchi: five games to four!"

Inui watched Hitomi's curly long blonde hair bounce and for some strange reason, he couldn't peel his eyes off her. Tilting his glasses, Inui tried to distract himself from other "pointless" thoughts.

_Yamaguchi Hitomi_, Inui began scribbling. Age: 14, Birthday is on April 15, 1992 and often times, spends her birthday quietly. Using techniques such as Sonic Volley and Ghastly Serve, Hitomi confuses her opponents with multiple calculations. Her doubles partner is often times – Uchiha Isane. Hitomi, once a Chemistry club student, was recruited by Kotetsu Naomi also known as _Espada _Naomi. She has beautiful curly blonde, wait, what am I saying!?

"Nyah, Inui looks so interested in Hitomi-_chan_, nyah," Kikumaru peeked from behind Oishi.

Tilting his glasses to conceal his blush, Inui coughed a bit to throw them off. "It's just the heat unless you want some juice Kikumaru…"

_Oh yes, being the manager had its quirks._

Momoshiro noted as Keika jumped up high for the serve. "Wait a minute; I've seen that serve somewhere!"

Hitomi watched the ball descend with astounding speed. Smirking, she ran towards it and caught the serve though it was spinning heavily on her racquet.

"There was a ninety percent chance that you would use that serve," Hitomi smirked while returning it with a fast forehand. "That's the _Kouho_ isn't it?"

"I knew it," Momoshiro jumped excitedly. "It's Sengoku's Tiger Cannon! But seriously, I didn't know she could do that!"

The ball flew over but Keika managed to repel it back easily with a backhand. Hitomi dashed to the side with a powerful forehand zooming towards the other side while Keika managed to run it down and lob it as a drop shot. Seeing it coming down, Hitomi prepared for a smash until she noticed a certain rotation in the ball.

"It won't go over," Hitomi tossed her blonde hair back. "Not with that weak spin you just gave me."

Fair enough, the shot didn't go over. It simply slid down the net and rolled limply towards Keika.

"Love – fifteen," Keika sighed before preparing for another _Kouho_.

As the _Kouho_ flew over, Hitomi ran towards it for a volley while Keika sliced it straight down for an under spin. Anticipating the next shot, Hitomi sent it over easy with a top spin while Keika added more spin to the previous shot. Hitomi saw the ball bounce awkwardly towards her and slammed it hard over the net by a few inches.

_The lower I can do it, the better,_ the data master watched Keika split step to hit the ball while Hitomi began rallying normally. Watching Keika's footwork change drastically, Hitomi recalled the data about Split Step almost immediately. After all, if there was someone who could give her good data on that it was their very own dancing genius Nagisaki Mai.

"The Split Step may reduce your reaction time down to a mere decimal but that doesn't mean it's impossible to catch," Hitomi slammed the ball across. "The Split Step, depending on your size, would only cut one third of your normal reaction time thus making some changes to the percentages."

"It's still quite an achievement," Keika smiled before backhanding it over. "Don't you think so?"

"I think it's rather useless," Hitomi smirked before smiling all business-like. "After all, data doesn't lie and from my calculations, ninety nine percent says that your Split Step will not even score you a single point."

"Oh," Keika showed no intimidation. "Okay then, let's test that theory."

From the Split Step, Keika revealed the _Carioca_ step thus making a different change to her style. She knew that Hitomi already knew how to deal with both steps but that didn't mean she knew how to deal with her per say. Keika's eyes flashed a bit when she saw Hitomi darting to another side.

"We're back to the reverse style now are we?" Keika mumbled before firing another shot. "You couldn't return this one before!"

The shot was badly delayed scoring another point from Hitomi, "Fifteen – all!"

Shizuru watched Hitomi pass the ball back and forth as the shots became more delayed. However, the thing was that Keika wasn't exerting that much effort as if the game didn't matter to her. The next shot was scored by her Viking Horn followed by Hitomi's Sonic Volley.

* * *

Atobe on the other hand had dragged Ayane all the way to a badminton court. The said vice captain didn't even understand but Atobe knew that she wasn't going to listen even if he did explain it to her. However, the king of Hyotei Gakuen knew that if there was one way to make her listen to him: it was to beat her in her own game. Handing her a thin racquet, Atobe nodded to her.

"So, shall we have a game?" Atobe smirked while tossing his hair back.

Ayane stared quizzically. "You don't play badminton, you moron."

"Well," Atobe got on to one side. "_Ore-sama_ thinks you should go on that side of the court and start."

Snatching the racquet, Ayane began with a light service followed by Atobe flicking his wrist and sending the shot over. Ayane knew that footwork wasn't her strong point but she managed to send hard shots that had Atobe sprinting left and right. If she can't run that fast then, Atobe would have to do all the running.

_He's surprisingly good for someone who's played tennis more than badminton,_ Ayane noted before slamming the next shot in.

Atobe gave her the _Hamutsu e no Rondo_ quite easily followed by a few fast shots. Though he felt this was ridiculous, Atobe recalled the conversation with Shizuru and what she knew about Ayane.

_If there is one thing about Kobayagi, the only way to make her submit to you is to beat her at her own game._

Atobe didn't like breaking Ayane's pride (secretly thinking that her pride was what made her so beautiful in the first place) but he had to make her submit somehow. Atobe recalled trying everything and nothing seemed to work. Oishi wasn't even breaking a sweat over it and they were laughing together already. Marui also seemed to be competition and Atobe couldn't help but growl at each of their images in his mind.

_Oh how nice would it be if I could just shut them up._

That sentence repeated itself again and again in his head. Atobe didn't want to kick them out of the scene but they were being too friendly with Ayane already. The vice captain practically didn't care whether or not Atobe had feelings for him. Before he could continue with that trail of thought, Devil Atobe and Angel Atobe appeared on his shoulder, arguing.

**Come on, what's ore-sama's problem? Just knock the racquet out a few times.**

_Ore-sama earns her with respect, not with humiliation, Keigo._

**Who gives a crap about respect? Just beat the hell out of her and use it in a bet!**

_Ayane's probably like that because__ore-sama's ego sometimes is a bit too big._

**What do you mean "too big"? We have every right to be arrogant! Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina!**

_Arn~, ore-sama shouldn't think that way.__After all, Ayane is a bit fragile and delicate._

**Delicate my ass, she's Hercules.**

Atobe couldn't believe that he had two of these consciences peeking over his shoulder while he played against Ayane. The score was even since they both agreed to a fifteen point match. However, Atobe then remembered that he hadn't informed Ayane about the bet. So, with a smirk, Atobe fired the shuttle cock straight down.

"Wait," Atobe returned to the receiving end. "Before we continue, let's make a bet."

Ayane smirked while twirling her racquet. "Bring it on but I'm not answering to your whims because I'm going to win!"

_How sure are you, Ayane?_ Atobe smirked to himself while the Devil Atobe was beside himself with glee. The King of Hyotei quickly smashed the ball straight down forcing her to lob the shot again. Atobe knew one thing and that was in badminton, there were rarely any rallies. Seeing the ball high enough, Atobe jumped up while targeting her wrist.

**Take her down, ore-sama!**

"ORE-SAMA NO BIGI NI YOINA," Atobe smirked and smashed the shuttle cock against her wrist causing her to wince a bit and fumble. He only needed to do it once though in tennis it was better off being done twice. Seeing the points add up, Ayane was just three points away from winning the bet.

"Darn," Ayane scowled before throwing her racquet into her bag. "Alright, name your price, mole diva."

Atobe contemplated on it for a moment, watching her anxious face break into a cold sweat.

_She's so cute when she's anxious._

"_Ore-sama_," Atobe scratched his chin a bit, smirking. "_Ore-sama _wants you to be his girlfriend for a month which means, no interacting with Seigaku or Rikkai Dai."

"Wha," Ayane stared at him agape. She prayed that Atobe said wrong.

_You're dead sister; he said the words you regret._

Ayane's eyes widened with horror while she processed everything in her head. Atobe didn't just say what she thinks he just said and the king of Hyotei didn't have a joking face either. His icy blue eyes glinted with all the firmness and seriousness in that decision alone. Ayane, trembling a bit, bit her lip until she realized that the _buchou_ of Hyotei wasn't joking.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!? NO WAY IN HELL," Ayane backed off before shaking her head in disgust. "There's no way in hell that will make me your girlfriend!"

"_Ore-sama _won the bet didn't he?" Atobe furrowed his brows at the first year. "So, since he won – you will have to obey _ore-sama_."

Ayane clenched her fists. "What the hell is that!? You should have at least informed me!"

"_Ore-sama_ did inform you," Atobe shrugged, smirking. "_Ore-sama_ thinks that you just didn't hear it and decided to abruptly cut him off."

Ayane, inwardly growling at herself, decided to stick to her word and honour the bet. "Fine," –she growled. "But only for a week."

"A month," Atobe corrected while smirking at the gaping vice captain. "You will do whatever a real girlfriend does, including the calls and making the bento."

"But you have five star chefs," Ayane spluttered. "What do you need me for?"

"_Ore-sama_ sometimes needs a break from luxury food," Atobe smirked before walking out. "So, shall we go, Ayane?"

Ayane, muttering a string of curses, followed behind Atobe while sweetly smiling. "Yes I'm coming, Atobe."

"It's Keigo," Atobe teased her a bit. "As _ore-sama's_ girlfriend, you should be calling him 'Keigo'."

* * *

"Game and match, Yamaguchi: six games to four!"

Hitomi, breathing heavily, dragged her feet to the bench before opening her water jug. She smiled inwardly after collecting all that valuable data about Kyouza Keika but now, what bugged her was: why was Inui looking at her so intently while scribbling on his notebook?

_In collecting data, you shouldn't get distracted by other things;_ Hitomi smirked at Seigaku's data man who in turn hid his face in the notebook again.

Haruka stared at the neon green liquid. "For crying out loud, how do you digest that stuff?"

"It's vegetable juice. I'm sure it won't kill me," Hitomi inhaled sharply after closing her water jug.

"It was a good match although," Sakaki shaded his eyes from the glaring sun. "Next time, bring a cap to cover your eyes otherwise your glasses will be glaring at everyone."

"It worked to my advantage though," Hitomi shrugged while opening her notebook. "Though, I'm pretty sure that there was only a 56.89 percent chance of it being this blazing."

Kiyone wiped away her sweat. "Well, what do you expect? It's _El Niño_!"

"What?" All the regulars stared at her agape.

"It's what people call extreme heat at a certain point in summer climate," Shizuru rolled up her sleeves. "That's what happens after a lot of global warming."

"Speaking of which," Rin snickered while watching a furious Ayane stomp towards them. "I think someone just got spazzed by the global warming."

Ayane, burning with rage, hissed while pointing at Atobe. "That idiot…! Rrrr," Ayane slammed the wall with her fist.

Kiyone looked at both sides of her ears. "I think there's steam coming out of each side."

"ARGH, ATOBE KEIGO," Ayane screamed into the sky. "I HATE YOU!"

Atobe however had a sense of satisfaction while starting to think of ways how to get Ayane to fall over. However, the match then didn't proceed as the score was announced.

"Game, Hyotei Gakuen: three games to one!"

The whole Hyotei student body cheered and roared loudly while the girls' team met with the other side while bowing to one another.

"Thank you for the match!" Both teams chorused at one another.

Seigaku's female captain however, snorted a bit after seeing that Shizuru won't play anymore since St. Rudolph was now in a ridiculous situation. Fuuka watched Shizuru coach the others while glancing back at her own team. Shibuya Rangiku watched the members chatter with each other excitedly while she eyed Sanada Momo.

_Hm,_ Fuuka watched the members start discussing about the next line-up. I didn't know Kurenai was this strict. Shibuya can hold her end but what about Ryuuzaki? This is her first year here and she practically has Vera commanding her on what to do. Kiyone and Ayane function like a single human and that's why they've won. Sanada's been evolving and so has the Dragon Pair but why, why?

Why can't I evolve?

Fuuka's fist clenched when she saw the next game come up.

_Hyotei Gakuen vs. Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu_

_Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu vs. Ramusen Gakuen_

_Jyosei Shounan vs. Kasumi Daiyon _

_Seishun Gakuen vs. Rokkaku Chuu_

_Hyotei Gakuen's dominating that fast,_ Fuuka turned away with a snort. _I'll beat you this time, just you wait._

Watching Fuuka walk away, Fuji tapped Tezuka. "Saa~, how ironic – both Seigaku and Hyotei have the same rivalry."

"Aa," Tezuka smiled a bit when he saw the sun glint off Shizuru's reddish brown hair (that's the colour of my hair really).

Fuji opened his eyes while watching Tezuka's eyes focus on Hyotei's captain. He knew that this affection towards Shizuru was growing a lot stronger than Tezuka ever imagined but, the captain remained completely dense. Well, both captains didn't seem to know a thing or two about it.

_Perhaps, a little push should do the trick,_ Fuji smiled sinisterly and followed behind the other Seigaku members.

-That's chapter 20! Please review!


	21. The Arcane Dance

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 21 – Arcane Dance

After the match between Saint Rudolph and Hyotei Gakuen, the team had decided to drag their socially-challenged _buchou_ to the mall. Shizuru, trying to pull away, watched her effort go in vain as Ayane and Momo, being the strongest amongst the regulars managed to drag her towards the mall. Shizuru even tried running away but Rin managed to somersault over her and push her towards the other direction.

_It's not that I don't want to go,_ Shizuru sighed deeply to herself. I have to head home; my family well expects me to be there early. Though, they may treat me differently at least they acknowledge my existence. Other than that, I could have at least gone training to improve my service! That way, they won't get hurt. My family won't know that…

Before Shizuru could finish her thought, a malicious voice cut through them. "Well, well, well, isn't it the Kurenai brat. Didn't _otou-sama_ tell you to head home after the match!?"

The team froze at who stood in front of them. There were five boys and one of them was very recognizable to Mai. Bristling through her teeth, Mai stepped in front of her best friend while snarling.

"You're that pathetic excuse of an older brother," Mai pulled back for a punch until Isane and Momo held her back. "Don't you have anything better to do, Aikawa Onryou!?"

He tossed his hair back, causing Ayane to have a brief flashback of Atobe and making her twitch. "Well, is it bad to have fun once and awhile?"

"I throw the question back at you," Mai spat back before lunging towards him. "Your name is so ironic, I want to really kick you and show you what it means!"

Kiyone shivered while hiding behind Shizuru. This was the first time she had seen Mai so angry; the _tensai's_ knuckles were practically white and her amber gold eyes glittered with murderous intent. There were times that Mai simply giggled and smiled like a normal sadist but seeing Mai blowing up caused Kiyone to shiver. Looking up, Kiyone witnessed an emotion in Shizuru's eyes that she had never seen before either.

It was fear.

The one queen she had always looked up to, the one whom she considered fearless, the greatest and even her mother shivered but didn't show any signs of horror on her face. Everything else seemed to glisten in her eyes as Mai got ready to bite the man's arm off. Kiyone clung on to Shizuru tightly when she saw Ayane roll up her sleeves and got ready to enter a brawl with the older man.

"I don't know why Mai-_senpai_'s angry but the way you addressed Shizuru-_senpai_ is just disrespectful," Ayane cracked her knuckles and found herself being held back by the Dragon Pair.

One of Onryou's friends sniggered at the red haired _tensai_. "Hey, this one doesn't look half bad. Think we should rough her up?"

Snarling, Mai got ready to punch when she saw kick aiming for her gut. The three girls moved back until something pushed his leg back down or rather – someone pushed the kick down and got in between them. Mai fell backwards towards Momo and Isane while staring in shock at who had blocked the kick. Ayane got ready to punch Onryou but found an arm in front of her. Shizuru's auburn eyes somehow became more crimson when her gaze darkened at her teammates.

_Please, don't try anything anymore._

Ayane halted in her steps while Kiyone nearly fell over after she stopped right behind the vice captain. The brother smirked while Shizuru bowed, hanging her head.

"_Dozo gomenasai, nii-sama,_" Shizuru bit her lip while motioning her teammates to back down. "It won't happen again."

"It better not," he snorted with a huff. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"

Grabbing Shizuru roughly, he dragged her off along with his snickering friends. The team helplessly watched their captain get dragged away while Shizuru smiled ruefully at them. Momo bit her lip; Isane hung her head sadly while the others stared at the people who dragged their captain off.

"Who was that," Kiyone tugged Hitomi's jacket. "I didn't even get why Mai-Mai was so angry."

"That was Shizuru's older stepbrother, Aikawa Onryou," Mai's snarl seethed through her teeth. "He's the eldest amongst the stepsiblings and a total pain…"

"He's also a tennis player but not as talented as our _buchou_," Hitomi began flipping through the pages. "Unlike her, his skills as a tennis player are nearly abysmal and could even make Jirou sleep on him. No, I'd say Kikumaru-_san_ would sleep on the courts. Point is – the only reason why she fears him is because…"

Before Hitomi could say anything, she found all the regulars staring intently at her while Hitomi snapped the notebook shut. "I cannot reveal anything to you," –she remembered the last time Shizuru found out. "The consequences would be disastrous."

"Why," Kiyone cocked her head to the side, innocently. "Is it that bad?"

"There's only one person who knows what happens inside that house," Mai bit her lip. "It's Kotetsu-_buchou_."

"She trusted her that much?" Ayane nudged the _tensai_ who bit her lip. "Who is Kotetsu-_buchou_ anyway? She sounds amazing!"

Momo explained for the _tensai_. "That explains how strong she was. Kotetsu Naomi-_senpai_ saved Hyotei from the recent slump while Shigetsu Kaori did for Seishun Gakuen. The two of them were neck to neck along with Rikkai Dai's famous Sorceress Homura Katsuki. These three dominated Japan along with some of the international tournaments and the moment they hit third year, the three of them knew that it was time to pass the torch. The receivers of the torch are: Rikkai Dai's Yukimura Ai, Seishun Gakuen's Souma Fuuka and last but not the least – Hyoutei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru. The three were trained do only one thing and that was to get their school to the top of Nationals."

"Is that why _buchou_'s relentless when it comes to training?" Ayane stared aghast. "Is that why she always triples her training?"

"She wants to make sure that she never lets Kotetsu-_buchou_ down," Haruka smiled weakly. "It's almost depressing to see her working so hard and no one recognizes her for it. She plays tennis for fun; not to go out and practically settle a rivalry. That's what made _buchou_ so strong in the first place. I mean – most of us are third year and normally, we're the better ones but here we are, being outdone by those who are either a year younger or two years our junior."

Mai turned away sadly, her voice fading away. "She's also the one made Shizuru so emotionless to begin with."

"That's not true," Rin pat Mai on the shoulder. "She's always been like that."

"I'm not intimately attached to her," Mai sighed. "But – she was my best friend for a long time and always watching her cry to Kotetsu-_buchou_ made me… bitter."

Hitomi sighed while patting the _tensai _on the head. "I'm sure Kotetsu-_buchou_ didn't mean anything bad. Shizuru admired her a lot."

Ayane shook her head. "You know what – this is getting depressing! Let's head back home. I'm sure we need to get some sleep for our match against Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu."

Before leaving, Haruka suddenly got grabbed by Rin. "Haru-_chan_, can we go ice skating first?"

Puzzled, Haruka allowed herself to get dragged by her partner while the others headed home.

* * *

Mai, on the other hand, didn't head straight home. Seeing a disco on the side, the tensai quietly entered when she saw many of the teens drinking and even getting drunk. The dance and the beat soon got her moving and joining everyone else on the dance floor. The music soon got teenagers licking one another and practically going to a dark corner and attending to their own personal business. Mai sat at a bar while the man got a glass.

"There anything ya need, lil' missy?" He began shaking a mixture of alcohol. "You drink a bit?"

Mai looked at the tempting shot glass. "No thanks, I can't drink. I have to stay in top shape."

"You sure sweetheart," a drunken teenager approached her with slurred speech. "You seem to look like you want a shot."

"Really," Mai shoved him away. "Your breath stinks and for the record – I don't drink."

Grabbing Mai's hand roughly, the drunkard dragged her to the dance floor. No matter how hard she struggled, he wouldn't let go and soon – his body began closing in on hers. The _tensai_ snuck past him easily and managed to get to the back but few more drunk teenagers blocked her way and pushed her back. Mai began slipping through the crowd again until she felt someone grab her. Mai fell through the crowd and landed flat on her face.

"Hey," Mai completely stiffened when she saw who it was who saved her, "S-Seiichi-s-I mean – Yukimura-_kun_! What are you doing in a place like this?"

The bluenette captain of Rikkai Dai helped her up. "Well," –he chuckled lightly. "My cousin brought me here since she believes I needed a little fun in my life. What are you doing here, Nagisaki-_chan_?"

"Well, I thought I could have a little fun without getting drunk," Mai dusted her Regular's jacket. "Then again – what can I expect from bars? It's just loaded with drinking."

"Not really," Yukimura shrugged. "You just need to know how to avoid it. After all, being a tennis player has quite a demand. Not only that, you don't look your age."

"Hey," she punched his arm playfully. "I'm not that old looking!"

"You're pretty tall for your age though," Yukimura pointed out with his oh-so-sweet smile. "Not only that, you could actually pull off being a model."

Restraining herself from fainting and squealing like a fan girl, Mai inhaled sharply while fanning herself inconspicuously as possible. Being this close to Yukimura was only in her dreams and Mai could feel her heart pumping wildly and the beat echoing in her ears. If her doubles partner were there, the captain would smile serenely at her with the 'you-will-tell-me-everything' face. Mai couldn't help but gaze into Yukimura's eyes, smiling inwardly.

"May I ask what you're thinking about?" Yukimura's silky voice cut through her thoughts. "Your face is extremely red."

Mai shook her head while trying to cover up the heat on her face. "W-Well, it's nothing! I think it's just the atmosphere!"

"Really," Yukimura began looking around. "I wonder then…"

Mai hung her head, praying that the place would make her blush some trick of the light. The _tensai_ couldn't believe that of all times, he had to appear in a bar! She quietly sat next to him, wondering how to inch closer without him noticing her presence. Mai glanced at him once and when seeing his head turn, the _tensai_ turned away again. Sighing inwardly to herself, Mai decided to watch the people dance instead until her phone began ringing.

_Hi, I'm sure you haven't heard from me in awhile but I need to talk you about something. I know I don't have a good impression on you but please come, it's urgent. Please meet me at the fountain in the mall center. Haruka-chan, Rin-chan, Isane-chan and Momo-chan are already here with Hitomi-chan and the others. –Kotetsu Naomi_

_There are others? _Mai's eyes widened at the name before scowling. "I'm sorry Yukimura-_kun_ but I have to go."

"Maybe I should go with you," Yukimura offered while standing up. "It's bad to see a girl walk home alone."

Mai whooped in joy deep down and went out the door while Yukimura followed behind. Breathing in the fresh air and listening to the bustling of people, Mai began looking around until she found girls standing by the fountain. They were recognizable as her _senpai_ and fair enough, Kotetsu Naomi stood there waiting for her. The only thing was…

Shizuru wasn't there.

_This is serious,_ Mai began looking amongst the group. She didn't even bother calling her protégé. Shizuru is usually the one who's up to date on this.

Yukimura nudged her. "Shall we go?"

"Okay," Mai allowed Yukimura to tag along. _Naomi-senpai didn't mention anything about him not being able to come anyway._

When she approached her _senpai_, Mai forced a smile. "Hi _senpai-tachi_, what are you all doing here? By the way, this is Yukimura Seiichi of Rikkai Dai."

Yukimura bowed. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything."

"No you're not but," Naomi smiled gently yet apologetically. "I think you should leave Mai for awhile. It's a private matter."

_You could have said that on the text message,_ Mai rolled her eyes. "But, you…"

"It's alright," Yukimura smiled before leaving. "I'll go now. See you soon, Nagisaki-_chan_."

All former regulars and current ones were standing in front of her. Ferero Lulu was there, Osakada Yuri was there and the only ones not there were Midoriyama and Shizuru. Their faces were serious while Naomi let out a sigh. "Mai, I just want to know – how is Shizuru doing?"

"Better," Mai answered placidly. "Though, she was a lot better before you turned Shizuru into a rock!"

"Mai," Isane chided. "Don't say that! Shizuru-_chan_ isn't a rock!"

Momo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mai, I don't know exactly what happened but insulting her won't be much help."

Calming down, Mai inhaled sharply. "So, what did you call us for?"

"It's about Shizuru," Naomi hung her head. "When I passed by after school, there were loud screams and breakages echoing around the corner. Taking a look, at first – I believed it was one of those thug fights but… apparently, I was disastrously wrong."

Haruka's eyes widened. "_Masaka_, Shizuru-_buchou_… _Kanojo ni nani kotogaare ka_?" (Don't tell me, Shizuru-_buchou_… what happened to her?)

"She was beaten up," Naomi bit her lip. "I know Shizuru was trained to fight but she didn't even raise a finger. She didn't even cry… haven't you guys tried having her over in your house?"

"Think I never tried?" Mai rolled her eyes. "Besides, she's been declining every request we've given her. Shizuru believes she owes them."

"Just try to support her as well," Lulu pleaded. "Shizuru may be captain but she's still just your age!"

"A table cannot stand on one leg alone," Naomi gently prodded. "Though a phoenix can fly great miles, there will be times that she will be pinioned."

Mai sighed heavily before turning away. "I've always checked on Shizuru. Anything else you want to tell me?"

Shaking her head disbelievingly, Yuri watched Mai walk away. "For someone who considered herself the current captain's partner, she doesn't look like it."

"Mai's just not very fond of me," Naomi smiled bitterly. "After all, what I did was somewhat unforgivable: I did take away her best friend."

* * *

Nothing seemed to be wrong with Shizuru when she came to school. She played tennis normally, Haruka and Rin didn't seem to notice anything wrong but Mai knew the captain well enough to know what had happened. While playing, the two girls engaged in a rally for morning warm-up and that's when Mai began noting the changes.

_Shizuru's eyes sparkled differently, her movements increased by half_, Mai forehanded it back to Shizuru. _Does she even remember whether or not we have a match today?_

"Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu is today," Shizuru rebuked her. "I would never forget a match, Mai."

_Sure but you would forget your own injuries,_ Mai rolled her eyes while Shizuru managed to score a smash. "Are you sure your body can take it?"

"Mm hm," Shizuru started packing up her bag. "Maybe we should head for class. You go on ahead. I need to check something in the club house."

Mai stood by the fence while waiting for Shizuru. Sighing heavily, Mai stood there with the other regulars. Haruka shifted uneasily while Ayane and Kiyone tried to break the silence.

"So Yane-Yane, did you make his bento today?" Kiyone grinned sardonically. "What did you make him, rat poison?"

"No," Ayane snorted spitefully. "I managed to make him something non-poisonous. It's a small bento but hopefully – it will please his choosy little tongue."

Rin snickered. "I'm sure he won't mind since it's from his girlfriend."

Twitching, Ayane threw her hands up in annoyance. "Agh, I just hope I can survive this for a month! Insane little brat just decides after I lose to him in a badminton match!"

Snickering, Rin covered her mouth before falling over Haruka. "Wahahaha, I can't believe this! You actually put your dignity on the line!?"

"Shut up," Ayane snorted while folding her arms in disgust. "He just told me midway through the match!"

"I think it's more like you cut him off," Momo sighed before looking for Shizuru. "Hey, she's taking an awful while in there."

Isane went to the club room, only to find Shizuru bandaging her badly scuffed arms. The captain's arms were decorated with gashes that extended all the way to her forearms and some were still bleeding themselves open. Shizuru didn't look the least bit disturbed and she just continued bandaging them as if there was no one there. Ducking behind a trash can, Isane watched Shizuru apply ointment and wash her wounds again.

"I know you're there, Isane-_senpai_," Shizuru's tone becoming more melancholy. "You don't need to hide from me."

Isane peeped out of her hiding place, hanging her head low. "You don't need to conceal all those scratches," her voice came out like a concerned whisper. "Kotetsu-_senpai_ knows all about it. Nothing's going to stop her from protecting you, Shizuru-_chan_."

Shizuru smiled weakly. "Please don't tell the others. I don't want them seeing this and getting into something that's beyond their capabilities."

"Like what Kotetsu-_buchou_ told us," Isane began wrapping up Shizuru's arm. "A bird cannot keep only flying. It's bound to get tired eventually and that's where the wind comes in."

Pulling her arm gently back, Shizuru put on her regular's jacket before leaving. "It's alright – but it's the queen's job to make sure her people are at their prime. She has to be the one to lead them to the top – no matter what the consequences may be. Her personal issues soon become secondary."

Isane didn't know where she got that kind of thinking but somehow, those words seemed familiar.

_Kotetsu-buchou might have said the same thing,_ Isane followed after the brunette who cheerfully addressed the group.

"We have a game against Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu later," Shizuru brushed her hair back. "We will not lose against them! We accept no other place but the top!"

"Yeah," the whole team chorused while ignoring the bandages peeking from Shizuru's jacket.

* * *

Shizuru took her seat next to Ohtori while opening her Literature notes. Casually flipping them, she couldn't help but notice that Ohtori was glancing at her hand once every few minutes.

"Is there something wrong, Ohtori-_kun_?" Shizuru gently nudged the taller boy. "If there's something you need to tell me, then better not hide it."

"Ah well," Ohtori stammered while glancing at the bandages concealed by her blazer. "You see – there are a couple of mosquitos nearby and I was wondering how I'm going to shoo them away."

Giggling softly, Shizuru pat Ohtori's arm gently. "Lying won't get you anywhere, Ohtori-_kun_."

Ohtori gulped hard when he saw Shizuru's 'I-know-you-saw-it' smile. "Shizuru-_chan_, it's just well – it's really painful to look at."

"I know," Shizuru smiled bitterly. "It's okay. As long as Shishido-_senpai_ or Oshitari-_senpai_ won't know, nobody will make a big fuss."

"Does," Ohtori felt like the words were torn from his throat. "Does the team know about it?"

Shizuru shrugged. "Only Isane-_senpai_ seems to know about it. The rest seem oblivious about it and they should stay that way."

Ohtori sighed while continuing to listen to the teacher. Shizuru always hid her bandages and that's what made him more worried. Though a lot say that they were in a relationship, the two quickly cleared it when Ohtori 'accidentally' pushed Shizuru towards Shishido making them end up in awkward position though his _senpai_ secretly thanked him after that. Watching Shizuru's hand glide gracefully across the paper, Ohtori knew that Shishido had his ways in finding out about the damage inflicted on both of her arms.

"Shizuru-_chan_, are you going to play in the same spot today?" Ohtori saw her scribbling something else instead of notes. "I know it's the game against Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu today."

"I guess so," Shizuru smiled momentarily before becoming serious again. "What about you? Who's your opponent for today?"

Ohtori opened his planner with several names scribbled on. "Today's Ginka, we're going to play Fudomine on Wednesday and then Seigaku a week after that."

"Ginka won't be a problem," Shizuru pat him on the back. "I mean – your Scud Serve could already scare them so no need to worry. You and Shishido-_senpai_ are still undefeated."

Scratching his head sheepishly, Ohtori laughed a bit. "Ah, thanks really. I mean – Shishido-_senpai_ does most of the work."

Shizuru giggled before looking out the window at the tennis courts. The game didn't start until five 'o clock this afternoon and they were half day today. Sighing deeply to herself, Shizuru planned out how she was going to play her game today. Her opponent – was the captain, which Shizuru didn't need to be a genius to know that. Closing her eyes slightly, Shizuru imagined the cracking of the ball on the other side of the court. Shizuru quickened the rally, causing her opponent to stumble and gaining her the match.

"Game and match: Kurenai, six games to love!"

She smiled a bit at the outcome however, the image began to change. Instead of the Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu captain standing in front of her, there was a young man. Staring in shock and awe, Shizuru couldn't move until she subconsciously prepared herself for the shot. For the next five minutes, she didn't move until the ball lightly tapped the back of her heel. Turning around slowly, the young man showed the face of her stepbrother, scowling and laughing at her.

"You're nothing but a fake," it howled in laughter and soon the crowd began laughing with him. "Why does dad waste time on a weakling? You can't even do anything right!"

Shizuru froze while the whole room began to swirl around her. The room started distorting and the sky became bloodier than usual, giving Shizuru a major migraine. Biting her lip, Shizuru inhaled sharply until a loud voice snapped her out of her state:

"Shizuru-_chan_," a rude shake followed along with it. "Hey, get up! What's going on with you?"

Shaking her head, Shizuru saw everything return to normal and Shishido and Ohtori stood in front of her. She didn't even know what had happened half the time and everyone had left the classroom already. Everything just started spinning out of control and it was like the whole world started mocking her.

Shishido, lightly tapping his foot on the floor, snorted before flicking her forehead. "Geez, that's the second time you spaced out! Are you sure you can play?"

"Mm hm," She packed her bag, smiling weakly. "Though, where is everyone?"

"School ended ten minutes ago," Shishido helped her with her things. "I don't think you should play especially – with what just happened to you and your arms."

Shizuru froze at his words. Did he see what was under her blazer?

"Your hands have bandages, I'm suspecting they cover your entire arm," Shishido frowned slightly. "How many were there?"

"Ah," Shizuru felt the words get stuck in her throat. "It's nothing, really Shishido-_senpai_."

* * *

Ayane on the other hand, had to go with Atobe to an extremely fancy café. Though it took her much effort to show less disdain, Ayane couldn't stop herself from getting into an argument with him. Atobe didn't seem to mind that she was sputtering left and right because he continued dragging her to the expensive shop. The moment she entered, her ears were greeted with very beautiful classical music. Sighing, one of the waiters ushered her to a private room in which Atobe had reserved just for the both of them.

"I can't believe you reserved this entire room," Ayane snorted after saying a 'thank you' to the waiter. "You spent so much money AGAIN!"

"You're not that poor, Ayane," Atobe pointed out to the freshman. "Anyway, _ore-sama_ already ordered for us."

Ayane folded her arms while a crème bruleé was placed in front of her. A hot cup of chocolate followed right after it and then, a small plate of fruits. The desserts were elegantly arranged and drizzled over with chocolate and caramel syrup. Her eyes widening, Ayane poked the food with a dessert fork before looking at Atobe incredulously. Everything happened at a snap of his fingers when Pachabel's Canon in D minor began playing on the violin and piano. Awestruck by the assembly, Ayane tried to find a reason why she should be pissed but couldn't.

"Are you impressed now?" Atobe raised an eyebrow while Ayane's eyes kept surveying the place.

That really ruined the mood. "You moron," Ayane bit her lip to soften her voice. "You practically bought a new house," –her words seethed through.

"Not really," Atobe shook his head, smirking at Ayane's pale face. "It didn't even empty _ore-sama_'s coin purse."

Ayane slumped a bit while staring at the frothy cup of hot chocolate. She shakily took it in while Atobe began biting a piece of watermelon. The two kept quiet at first while Ayane warily checked her food. Her eyes glanced at Atobe once and awhile. Atobe caught her several times even smirked.

_How dare he do that,_ Ayane pouted childishly while imagining how she would kill Atobe. _That brat needs a beating!_

"_Ore-sama_ didn't know you used to play badminton before," Atobe scooped up some of the crème bruleé. "You're pretty good at it too."

"I only started it so I could do something in my free time," Ayane turned away, responding more harshly than intended. "You," –to make up for her blunder, she complimented a bit. "You don't play too bad yourself."

"It just might destroy _ore-sama's _form in tennis," Atobe forked another peach slice. "You should finish your hot chocolate. It's going to get cold."

Ayane shakily took the cup before drinking it slowly but not peeling her eyes off Atobe. _What exactly is he up to? I thought he wanted me to be miserable?_

"How do you like the hot chocolate so far? _Ore-sama _made sure it was a new batch," Atobe's arrogant tone seemed to lighten up a bit.

"It's good, I guess," Ayane forked another piece of watermelon. "Though, what exactly is this for?"

"_Arn~_, _ore-sama_ can't treat his girlfriend now?" Atobe raised an eyebrow at the vice captain. "We could go somewhere else if you like."

_Hold up, Atobe was never this compliant,_ Ayane stood up shocked at what she was hearing. "Who are you and what have you done to the arrogant brat I'm used to fighting with!?"

Atobe chuckled a bit at Ayane's heated face. "It's alright – _ore-sama_ is still fine. It's just you never gave _ore-sama_ a chance to prove himself to you, that's all."

Flustered, Ayane sat down again while picking at her food. She couldn't help but wonder what made Atobe this way until something hit her.

_Maybe he's just trying to make me swoon over like those other girls! Hmph, well – I don't go down without a fight,_ Ayane smirked mentally while imagining how she should deal with Atobe.

"By the way, _ore-sama_ made sure you won't have to go to the match today," Atobe continued to sip his drink.

Ayane's jaw dropped. "B-but, what!? Kiyone can't do Singles, you dumbass!"

_I will personally castrate you, Atobe Keigo, _Ayane fumed at the back of her head.

"Who said the midget's going to play Singles?" Atobe raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't think Kurenai would be that stupid."

* * *

"You let Atobe drag her off," Mai snickered to her captain. "I swear – I'm starting to think that you're also a born sadist."

Shizuru shrugged. "It's alright – I think it's time that she learned how to get along with him. Kiyone won't be playing today."

"Aww," Kiyone twiddled with her thumbs. "Okay then – so, who's going to be in Doubles One?"

"We will," Haruka and Rin high-fived each other. "The Illusion Pair's taking Doubles Two."

Hitomi and Isane nodded at one another while Mai and Momo exchanged glances with one another, smirking as they walked in. Schools soon began to flood the place with banners and cheerleading squads. Many of the guys came swinging banners for the girls while more girls flooded the place to root on for the guys. Chatter filled the place and many other teams came in. Hyotei students became the majority and some were heard yelling.

_Shousha Kurenai, Shousha Kurenai!_

Shizuru smiled at her supporters and some guys were even laying down their jackets on wet puddles for her to walk on. Mai flipped her hair back causing some guys to go gaga over her and Kiyone wasn't too far off either despite being small. Haruka had some guys looking at her curves while Rin had men checking her legs. Isane, despite her towering height, some guys were drooling over her too. Kiyone clung onto her captain while glaring at them.

"I don't like fan boys," Kiyone snapped her jaws at them, though it didn't ward them off. "They keep crowding around you until you can't breathe here!"

Shizuru ruffled the freshman's hair affectionately. "It's alright – at least we have people who support us."

Rin jumped onto Haruka's back. "Man, these guys are over affectionate!"

Momo quietly slid over, ignoring the loud declarations of some of the admirers. "Now I know how Genichirou feels. When do they ever stop talking?"

"I don't think they ever stop," Isane clung onto Hitomi. "I think now's a good time to use your juice."

The Mastermind glanced at some boys, sighing. "I think some of them were already on the receiving end of my juice."

Shizuru headed towards the courts until she heard some loud cheers coming from another end. One group wore yellow and black and another came with blue and white. Shizuru knew the colours too well as the tennis players of both schools walked in proudly. Leading the first group was Yukimura Ai, who smiled innocently at her supporters while Souma Fuuka tossed back her red hair, smirking at her opponents. It would be down to them plus Jyosei Shounan most probably.

I can't believe that we have gotten here, Shizuru glanced at the courts. It feels like long ago ever since I last stepped on the court. Souma Fuuka, Yukimura Ai, Amakusa Natsuki and Hoshimura Florence would most definitely be in the Nationals. Although, what they're most likely betting on would be the rookies but Yukimura might rely more on Inuzuka Miaka and her other doubles players. Kiyone seems to have a lot of competition considering Yuugetsu Chuu still has Sunamyou Shina, Seigaku has Shibuya Rangiku and I don't even know the rookie of Shitenhouji and Rikkai Dai. Other than that, Mai and I are the ace cards in this team. Ayane and Kiyone follow up with the others.

"You don't need to be nervous," Mai placed her hand on Shizuru's shoulder. "You could wipe the floor with them if you wanted!"

Shizuru smiled meekly at the _tensai_. "Thank you but, seriously – how should we set up the play? Should we go for quick kill or give them a chance?"

"I'd say give them a chance and then go for the kill," Mia licked her lips, raising her eyebrows. "It's time to play a sadist game, ne?"

Shizuru, shaking her head, passed by Fuuka and everyone could feel the tension miles away from the two captains. Ai turned towards the two and Miho raised her cap a bit to watch the two get into a wild tension fight. Fuuka's emerald green orbs glared at Shizuru's vermillion red ones while the whole area became deadly silent. Mai rushed over to Shizuru's side while Vera went over to Fuuka's. The two glared at each other also until Vera broke the silence with a sneer.

"Please, where's your vice captain?" She sneered with a sickly sweet voice.

Mai, balling her hand into a fist, got ready to lunge only to have Shizuru step on her foot. The Hyotei team gathered while Seigaku rallied behind Fuuka, glaring at their counterparts.

"Well," Mai hissed a bit, "she's coming but she had to deal with **someone**."

_A guy named Atobe Keigo that's what_, Kiyone snickered inwardly while clinging on to Shizuru and glaring at Rangiku. She's probably snarling at him while Atobe's practically smirking at her left and right. Wahahaha, what a view!

"You're short," Rangiku poked the sandy haired control specialist innocently. "Everyone makes you look like a midget."

Twitching, Kiyone snapped her jaws at the smaller girl. "You wanna say that again, bean sprout?"

"You might want to keep your chow-chow away," Vera sneered at the younger captain, ushering a frightened Rangiku away. "She's scaring Ran-_chan_ and Sakuno's not fond of dogs."

Haruka shoved Vera back. "You better watch what you're calling people, whiny."

Rin backed Haruka up, snarling feral-like. "Yeah – I hear sluts are going down in the trash cans."

"Hyotei – enough," Shizuru once again used her rare commanding voice to freeze her teammates. "We settle it in tennis, not petty fights such as this."

"She's right," Fuuka turned away. "Kurenai, I expect to see you in the Finals. Don't you dare lose to Taishaku or so _kami-sama_, help me…"

"You shouldn't worry about me," Shizuru smiled thinly at the Seigaku captain. "Also, please refrain in setting Vera on the loose," she deadpanned.

Vera got ready to retort while Mai withheld her snicker and the two teams left each other. Fuuka walked towards Tezuka, sighing in annoyance before watching Shizuru's fleeting figure. She couldn't help but be annoyed with everything that Shizuru had accomplished. Winning every tournament the Hyotei team was put in, keeping her grades and even becoming a potential candidate for the scholarship, Fuuka pushed away the thought of Shizuru surpassing her.

"Like I said before," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ warned the Seigaku female captain. "Don't obsess in beating her. Keep your mind on the game."

However, the old woman's words remained unheard while Fuuka marched towards the court with her team following behind her. Sighing, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ turned to the Seigaku boys before following after the girls. Though she had to admit, Hyotei was quite a competitor and they were betting on Shizuru with incomparable vigour. Atobe may be at Tezuka's level of play but Shizuru practically surpassed the mole diva and could give Tezuka a heyday. She wasn't sure how well Shizuru would function against Yukimura Seiichi but the captain's style told a lot; Fuuka's jitters didn't even affect her at all.

"Tezuka, make sure Fuuka doesn't blow it all off," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ pat Tezuka on the shoulder. "She's a bit obsessed with Shizuru and only God knows how far she'll drag it…"

"Ah," to Tezuka however, the phrase "a bit obsessed" was a complete understatement.

Fuji walked up next to him, smiling innocently. "I guess you had a good glimpse of your Crimson Angel, ne?"

"Fuji," Tezuka's glare would have sent any man peeing in his pants and running. However in this case…

Fuji was not just any man.

"We have a match to win," Tezuka distanced himself from Fuji before the _tensai_ could continue interrogating him.

Fuji clucked his tongue. _Tezuka, you can't keep denying your feelings towards her. Otherwise, someone more straightforward might get her._

_You mean – someone like you?_

_Of course not,_ Fuji argued with his conscience. He had to admit; the girl made guys swoon without knowing and her tennis could sweep off a tennis captain's feet any day.

I could only wonder how long Tezuka's going to take in telling her what he feels, Fuji sighed inwardly. Oshitari Yuushi's probably steaming in his own juices but at least we've already gotten rid of Shishido. However, there's been another player in the game considering after I've spoken with Yukimura.

_Sanada's been muttering her name once in awhile. Better get Tezuka moving or I will allow Sanada to go after her._

Fuji glanced at Tezuka who didn't have any shifting expression but somehow, he could tell that the captain wanted to tell her something. Walking towards the court where Seigaku was playing in, Fuji revealed his cerulean eyes while recalling how Fuuka glared at the younger captain. Her glare could send any man running and make him beg for mercy but he noticed that there was not just any challenge in her eyes.

_Tezuka will see me, not you._

"Fujiko nyah," Kikumaru bounced towards the analysing _tensai_. "Are you okay? You've been watching Fuuka-_chan_ walk away ever since her glaring match with Shizuru-_chan_!"

Fuji returned to his usual smile. "Saa~, it's nothing, Eiji. I'm just thinking about something."

Secretly thanking _kami-sama_ that Fuji became distracted, Tezuka gazed at the direction Shizuru had gone off to. He couldn't help but want to watch her game but realizing that Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ asked him to watch Fuuka's temper, Tezuka sauntered towards the courts where Seigaku was.

* * *

Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu students, dressed in yellow and fuchsia walked in with a haughty smile. One of them tossed her hair back before snapping her fingers.

"What are we going to do today?" She smirked while the team piled behind her.

"Take Hyotei down," the girls chorused before lining up at the net. "We'll bring home the gold and take the Nationals!"

Momo twitched at the sight of her opponents. "These guys sound more like a cheerleading squad than a tennis team."

"Well," Isane shrugged while patting Momo on the back. "At least these guys sound more enthusiastic than most people. Maybe we'll get a good game out of them."

Haruka glanced at her strawberry blonde sister, smiling and extending her hand. "Wow, I didn't know you've become vice captain. Mom misses you a lot, you know."

"Pshe," Ino slapped her hand away. "You're just telling me that so you can see me fall later on."

Staring down sadly, Haruka saw Ino's glance search around the team. "So, who's your vice captain?"

"Huh? Oh," Haruka hesitated before seeing a fierce glare in her eyes. "It's me, why?"

"Good," Ino huffed before turning away. "It's because I want to have the pleasure in kicking you down hard. No one else should have that opportunity."

Rin's eyes widened when Ino was beyond an earshot. "Why did you tell her you're vice captain!? It's Yane-Yane, remember!?"

"I wanted her to focus her attention on me," Haruka mumbled, glancing at her sister who was speaking to her teammates. "This is a match that I need to deal with. No, it's a match that we both need to deal with. We're a doubles pair, if one takes us – she gets the other girl too!"

"From what I remember," Momo tapped Haruka on the shoulder. "She's a doubles player right?"

"Hopefully," Haruka mumbled while walking away. "She stayed that way too."

"Doubles Two will now start: Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's Yasogami Karin and Kajibane Riza against Hyotei Gakuen's Uchiha Isane and Yamaguchi Hitomi," the arbiter took his place on the chair. "Players, please come to the courts immediately!"

"That's us," Isane smiled mirthfully at Hitomi who simply tilted her glasses. "I hope we can learn something new."

"We can beat them, even without using our special techniques," Hitomi began scribbling a few things before going to the court. "These people are not even at National's Calibre."

Karin, twirling her long black hair with its split ends, walked with silver haired Riza to the court while smirking at the other two doubles player. "I've never seen you guys pair up before. You're a makeshift, aren't you?"

"Not really," Isane shrugged. "We may never had an appearance as a pair but we can play together just fine."

Riza glanced at her partner. "I don't like playing with makeshifts; it's kind of weird."

"There's an eighty percent chance that you would lose against us," Hitomi tilted her glasses, smiling evilly. "After all – Uchiha Isane is quite talented as a doubles player and I'm not an idiot in doubles myself. So, shall we increase that eighty percent or will you guys pull out something to impress us?"

Karin, baring her teeth at Hitomi's evil smile, spun her racquet. "Smooth or rough, take your pick."

"Smooth," Hitomi smiled evilly while the racquet fell on smooth.

Taking the service, Isane watched Riza bounce up and down before firing the service. Looking at the service box, the Sniper knew that she only had two options: one was to fire it deep onto the Singles line corner and the second was to take it right on the middle of the service box. Tossing it up, Isane carefully saw Riza sprint to the corner and fired it down the middle. However, the silver haired girl dashed the other way and lobbed it up. Taking her chance, Hitomi jumped up and brought down a smash.

"Thanks for setting it up," Karin sidestepped and deflected the smash back at Hitomi.

Seeing the ball fly up, Hitomi ducked while Isane gave it a heavy ground smash, causing Riza to stumble a bit in shock.

"Fifteen – love," Riza wiped the dust from her skirt.

"Not bad for a baseliner," Karin went over to receive. "Though, I don't think this shot is going to get past me."

Isane, bouncing the ball a few times, fired the Sniper Serve which screeched on the floor and caused the two to stare in shock. Hitomi glanced back at her partner who didn't seem the least bit surprised that her serve flew that fast. The two Hyotei players turned towards the Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu players who couldn't believe that Isane's serve could clock at that kind of speed.

"Thirty – love," Isane wiped her eyebrow before starting another serve.

"She's pretty strong," Karin remarked before taking the net line. "Where did she get that kind of power?"

Hitomi glanced back at Isane whose shirt wasn't as red as the last time she played. "Well, it's all that training we've been buffing her up with."

Isane served a fairly strong serve, resulting into Riza being able to return it with a flat shot. Hitomi volleyed towards Karin who slid it down for a top spin, causing the Mastermind to bend down. It was a low shot but Karin managed to volley the shot to the back but didn't expect Isane to forehand it in return. The two engaged in a wild rally with Isane defending the baseline with different cross court shots. Hitomi began timing the two's rhythm and calculating which shot would go where.

"Isane, go for a high lob," Hitomi mouthed towards the taller senior.

Sensing Hitomi's plan, Isane fired it straight up into the air until the sun completely blocked the ball. This left Karin and Riza wondering and gazing at the glaring sun. Hitomi gave Isane a thumb up when the ball limply landed on the baseline.

"Forty – love," the Hyotei pair gave each other a high five.

* * *

On the other side, Seigaku played against the wild Yamabuki with Minami and his partner plastering somehow the Golden Pair. Kikumaru and Oishi were practically all over the place and Kikumaru was being sealed off. The Yamabuki pair focused on depleting Oishi's stamina while Kikumaru was left to defend the baseline. Oishi began volleying in all directions but regretted not being able to stretch as far as Kikumaru. The red haired acrobat moved forward to help Oishi only to have the ball zoom past him.

"Thirty – fifteen," the Yamabuki pair smirked at Seigaku's Golden Pair.

Ryuuzaki glanced at the score at the first doubles match with ended with a 6-3 despite Fuji's genius. Kawamura slumped on the chair while repeatedly apologizing to Fuji who didn't seem to mind that they lost. He patted Kawamura on the shoulder, telling him it's something they didn't expect. Letting out a sigh, Ryuuzaki remembered the last time they played against Yamabuki and Seigaku lost horribly except in Singles since Nanjirou Echizen made up for it with a 6-0. The coach then was the same guy now and boy, did this unnerve the Seigaku coach.

"Sorry about that nyah," Kikumaru hung his head. "I didn't know that, nyah."

Oishi smiled while brushing it off. "Just don't move from your spot, okay? They did the same thing to me too so, it's alright."

Kikumaru punched the air, his expression brightening up again. "We'll get them this time, nyah!"

The Jimmies or Yamabuki's Doubles One pair began with a soft service going on for a faster strike and Kikumaru deflected it with a jump forward and Oishi defended the baseline. The Golden pair began going criss-cross and even went for the Australian Formation that always sealed the game. The spectators watched warily at how the Golden Pair began getting played but then turned the tables as the chants for Seigaku and Yamabuki got louder. Kikumaru somersaulted in the air for a smash while Oishi waited for a shot at the baseline in case they returned it.

"Thirty all," Kikumaru jumped in joy, glomping his doubles partner.

Higashikata raised an eyebrow before looking at Minami. "Boy, it's hard dealing with Oishi now since he's practically seen the strategy."

"It's Kikumaru I'm more worried about," Minami nudged his doubles partner. "Watch out for his acrobatics."

"But, doesn't his stamina suck?" Higashikata noticed how sweaty Kikumaru was despite it being the third game. "Can't we wear him down?"

"He'll make sure that we drop first," Minami glanced at Oishi. "We take out the more experienced one since Kikumaru's relying on Oishi's calls. If Oishi drops, the whole match goes to us."

"Nyah," Kikumaru poked Oishi. "If I remember right, weren't we supposed to play Hyotei today?"

Oishi shrugged. "Well, they changed the line-up considering many of the teams dropped out. So, we might play Hyotei another day but Yamabuki seems to be faring well."

"So," Kikumaru began counting his fingers. "We're only in the elimination rounds?"

"Apparently so," Oishi nodded while trying to explain it to the hyperactive acrobat. "Maybe that's why we're having this. We already played St. Rudolph in the first rounds so – this just is more or less like the Finals in the Tokyo Prefectural."

"Nyah, how confusing," Kikumaru slumped while slapping himself with his racquet.

Oishi snickered a bit while looking at his doubles partner; trust Kikumaru to try and lighten up the mood. However, Oishi knew that this game required a good synchronization and somehow, he felt like there was a game he played very similar to this. Closing his eyes, Oishi began to simulate which doubles match this game was turning out to be.

_Ne, Oishi-san! Are you going to stand there or what?_

Opening his eyes, Oishi instead found Ayane Kobayagi mounting her racquet on her shoulder. Kiyone balanced on her racquet's handle while smirking at him. No wonder it seemed to be so familiar, not only did he play this doubles match in the past but the two girls that the Golden Pair had lost to apparently kicked their training up five notches. Oishi didn't know where that image came from but when Ayane lowered her stance, Oishi felt compelled to do the same.

_I'm looking forward to see you in the Kantou Tournament! We'll be watching you there!_

Oishi found himself back in reality when the ball zoomed towards him but he lobbed it for a Moon Volley. The ball floated up while Higashikata planted a smash which bounded towards the red haired acrobat but Kikumaru managed to have a forehand score behind them. Following up with a hard forehand, Minami noticed that Kikumaru and Oishi suddenly switched places with Kikumaru's volley becoming extremely fast while Oishi's shots became a tad bit heavier. The two were not as fast and as strong as the Hyotei pair but they made a perfect simulation of the two girls. Oishi's backhand zoomed an inch over the net and cracked right on the corner, exactly how Ayane did it.

"Forty – thirty," the Jimmies glanced back at the Golden Pair in shock.

Seigaku had their jaws dropping at what kind of strategy the two came up with instead. Kikumaru walked over to Oishi and poked him about what had just happened.

"You saw them too," Kikumaru gulped when he recalled what was in front of them. "Getsugan-_chan_ was mocking me."

"And Ayane-_chan_… kept on taunting me," Oishi glanced back at his doubles partner. What was that all about?

* * *

"Game, Uchiha-Yamaguchi pair: three games to five!"

Riza and Karin were panting heavily when they gazed back at the Hyotei pair. Isane and Hitomi had heavy serves and broke all their games without even breaking a sweat. The first games were all a fluke; Isane defended the baseline so well that nothing got past her. Despite Hitomi only being a serve and volley player, she didn't do too badly at the baseline unlike most players. Karin wiped away the sweat falling on her cheeks while looking at Hitomi again. It was Riza's serve now and Karin felt a smile tug up, usually – Riza performed better when it was her service game.

_She still has her power_, Karin lowered her stance as Riza fired a fast serve.

Isane returned it with ease only to find multiple Riza's filling up the baseline. "Holy hecklers, where do I…?"

"Don't panic," Hitomi called from up front. "Send it feather light!"

Isane gently tapped it over the net while Karin forced a lob up, allowing Hitomi to slam it towards Riza again. However, Riza completely terminated the power of the shot and forehanded it back. Isane dashed to the other end of the court not understanding how she managed to neutralize Hitomi's smash with such a weak hit. No matter what kind of power they sent towards Riza, it always returned back into its normal state. The shot flew towards them as if any power placed on it suddenly got…

"Terminated," Karin smirked at the Mastermind. "That's Riza's ability. No matter what you send at her, the power, spin, destructive ability and path will be completely terminated! Even the complicated _Habu_ of St. Rudolph's Madoka became useless against Riza!"

Isane fired a flat shot towards Riza. "Wait, so even if we pile all our power into it – nothing's going to happen?"

"No wonder they had Riza as a Singles Player and Doubles," Hitomi tapped a drop shot over. "She renders any special technique useless. The only thing that could own her now is…"

"Speed," Isane sadly shook her head. "That is something that only Rin-Rin, Mai-_chan_, Shizuru-_chan_ and Kiyone-_chan_ have!"

"Exactly what I feared," Hitomi fired another backhand towards the two. "We're not going to get anywhere if our techniques are sealed off!"

Karin saw the annoyance flicker in Hitomi's eyes with a smirk. Riza practically neutralized even Hitomi's Sonic Volley without much difficulty however; the Sniper Serve became blind to the naked eye. Riza may neutralize everything but she couldn't catch the speed of Isane's service and let alone the power that came with it. The percent of termination depended on Riza's ability to catch the shot and right now, the silver haired girl hadn't gotten used to the speed yet. Riza couldn't even reach the service on time when Isane sent it towards her.

_It will take time but at least she's adapting,_ Karin missed the volley shot promptly sent by Hitomi.

"Love – fifteen," Riza sighed before returning to the baseline.

"These guys are hard," Riza asked for a "time-out" from the referee, allowing the other two to head back to the benches.

"Well, they are National Calibre players," Karin pointed out before glancing at the two. "They say they've never made an appearance but I'm beginning to doubt that."

"A makeshift pair can become a good pair if the two are close to one another but that's rare," Ino noted before looking at the pair. "Though I wonder, which slot is my sister playing in?"

"You're obsessed," Karin shook her head at the vice captain. "How come you always wanted to beat Haruka-_san_ anyway?"

Ino clucked her tongue. "Dad favoured her and the whole family practically showered praises on her since she was the eldest. Mom was the only one who understood me and when dad passed away, they blamed me for being such an idiotic daughter! Heck, I didn't even know that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer! That old bag never told me anything," she spat venomously.

On the other side, Isane and Hitomi talked things over with Sakaki. Apparently, Shizuru now had to take the coach's bench since Atobe called up and something went wrong with the regulars. It turned out that Atobe insanely put Shishido against Tachibana again and he lost miserably again but after a little prompting from Ohtori and considering that he was part of the silver pair, Shishido maintained his status. The only problem now was the line-up for the next rounds which Atobe needed Sakaki's opinion on. The only thing was – Atobe was nowhere to be found and the one who called him up was Oshitari who put up a pretty good argument that Shishido should remain a regular.

"So, _buchou_," Isane glanced at her captain. "Do we finish them quickly?"

"Or would you like the painful and slow method," Hitomi greeted her with a business smile. "Both ways are possible."

Shizuru glanced at Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu. "Well, it depends on you guys really. In this case, we have the liberty to lose or win. After all – they won't get past me."

"Oh yeah, you're Singles One," Isane placed a finger on her chin. "Speaking of the first slot, where is Ayane?"

"Atobe dragged her off," Mai snickered to herself. "She lost in a bet and now – she's Atobe's girlfriend!"

The whole Hyotei team burst into a loud laughter. Rin rolled on the floor, crying. Momo slammed her head on the fence rail, Haruka's cheeks puffed up when she tried to restrain her laughter, Kiyone began hooting and crying on the floor and Isane giggled while hugging Hitomi in shock. Hitomi on the other hand began scribbling data while Shizuru giggled softly at her vice captain's predicament. Seeing the other team head for the court, Shizuru beckoned her two _senpai_ to finish the game.

"Don't let them score anymore," Shizuru smiled at the two girls. "After all, they need to have a taste what the Nationals can do to you if you let your guard down."

Waiting for the next shot, Karin watched Riza serve again until Hitomi smirked at Isane. The two of them moved in a wild formation that coexisted with data. For some reason, every time Isane returned a shot - her form changed abruptly. From Kotetsu, it became Kurenai then she returned to her old form which then turned into Ayane for the heavy backhand return. Hitomi discovered all their weak points just as easy and even brought them down.

"Love - thirty," Karin dropped her racquet, staring in awe.

Riza felt her body slow down when she stared helplessly at Karin. "What was that?"

"No matter what we did, it was as if they were in complete control like," Karin gulped before looking back at the Hyotei pair. "It was as if they were performing magic."

Hitomi rested her racquet on her shoulder. "Let's say that you guys were easily fooled by Isane's illusion. Your data about her is wrong; do you think she can only change when she doesn't move? That's what's unique about her Illusion ability. Niou needs to gather data first while in her case, she can combine and change in an instant. This dance is quite different isn't it? You guys prepared yourself for the Waltz Formation but this is nothing like theirs."

"This is what everyone calls," Isane smiled before preparing for another receive. "The Arcane Dance."

* * *

"W-wait, Hikifumi-_senpai_ and Shimohi-_senpai_ are playing Doubles One!? Are you insane," Ayane slammed her hands on the table while pointing accusingly again at Atobe.

"_Ore-sama_ can't believe that you're still occupied by the _Kantou_ Regionals," Atobe flicked her forehead, causing the said girl to sit down. "After all, Kurenai can manage the team quite well. Don't you trust her leadership? I'm sure your teammates can pull it off – with or without you."

Ayane fell silent after that comment. She realized that in some way – that was true. The team didn't need her exactly but she was only there to play doubles with Kiyone. Other than that, Haruka and Rin could hold up their end pretty well and a makeshift pair didn't seem too hard to make. Shizuru could take down an entire team if she wanted with Mai but what use would that be? Ayane slumped onto the chair while staring at the _leche flan_ she barely even touched. Poking it, Ayane began wondering: was she extra baggage or was she essential?

"_Ore-sama_ didn't mean that you were completely useless," Atobe saw the light flicker in Ayane's eyes. "You should stop worrying too much."

"I can't help but do so," Ayane snapped before shoving a forkful of _leche flan_ into her mouth. "They're my teammates and Kiyone's my doubles partner!"

Sighing, Atobe began drinking his coffee while watching the younger girl stare helplessly out the window. Atobe knew it was within her nature hence making her Vice Captain. However, what worried him was that maybe it could be other things such as Seigaku's match being today, his match not being today since he completely excluded himself from the line-up. The thought of Ayane smiling and relaxing around Oishi pissed him off to an entirely new level.

"Are you done," Atobe looked at Ayane wiping her mouth, glancing and staring at the window.

"Yeah," Ayane softly sighed before glancing at the window.

_Kobayagi doesn't know how her sad face will become the death of ore-sama,_ Atobe paid for the bill while glancing at Ayane again. "Kobayagi, do you want to get stronger?"

Ayane's head swivelled towards Atobe. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"Obviously," Atobe pointed out the window. "Since your head is swarming full of tennis right now, you want to work it out of your system?"

Ayane saw her tennis bag lying right beside her. "Yeah, I think I need a stress reliever."

Standing up, the two walked out while heading towards the tennis court and heard a loud cry from the other side. Ayane's head perked up when she heard the faint cheers.

_Shousha Hyotei, Haisha Taishaku! Makeru Taishaku!_

_I hope what they're saying is right;_ Ayane looked back towards the court as Atobe took off his jacket. "Shall we play, Kobayagi?"

Seeing his blue eyes sparkle with arrogance, Ayane forced down a blush. _Darn it, this guy doesn't know I'm a sucker for guys with blue eyes! Well, Oishi's personality was what got me but…rrrgh!_

"Arn~, is that a blush _ore-sama _sees?" Atobe walked very close to Ayane, causing the younger girl to heat up.

"S-Shut up," Ayane resisted the urge to sock Atobe in the balls. "Just get to the other end of the baseline!"

* * *

"Game, Uchiha-Yamaguchi: six games to five!"

_Definitely, those first five matches were a fluke,_ Karin slumped onto the floor while the two Hyotei players still stood proudly. Riza's legs were swollen from all the running in order to deflect Isane's shots. The two girls practically played them into their hands. Hitomi had volleyed faster than normal causing Riza to wear out her legs even more and Karin could feel her chest heave up and down heavily. Hitomi and Isane high fived each other as Isane began her service.

"Fifteen – love," Isane's Sniper Serve marked the court.

"This game's in the bag," Haruka noted while warming up a bit. "I don't understand why the both of them stood still in the other games."

"They were lazy again," Mai smirked before watching two more Sniper Serves mark the court. "Knowing Yamaguchi-_senpai_, she just wanted more data on them."

Isane bounced the ball a few times before glancing at them. "Weak or strong, Hitomi-_chan_?"

"Finish them off," Hitomi smirked, devoid of all feelings.

With one loud crack, the two Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu regulars roll back in horror.

"Game and match: Uchiha-Yamaguchi pair, seven games to five!"

-That's chapter 21! Sorry for the late update!


	22. Unleash the Dragons

(I don't own Prince of Tennis except my OC! The entire female Hyotei Team belongs to me!)

Chapter 22 – Unleash the Dragons

"So," Rin picked up her racquet while watching Haruka stretch her legs. "We're next now, right?"

"Mm hm," Haruka stretched her arms straight up before following Rin to the court. "Well, be prepared for anything. Ino's more or less like me except more… vengeful."

"Doubles One up next: Hyotei _Gakuen_'s Hikifumi Haruka-Shimohi Rin against Taishaku _Fuzoku Chuu_'s Hikifumi Ino-Tsumugari Yukino! Please come to the court," the arbiter called out the two pairs.

Walking to the court, Haruka found Ino standing next to another girl with long orange hair like Ayane. Unlike the freshman however, this girl wore buns tied up with pink ribbons while she had this big cheery smile on her face and she wasn't made up of muscle. Rin leaned over and began examining her left and right until pinching her cheeks.

"_Kuwee~_," Rin pinched her cheeks. "She's so _kawaii_! I bet you're a first year! Don't you think she's cute too, Haru-_chan_?"

"Ah," Haruka sheepishly scratched her head until she heard his sister scoff at her.

"Please," Ino rolled her eyes. "You don't act like that when you're around mom and dad!"

Haruka glared back at her younger sister. "I never understood what your problem is!"

"Simply put," Ino pointed her racquet at her older sister. "You were always daddy's favourite! The family loved you to bits while they blamed mom and me for making their lives miserable!"

"What's it with your attitude!? I never blamed you for anything," Haruka clenched her fist, glaring even deadlier than before. "You sound worse than Momo when she has bad hair day! At least she tries to beat her cousin and puts the past behind her! You on the other hand – drag even an innocent first year into these issues!"

Rin held Haruka's shoulders. "_Kuwee_, don't kill her yet! We still have a game to play!"

"Keh," Ino turned around, scoffing again. "We'll take the gold this time. Your captain won't have any chance against mine! As far as I'm concerned, your captain's nothing more than a whiny bean sprout!"

Haruka bit her lip while watching Ino walk away. What she didn't understand was why she thought Kiyone was the captain of Hyotei when Shizuru's skill clearly exceeded the smaller girl's. _Maybe she saw her when she was still first year_, Haruka thought before moving to the baseline, coldly glaring at her sister.

"Haruka's always been easily rattled by Ino," Hitomi began explaining to the other members. "Ino and Haruka always performed the dragon dance in the family Shinto shrine and people would actually pay them for it. Their grace attracted even other dragon dancers from China and other districts of Japan. They even entered contests and won. However, the father never approved of Haruka's involvement in the dance and blamed the mother and younger sister for her interest when clearly – Haruka just had the talent for it."

"So," Momo raised an eyebrow, pointing at the cold war between the two Hikifumi sisters. "How did it evolve into something like that?"

Hitomi tilted her glasses up. "Haruka's father wanted Haruka to take business related subjects so she could run the Hikifumi Trade Corporation. In order to keep her focused however, he had to make her hate dancing and make her believe that she was better in business and better than her sister."

"Where's Hikifumi-_san_'s involvement in all this?" Kiyone peeked from the rail below the bleachers; she sat next to Shizuru who took the coach's bench a few moments ago.

"Ino was the one talented in math," Hitomi noted while opening her notebook. "Haruka clearly sucks at dealing with validity and geometric functions. Statistics never became her forte either thus; the father spent so much money on Haruka to make sure he kept her mind occupied. All those math enrichment classes became constant to the point Haruka lost her rhythm. Because of this, the sister was blamed for Haruka's sudden confusion on what to do. The mother defended the younger but was silenced during family councils. Her family believes in cutthroat business and that the world isn't kind towards female CEOs hence Haruka's intense training."

"The match is starting," Shizuru looked towards the court where Ino began her service.

Glaring at her sister, Ino bounced the ball up and down before picking a place where to send it. The doubles play somewhat gave her a _déjà vu_ about the thing between Haruka and her yet, she didn't want to admit that she missed it. However, Ino started growling when she saw Rin at the net where she used to be. Ino wanted it to be like old times; when it was for fun, her sister took baseline while she did the net. But, the moment she glanced at Haruka – Ino remembered why she was so angry with her to begin.

"Here it comes," Ino fired a fast serve towards her older sister.

Haruka dashed to one side, returning it with the Dragon's Tail. Seeing it run linear, Yukino returned it with a soft volley but had to meet up with Rin's acrobatic play. Ino cross courted it back to Haruka who fired it back with a double fisted backhand. Yukino corned Rin in every direction which pissed the black haired acrobat to no end. However, she noticed that the match soon became between only Haruka and Ino. Rin slid over while glancing at Yukino who wobbled towards the front of the net.

"You made it into a Singles match for Ino to deal with Haru so you could wear me out easy," Rin tossed her black hair away from her face. "That way, my Insight would be rendered useless and Haruka would be forced to play Singles against you and Ino."

Yukino clapped her hands with her chubby cheeks puffing up. "Aww, I didn't know you'd figure it out that fast!"

"Well, unfortunately for you – I've got Insight, frosh," Rin moved away from the net when she saw a lob coming in.

"Love – fifteen," Rin performed Kikumaru's specialty: Kikumaru Beam which exploded on the doubles line.

Rin landed on the ground while glancing at Haruka. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Haruka nodded while the two high fived each other. She glanced back at Ino who stolidly walked back to the baseline to serve. However, something else caught Haruka's eye and that was the position of the racquet.

"You were never left-handed," Haruka looked up at her younger sister who smirked.

"I did this without your help, stupid sister," Ino spat while tossing the ball into the air. "You're about to see something that I made personally to get rid of your partner!"

The serve zoomed towards Rin but vanished the moment it sailed over the net. Rin began scrambling for the ball until it bounced up from below, knocking her under her chin. Stumbling back, Rin managed to stay standing but glared back at Ino who simply yawned as if it didn't mean anything. Rin rolled up her sleeves until Haruka shook her head.

"Forget it, it's not worth blowing steam all over for," Haruka held her racquet out in front of Rin. "I'll handle this."

"Fifteen all," Haruka moved to the baseline while glancing at her sniggering younger sister.

_Ino was never like this,_ Haruka thought while sadly looking at her racquet. _We always wanted to believe that there would be no competition between us. Nothing would make us hate each other but then – why did it end up this way? Why did dad encourage competition anyway? Baka oyaji, it's his fault we're like this now. _

"Haru, look out," Rin lunged back to send the ball back.

Haruka stepped back, shocked when Yukino scored with a drop shot up front.

"Thirty – fifteen," Ino and Yukino exchanged a high five while Rin crashed on the ground, face kissing the clay court.

"Ptui," Rin dusted her mouth. "Clay tastes like rotten gummy bears without sugar!"

"Are you okay? I am so sorry," Haruka helped her doubles partner up. "I didn't see it coming!"

Rin pouted impishly then flicked her doubles partner's forehead. Stumbling, Haruka stared at her doubles partner incredulously before the black haired acrobat began laughing.

"Ow," Haruka snorted at Rin. "Hey, what's the big deal?"

"Stop being so stiff," Rin folded her arms impishly. "You look like that prissy vice captain from Rikkai Dai! Or worse," –she gasped with widening eyes. "You could be the second statue of Seigaku!"

Stifling her laugh, Haruka tried to glance at her sister to glare again but couldn't. Momo happened to overhear it and turned away to suppress her laughter. Shizuru sighed into her hand; why did they have to insult Sanada-_san_ in order to get a good laugh? Tezuka-_san_ was another but she decided to let it go; even though it was really insulting. Haruka had become stolid throughout the game and nearly lost her rhythm with Rin in order to deal with her sister. Shizuru changed her mind; she decided to let them go despite her wanting them to run laps for each insult.

"Ready to beat them," Haruka smirked at Rin. "We're not going to let them take the gold now, are we?"

Rin bounced up and down before landing at the baseline with a somersault. "You betcha we won't!"

Ino fired her left handed serve again. "This serve is called the Uppercut Serve. Think you can get past that?"

Rin sidestepped and forehanded the ball while Yukino volleyed towards Haruka. Slicing it down, Haruka exchanged places with Rin while Ino backhanded it cross court. Narrowing her eyes, Rin lunged for the next drop shot lobbed it a few inches above the net. Yukino rushed in with a backhand against Haruka who absorbed her strength using the Dragon's Retaliation.

"Why are all these first years so strong!?" Haruka shook her head disbelievingly while doing another Dragon's Retaliation. "Ayane, yes – I understand but this girl is mostly flab!"

Yukino hissed before exploding the ball. "Shut up! I'm just chubby," her eyes began to water comically.

Rin volleyed from between her legs. "Well, start running, donught! Otherwise, you're not going to win this game!"

"You meanie," Yukino began to burst into tears while volleying towards the acrobat. "I AM NOT FAT! I'm just a little chubby…"

Ino forehanded the ball towards Rin who dodged it to let Haruka backhand it back at her. "You Mata Hari, stop calling her fat!"

"Donught's a term for endearment," Rin squeaked before volleying it again.

Haruka sighed while shaking her head disbelievingly. "Yes and lady longlegs isn't," she deadpanned when Rin spouted steam from her ears. "Gakuto always calls you that and he says it's a term of endearment! He even thinks you're a cannibal!"

"He dunked his head into radioactive goo! It's not my fault," Rin smashed the ball towards Yukino.

The Taishaku pair stared incredulously at the Hyotei pair. They were squabbling like small children but playing as if they knew what each thought. Rin followed a different pattern but it seemed to coincide perfectly with Haruka's. Ino forehanded towards Rin again until it finally hit her on what formation they were using.

_That's the Dragon Dance_, Ino slightly trembled before returning the shot in a shallow direction. _But, but, how did she learn it so fast? That was something that took me months!_

Rin soared up in the air before giving a devastating backhand smash, "Thirty – all!"

"Tch," Ino snorted before turning away from Rin. _I can't believe she adapted that fast._

"The Insight is sure a big help," Rin caught her breath before giving Haruka the receiving end. "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have seen through the service."

"Your jaw okay?" Haruka checked Rin's pinkish swelling chin. "You look like a gangster hit you with a ten pound barbell."

Rin gave her a thumb up. "I know, but it's nothing! Ayane hits harder!"

Ino and Yukino stared quizzically at her before beginning their service again. Haruka forehanded the shot towards Yukino but she managed to volley it in between Rin's legs. The black acrobat however volleyed it back and reacted to the second volley with ease. Ino lobbed it to the baseline but Haruka backhanded it back towards her.

"I must say," Ino smirked before forehanding it back at Haruka. "You've gotten pretty synchronized with Rin."

"I have to," Haruka cockily grinned at her younger sister. "I'm the play maker after all! Besides, this game isn't just for me! It's for Hyotei and for the team! You guys are only two on the court but for us, we're nine!"

Rin jumped up in the air. "Tribute to my _kohai_: Getsugan Rocket!"

"Forty – thirty," Yukino stumbled back from the explosion of the Getsugan Rocket.

Ino fired another serve. "Hmph, as if that's even possible!"

"We're never just two or solo, Ino," Haruka smirked while preparing a Dragon's Tail. "Everyone always has something to contribute!"

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: one game to love!"

* * *

On the other court, Seigaku didn't have an easy a time as Hyotei. Rokkaku brought out their best doubles pair and despite the calibre Fuuka had trained them in, they barely managed to escape defeat. Enma and Midori attacked with a double poach, confusing the two Rokkaku players and bringing them down to a finish.

"Game, Tashiko-Mouri pair: seven games to six!"

Rokkaku and Seigaku were only in their Doubles Two match. The four players shook hands before reporting back to their coaches. Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ congratulated them for a job well done but Enma and Midori brushed the compliment aside and turned to Fuuka for comments.

"That was lame," Fuuka noted sourly. "You could have taken them six games to three and yet you played around with them! Hyotei would crush you in an instant if you did that against them!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei _sighed at Fuuka's criticism while the two hung their heads. Obviously, the two girls were not Nationals Calibre like Fuuka but they were getting there on their own. Midori's flexibility increased after heavy training and Enma's control and accuracy doubled. She couldn't understand why Fuuka was so determined to crush Shizuru when the second year merely enjoyed the game. Yukimura Ai also became a victim of Souma Fuuka's aggressiveness considering she trained herself under her older brother to make sure Seigaku wouldn't go wild. However, when she glanced at Fuuka – somehow she saw something else in the eyes of the Seigaku captain.

_Tezuka's acceptance huh_, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ sighed to herself. _Every girl seems to throw herself at his feet. I'm amazed he hasn't gotten an ego as big as Atobe's_.

However, she noticed that Tezuka's eyes didn't look at the game anymore and was glancing at the other court. Echizen handled Singles Three pretty well so, there was no need for Tezuka to glance much there except when to taper down Echizen's arrogance but other than that – Tezuka's eyes were glancing at something else. A loud chant came from the Hyotei side and Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ merely shook her head. Now, she could see where this whole rivalry was going.

Fuuka and Shizuru were fighting over the same man or rather – Fuuka put up a fight between her and Shizuru. Tezuka, being the captain and boy he was, didn't seem to care or was completely dense for that matter.

However, what made her rethink her statement was how protective the Regulars of Hyotei are. Oshitari glared holes into Tezuka without the boy noticing and Shishido looked like he wanted to sock the captain but was prevented by his doubles partner who looked a bit concerned. Shizuru's performance also reflected what she thought about men: absolutely nothing at all. Fuuka on the other hand focused more on defeating opponents rather than the fun of it.

"Doubles One: Seigaku's Jerrard-Ryuuzaki pair versus Rokkaku's Yumichika-Kusajishi pair," the arbiter called. "Please come to the court immediately."

Vera mounted her racquet over her shoulder, beckoning Sakuno to follow her. "Shall we show them what we mean by Diamond Pair of Seigaku?"

Sakuno nodded earnestly, following after her, "_Hai, _Vera-_senpai_!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ chuckled a bit when she saw her granddaughter quickly follow after Seigaku's vice captain. Sakuno and Vera became very well known despite the younger girl being more amateurish than the other. Vera had quite the playmaking skills and Sakuno dealt most of the damage. Many of the schools were shocked by Sakuno's sudden appearance and even Echizen couldn't help but stare at Sakuno's improvement.

_I'm glad Sakuno has made quite the improvement_, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ watched the other two girls move in. _Vera certainly put some backbone into Sakuno now._

The Rokkaku girls trembled while making their way towards Sakuno and Vera. They extended their hands for the courtesy handshake but were surprised by Sakuno's politeness. Vera on the other hand glared at them as if she wanted to eat their heads off.

"I hope we have a good match," Sakuno bowed with an innocent smile.

Vera pointed her racquet at them. "So, is this all Rokkaku has to offer?"

_Again_, Fuuka sighed into her hand. _Vera, I swear will be the death of me…_

Vera needs to check her attitude soon, Fuuka thought while glancing at the court as she saw Sakuno take the service. Though I'm impressed by Sakuno's progress, if she continues – Getsugan Kiyone would be in for it. Ran-_chan_'s good enough to plaster Sanada, Midori and Enma are nowhere close to the Dragon Pair, Yamaguchi's data and Amagi's data are very consistent so, it's just me and the Contrast pair. Why is it I can't get stronger? No matter what I do, the _Teni Mu'ho_ remains locked up! I even asked reference from Tezuka-_san_ and Echizen! They're the two best players on the boys' team! Why can't I do the stupid move!?

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ saw the frustration flicker in the captain's eyes, sighing.

_Fuuka, the secret's right under your nose. It's something Kurenai had. You notice how she brightens up in a game?_

* * *

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: two games to one!"

Rin now held service when Yukino now was at the back to receive. Rin fired the Twist Serve but Yukino hit it before it bounced up. Haruka backhanded it towards her sister who received it a funny shot that swerved around the pole. Rin lunged forward to receive and would have missed if Haruka didn't react on time.

"That was the Boomerang Snake like that Kaidoh guy," Rin recalled the game between Hitomi and Isane with Inui and Kaidoh. "I didn't know your sister could do it!"

Ino did another Boomerang Snake. "Well, that's where the Dragon's Tail came from, right?"

Haruka forehanded it back with a bit more force. "Truthfully speaking, yes – the Dragon's Tail was made for that purpose. Its main purpose was to counter tricky shots like the _Habu_ and the Boomerang Snake by making it spin in the other direction but, I never tried it against the _Habu_. Mai's counter focused more on terminating the spin completely."

Yukino jumped for a smash but Rin lobbed it up again. Ino sent a flying forehand towards Haruka who ground smashed it for the win.

"Fifteen – love," Haruka smirked before high fiving her doubles partner.

"Fifteen – all," Yukino volleyed it over past the Twin Dragons.

Rin gained back the point with an overhead smash, "Thirty – fifteen!"

Slapping the ball over, Ino sent it as a cord ball towards Rin, "Thirty all!"

Haruka fired the ball straight over, right on the doubles line corner, "Forty – Thirty!"

Yukino returned Rin's normal service while Haruka started off with a flat backhand towards Ino. Sliding over to another side, Ino forehanded it towards her older sister who cross-courted it to Yukino. Rin lunged for Yukino's volley while Ino backhanded it towards Haruka again. Rin slid across the court but managed to volley it back to Ino who changed target to her again. Rin volleyed against the two Taishaku players while Haruka waited at the baseline. However, Rin dodged one volley and Haruka slammed it back with a forehand.

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: three games to one!"

Ino, tossing her strawberry blonde hair back, sauntered to the baseline. Thinking up of a new strategy always set her towards a dead end since Rin easily covered up for Haruka's mistake or vice-versa. Picking up the ball, she began her service again while Haruka returned it without straining herself. Yukino covered up for Ino while Rin returned it with a fast volley, resulting to Ino tripping over and sending a lob shot. Haruka soared up and fired the shot straight down with an echoing smash on the court.

"Love – fifteen," Haruka slid back, smirking at her younger sister.

"Sheer dumb luck," Ino sliced it down towards the corner, making it curve in a ninety degree angle.

"Fifteen all," Rin rubbed her eyes before looking for the ball.

"Where did it go?" Rin began looking around when she saw the ball in Ino's hand. "But, how did you do that kind of shot!? That's almost humanly impossible!"

Ino tossed her hair back, grinning at the Hyotei pair. "It's something I picked up. You guys won't get past me and Yukino!"

"Thirty – fifteen," another ninety degree curve shot entered the court.

Haruka performed her Dragon's Tail, "Thirty all!"

"Forty – Thirty," Yukino volleyed past Rin.

"Deuce," Rin managed to somersault and backhand smash the shot.

Snorting and glaring, Ino forehanded it towards Haruka who performed the Dragon's Tail to Yukino. The smaller girl tried to return it only to have it smack into the net.

"Advantage: Hikifumi-Shimohi pair!"

"Screw this," Ino snorted before descending a smash on the two.

"Deuce," Haruka and Rin fell back from the smash.

Haruka dashed to one side, returning the shot with the Dragon's Retaliation. "Advantage: Hikifumi-Shimohi pair!"

_They keep getting the advantage,_ Ino snorted inwardly while sweat poured down her sister's face and hers. _If we don't do it now, when will it start?_

"Yukino," Ino turned to the younger girl. "The moon and the sun are going to dance!"

Yukino nodded, confusing the Hyotei pair. "Okay, you got it!"

Rin and Haruka exchanged glances. "The moon and the sun are going to do dance?"

Sliding gracefully, Ino lobbed it high when Rin jumped for a smash. Yukino waited for it far and back and forehanded it straight to Haruka. Running down the shot, Haruka volleyed it forward while Ino lobbed it again. Quizzical, Rin smashed it again but Yukino repeated it again. Haruka backhanded it this time to see if anything would change but Ino continued lobbing it again and Rin kept on smashing. Haruka forehanded it this time but Ino continued lobbing it.

"Rin, try volleying," Haruka motioned to her doubles partner.

Firing it cross court, Rin found Yukino backhanding it towards Haruka again. Their strategy didn't change until Haruka saw Rin heavily panting after all that jumping around. She ran for the shot to volley and then defended the net. Without realizing it, Haruka slipped into their trap when the ball zoomed past her.

"Advantage: Hikifumi-Tsumugari pair!"

Rin rushed to one side to return the other ball but fell on her face again.

"Game, Hikifumi-Tsumugari pair: two games to three!"

Haruka and Rin exchanged glances with each other when Ino and Yukino smirked at them. The pink haired control specialist recalled the formation when Rin poked her from the sidelines.

"Did you see what they were trying to do?" Rin cocked her head to the side. "One thing's for sure: I didn't get it."

_I didn't see much point in their formation,_ Haruka bit her lip while watching Ino and Yukino discuss something. _All they did was repeat the same thing again and again until…_

Then, it finally hit her. They weren't targeting her to begin with.

_They were aiming for Rin! They know her stamina stinks,_ Haruka glanced at her heavily breathing partner.

"You only figured it out now," Ino shook her head, clucking her tongue. "It's a shame that the little chimpanzee," she sneered at the black haired acrobat. "Doesn't have the same amount of stamina as we Hikifumi sisters do, ne, _onee-sama_?"

Haruka, bristling at the term "_onee-sama_", glared before walking back to the baseline to begin her service. Tossing the ball, Haruka sent it to the net by accident.

"Net," Haruka breathed in sharply before tossing it again.

Rin saw the nervousness in Haruka's eyes and smiled. _Be calm, there's nothing wrong going to happen, Haru-chan!_

Haruka nodded but stopped when she saw Ino's eyes light up from one side. She was waving to someone in the bleachers and the moment Haruka turned, it was her mother. She cheerfully waved back to Ino but didn't even notice who her opponent was. Rin saw Haruka's eyes slightly flicker and the serve cracked at increasingly high speed, causing Ino to return it flimsily to Rin. Seeing her chance, Rin volleyed it straight to Yukino who had no time to react.

"Fifteen – love," Haruka prepared for another serve.

"You should keep your head in the game, _onee-sama_," Ino wiggled her finger while clucking her tongue. "You have to be a role model for your 'beloved' little sister, remember?"

Haruka rolled up her sleeves. "That's it! You're really pushing the issue!"

Rin blocked Haruka. "Hoi hoi, don't get involved like that! We're still in a tennis match Haru-_chan_, _kuwee~_!"

Struggling, Haruka quieted down after glaring at Ino for a long time. She also saw Shizuru shaking her head disapprovingly and backed down, glaring even deadlier than the first time.

_Why does she have to rub it in every time?_

Haruka breathed in to calm herself down before serving again. Instead of a normal one, Haruka's serve curved around on the floor making an irregular bounce. Yukino tried to return it only to fumble over the ball and fall flat on her face. Rin snickered to herself but stopped when she saw Ino glare at her.

"Thirty – love," Haruka got ready for another serve until she saw Rin charge at her.

"_Mou~_, your _imouto_ is so _hidoi_," Rin clung onto Haruka, mock-whimpering like a small child.

"It's okay," Haruka ruffled her partner's hair. "She's just being a brat like always."

"Boy," Momo turned to her captain. "I wonder how history produced something like this rivalry."

Hitomi flipped through pages in her notebook. "Traditional families usually have these kinds of conflicts but Haruka barely comes from a traditional family."

Mai checked her watch. "I wonder how long this match is going to take."

"Hopefully, Hikifumi-_senpai_ doesn't let her temper get the best of her," Shizuru sighed before watching Haruka fire another fast serve.

Ino returned it easily and began rallying between her and Haruka. Sliding to one side, Haruka forehanded the shot towards Ino who backhanded it back to her. Yukino and Rin stood there watching their two playmakers play a Singles match and even zipped the ball past them. Rin sat on the court while Yukino leaned against the pole.

"Man," Yukino fixed the strings on her racquet. "Ino-_senpai_'s really making a big deal out of this."

"I'm going to kick Haruka later," Rin rolled her eyes while watching her doubles partner forehand it to Ino who accidentally lobbed it. "I got this one!"

"Forty – love," Haruka saw her doubles partner jump in the air and smash it down straight at Ino.

Ino gaped while Haruka smirked at her. "Well, looks like we're getting ahead right, Rin…?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Rin slapped Haruka across the face. Tears welled up in the black acrobat's eyes while she stomped the ground repeatedly.

"You said – "we're going to win this as a doubles pair!" I don't see that anymore," Rin hiccupped before pulling her hair. "You said that you wouldn't get bothered by something so stupid! But look at what you're doing! If this is the case, I'm not playing doubles with you anymore!"

Haruka, staring and taken aback, hung her head. "I…"

"Time out," Shizuru called from the bench beckoning the two from the court.

Ino and Yukino left the court while Rin and Haruka waited for Shizuru's scolding. Surprisingly, it never came.

"Hikifumi-_senpai_, you said on that court that we're nine not just two or one right?" Shizuru calmly spoke which gained the _senpai's_ attention.

"Yes, I did," Haruka nodded vigorously. "Why are you asking, _buchou_?"

"Because," Shizuru stood up, pointing at Haruka's chest. "A doubles pair is supposed to be one person."

Haruka looked at Rin and then at her captain. "I…"

"You're letting Hikifumi-_san_ throw you off course," Shizuru remarked offhandedly. "That's what she wants. After she cracks you, Shimohi-_senpai_ follows after. However, in this case – it's in reverse order."

Haruka didn't say anything while Shizuru placed her hand on Haruka's and Rin's shoulder. "A human cannot function without a mind and limbs. It cannot function on the mind alone and vice-versa. You cannot just chop off one body part to make to isolate the problem. Medically yes, that's possible. But, in nature – that's the worst thing you can do. It applies to tennis in that same way."

Mai glanced at her _senpai-tachi_'s reactions and Haruka couldn't help but smile. Rin stopped hiccupping before turning to her doubles partner. "Rin," –Haruka smiled with newfound determination. "I go low you go high."

Rin brightened up at Haruka's words and clung onto her. "Yay, I have my doubles partner back!"

"To think I thought we dealt with this problem already," Mai glanced at her captain who nodded. "Well, they're getting better now."

"They just got a bit confused," Shizuru smiled when the Dragon Pair returned to the court. "Now, let's hope they won't get rattled again."

"Go Rin-_senpai_, Haruka-_senpai_," Kiyone punched the air, jumping up and down. "Beat them both and show 'em what we got!"

Rin smiled cheekily at the smaller girl. "You got it, _chibi-chan_!"

"I'm not a _chibi_," Kiyone protested vehemently while Haruka began her service again.

This time, the fast service had accuracy all over it. Yukino stood, whether or not she should return it because it landed straight on the line.

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: four games to two!"

Haruka smirked at Ino who slammed her fist against the floor. "I should have disrupted your rhythm by now! Why is it you guys can still play like this!?"

"It's just the way we are," Haruka pat Rin on the shoulder who stuck her tongue impishly at the younger Hikifumi. "Besides, it will take more than that to shatter the unity and rhythm of the Twin Dragons!"

"That was our title," Ino spat at the black haired acrobat.

"It **was**," Rin nodded while smiling cheekily. "You just threw it away."

Yukino marched up to the black haired acrobat. "Don't hurt my _senpai_ like that!"

"Well, it's the truth," Haruka waved her hand dismissively. "Am I right, _imouto-sama~_?"

Ino slammed her fist against the clay court. "Shut up, you know nothing!"

"Really," Haruka rolled her eyes. "I wonder because I spent half my time with my other half!"

Rin jumped cheerfully while clinging on to Haruka. "Can we get cookie later?"

"One macadamia marshmallow white chocolate cookie coming right up," Haruka pat Rin on the head. "Would you like a mocha frappe with it too?"

"Yay," Rin jumped off while running towards the baseline to receive. "I want chocolate sprinkles too!"

Hitomi sweat dropped at the black haired acrobat. "Doesn't she understand why I made her run one hundred laps?"

"You're going to have to triple her training again," Momo shook her head. "Better yet, lock up the fridge with five padlocks."

"All her candy stash will have to go down the drain," Isane added ruefully. "But, do we have to?"

"Unfortunately," Hitomi clicked buttons on the calculator. "If we want her to maintain her current weight then yes, we have to."

Rin returned another of Yukino's shots with a backhand. Despite a disruption in their rhythm, Rin and Haruka sealed it off as Rin began volleying at higher speeds. Haruka spun the ball on the net line, forcing Yukino to smack the ball exactly on top and give Rin a chance to use her acrobatic play again. Ino dashed behind Yukino to return with a flat shot but Haruka returned it with the Dragon's Tail. Ino fumbled over with a lob, allowing Rin to jump high up in the air.

"Avalanche Driver," Rin slammed it down with increasing speed, causing Yukino to tumble backwards from the impact.

"Love – fifteen," Rin and Haruka gave each other a high five, smiling.

Haruka sent another Dragon's Tail past Yukino, "Love – thirty!"

Ino scored a backhand against Rin who managed to split in time, "Fifteen – thirty!"

"Fifteen – forty," Rin somersaulted with a forehand smash going down.

Ino rushed towards the net with Yukino to volley against Haruka, "Thirty – forty!"

"I'm glad they managed to do it on time," Isane turned to Shizuru kept a strict focus on the game. "_Buchou_, who will we play against next?"

"Chances are that it will be Rikkai Dai," Hitomi looked through her notebook. "We have to be careful of Inuzuka Miaka. She's…"

"The one who smacked Midoriyama-_senpai_ straight to the head," Momo snorted before watching the match again.

Kiyone peeked from below. "Are you serious, _senpai_?"

"She's known for her potty mouth though," Momo ruffled Kiyone's hair. "But, she's more dangerous than her doubles partner last year. Most likely, she'll be playing Singles Three."

"You're pretty accurate for someone who doesn't own a data notebook and who failed Calculus," Hitomi opened her notebook and scanned her data.

"I didn't fail Calculus," Momo turned beet red at the mention of the word "Calculus". "I got an 85!"

"Sure you did," Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Why don't we ask Atobe? He's your seatmate."

"N-no," Momo twitched at the sound of that. "I am not getting help from him!"

Shizuru glanced at them. How could they be so noisy in the middle of a match? However, Haruka and Rin's improvement astounded her greatly when she saw a new dance performance by the two. Rin flipped into the air while Haruka defended the lower court. Watching them play as their title depicted looked like there were dragons in the air. Rin represented the Black Dragon while Haruka represented the Pearl Dragon – fire and wind in Chinese Mythology, showing an amazing display of a story. Tennis to them was like a dance performance and Mai also had that similar belief – hence the start of her Jazz Tennis.

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: five games to two!"

Rin and Haruka jumped wildly. "Yeah, we need one more game!"

"Che," Ino growled from one side. "As if I'm going to let you take that game!"

Haruka noticed her sister's eyes change into an amber colour. "Alright, I don't remember you being able to do that."

Rin jumped over to Haruka, hiding behind her. "Wh-what's that?"

"Ino-_senpai_," Yukino trembled. "Wha-what is that?!"

"_Kohryu_," Ino's voice sounded more draconic. "I'd like to see what you can do – _Heilongjian_ and _Zhujiang_."

Haruka bit her lip when Rin poked her. "Who the heck are _Heilongjian _and _Zhujiang_?"

"These are famed rivers that were said to be created by the dragons," Haruka explained slowly. "Before I came here to Japan, we stayed in China for a few years and we learned many of the myths there. These myths became the basis of our styles of being the Dragon Dancers. Ino always liked listening to the story of _Kohryu_, an imperial dragon while I often preferred the River Dragon stories. In this case, _Kohryu_ is a name for her alter ego. She forgets any physical pain and any emotional pain but the only thing in her mind is – to win. She called us _Heilongjian _meaning "Black Dragon River" since the Black Dragon flew better than the others while the Pearl Dragon was known for the pinkish scales and warm heart."

"I gave up trying to learn Chinese," Rin pulled her hair out. "Please explain in Japanese please!"

"I didn't know _Heilongjian_ became so stupid," Ino smirked while using her more draconic voice. "Well, it's obvious since _Zhujiang_ did all the thinking."

"Yeah right," Rin readied herself at the net. "I'm gonna show you who's stupid, you overgrown lizard in a brat's body!"

"She's not possessed," Haruka sighed into her hand. "Like I said, it's her alter ego."

* * *

Seigaku joined up with the girls while they were discussing excitedly about the next match. Midori and Kikumaru were practicing backflips on all sorts of things, Kaidoh and Enma exchanged quite a good amount of notes, Amagi and Inui were deviously discussing about how to beat the next team and how to blackmail their teammates and Fuji teased his other _tensai_ counterpart while Vera and Sakuno returned back with a good score.

"Game and match, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki pair: six games to one!"

Fuuka couldn't help but smile at the outcome. Sakuno did everything that Vera told her and the game turned to out perfectly. Sure, there were times Sakuno fell but those are because she didn't know how to return the shot. However after some coaching from Vera, it was no problem. Sakuno even developed a new technique and Fuuka knew that could be an ace card.

"Souma-_san_," a deep baritone voice called her. "How is the team progressing so far?"

Fuuka's blood ran cold; she managed to turn around and face Tezuka. "Well, they're doing better than I thought. Sakuno's improving ever since I left her with Vera. The Contrast Pair however needs work and Ran-_chan_'s up next. Is there anything else they need improvement on?"

"Ryuuzaki's footwork sucks," Echizen nonchalantly sipped his Ponta. "There were shots she could have gotten if she sprinted and bent her knees."

Fuuka nodded while slightly glowering. "Yes, I'll tell her that."

_Arrogant little brat doesn't understand how long it took us to get her to play like that._

Fuji glanced at his counterpart. "Saa~, I wonder how long it's going to take before this match ends."

"Singles Three will now start: Seigaku's Shibuya Rangiku versus Rokkaku's Hanase Shouko! Please come to the courts!"

The arbiter watched a small girl skip merrily to the courts while the other one was a freakishly tall girl. Rangiku stared up at her opponent with a tilt of her head. The taller girl's eyes narrowed at the smaller girl before spinning the racquet.

"Pick," Shouko stiffly spun the racquet, "Smooth or Rough?"

Rangiku stared at the racquet curiously. "I choose smooth, Giant-_san_!"

Shouko, twitching slightly, picked up the ball to serve when it landed on rough. Rangiku pranced towards the baseline, further annoying the tall girl. Tossing the ball, Shouko began with a hard service until she found the ball flying back at her twice as strong, fast and destructive to the point her racquet flew out of her hand.

"Love – fifteen," Shouko stared in horror at the smaller girl. _Where the hell did that come from?_

Rangiku, jumping around again, began glowing with a rainbow coloured aura. "Wow," –she pointed her racquet innocently at Shouko. "What happened to your racquet, Giant-_san_?"

Shouko scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "Why I oughta plaster you good!"

Another strong service sailed from Shouko's side only to zoom back with the same results except doubled.

"Love – thirty," Seigaku and Rokkaku stared at the power coming from someone who was half their size.

"Fuuka," the captain of Rokkaku turned to her. "Where did you find this girl?"

Fuuka shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I honestly don't remember."

"Love – forty," Shouko flew against the bleachers while Rangiku was still jumping around like a hyperactive child.

Sakuno clung onto Vera, who didn't like the sight of it either. "Fuuka, aren't you going to stop her?"

"That's from her own strength and Shouko's inability to handle it," Fuuka coldly dismissed her Vice Captain. "She's not doing on purpose. If it were, I would have dragged her off the court."

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ glanced at Fuuka and then at the court. There were so many little girls who had this wild power if she includes the dark horses. However, Rangiku didn't do these things on purpose; in fact – after the match, Rangiku would repeatedly apologize to whomever she hurt. Fuuka did have a point but she knew why the captain didn't stop her: if stopped, Rangiku would become more destructive than she already is. Rangiku became a monster when not given what she wants.

"Game, Shibuya: one game to love!"

* * *

Haruka and Rin fell back when a loud explosion came to their side. Rin managed to pull Haruka away before the ball hit her like a speeding bullet. Ino on the other hand didn't seem bothered by the wild explosions her shots were causing but Yukino didn't need to move despite everything.

"Game, Hikifumi-Tsumugari: four games to five!"

_She broke Rin's service game without even trying_, Haruka struggled to stand up. _She's not even trying to run anymore. Wait a minute – what if…_

Haruka served the next shot but this time, Ino volleyed it straight towards her. Rin reflected it back while Yukino forehanded it towards Haruka again. Ino's eyes narrowed when Haruka performed the Dragon's Tail and she countered it with the ninety degree drop shot. Rin lobbed it up while Yukino volleyed it towards Haruka again. Dashing towards the side, Haruka sent a cross court shot towards Ino who forehanded it to Rin. The black haired acrobat backhanded it to Yukino who accidentally lobbed it.

"Fifteen – love," Rin smashed the ball straight down with the Avalanche Driver.

Ino didn't show any facial expression but Haruka noticed how limply her sister's arm dangled.

_So that's the effect,_ Haruka winced at her sister's somewhat bludgeoned state. _No matter how much she wants to stop, she can't._

Rin poked Haruka who swivelled her head towards the black haired acrobat. "Hey, how do we get her out of her state?"

"That's the hard part," Haruka spun the racquet on the ground. "My sister always had a hard head and this alter ego of hers isn't helping."

"I know, maybe we should conk her on the head the same way Inuzuka conked Midoriyama-_senpai_ on the head," Rin pointed to her head, cheerfully laughing.

Haruka frowned a bit. "I don't think we should make Momo relive that moment."

"Do you have any better plan?" Rin raised an eyebrow at her doubles partner.

Haruka stopped herself from saying yes. "Unfortunately, no – I don't have any clue."

"Then conk her noggin'," Rin pointed to her head again. "I mean – it worked on Midoriyama-_senpai_!"

"But it had negative effects," Haruka mumbled ruefully when she remembered how bad Momo got affected. "We'll have to find another way around."

Rin dropped her jaw. "B-but, she's gonna beat you black and blue!"

"No she won't," Haruka smirked while extending her hand. "Because we're the Twin Dragons and we hate losing."

Rin nodded while Ino wordlessly stared at the two of them. Yukino shivered behind Ino while Haruka got ready to serve.

_We have to win this in one game_, Haruka stopped midway before tossing the ball. Ino's different as _Kohryu_ but hopefully, we can break her out of it without having to send her to the asylum. Ino always hated me for some reason and this had to appear out of nowhere. I just hope I can't beat her down without doing much damage. Mom doesn't even look the least bit concerned… I think.

Haruka saw her mom gripping the fence. _Oops, she is concerned._

"Hikifumi-_san_," The arbiter called from the chair. "Please start your service."

"Oh, sorry," Haruka smiled sheepishly, serving quickly towards Ino.

Ino forehanded it towards the corner while Haruka returned it with the Dragon's Tail. Yukino caught it at one side and sent it as a cord ball towards Rin. The black haired acrobat caught up with it and lobbed it right over the net. Grunting, Yukino volleyed it towards Haruka who returned it with the Dragon's Retaliation. However, Ino backhanded the ball towards Rin who slipped backwards due to the impact, letting the ball roll a few inches in front of her.

"Love – fifteen," Rin shook her head, distraught that she was blown back.

"Am I that light!?" Rin squeaked when she saw her shoes have scuff marks from the friction. "It's Hitomi's fault for making me barf!"

"You're not that light," Haruka noted while she looked at Ino's lifeless eyes. "I think it's that she's just that strong."

Yukino tapped Ino's shoulder lightly only to see that her left arm now dangled limply. "Um, _senpai_ – are you okay?"

Haruka closed her eyes, biting her lip. "Her body can't handle what her alter ego is doing to her."

"_Screw that,_" a draconic voice came from one end. "_How sure are you!?"_

Haruka faced Ino. "Ino, no – _Kohryu_, your reckless style pushes my sister's body to her limit to the point her muscles are completely strained. She can't move it in the next two games."

"_You don't know how much she's trained,_" _Kohryu_ spat at Haruka. "_You barely know your younger sister!"_

"Yes, I'm ashamed to realize that however," Haruka stared _Kohryu _down. "I know her well enough to see how long she lasts with you as her substitute!"

Yukino shivered while Rin and Haruka exchanged glances. "Let's show them what we accomplished in the Nationals last year!"

Rin and Haruka high fived and a new rush of adrenaline controlled their body. Haruka's eyes became more reptilian looking with Rin looking more vicious. Mai stood back horrified at what her _senpai_ changed into. Shizuru didn't look disturbed while Isane clung on to Momo.

"What is that?" Isane shivered behind Momo who couldn't say anything either.

"Haruka and Rin managed to master this when playing against Seigaku's doubles pair last year in the finals," Hitomi scribbled on her notebook. "This is their version of Synchronization: The Punishment of the Jade Emperor."

Haruka and Rin moved rhythmically creating confusion between the Taishaku pair. Ino/_Kohryu_ stumbled back while Yukino couldn't help but freeze every time Rin or Haruka scored a point.

"Game and match, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: six games to four!"

Haruka and Rin regained their consciousness and gave each other a high five. Walking back to the bleachers, Haruka glanced at her captain only to get an approving look. Rin clung on to her doubles partner, squealing like a small child. Isane giggled a bit while Momo sniggered at Haruka almost falling over because of Rin's weight.

"I was right," Haruka's reply was muffled by the ground. "You're heavy!"

Rin whined. "You don't mean that do you, Haru-_chan_?"

Mai shook her head while watching Momo come down for Singles Three. "So, who's the next girl you're up against?"

Momo shrugged when she saw the girl. "You know what, I don't know her."

"Singles Three will now begin: Hyotei _Gakuen_'s Sanada Momo versus Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's Ishida Chie! Please come down to the court!"

Momo, dragging her bag behind her, sighed before glancing at Chie who was at normal build. However, to Momo – she looked like someone she saw before in a manga.

"You look like Oliveria Armstrong," Momo covered her laughter. "I… I'm serious!"

Haruka and Rin face palmed while Isane shook her head. "Good grief, I can't believe she's thinking about that!"

Chie glared back before picking Momo up from her collar. "What were you saying?"

Momo's eyes slightly widened but changed into a smirk. "Hmph, Ayane can do the same thing. You're a million years too early to lift me off the ground just like that."

Momo peeled her fingers open, landing gracefully on her feet. "I told you: you're a million years too early."

"Let's see about that, Sanada," Chie seethed through her teeth.

"One set match," the arbiter declared. "Singles Three will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Sanada Momo against Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's Ishida Chie! Sanada will serve!"

Momo glanced at the court one moment and pulled off a fast serve. Chie exploded it back towards her while Momo swung it with almost invisible speed, causing a whizzing sound near Chie's ear.

"Fifteen – love," Momo picked up the ball to serve again.

"The _Oto_'s pretty dangerous," Hitomi glanced at Momo fire a faster serve. "When received consecutively, it could render a person temporarily deaf."

"I think that's her aim," Mai watched Momo perform the _Aoba_ and then fire a volleyed _Oto_ towards Chie, who keeled over from the shock.

"Thirty – love," Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu stared in shock at the kind of speed Momo displayed; Chie fell backwards while growling at the female Sanada.

"You're pretty good," Chie clucked her tongue before standing up to face Momo. "You're different from that guy in Rikkai Dai."

"Flattery doesn't get you anywhere, whelp," Momo turned away to begin her service again.

_But that doesn't mean I'll let you get past me_, Chie lowered her stance as Momo fired a faster serve. In response, Chie swung wide and with one hard strike, the ball exploded towards Momo and knocked the racquet out of her hand.

"Thirty – fifteen," Momo gripped her wrist, wincing slightly.

"Hn, not bad," Momo quietly picked up her racquet while getting ready to serve again. "I was wondering when you'll use that strength of yours anyway."

Chie, snorting, returned Momo's fast serve while the Hyotei regular gave Chie a backhand to the corner. Chie returned it explosively with Momo returning it with a fast forehand. Everyone who was watching stared in awe at the speed that the two were playing. Chie exploded another forehand and Momo returned it with ease, completely terminating the power in her shots. Chie sent Momo all the way to the baseline but Momo returned it with the same amount of force.

"I can't believe this rally," Isane stared in shock at the game. "Momo never used to be this intense but now, she's giving it everything she's got."

"Not everything," Haruka noted. "It's more like she's tripling her efforts against Chie."

Shizuru smiled a bit. "Well, I'm glad that Momo-_senpai_ is making good progress. If you noticed, she was the one who always tripled her own training. If we did fifty push-ups, she would do a hundred and fifty. I was afraid that she would crack because of what Echizen did that day and what happened between her and Habernägen-_san_."

"Momo's reached new heights here," Hitomi scribbled onto her paper. "However, she'll need more control training with the way she's going."

"Game, Sanada: one game to love!"

Momo landed after performing the _Sui_ and Chie picked up for the service. Her dark eyes stared Chie down before returning to the baseline for the return. Twirling her racquet, Momo watched Chie prepare for the shot and began assessing how powerful her serve was going to be.

_She may have those swings but,_ Momo focused on the ball. _I doubt her serve can crack the same speed her forehand does._

Chie began her service and when Momo caught it, she could feel her wrist straining badly which forced her to let go of the racquet. "Hmm, didn't see that one coming."

"Maa~, what's wrong? Can't you keep your act in gear?" Chie taunted with a bemusing smirk. "I thought Hyotei girls were supposed to be brutes! I hear one of you is a monster in strength!"

"That's not me," Momo pointed out flatly. "That's my vice captain."

Ino stood up pointing at Haruka. "You're telling me my sister can handle a shot from her?"

"Yes, yes, Haruka can carry five pound barbells," Momo deadpanned at Chie and Ino. "With those arms of hers, do you think she can lift a two pounder? I don't think so."

Chie paled. "So, if you're not the one… then, who's the…?"

"That would be me," a voice came from the bleachers and everyone turned to find Ayane, tapping on the floor.

"You left your boyfriend?" Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "Aww, you're mean!"

Fuming and burning up with embarrassment, Ayane began shaking Kiyone silly. "Why I oughta pull your hair and shove my racquet into your mouth!"

"Waaaah, _buchou_," Kiyone wailed before hiding behind Shizuru. "Yane-Yane's trying to kill me!"

Chie saw how tight Ayane's arms were compared to most of the girls. "W-wait, she's the one…?"

"She's the one who could send men flying with one punch," Momo smirked and lowered herself for the service. "But don't knock it: I don't do a bad job either."

"Keh," Chie drawled with her _kansai_ accent, serving hard and fast. "Really then, show me what you got!"

Momo drew back past the baseline, preparing for a shot. "Smash like an avalanche, _Nadare!_"

Many tennis balls appeared in front of Chie until one landed in between her feet. The violet haired Sanada smirked at the dirty blonde female standing on the other side, swinging her racquet onto her shoulder.

"Fifteen all," Momo readied herself for another serve.

Chie fired a faster serve towards Momo who managed to return it this time with a heavy spin, causing it to go in the opposite direction Chie went.

"Fifteen – thirty," Chie snorted at Momo who shrugged nonchalantly at the muscle bound player.

"Thirty all," Chie's serve exploded Momo's racquet away again.

"More or less," Hitomi began looking through her notes. "This game would extend to a seven-six unless Momo breaks one of her service games."

"Momo-_senpai_, imagine playing Kabaji-_senpai_," Ayane called out to the violet haired regular.

Momo stared at her aghast. "Do you know how hard that is!? Kabaji hits harder than you!"

"Not really," Hitomi checked the stats between them. "Let's say Ayane's strength is one half of Kabaji's."

Momo felt her jaw drop. "Alright then, I'll just have to make the most of it!"

Chie returned one of Momo's shots. "You're not doing too badly. Though. The one I wanted to challenge was that orangette," –referring to Ayane, "over there."

"Sadly," Momo shrugged while backhanding the next shot. "You got me because she was on a date. By the way, she doesn't play Singles. Ayane's a doubles player."

"Oh well," Chie forehanded a strong shot towards the corner. "You'll just have to do then."

"Thirty – Forty," Momo fired the _Nadare_ towards Chie again.

Chie snorted before serving hard. "You're not breaking my service game, Sanada!"

"Let's bet on that then," Momo smirked as she caught the serve while feeling her strings bend backward. With one hard swing, Momo sent it across the net and landed right on the baseline.

"Game, Sanada: two games to love!"

"I think she already knows that she has to break service games and not let hers get broken," Isane noted at Momo's fierce gaze at the opponent.

Momo, bouncing the ball, gazed back at Chie before performing a wild serve. Her grip tightened while she tossed the ball high up for a fast service. Chie returned it explosively while Momo continued using the _Oto_ consecutively. The shots became less and less visible causing Chie to miss constantly.

"Fifteen – love," Momo scored with another _Oto_.

"She's not showing any mercy now is she?" Isane sighed, shaking her head disbelievingly. "I suppose all that training did the trick."

"I'm sure of it," Haruka shrugged. "This is the Sanada Momo we have all come to learn and love."

Chie flew back a bit from Momo's _Sui_ smash, "Forty – love!"

Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu looked fearfully at the stern faced female Sanada as she sent Chie's shots back as if they were nothing. Momo dashed to one side and returned it with a flawless backhand, causing Chie to stumble a few times and gain the next point.

"Game, Sanada: three games to love!"

"Geez, what made her so brutal," Ino turned to her older sister, disgruntled by Momo's style of play.

Rin jumped up and down from the bleachers. "Go Momo-_chan_! Beat 'em down with the Elemental Slayer style!"

Momo saw a lob coming up. "That's exactly what I plan to do!"

The smash exploded on the court, "Love – fifteen!"

Chie managed to send a forehand in, "Love – thirty!"

"Love – forty," Momo backtracked and volleyed it cross court while Chie was left running around to return.

"Their Singles line-up is no match for us," Hitomi sighed before fixing her glasses. "Mai shouldn't even need to use her Jazz Tennis for the game."

"Which is why – I won't," Mai leaned against the bleachers lazily. "Somehow, they weren't even that great a team to begin with."

Shizuru spared Mai a warning glance. "Mai, don't insult people."

"But it's true!" Mai rolled her eyes at the team before popping in a piece of chocolate. "They're not worth our time."

"Game, Sanada: four games to love!"

Momo stood with a dark gaze. "You're not even pouring out everything you got, aren't you?"

Chie smirked before sliding off a long band. "Wow, it took you that long to figure it out?"

"Why do you think I only used four when there are six?" Momo raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You're the one who's a bit slow."

Chie tossed the ball to Momo. "Alright, I'm going to show you my real power. You're going to regret everything you said, Hyotei brat."

"Yet, I'm proud to be one," Momo smirked when she fired a hard service down the line. "Hit me with your best shot!"

Seeing the ball come, Chie delayed the shot and fired it back thrice the speed and impact. Momo caught it but her racquet strings bent back so hard that it snapped into useless threads and the frame came out sort of bent down backwards.

"Love – fifteen," Momo stared incredulously at her racquet. _Okay, she wasn't joking._

"I told you: I'm different," Chie sniggered, tossing her pale blonde hair back. "I'm not one of those girls who cry over a broken nail."

"Who isn't in this court?" Momo sauntered to the side to pick out a new racquet.

"Wow, she blew it up," Haruka stared at Momo's disfigured racquet. "I'm surprised your wrist is still alive."

"The shock absorber lessened the pain," Momo glanced at her busted Mizuno racquet. "I didn't expect her to bend the metal."

"We all didn't," Shizuru noted before glancing at her racquet. "Just make sure you don't break this one."

"_Hai_," Momo nodded sullenly while walking back to the court. _Hopefully, this one doesn't bend back either._

Chie fired another shot which Momo volleyed to prevent her racquet from breaking. The bigger girl forced Momo to the baseline again as she began hitting heavy ground strokes that could have sent normal girls flying and crying. Dashing to the other side, Momo backhanded the shot as a cord ball and released the _Oto_ again.

"Fifteen – all," Chie keeled over but stood up again.

Momo, clucking her tongue, rushed forward for the _Aoba_ and Chie forcibly lobbed the shot only to meet the _Sui_ in the end.

"Thirty – fifteen," Chie snorted before receiving Momo's serve again.

"Thirty – all," Momo fell backwards from the heavy shot again.

"Goodness," Haruka winced at how many times Momo rolled backwards. "Momo's turned into an armadillo."

Hitomi began scribbling down. "Ishida Chie is the older sister of Fudomine Chuu's Ishida Tetsu and Shitenhouji's Ishida Gin. Let's say that despite the huge difference in Gin's and her physique – she can send that poor man flying."

Everyone stared at Hitomi incredulously. "Then," Rin gulped. "How is Momo able to return her shots and only rolling back?"

"She's receiving the shot later than normal," Shizuru pointed out. "Look at her wrist."

Mai glanced at Momo's receiving position. "Her arm's straining itself and her wrist's about to give."

Ayane bit her knuckles. "Why didn't you guys ask me to play?"

"We were going to until Atobe asked you out," Rin pointed with a mischievous grin on her face.

"_Senpai_," Ayane wailed; Shizuru felt her eardrums pop from the volume.

"Game, Ishida: one game to four!"

Hitomi scribbled down on her notes. "Now her real strength comes out."

Momo saw her racquet fly again, "Fifteen – love!"

"Thirty – love," Chie smirked while she saw Momo skidding with her rubber shoes.

"Forty – love," Momo landed against the wall.

Rin bit her fingernails. "Eep, she's taking a beating!"

"Technically, it's not violence," Isane noted. "It's just that… Ishida-_san_ is just that monstrous."

"Game, Ishida: two games to four!"

Momo bit her lip hard while glancing at the racquet. "Her racquet can only hold out for so long…"

"That's not your racquet?" Chie raised an eyebrow at Momo.

"No," Momo smiled bitterly. "It belonged to my _senpai_ before she was driven insane. By the way, don't just stand there – because I'll be serving harder than ever!"

With one toss, Momo served fast and the ball instantly vanished only to appear behind Chie.

"Fifteen – love," Momo got ready for another serve.

Hitomi scribbled down. "Momo has now accomplished the Invisible Serve. Not bad for starters."

"Wait until she finds out that it belongs to the other Sanada," Rin shrugged. "After that, she'll never use it again."

"Thirty – love," Momo fired it again, throwing Chie off guard.

Rin squatted on one of the benches. "_Kuwee~_, it's so one-sided. Momo's going to finish the git in the next ten minutes by simply serving."

"Don't forget that there's still one more game," Haruka pointed out as Momo took the next game.

"Game, Sanada: five games to two!"

_One more game,_ Momo lowered her stance while the serve zoomed towards her. _This time, I will prove to everyone that…_

_Sanada is no longer above me!_

Momo backhanded the ball explosively to the other side while Chie hit it with the double the towering force. Momo forehanded using the _Oto_ but Chie dodged it fast enough to return with a volley. Tapping the ball for the _Aoba_, Momo drew back a bit farther as Chie fired a ground stroke straight at her. Staring it down, Momo fired a top spin over the net and Chie fired it with a heavier top spin shot.

"Explode like the storm, _Arashi_," Momo placed a heavy top spin and it zoomed by Chie's ear, causing her to freeze in her tracks.

"Fifteen – love," Chie stood there, frozen and shocked.

The arbiter got off and tapped her a few times but Chie was a statue.

"Game and match by default: Sanada! Singles Two will now begin!"

-That's Chapter 22! Please review or I will not update this!


	23. Sidewinder and Divine Speed

**Note:** Thank you for bearing with me despite my slow updates! My computer caught a bug from someone and I had to have it reformatted. Anyway, thank you for reviewing my story despite it being somewhat long. Normally, I wouldn't write stories that have 10,000 words but people advised me to write every detail of the match. Actually, I find that interesting as well but I know some people would get bored so, I try to add some stuff in between. Thank you to all my reviewers! Please continue reviewing my stories! It gives me more inspiration to write!

**TotalPrinceofTennisFan07: **I will try my best to make Yukimura appear more often. I'm trying to follow the series but unfortunately, it got more messed up. So, considering I'm in control here – I guess making Yukimura pop out here and there won't be a problem. Ayane and Atobe's arguments are quite the comic relief but the shocking part comes later.

**Sundae Bunny: **Honestly, I thought it would be nice to have the two but considering there was too much of that and I too kind of found it over dramatic, I decided to make it different. I might be planning a **SanadaOCTezuka** considering how much the two want to murder each other or an **OshitariOCTezuka** since Oshitari and his "favourite" _kohai_ spend a lot of time together and Tezuka and "she" have similar views. Yes, her family is quite complicated – she'll reveal her life story soon. Or, I might make another story which is a prequel to this one.

**Tanya: **Yes, Gin is a third year. It so happens that the sister enrolled the same time he did though she is a few months older than he is. Atobe and Ayane's situation will be put on hold for now since they're in the Kanto Regionals. However, you'll see what happens to dear Ayane and Atobe soon. (Cackles in background)

Chapter 23 – Sidewinder versus Divine Speed

Taking out her racquet, Mai proceeded towards the court with another girl following her. Adjusting the strings of her Wilson [K]obra Team FX racquet, Mai glanced to see a blue haired dark skinned girl with green serpentine eyes walk from the Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu side. The red haired _tensai_ didn't know what to make of the girl who licked her lips maliciously at her, shuddering at the long tongue.

"Singles Two will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Nagisaki Mai versus Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's Hakumaru Ayame! Please come to the court now!"

When Mai met Ayame, she raised an eyebrow before shaking Ayame's hand. "Uh... hi, let's have a good match?"

"I'm ssssure we will," Ayame's tongue slithered, further grossing out the Hyotei _tensai_. "Hmmm, you look really sssssexy..."

Mai shuddered while turning around. _Kami-sama, please deliver me from this deranged lesbian of a snake!_

Momo twitched at the dark skinned girl. "She's worse than Midoriyama-_senpai_ when she had the drugs."

Haruka hollered to the sophomore. "It's okay, pretend it's someone you really hate and blast her face!"

Mai twitched once again at her opponent, walking towards the baseline. "Well," –she smiled sardonically. "Let's dance then."

"Aww, that smile doesn't suit you," Ayame pouted as she licked her racquet. "I wonder how you taste after I wipe you across the tennis court."

Ayane gagged and turned around while Isane handed her a paper bag. "I knew this bag would come in handy some day."

Kiyone turned around, gagging over at a nearby trash can. "She's sick..."

"Game start, Hakumaru to serve!"

Tossing the ball in the air, Ayame licked her lips maliciously. "Let's see some skin~~!"

The ball zoomed towards Mai with a curving motion which the _tensai_ easily deflected. Ayame forehanded it again while Mai sliced the shot down to force the girl to come closer. Ayame, sliding over, dropped the shot right over the net while Mai sent it as a lob. Ayame jumped up and fired a fast shot with the effects of the Knuckle Serve.

"Verse one~~," Ayame licked her lips as Mai's skirt blew over. "Huh? Aww, why are you in shorts!?"

"It's what people call 'scorts'," Mai pointed out while returning it with the Adonis Drop. "I always wear a pair. I know I'm pretty so yeah, I gotta make sure those boys don't get perverted~."

The ball lobbed all the way to the baseline but Ayame bridged backwards and sent the ball back in awkward angle. "You shouldn't make it sssso fassst, sweetheart~!"

"Ugh, stop that," Mai backhanded it back to another corner. "I'm about to gag on the court because of you!"

Ayame forehanded the next shot towards the Singles line. "Aww but I want to see every bit of you!"

"Really," Mai smirked while jumping for a smash. "Sorry biscuit, I don't swing that way!"

"Love – fifteen," Mai landed gracefully while Ayame licked her lips.

Ayame sniffed the air. "Can't you smell it? It's the smell of..."

"Sand," Mai rolled her eyes. "Please – if you're really straight and a top spinner, I suggest you stop acting like a damn lesbian and give me the game I want!"

Ayame wagged her finger dismissively. "Tsk, tsk, a lady shouldn't ask people to rush."

"But a lady doesn't hold back when she knows her pride is on the line," Mai pointed out to the serpentine girl. "So, play against me like you mean it!"

Ayame smiled slowly, giving off some crocodile like grin. "Well, I didn't know you swung that way. If that's the case, come and get me!"

"Sure, why not," Mai sardonically smiled before forehanding it towards the very intersection of the service line and singles line. "I never back down!"

"Love – thirty," Ayame picked up the ball again for the next service.

Mai shuddered at the gleaming reptile eyes. _She looks more snake than human! What the hell...?_

Ayame fired a side winding serve which caught Mai off guard. The ball curved in different directions while Mai got ready to terminate its spin power.

"Gotcha," Mai noticed the ball disappear. "What the hell-?"

The ball bounced on the court in a ninety degree angle away from the _tensai_ which forced Mai to lunge and return it with a flimsy volley. Ayame licked her lips before sending it straight towards Mai and blowing up her shirt. Mai side stepped while managing a hard forehand to the corner but Ayame contorted over like a snake and repelled it in an even more awkward angle. Mai jumped backwards to return the shot with a backhand while Ayame slammed it towards the corner.

"She's insane," Mai muttered before returning it with a cross-court. "However, every player has a limit. If it's my skin she wants then, she's going to get it!"

Ayame slid to one side and got ready to top spin until Mai lifted her shorts a bit. "Hey~~~, you want some?"

Though Mai didn't want to believe it, Ayame fell flat on her face and the ball smacked the net.

"Love – forty," Mai shuddered at the fallen girl's reaction.

_I can't believe it! She's really a dyke_, Mai felt her jaw drop. I'm not even sure if she's worse than Midoriyama-_senpai_ or if she's just plain nuts!

Ayame mumbled to herself as she saw Mai's face contort with disgust. "I must find a way how to please Nagisaki-_sama_! Does she like how I look? Am I pretty enough?"

"_Buchou_," Mai twitched at Shizuru, pointing menacingly at the reptilian girl. "She is just plain creepy!"

"Just try and ignore it," Shizuru replied calmly. "It's probably just a tactic to throw you off."

_How can you be so calm!?_ Mai stared incredulously at her captain, who simply folded her legs one over the other. I can't believe she's not even intimidated by the dyke! That's insanity or pure denseness!

Ayame glanced to the side but turned back to glare at Mai, stomping the floor. "No, she can't be! She's not!"

"She's not what!?" Mai stared aghast at Ayame. "Whatever you're thinking must be some disgusting erotic fantasy!"

Ayame's eyes somewhat glistened with jealousy. "She's your lover isn't she," –her voice began to tremble while her eyes began watering. "No fair!"

Momo gagged while turning around. "Gross, that's the worst thing to say on the tennis court!"

Hitomi began scribbling down. "This is what happens when there are schools that have a building exclusively for girls. But the percentage is usually moderate."

"Whatever she is or what she wants," Haruka shivered as Rin clung on to her. "She's really creepy; can we please end this match **NOW**?"

Mai winced before returning the next shot. _This girl's a monster! To think they even dubbed Shizuru as a monster...!_

"What's the matter," Ayame smiled slowly. "Don't tell me you're slipping now?"

Hitomi began looking through her notebook. "Hakumaru Ayame, senior _tensai_ of Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu, is known as 'Quetzalpetal'. Her reptilian looks inherited the title but more that she acts very seductive. Her opponents of choice are usually red heads that have appealing qualities."

"Crap," Mai whined from the court. "Doesn't she have any other preference asides from red heads that have appealing qualities!?"

Haruka snickered a bit. "Unfortunately, no – she doesn't. I hope you're straight, Mai!"

"I know I am," Mai shouted from the court. "Besides, what kind of person likes snakes!?"

"I happen to like snakes," Kiyone shouted from the other end. "They're cute!"

Mai stared at her incredulously. "But, they're slimy and they eat people!"

"Those are only the big ones," Kiyone pouted childishly. "Anacondas only eat deer!"

"Sure they do," Mai rolled her eyes while returning the shot. "This girl looks like she wants to eat me!"

The captain of Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu smirked at a flabbergasted Mai. "It's so sad. She can't even face an opponent who flirts with her!"

"Yeah, it's so nice to look at isn't it," Momo rolled her eyes. "Have you looked in a mirror and seen how wrong the situation is!?"

Haruka shrugged while sitting on the bench. "I don't think she cares about Hakumaru-_san_'s infatuations."

Rin bit her fingernails. "_Kuwee~_, she's been hitting on Mai-_chan_ ever since the game started."

Mai fired a forehand towards her. "Game, Nagisaki: one game to love!"

Ayame placed a finger on her lips. "Hmm, perhaps you would like to see more of me then?"

"Eww no," Mai drew back horrified. "Keep your skin on!"

"Why is she making this place a striptease?" Momo drew back, somewhat hiding behind Isane. "She's disgusting and how much drugs does she take?"

Hitomi began scribbling down. "Well, at least we're now sure that Mai's not a dyke."

"I was never one to begin with," Mai fired a heavy service, screaming at the data master. "Who does she think she is!?"

"Uh, your lover?" Momo raised an eyebrow only to earn a glare from the _tensai_. "Okay, I'm kidding. Geez, I know you're straight!"

Ayame contorted and sent it back with a top spinning shot. Mai danced to one side and volleyed it across while Ayame forehanded it straight towards the corners. However, Mai lunged for the ball easily forcing Ayame to run down the shot. The ball lobbed over but Mai managed to smash it down to the right service box corner.

"Fifteen – love," Ayame tilted her head to the side while licking her lips.

Mai fired another service but what startled her was that Ayame just bent over and returned it with an awkward shot. Mai managed to backhand it however Ayame returned it again.

"Her flexibility is what's confusing Mai," Hitomi scribbled down on the notebook. "Mai can't predict the next shot since the flirting's there with the insane contortion. Despite Mai's motion sight, it's going to be hard for her to contort here and there."

However, what shocked Ayame was that Mai sent a shot from between her legs. Ayame smiled slowly, blushing. "Aww, you're so cute when you do that!"

Mai forehanded it back to Ayame. "Huh? Are you alright or are you insane? Oh sorry, that's a rhetorical question!"

"Fifteen – all," Mai saw Ayame send a cord ball towards her.

"Thirty – fifteen," Mai dashed with a fast volley going to the baseline left corner.

Ayame and Mai played it out with flexibility and agility. Ayame flew upside down and still managed a good forehand across. Mai sliced it down for an under spin and Ayame skidded across the floor only to have Mai counter her drop shot with a ground smash.

"Forty –fifteen," Mai wiped the sweat away from her forehead.

"Wow, you haven't lost your touch considering," Ayame smiled slowly. "Considering that you played Doubles against St. Rudolph, I'm surprised you held your ground here."

"Of course," Mai smirked. "I have to be flexible in situations like this."

Ayane punched her hand. "Yeah, Mai's got here in now!"

Atobe glanced at Ayane and then at the Hyotei captain. "Kurenai, can you come here for a minute?"

Shizuru stood up, smiling faintly. "It will take Kobayagi time to adjust to your bet. But, you didn't have to do it that way."

"_Ore-sama_ knew no other way," Atobe grew even more flustered. "By the way, what did you do to Shishido?"

Shizuru mournfully lowered her head. "I didn't know it would..."

"It didn't hurt him," Atobe nudged her. "It's more like he's training hard so he can flatten Singles players. He's out powered Hiyoshi on some days."

* * *

Yukimura breathed in the fresh air after being granted time to walk around. Sanada followed behind him with the Rikkai Dai team in case something happened to the bluenette _buchou_ of Rikkai Dai. He knew that Rikkai Dai would breeze past their last opponent which is what led him to stay in Tokyo for awhile. Yukimura noted to Sanada that maybe he may want to see his cousin or his rival. However, Sanada made no comment until the word "Kurenai" was mentioned. Yukimura laughed softly at Sanada's blushing face. The vice captain even hid his face under the cap.

"Sanada, are you that eager to see her," Yukimura smiled his turtle smile. "If so, the Kanto Regionals area is just around the corner."

Marui leaned against Jackal. "Wait a minute, _fuku-buchou_likes someone?"

Sanada hid his cap, muttering a soft "_Tarundoru_". He couldn't brush off the humiliation that day and the one thing he made his priority was to beat the brunette for that day. That tomboyish, soft-spoken, tennis obsessed...

_That tomboyish, soft-spoken, tennis obsessed queen that decided to be more interested in winning than you?_

Sanada growled in annoyance; how could those thoughts enter his mind? He didn't know why Yukimura chose Tokyo as a walk around place but the thought alone irritated him. Niou's bickering with Kirihara and Marui didn't help either while Yagyuu who seemed to be the only sane one with Jackal. Yukimura however decided to take in the fresh air.

"We should check the Kanto Regionals," Yukimura smiled serenely. "I would like to check on my sister."

"Now, now, Yukimura," Yanagi pat the demigod's shoulder. "Let's not have a repeat of last year."

Yukimura glanced at the courts. "I can hear pretty good shots and I think Taishaku's having their game today, am I right?"

Marui shrugged. "They're just some no-namer school that came about. There's nothing too fancy about them."

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to see new styles," Jackal nudged Marui for his tactlessness. "So, are we going to watch?"

Yukimura smiled pleasantly to the Rikkai Dai regulars. "I guess so, considering we don't have anything to do here."

Walking after Yukimura, Sanada found himself going to the place that he probably didn't want and wanted to go. Shots echoed left and right as Sanada watched how fast the ball skid off the net.

"Game, Nagisaki: three games to love!"

Mai, brushing away her hair, walked towards the bench to get a swig of water before heading back to the courts. She glanced at Ayame who smiled at her slowly, causing shudders from the _tensai_. Mai shook her head while looking towards her team. Momo twitched every few minutes before muttering a string of curses and something about her blood pressure rivalling her cousin's. Haruka glared at Ayame while Rin hung behind the glaring _Zhujiang_. Hitomi scribbled and even hid her face in her notebook to prevent looking at Ayame's slow smile. Ayane gagged while Kiyone grabbed a doggie bag and began throwing up. Shizuru however, didn't seem to mind what was going on.

"Why's everyone vomiting? I don't remember us eating anything poisonous before the game," Shizuru tilted her head to the side. "I mean – as far as I'm concerned, we didn't have any of Yamaguchi's funny concoctions."

Hitomi frowned a bit. "My concoctions are not poisonous."

The whole team stared at her (except Shizuru). "Yes they are!"

"It's not her," Mai shivered a bit. "It's my opponent! She's been checking us out ever since awhile ago!"

"Ayame has issues," Haruka shook her head disdainfully. "She's been checking out at _buchou_'s butt for some time now."

Shizuru glanced at Ayame, looking at her backside. "She's doing what now? But, it's not that big."

The whole team sweat dropped at their captain before breaking into laughter. Isane leaned against Momo for support, laughing hysterically while the female Sanada held her laughter inside. Haruka rolled on the floor after Rin swat her backwards by accident. Ayane hugged onto Kiyone, crying with laughter.

"Time's up," the arbiter declared as Mai and Ayame went to the courts again.

Mai shuddered as she glanced at Ayame but stopped when Yukimura smiled at her from the bleachers.

_Oh my God_, Mai felt her knees buckle while Yukimura leaned against the bleachers with his usual pleasant smile. _He's so hot!_

Momo slapped her forehead. "Great, they just had to come...!"

"Why? There's nothing wrong with that," Ayane tilted her head to the side. "So, what's wrong with Rikkai Dai coming over?"

"It's Mai," Shizuru sadly sighed. "She has a problem dealing with Yukimura."

"She's scared of him?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Worse," Momo shuddered. "She's in love with the devil."

Mai cocked her head to the side while glancing at the beautiful devil of a captain. Yukimura smiled pleasantly despite Ayame's slow smile at her. Gripping her racquet tightly, Mai glared at the hissing girl while lifting her racquet slowly.

_She has some nerve to embarrass me in front of Yukimura-kun! I'll show her the meaning of 'embarrassment'!_

Mai began her service with the _Sazanka_ serve while Ayame sent a tornado like shot. Mai dashed over and sent a heavy forehand across while Ayame started fumbling from the impact.

"Mai's playing abilities have increased by 5.5 percent because of Yukimura's presence," Hitomi scribbled on her notebook. "Reasons so far are unknown."

"You shouldn't be looking at him like that," Ayame smiled slowly with a hiss. "Your lover might get jealous of him."

Mai gagged. "Shizuru's straight and that's all I need to know!"

"What makes you think I was referring to her?" Ayame backhanded the shot back at her. "Although, you wouldn't mind if I take her?"

"I like Shizuru the way she is now," Mai half-snarled while slicing the ball over the net. "Innocent, dense and tennis obsessed! Don't you dare twist her mind into some creepy dyke thing!"

Ayame mocked hurt. "But she's so beautiful," –she protested until her racquet got knocked off by Mai when the _tensai_ targeted the wrist.

"That's junk," Mai hissed venomously. "_Buchou_'s better off with a guy who can make her smile for real! Apparently, you don't qualify!"

Isane sighed while looking at Shizuru. "Wow, Shizuru's going to have a heyday in looking for a man."

"I don't think she's concerned with that right now," Rin shook her head disbelievingly at the _kohai_ and Sniper. "Romance is the last thing that can penetrate her thick head."

Yukimura shook his head, sighing at Mai's temper. The _tensai_'s eyes flashed angrily while her shots scared everyone, including those who were not on the court. Her speed slowly changed from being only one into five people. Ayame's eyes widened and Yukimura couldn't help but be impressed. The serpentine girl fumbled over as Mai increased her speed continuously.

_Her speed's much better than most speed stars,_ Yukimura noted quietly to himself. She has quite the temper too but can still make her way out. Quite the _tensai_ she is, considering that most _tensai_ would rather stay calm and find some other manipulative way but this one's different.

"Love – fifteen," Mai saw a shot that disappeared and cracked onto the other side.

_Hold up_, Mai glanced from one side to another. _I never saw that shot before!_

"It's called the Sidewinder," Ayame rested her racquet on her shoulder. "Don't snakes do that?"

"Yeah, ones that live in the desert," Mai rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should go there."

Ayame glanced at Yukimura with a huge cheerful chirp. "Wow, she's so beautiful!"

Mai clenched her racquet tighter. "Hey, hands off!"

"She's not your lover," Ayame pouted. "You back off!"

"Quit questioning my sexuality because I'm perfectly straight," Mai hollered while her volley increased speed. "Besides, that's a boy you're looking at!"

Yukimura chuckled lightly at Mai's temper; after all, what Mai said was true. Many girls could mistake him for another and Mai seemed to be the very first or one of the very few who could tell that he was a guy. Watching her speed intently, he glanced at Marui and then at her – this is something Marui needs work on.

"Oh no," Marui stared in horror. "You're not going to make me run at that speed are you?"

"Maybe," Yukimura smiled vaguely at Marui who hid behind Jackal. _Then again, he'll collapse before the Nationals. Maybe Niou should do it._

Niou's face paled considerably but Yukimura paid no heed to it. "Sanada, would you like to watch the last match?"

Hiding his blushing face under the cap, Sanada didn't know how Yukimura knew that he wanted to. "Am I that obvious?"

"Personally knowing you," Yukimura placed a finger on his chin, smiling pleasantly. "I'd say yes, Gen-_chan_."

"Game, Hakumaru: one game to three!"

Mai watched the pathway of the Sidewinder before making any counter measures. Seeing the serve fly towards her, Mai returned it sharply to the right side while Ayame managed to stretch over and return it. Though she also wanted to win, Mai felt her drive intensify as Yukimura continued watching intently on her play.

_I have to win! Yukimura-kun is watching me!_

Yukimura chuckled at Mai's ferocity of play. He couldn't help but be amused by Mai's ticked off expression at the same time manage to increase her playing style intensely. Ayame lost her footing several times, resulting to several net shots before managing to score even once.

Nagisaki-_chan_'s quite the _tensai_, Yukimura thought bemusedly to himself. Nagisaki-_chan_ doesn't back down from a challenge, she manipulates people to do her bidding and recognizes techniques easily. Her temper usually gets the best of her though but I guess it makes her quite a figure among the Hyotei regulars. Kobayagi-_chan_'s the eccentric one, Getsugan-_chan_'s their version of Akaya and Nagisaki-_chan_ does her part as Niou-_kun_ while Shizuru... Hmmm, she's more like Gen-_chan_ I guess.

"Deuce," Mai fired a fast volley towards Ayame.

"Advantage: Hakumaru," Ayame brought out the Sidewinder shot again.

Mai danced to one side, slicing the ball hard. Ayame lobbed it, forcing her to retreat to the baseline. Mai however managed to jump and smash the shot, returning it into a deuce. Ayame fired a top spin service while Mai managed to backhand the shot straight to the corner forcing Ayame to fire a cord ball. Mai tapped it over gently, smirking as Ayame stumbled to the ground.

"Game, Nagisaki: four games to one!"

Stretching her neck, Mai smiled at the reptilian girl with a sardonic grin. "So, is that all you got or do you have something else?"

Ayame, cracking her neck, smiled slowly at the _tensai_ with her serpentine grin. "My, my, my, you're the cocky one. Quite the _tensai_ now are you," Ayame licked her lips. "You must taste so sweet then."

Mai drew back, completely horrified. "Eww, stay away from me!"

Hitomi began scribbling. "Despite the intensity of the situation, Hakumaru manages to flirt with Mai-_chan_. The _tensai_'s reaction is out of pure revulsion therefore rejecting the rumour that she and Shizuru are indeed a couple."

Mai glared at the Mastermind. "Yamaguchi-_senpai_, you honestly believe that kind of junk!?"

Ayame faked tears. "What? You're rejecting my love?"

Mai pointed while twitching furiously. "Who said we ever together!? Honestly, what are you!?"

Ayame sniffed while faking hurt. "You're so mean! We are together!"

"Oh shut up," Mai screamed from the other end.

Yukimura shook his head, chuckling at the flustered face of the sputtering Hyotei _tensai_. _She's just so funny when she starts sputtering_.

"_Buchou_, is Nagisaki straight or what," Kirihara leaned against the fence, putting it off bluntly. "Hakumaru's been flirting with her ever since we got here."

Ayame fired a fast service while Mai returned it with a disappearing top spin.

"Love – fifteen," Mai smirked before returning to the baseline.

A Sidewinder made it inside the court, "Fifteen - all!"

Seeing that Mai started getting used to returning the Sidewinder, Ayame lowered her stance. _Time to bring it out_, Ayame smiled evilly as she sent an awkward shot towards Mai. Unlike the _Habu_, it had even a more disastrous pattern and it started creating more side winding paths. The speed of this shot was very similar to the _Kosouku Yaribana_ and the spin power caused it to create solid afterimages. Mai stared at it for one moment but it zoomed past her.

"Thirty – fifteen," Ayame leaned against her racquet.

"You must be surprised, Mai-_hime_," Ayame purred darkly at the _tensai_.

_I think I'm blind,_ Mai rubbed her eyes before recalling the pathway of the ball.

"It's quite a technique isn't it," Ayame smiled slowly. "I call it the "Black Mamba". Its name suits it, no?"

Mai shook her head. "Sure, it does."

_Man, this woman plans to make me blind at the end of this match!_

Shizuru glanced at Hitomi. "Do you know how the technique works?"

"She applied the same spin power as Natsunaga but released more power from the hips and knees," Hitomi began calculating. "She knows that Mai has Motion Sight and this technique's going to tire her out almost immediately."

Ayame fired it several more times. "Game, Hakumaru: two games to four!"

Mai fired her service but Ayame got ready to send the Sidewinder. _This is it! I can return this...!_

Unfortunately, what zipped past Mai was the Black Mamba, causing the _tensai_ to nearly fall backwards.

"Love – fifteen," Mai stared in shock; the stance of the Sidewinder and the Black Mamba are the same!?

Niou whistled. "Wow, she's in for it now."

"I didn't know that technique was even possible," Marui blew up his bubblegum again. "She's totalizing Nagisaki's stamina if what you said about her having motion sight is true, _buchou_."

Yukimura stared at Mai's gasping form. _Now, what will you do?_

Mai, inhaling sharply, stared her opponent down while preparing her service. Recalling the last two shots, Mai couldn't tell which one she could fire because Ayame had the choice to change her mind the last minute. Firing a fair service, Ayame returned it with a hard forehand but Mai reflected it with a top spin backhand. Ayame rushed forward with a volley while Mai managed to return it with a backhand volley. Seeing the same stance, Mai decided to perform a little experiment.

_Because the Kosouku Yaribana terminates all rotations and spins,_ Mai returned it towards the corner. _The Black Mamba and the Sidewinder will be deemed useless, I think._

Ayame fired the Black Mamba but it still managed to become a cord ball.

"Love – thirty," Mai bit her lip. _It looks like that's going to be useless too._

Ayame smiled, putting a finger to her lower lip. "Well, shall we get started?"

Shizuru saw the whole game tilting in Ayame's favour with Mai diving for the shot. However, what teased her a bit was that Mai didn't show the least bit of frustration. Usually, Mai would show a little bit of frustration if there was something she couldn't understand. However, Mai watched the ball pass her every time without even showing a hint of irritation.

"Game, Hakumaru: three games to four!"

_She's catching up now,_ Yukimura noted quietly while watching Mai dancing around a bit. However, he noticed that unlike most players – she maintained a straight face. Her face remained impassive, watching the shot as it curved by her.

"Forty – love," Ayame pouted a bit while Mai calmly walked to the baseline.

"Why aren't you getting mad?" Ayame stomped the ground. "I...I did everything to annoy you! I even...!"

"Did you think flirting with me would break my concentration?" Mai coldly stared at the serpentine girl. "You just gave me a good idea how to break your whiny little butt on the court."

* * *

Atobe on the other hand had headed off to his team. He recalled bringing Ayane to the tennis court and had no idea why he did that. Glancing at his sore wrist, Atobe shook his head distastefully. Ayane made shots that could rival Kabaji's in terms of explosive power. She nearly sent him back if not for his shoes digging into the court.

_What makes Ayane tick,_ Atobe paced around. _That girl's got a voice louder than Mukahi on his best days!_

Before he could continue walking around, Atobe felt his phone vibrate and by sheer luck, it was Ayane.

"_Arn~,_ do you miss _ore-sama _already?" Atobe smirked while running his hand through his hair. "Didn't we just go out a few moments ago?"

"Shut up you vain bratty peacock," –Atobe could imagine her rolling her eyes. "I just wanted to ask what you like eating when it comes to bento boxes so I know what to put in your food tomorrow. Unless you're willing to eat some of Yamaguchi's concoctions then, I won't have any problems."

"_Ore-sama_ eats anything," Atobe glanced at the courts where Oshitari and Gakuto managed to swipe a win. "You don't need to worry."

"Says the brat I ended up being the _faux_ girlfriend of," Ayane snorted at the other end of the phone. "So, tell me now!"

Atobe thought for a moment. "Do you know how to make _Panna Cotta_?"

"The fruit custard pudding thing," Ayane hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, it's one of my specialties, why?"

"Make _ore-sama_ one tomorrow," Atobe raked his hair, requesting to Ayane. "He expects it to be delicious."

"Yeah, yeah," Ayane dismissed the tone of his voice. "Quit your complaints; don't bother if it tastes like junk."

After this, the line went dead.

Atobe shut his phone with one flip, glancing at the court. Oshitari and Gakuto returned from the doubles play with a good result of six to four. Snapping his fingers, Atobe got Kabaji to remove his jacket while he went to the courts to play.

_This time, _Atobe smirked to himself. _Ore-sama_ will try to see what makes Ayane tick in tennis.

The opponent shivered at the sight of Atobe as the Hyotei captain prepared his service.

_Perhaps, ore-sama might learn a thing or two after this 'deal'._

* * *

"Game, Hakumaru: four games all!"

Ayame raised an eyebrow to the calm _tensai_ who simply walked over to begin her service. Bouncing it several times, Mai sardonically smiled as her serve cracked off with an irregular bounce causing Ayame to flip over. Everyone stared at Mai's awkward service that managed to score a point.

"F-Fifteen – love," the arbiter stared in shock.

Ayame turned back to Mai who started letting out a different aura. Her body started to look like it was multiplying. With a fairly strong service, Mai dashed off creating multiple and solid afterimages. Ayame sent it as a drop shot but saw Mai appear there while another Mai stood at the baseline. Ayame stared, bewildered as Mai scored a smash easily.

"Th-thirty – love," the whole Hyotei crowd burst into a wild cheer.

Mai brushed her hair back. "You said that you would wipe me across the tennis court. Yet, what's happening now?"

Ayame sniffed, falling down to her knees. "You're so cruel, Mai-_hime_."

"Sorry," Mai shrugged. "Sometimes, you gotta be cruel when it comes to morons like you."

Hitomi began scribbling down. "Well, Mai's play has been affected by both the flirting and the presence of Yukimura. However, Yukimura's presence made a drastic change in her style."

"I have to agree on that one," Momo noted as Mai scored with the _Sazanka_ Serve. "She usually doesn't get vicious on the court."

Mai jumped up for another smash, smirking. "I may only be the Queen of Spades but that doesn't mean I don't have enough fire power to take you out!"

Ayame stumbled over, crashing on the floor. "Game, Nagisaki: five games to four!"

Marui whistled. "Wow, we learned something new! How to crash on floors," the self proclaimed _tensai_ rolled his eyes.

_Nagisaki-chan_ _improved so much in a short time_, Yukimura continued watching the ball fly back and forth with Mai multiplying herself into several solid afterimages. _I wonder how Kurenai-chan got her to move that fast in such a short period._

_Yukimura's P.O.V_

I couldn't believe how fast Nagisaki-_chan_ was running. They say she's National calibre and at that speed, I think she would be more of an international calibre.

"She's quite the speed specialist," Yanagi remarked offhandedly to me. "Nagisaki Mai is currently breaking a record with that kind of reaction time."

I watched her dance around the court with the kind of grace most players hoped for. Nagisaki-_chan_ returned the Black Mamba with such ease that despite the succession it's being used in, she's gotten stronger with that kind of speed.

_Ai's groupmates are going to have a heyday when one of them plays against her._

Though, it was quite adorable when Nagisaki-_chan_ looks so flustered. I laughed lightly at the image that flashed in my mind. Nagisaki-_chan_ literally turned red after those remarks. I was surprised that she managed to stop herself from scratching out Hakumaru's face.

"Nagisaki Mai," Yanagi began showing me her data. "She was born on March 25, loves dancing, the best friend of the current captain. Her other nickname is Queen of Spades due to the ranking matches between the regulars. She joined the Dance Troupe and the tennis team in first year as Kurenai Shizuru's doubles partner. This year, she is still a member of both but an official player in the tennis team whereas during her first year, she was only a sub."

Though I would like to ask how he got that info, somehow there are things that are better off not being asked about.

"_Buchouuu_," a whine pierced my ears. "Niou-_senpai_ called me a "seaweed haired brat" and some random stuff I don't know!"

Sighing to myself, I turned around to face Niou with a turtle smile. "Now, now, Niou, how many laps would you like to run?"

Niou pales considerably though I chuckle darkly, causing him to shrink back a bit. "Uh, I don't plan to run at all?"

"Aww," I smiled wider while chuckling darkly. "Because, I think you earned yourself forty laps unless you want me to quadruple it?"

"NO," Niou almost shouts but manages to restrain himself. "I'll do it right now. Geez..."

Seeing him run off, I can now watch the game in peace. Kirihara is now pulling Marui's hair for some strange reason and another one was that Sanada wasn't doing anything to stop them. I glance at his eyes and find where they're looking at.

_She's the captain,_ I thought to myself before glancing at her again. _No wonder Gen-chan likes her._

_End of Yukimura's P.O.V_

"Those laps are certainly helping her," Hitomi noted while pressing a few buttons on the calculator. "She used to only create one afterimage but now, she's doing three at a time."

"This is only her basic speed after all," Shizuru smiled at Mai who returned the Sidewinder. "Hakumaru-_san_ never became a challenge to her. Mai just loves fooling around with people's heads."

Mai scored with a hard smash, "Love – fifteen!"

Ayame stumbled over; the shot exceeded the line, "Out, love – thirty!"

"This game is Mai's," she smiled triumphantly. "There's no way they'll beat Shizuru."

Ayame stretched over for the Black Mamba only to have it returned twice with the _Kosouku Yaribana_.

"Game and match, Nagisaki: six games to four!"

Before Mai walked off, Ayame slid towards her smoothly. "Mai-_hime_, we should play again sometime."

"Yeah," Mai smiled with a fake chirp. "Yeah, we should."

The Hyotei girls hid their snickers as Mai sat down, disgusted with her game.

"I didn't expect those two shots," Mai sat with her hands in front. "The Black Mamba confused me for a moment until I remembered seeing that attack somewhere. It really got me dizzy though."

Shizuru stood up, gently putting her jacket aside. While Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's captain stood up towards the stairs, their coach nodded to her, giving her a signal to do something. Not that it bothered the Hyotei captain but, Shizuru wondered what kind of play would result from a single nod.

"Singles One will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru versus Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's Morikawa Rika!"

Rika, brushing back her maroon jet blown hair, strode to the courts with a proud smile. "Though the team competition is clearly over," she raised her racquet to Shizuru's right shoulder. "I will not be defeated by a second year student."

"I don't plan on losing either," Shizuru smiled faintly before walking towards the baseline, gently pushing away the racquet. "But, I do hope that we have a good game."

"Game start, Kurenai to serve!"

Shizuru, bouncing the ball a few times, fired a fast serve right down at the intersection but Rika returned it with a heavy backhand. Shizuru returned the shot with a top spin and Rika slid over to fire a volley. Glancing at the rotation, Shizuru sliced it down below, causing it to disappear and bounce towards the net.

"Fifteen – love," the whole Hyotei crowd roared with loud cheer.

"That was the _Subera Kagerou_," one called out to his friends excitedly.

"She's the real queen of Hyotei," another chattered to his partner.

"Is she really human?" Another group murmured to one another. "She plays like... like..."

Hitomi began scribbling down. "Seventy nine percent of the Hyotei male population are here. The other twenty one are broken down into different schools."

"Well, it's good for the spectators," Haruka shrugged while glancing at Rikkai Dai who stood at the bleachers. "Also, it looks like an emperor's checking her out."

Momo saw Sanada eyeing Shizuru intently as she performed her rally. _Why can't he pick anyone from his school anyway? Dumb Genichirou's always trying to inconspicuous._

Sanada, no matter how much he tried, couldn't peel his eyes off the Hyotei captain. Her aura demanded respect and even the way she played showed that she wasn't one of those cheerleaders.

_Sanada's P.O.V_

What I couldn't believe was how much of an uproar Kurenai-_san_ can create by a simple technique. Her speed rattles the enemy, her strength and skill does the same and that smile on her face freezes the opponent in his tracks. It's not that she's creepy but if there was one thing I could describe her as it's a vampire...

_A vampire who can strike fear and respect yet bewitch me with one smile. With that look alone, the only thing that enters my head is her._

Yet somehow, the effect doesn't seem to be negative.

"Kurenai-_chan_'s quite the figure hm?" Yukimura glanced at me with the 'you're-in-love-with-her-and-if-you-don't-admit-it-you'll-die' smile. "After all, Kurenai-_chan_ does have that drive for tennis right?"

I turned away, concealing whatever you call that thing crawling up my face. Shizuru scored the next shot with another backhand top spin. Most people were born with natural forehands but I guess she got the opposite. Then again, that's what made her unique among the captains. Shizuru's movements entrance the entire crowd and even the seniors of her team are staring in awe.

"Gen-_chan_," a serene voice cuts through my thoughts. "I think you ate three mosquitoes."

Paling a bit, I hit my chest hard, coughing lightly if I did eat something. Then again, Yukimura's face tells me otherwise.

"Yukimura," I twitch a bit at my blue haired captain's serene face.

"It's okay, Gen-_chan_," Yukimura smiled sweetly. "You don't need to worry about anything."

_Unfortunately, that's the thing I'm afraid of._

However, her smile snaps me back into that trance. The only thing I could hear and see is her feet moving and her sending shots across.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"

Niou whistled. "Man," –he smirked, "that game ended fast... three minutes?"

Yanagi stopped his watch. "Actually, she finished the match in two minutes, forty seconds and three hundred ninety eight milliseconds."

I grunted in acceptance though, I would have gaped at the scene. Not many girls crack that kind of record and not even Yukimura's sister despite being a Nationals Calibre player, **DOES NOT** end a game in approximately three minutes. Kurenai-_san_ really bends nature's perception of women's tennis with that kind of play. Even though I didn't want to come, somehow, I feel glad that I did.

"Return ace, love – fifteen," Shizuru backhanded the shot with a super spin.

"Shots like that are almost impossible to do," I mutter to myself inwardly.

"She's so amazing," I heard Kirihara yell excitedly. "When can we play against her, _buchou_?"

Marui shrugged, blowing up a bubble. "I wanna see Ayane-_chan_ play!"

Niou smirked while clicking a few buttons on his phone. "Actually, Kurenai's a real catch, right Yagyuu?"

Yagyuu tilted his glasses up a bit. "Kurenai-_san_ is impressive."

I rolled my eyes a bit as I glanced back at the Hyotei _buchou_. No matter how many times I try to think of ways to defeat her, the only thing that pops up in my head is that smile. It's that ridiculously provoking, annoying, sweet yet... gentle smile.

_That smile of hers_, I shade my eyes with my cap. _Why do I want it to be directed at me?_

_End of Sanada's P.O.V_

Shizuru on the other hand didn't acknowledge anyone but her opponent. Rika, breathing heavily, flimsily sent a forehand which she easily returned with a backhand. Watching Rika's footsteps, Shizuru dashed to the other side which in response – Rika sent it to the opposite direction.

"Morikawa's got her," Kirihara gnashed his teeth, yelling loud enough for many of the spectators to look at him. "She went the wrong way!"

Sanada slapped Kirihara at the back of his head, "_Tarundoru_!"

Niou mischievously smirked. "I didn't know she had a swindler side."

Sanada saw Shizuru's smile change into something more devious as she vanished and reappeared at the other side. Everyone's eyes widened as Shizuru sliced the ball to finish the rally with the _Subera Kagerou_. Running towards the shot, Rika crashed on the floor and Shizuru smashed right next to her.

"Love – thirty," the arbiter declared, gaping at Shizuru's insane speed and skill.

Shizuru extended her hand, smiling gently. "Are you alright?"

Slapping her hand, Rika smirked. "I wouldn't be captain if I cried over something so measly. You're not so bad, _shakugan-chan_~."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow, "_Shakugan-chan_?"

"You have a burning passion," Rika smiled before turning away. "No wonder a lot of the seniors respect you. It's quite a feat for a sophomore to gain the respect of their upperclassmen."

Shizuru bowed humbly. "Thank you, it's very kind of you to say so."

_Her speed may not create solid copies like Nagisaki-san_, Sanada noted before watching Shizuru score with a backhand. _Her strength may not rival her vice captain's or so I have heard and her spin control doesn't match her protégé's but... what got her there is..._

"Kurenai-_san_ is on a different level," Yanagi noted while scribbling down. "What she's showing her now may or may not be her true power."

Niou stashed back his camera. "She's just playing for the fun of it. She's not that competitive at this rate."

"She is competitive," Yukimura pointed out. "You can see it in her eyes. She will place herself before her teammates to make sure everything is sure and certain. Her passion perhaps is focused somewhere else but what...?"

"She says it makes her feel alive," Sanada remembered his talk with Shizuru while he headed back home. _I wonder what that means though..._

Niou folded his arms, imitating Yanagi's dead on stare. "That's a rare answer. Most girls say something like: 'I want,'" –hesitating for a moment, " 'I want Atobe-_sama_ to look at me!' That's kind of crappy, you know? He's not a great player. You can floor him any day and I think I can do the same."

"Game, Kurenai: two games to love!"

Shizuru gained control of the game as she brought down a no return serve. Rika managed to lob it while Shizuru gently tapped it over. Rika dashed forward to send it over again while Shizuru volleyed it easily to the other side. Rika jumped for the shot while sending it as a cord ball. Shizuru sliced it back towards her but Rika backhanded the shot to the baseline, forcing Shizuru to flash there again. Rika stared, wide eyed at how fast the younger moved without even breaking a sweat. Biting her lip, Rika threw herself backwards to return only to have it smack the net.

"Fifteen – love," everyone gaped at the speed of the rally.

"Wow, are they even human!?"

"That rally's better than any of Atobe-_san_'s!"

"Kurenai-_sama_ has her cornered now!"

Shizuru smiled at her fans causing them to swoon over while some of the girls got jealous. Rika raised an eyebrow quizzically while Shizuru shrugged at the senior. Seeing that Rika got ready to receive her service, Shizuru cracked it on the court causing Rika to dash madly for the interception. Shizuru forehanded it back while Rika fumbled again.

"You're really an Angel," Rika smirked before doing a drop shot. "Kanto should be proud to have someone like you in their arsenal."

Shizuru said nothing but continued backhanding towards the corners. Rika returned it with a drop shot, staring in shock as Shizuru flashed forward and returned it with a backhand to the corner.

"Thirty – love," Shizuru smiled gently at her opponent who simply gaped.

"Forty – love," Rika stumbled on the next shot.

Shizuru's service zoomed across the net, invisible to the naked eye. The only thing the crowd saw was the ruffling of the net and the ball grinding itself in the wall after marking the service line.

"Game, Kurenai: three games to love!"

Kirihara's eyes widened while Marui stopped chewing his gum. Yukimura nodded in approval while Yagyuu tilted his glasses a bit.

"She's going to finish this game in ten minutes tops," Niou smirked while glancing at Jackal. "What do you think?"

Jackal shrugged while glancing at his watch. "I think this match is going to end in a default with the way Kurenai-_san_ is making damage."

Hitomi, scribbling away, glanced at her watch. "At this rate, we will still have time to watch Seigaku and Rikkai Dai. If they're not done with their matches, that is."

Momo watched Shizuru finish off the rally with a smash. "She's not even using much of her special moves except the _Subera Kagerou_. Other than that, this girl isn't even worth her sweat and breath."

Rika hung her head until Shizuru called out. "Hey, don't mind it."

Glancing up, Rika found Shizuru smiling. "What matters the most is that you play your best. It's okay to be competitive but don't make it an obsession."

Rika nodded with a smirk. "You're smart for a second year."

"Thank you," Shizuru fired another shot in.

"Love – thirty," Rika found the ball rolling towards her.

Tossing the ball, Rika sent a fast serve which Shizuru returned with ease.

"Return ace, love – forty!"

Ayane leaned against the bench. "_Buchou_'s not really doing much is she?"

"She is," Mai lazily drank her water. "_Buchou_ doesn't believe on holding back on her opponents unless necessary."

"Game, Kurenai: four games to love!"

Momo stood up and found Sanada watching Shizuru. _Geez, he never picked someone from his own school_, she snorted. _He might just treat her like trash or he might even make her depressed! I don't want her more depressed than she already is!_

Haruka paled considerably when she saw a certain Brazilian leaning over the fence. "Oh man, what is he doing here...?"

"Uh," Rin shrugged. "Isn't it a free country here in Japan?"

Haruka blushed madly until Hitomi began sniggering behind her who pulled out an ear thermometer. "Hikifumi Haruka now has increased her temperature to 38.9 degrees Celsius when she sees Jackal Kuwahara. They're quite an interesting pair like Momo-_chan_ like Sengoku-_san_ and Rin-_chan_ is now involved in a love triangle between a coconut sherbet and a _nekojin_."

Rin twitched a bit, jumping on Hitomi out of embarrassment. "Hitomi-_chan_, don't say things like that!"

Momo got ready to wrestle her other doubles partner into the ground, rolling up her sleeves. "Hitomi, do you want to die early!?"

Haruka slipped off her chair as Rin lunged down to catch her doubles partner. "Hitomi-_chan_, don't be so mean!"

"Also," Hitomi tilted her glasses a bit. "Ayane-_chan_ is a lot closer to Atobe-_san_ now. Mai-_chan_'s abilities increase by 5.5 percent probably due to the want to please Yukimura. Kiyone's improvement has come from some time spent with Shitenhouji Chuu. Shizuru-_chan_ seems to smile more now ever since the camp. Not only that, her eyes has a different sparkle."

Shizuru smiled inwardly at herself. All that time in camp, she enjoyed it a bit. However, something caught her off guard there...

Tezuka-_san_ kissed me, Shizuru bit her lip, blushing slightly. Why am I thinking like some stupid fan girl!?

"Fifteen – love," everyone in the crowd gasped as the ball promptly missed Shizuru."

Shizuru waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see that coming."

Shizuru gained the point back with the _Subera Kagerou_, "Fifteen – all!"

Rika fell on the floor as the next shot soared over, "Fifteen – thirty!"

"She hasn't scored once against _buchou_," Kiyone leaned lazily against the fence. "Shizuru-_nee-san_'s going to knock her down!"

"It's kind of obvious already," Hitomi tilted her glasses. "After all, _buchou_ has played in all sorts of situations."

"Game, Kurenai: five games to love!"

"It's total annihilation," Niou whistled at the situation. "That girl should have just given up at the first part."

Yagyuu sighed. "Well, it was a valiant effort on the other girl's part to try and take down Kurenai Shizuru."

Hearing the ball crack again and again, Sanada watched Shizuru's serve shoot faster and faster each time she began.

"Game and match, Kurenai: six games to love!"

Rika slumped to the floor, exhausted while Shizuru extended her hand. "It was a good game."

"You had me running all over the place," Rika exhaled sharply. "Hyotei's going to blaze through the Nationals as long as they have you."

"It's not just me," Shizuru glanced at her team. "They had a big role in this too."

"Game and match, Hyotei Gakuen: five games to love!"

The girls stood in front of the net, bowing while thanking one another for the match. They all exchanged handshakes and some even began laughing about the game they recently had. Rin repeatedly apologized to the smaller girl, Tsumugari Yukino for calling her "chubby", Momo planned to accept the power match between her and Ishida Chie, Rika and Shizuru exchanged glances with a courtesy smile before leaving.

When Haruka faced her sister, Ino sighed while extending her hand. "Congratulations, you did well, _imouto-sama_."

"Just because I beat you doesn't mean you have to put the suffix "-sama" in it," Haruka shook her hand vigorously. "I'm sure mom and dad would prefer if we dropped our rivalry."

Packing up their things, the girls were about to head back until Ayane got attacked by Marui from behind.

"Where were you!? I wanted to see you play," he pouted like a small child.

Ruffling his hair affectionately, Ayane cheekily smiled. "Well, it's a long story! _Buchou_," –she cast a sideward glare at her innocently smiling captain. "She thought I needed a break."

Kiyone jumped around, grinning mischievously. "She's just saying that because she met up with her hubby!"

Ayane, snarling and cracking her knuckles, lunged at her doubles partner. "I'll show you what I'll do to him and you if you don't shut up!"

Marui began snickering as another display of "Niou-goes-off-to-kill-Kirihara" chase is represented by the two. Jackal sighed into his hand while Yukimura chuckled lightly before moving towards Mai. Sanada glared at his cousin first who nonchalantly shrugged it off before sliding towards Shizuru which caused Momo to advance towards him menacingly. Haruka stayed behind Shizuru while Isane and Rin began interacting with the other members.

"It seems like you're the only one sane," Isane smiled sheepishly at Yagyuu. "How do you live with this kind of chaos?"

Yagyuu shrugged at her. "I don't know; it's the same thing I want to ask you."

Kirihara clung on to Shizuru. "Wow; that was one of the best games I ever watched! You're really like Yukimura-_buchou_ except prettier and kinder!"

Shizuru smiled, gently patting his head. "Um thank you, it's very kind of you to say so."

"Kirihara," Sanada's glacial voice caused the devil of Rikkai to freeze. "Let go of her arm if you're just going to yank her down."

"He's not yanking me down," Shizuru smiled meekly. "He's just very affectionate?"

Kirihara stuck his tongue out. "Yeah, I wanna cling on to her arm! You got a problem with that, _fuku buchou_?"

Sanada lowered his cap before growling towards the ace of Rikkai Dai. "Kirihara, start running a hundred fifty laps. NOW," – his eyes bore holes into Kirihara's soul.

Kirihara gaped at the vice captain. "But I didn't do anything!"

"Geez, you're moody today," Niou slung his arm casually over Shizuru's shoulder. "Is there something we don't know, _fuku buchou_?"

Sanada knew snapping at Niou would be rising to the bait. Secondly, Yukimura was smiling at him that said 'Niou has a point'. "Of course not," –Sanada's tone remained stern. "Kirihara's been slacking off for the past few weeks."

Kirihara, moping a bit, trudged off to run laps while Niou smirked to Shizuru. "Well babe, it will be awhile before the brat finishes his laps."

"Why don't you join him, Niou," Yukimura's deadly... rather – **friendly** voice gently prods the trickster. "After all, you'll be in Doubles One."

Niou grumbled a bit, running his laps while giving Sanada the chance to speak to the captain. Though it was never really his intention, Yukimura slid over to Sanada, putting his hand on Sanada's shoulder.

_You better talk to her. Try to know her more, Sanada. _

Sanada glanced at the captain, walking towards her uneasily. "That was a good game out there."

Shizuru smiled humbly. "Oh, thank you. It's nice to hear it from someone who's of National Calibre."

_It's that smile again_, Sanada could feel heat rising up to his cheeks but concealed it with his cap. "I'm just being honest, Kurenai-_san_."

"Nagisaki-_chan_," Yukimura on the other hand sauntered towards Mai. "You weren't too bad during your slot."

Mai flushed into ten shades of red. "Oh, thank you, Yukimura-_kun_!"

_Oh my gosh, Yukimura-kun just complimented me! Waah, I can die a happy woman!_

Momo dusted her shoes after sand started clogging up with clay. Groaning inwardly, Momo cast a sideward glance at Sanada who began talking to Shizuru. She bit her lip hard; Shizuru may be dense but Sanada might have learned something from Niou or God knows who.

"So," Yukimura looked at his watch. "Are you girls going to watch Rikkai Dai's match?"

Mai glanced at the others. "I guess if our _buchou_ would be so kind not to leave us again."

Shizuru turned to Mai while Sanada raised an eyebrow at Mai's words. "I don't intend to leave. Not this time," –she smiled faintly.

Kirihara pounced on Shizuru. "So, you're coming with us!?"

"Actually," Shizuru looked down. "If you don't want me to, I can just head to the other court for a few matches."

"NO," the whole team dragged their captain off without question.

Yukimura smiled at Sanada. "_Maa~_, they're very supportive. I haven't seen girls like that towards their captain."

Sanada grunted only in reply while Yukimura pat his back. "Well, you have a choice: pursue or let the other take her. Which will you take?"

Kirihara glanced at his vice captain who approached his cousin, shrugging. "What did you mean by that, _buchou_?"

"You'll see," Yukimura smiled pleasantly, causing the regulars to shudder. "Come on now, we can't miss the action."

-That's chapter 23! I'm very sorry for the late update! So, what do you guys think is Sanada's choice? Who is the other that Yukimura's referring to? Only time can tell!

Please review! Reviews make me more inspired!


	24. Mixed Matches

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 24 – Mixed Matches

Yukimura walked alongside Mai, smiling. "You know, it's quite amazing that you managed to keep your face on despite the flirts."

"She's creepy that's why," Mai sheepishly laughed but deep down shuddered at the thought of her game. "I guess her creepiness factor sifted it out."

Sanada on the other hand found himself once again next to the captain. "You played well out there, Kurenai-_san_."

"Thank you, it's very kind of you to say so," Shizuru smiled meekly at the Rikkai vice captain causing him to turn thirty shades of red. "Though I must ask, what brought you guys here?"

"We're actually here for a training camp that the coaches decided to put together," Sanada inhaled deeply; her scent simply drove him crazy. "I don't understand why we're needed but Seigaku, Hyotei and Shitenhouji seem to be present for the training as well."

Shizuru turned to Hitomi. "_Senpai_, do we have any international meet that we weren't informed of?"

Hitomi flipped through her planner. "Atobe-_san_ usually gets all the announcements. We should be asking him."

Shizuru sighed before smiling apologetically to Sanada. "I'm sorry; I guess we weren't informed about it. Although I'd like to ask, where and when exactly is it going to be?"

"It's supposed to be after our Kanto Regional matches," Sanada looked at his watch. "Although, the coaches thought that moving it up a bit earlier would be easier so that it won't be such a hassle for the other teams."

Shizuru nodded solemnly before thinking things through. "So, what are the girls supposed to do?"

"According to Yukimura," Sanada tried to remember the message. "He said that the girls are supposed to act as trainers as well but at some point, it was decided that the matches would be mixed."

"Wouldn't that cause a debate?" Shizuru quizzically raised an eyebrow at Sanada. "They could have separated the matches."

Sanada turned to Yukimura with an "I-told-you-so" glance. "That's exactly what I told Yukimura."

"But," Shizuru placed a finger on her chin, thinking deeply. "I think it's also nice to mix up the players. I mean – it's quite different for a change and more styles are seen. Don't you think so, Sanada-_san_?"

Sanada, disguising his pinkish cheeks, turned away while trying to stop his mouth from twitching into a smile. The sunset gave a good refraction of Shizuru's hair colour and Sanada saw how bright her eyes really were. Moving slightly closer, Sanada closed his eyes to calm himself down; how could he feel this way towards a rival school's captain?

_Shizuru's head is like a rock; nothing penetrates it except tennis, studies and her friends' safety._

That data alone from Yanagi gave Sanada baffled the vice captain to no end. Watching the girl walk calmly next to him, Sanada wasn't sure how long he can stand talking to her calmly because his hands started shaking and even his heart began echoing in his ears. Turning back, Sanada found Niou snickering on one side and glared.

_You're running three hundred laps tomorrow, Niou_.

Kirihara peeked over Niou's shoulder while watching Yukimura smile intently at Sanada. Mai pointed at her dense captain mouthing something that Shizuru's too dense to even notice that he's trying. Marui began explaining some doubles tactic to Ayane and Kiyone while Jackal tried to keep their conversation at that before it became something about weird stuff like "Can you make me a strawberry cheesecake? I hear you're making Panna Cotta for Atobe."

"So, Nagisaki-_chan_," Yukimura glanced at the tennis court. "How do you feel about facing my sister?"

Mai shrugged but punched the air, chirping happily. "I'm sure it would be a good fight! I mean – her brother is the 'Demigod' after all."

"Well," Yukimura smiled though this was more directed to his vice captain. "I'm sure she'll put up a good fight then."

Before they could go on further, Shizuru stopped walking to watch Seigaku play their game. "You guys go on ahead, I want to see this."

Yukimura smiled at Sanada. "Make sure she gets home in one piece, Sanada."

Shizuru shook her head at Yukimura and Sanada. "Please don't trouble yourselves. I can get home just fine."

"No it's alright," Sanada leaned against the fence with her. "I would like to see what Ai-_san_ has to go up against."

"Oh as in – Yukimura Ai-_san_?" Shizuru glanced at the Rikkai Dai vice captain.

"Y-yes," Sanada couldn't believe himself; stuttering in front of a second year student and a girl no less! Sanada could talk to girls but his throat ran dry every time Shizuru started a conversation. Most of their dialogues had one liners in it, causing nothing but a deep silence between the vice captain and female captain.

"There's no reason to be nervous, Sanada-_san_," Shizuru smiled gently. "Am I scaring you?"

"No, not at all," Sanada shook his head while watching a short haired blonde walk down from the bleachers. Unlike the others, this girl had a police cap shading her eyes while her racquet rested comfortably on her shoulder.

"Renkeikouji Atoli," Shizuru noted while Atoli spun her racquet. "She's been known to figure out weaknesses in an instant. Mai's been training hard to figure out how to beat her."

Sanada nodded as Atoli faced her opponent with a small smile. The other girl tossed her strawberry pink hair back while Atoli spun her racquet with a cocky smirk. "So, what's it going to be?"

Raising her eyebrow, she smirked at Atoli. "I'll go with smooth."

Atoli took the ball after while heading towards the baseline. She heard loud cheers from her _kohai_ Shibuya and Ryuuzaki while the seniors nodded stiffly at her to start. Being the only second year on the team felt lonely but Atoli saw how much recognition she gained from the seniors. Fuuka had acknowledged her talent the moment she entered the club, Enma encouraged her with Midori and things just started climbing from there. Although, Atoli couldn't understand how obsessed Fuuka could get but somehow, she just wanted things to be back to normal.

_It all would've stayed normal if Fuuka just told __**him**__ what she felt!_

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With Marui and Jackal somehow caught in the mess, Ayane on the other hand fumed while walking through the grocery store. Glancing at the products, Ayane sighed while nearly pulling out her hair. _Darn, I don't even know how to make five-star Panna Cotta! I just do it the way my mom does it!_

Smelling the fruits, Ayane began to weigh them a bit to see which one should seem sweeter than the other. Sighing, she placed blueberries into the basket while trying to find another fruit.

"Hey, you're making Panna Cotta," Marui loomed over while the minty green bubblegum popped at her ear. "Hmmm, who's it for?"

Ayane sighed while grabbing a pack of strawberries. "It's for a _senpai_ at school. He asked one of my friends to tell me that he wanted one."

_There's no way I'm telling him about my bet with Atobe! I'm going to personally castrate that man when I see him again!_

Marui's expression brightened when he saw the strawberries. "Waah, I want strawberries!"

Jackal face palmed. "Marui, this is out of her own allowance – don't make her buy."

However, much to the Rikkai doubles one pair's surprise – Ayane grabbed a pack and put it in. "What do you like them in?"

Marui pretended to clean his ears. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"How do you usually eat strawberries?" Ayane smiled cheerfully at the red headed self-proclaimed _tensai_. "I'm in the mood to make something today so, what will it be?"

Marui thought about it carefully. "You sure you don't mind?"

Jackal waved his hands in front of Ayane. "It's alright; you don't have to make something for Marui."

"I want a Strawberry Shortcake," Marui cheerfully grinned; Jackal face palmed however.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Ayane got a pack of sugar before watching a pale pink haired girl walk towards her. "Hey look – it's Haruka-_senpai_!"

Haruka had a basket of oranges with her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Getting ingredients," Ayane raised her eyebrows with a glance. You_ mention anything about Atobe's bet and I will make Hitomi-senpai feed you her worst concoction._

Blinking several times, Haruka shrugged lightly while getting some apples. "Well, I was planning to make some fruit juice for later on. Didn't Mai-_chan_ tell you that she's having a party in her house?"

"She's having a party?" Ayane tilted her head to the side. "Wait, what's the theme?!"

"She didn't say," Haruka shrugged. "All I know is that many business associates and also some of the teams are going to be there. I think Yukimura-_san_ was supposed to tell you that."

Marui and Jackal exchanged glances before shrugging. "Well," Jackal glanced at his watch. "We have a lot of time to kill so I don't see why we can't hang out a bit."

Haruka scratched her head sheepishly. "So, what do you guys do?"

"Well, I'd say hit the arcade," Marui blew up his bubblegum. "I hear that they have new stuff installed!"

Jackal sweat dropped at his doubles partner. "What do you girls think?"

"I don't mind really," Ayane shrugged while nudging her _senpai_. "By the way, where is Rin-_senpai_?"

"Rin went off to buy a dress/gown," Haruka shrugged. "Mai-_chan_ told us that her parents wanted it to be a garden thing and it's a formal theme."

Ayane placed a finger on her chin. "Darn, which reminds me – I don't have anything either!"

Marui shrugged while looking across the street. "There a couple of dress stores here. Maybe there would be one."

"You," Ayane raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously going to go shopping with me?"

"Well, I'm gonna be there anyway," Marui blew his bubblegum, cheekily smiling. "I mean – come on, you need a guy's perspective!"

Jackal shook his head. "Do you know how gay that sounded?"

Ayane shook her head. "Well, I hope you two don't mind. Haruka-_senpai_, are you coming?"

Smirking to conceal her blush, Haruka nodded while looking in her wallet. "Yeah, I have enough cash."

However, at the back of Haruka's mind – it was much different. _Well, time to try getting doubles pointers from the half of the number one doubles players, CHA!_

Ayane shook her head as she watched Haruka's eyes somewhat twinkle. _Senpai_, _you're hopeless. You're almost as bad as Mai-senpai when she sees Yukimura-san._

Marui pat Jackal on the back. "Hey, I bet you think Haruka-_san_'s cute right?"

Jackal turned to him, staring at him stupidly. "Are you alright, Marui?"

"I was just asking," Marui smirked as they headed out of the grocery store until he saw a white limo pull up. "Ooh, speak of the devil..."

Ayane's eyes widened but squinted with annoyance as she marched towards it and saw Atobe come out of it. "Sure, I wonder what he wants."

Atobe spotted her the moment he got out of the car. "Arn~," –he hummed coldly. "What are you doing with Rikkai Dai?"

"I just came from the game I was supposed to play in," Ayane pointed at his chest, glaring menacingly. "I came here to get materials to make your 'thing' tomorrow!"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "_Ore-sama_told you that you shouldn't have much interactions with others now didn't he?"

"Shut up," Ayane spat venomously. "You have no right to control me! You have no right to tell me who to hang out with!"

In the midst of all this, Marui whispered to Jackal. "Ooh, a lover's spat..."

Ayane twitched. "Marui-_kun_," –her voice sounded sickly sweet until it began rising. "WE ARE NOT LOVERS!"

"Niou would like this," Jackal folded his arms. "He likes pissing people off or watching people yell at each other."

Haruka sighed while Ayane and Atobe got into another argument **AGAIN**. "I'm starting to think that you guys are really made for one another."

On the other hand, Ayane flounced away. "Geez, you're pathetic! I'm not even your girlfriend, darn it!"

"Did you forget our little bet?" Atobe raised an eyebrow at Ayane, seeing that the others were behind her.

Ayane bit her tongue before something more lethal rolled out. "Well," –turning away and grabbing Marui's hand, she stomped off. "Marui-_san_'s going to help me get something for Mai's tonight! So if you don't mind – get out of my way before I steam roll you with a backhand."

"Sure you will," Atobe smirked as Ayane bumped his right shoulder on purpose.

Jackal shrugged while following after the fuming first year. "Well, I have to make sure Marui doesn't get himself killed."

"Ayane won't kill him," Haruka noted cheerfully. "She only does that to Atobe. Marui won't be at the receiving end of her fury."

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Niou decided to go with Isane and Momo while Yagyuu tailed behind. Apparently, Momo had to go off and find some dresses also since her cousin was dragged into a business meeting with the Nagisaki family. Niou glanced at her while she looked at the dresses.

"Hey, I thought you were a dyke," Niou raised an eyebrow. "So, why the hell are you going?"

"Niou-_kun_," Momo's glare rivalled Sanada's in terms of killing power. "Unless you want to lose your ability to reproduce, I suggest you shut up."

Niou shrugged while Yagyuu shook his head. "You're not supposed to say things like that, Niou-_kun_."

Isane began looking through the dresses. "They don't really have anything for tall girls like me."

"I'm sure they do," Momo smiled while patting Isane in the back. "They just don't know how to appreciate height when they see it."

Looking over his shoulder, Yagyuu pointed out. "What about that green dress over there?"

Unlike the other bright coloured dresses, the dress was a pale green v-neck and empire cut dress with a nice Greek influence to it. The sash trailed from behind giving anyone who wore it a powerful aura and in the middle had a golden brooch in the middle of the V. Momo pulled it out and smirking, she shoved the dress at Isane.

"Here," Momo pushed the lanky girl towards the dressing room. "Get it on so we can see if it fits right."

Isane stumbled in while Yagyuu raised an eyebrow. "Do you often shove her like that?"

Momo shrugged while looking at the other dresses mechanically. "No, I just do that when I'm excited."

"From the tone of your voice," Niou snickered a bit. "You don't seem like it."

"Go dunk your head in alcohol," Momo rolled her eyes at the Trickster. "Now I know why Genichirou's blood pressure rivals our grandfather's."

Peeking from behind the curtain, Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "Well, how do I look?"

The three gaped; Isane looked like a stick in her jersey when she actually had assets to flaunt. "Guys," Isane poked Momo. "Please don't stare. Do I look ugly?"

"You moron," Momo flicked the taller girl's nose. "You look great! Why are your uniforms much bigger than you!?"

"Well," Isane smiled sheepishly. "Truthfully, I like wide shirts."

"You're crazy," Momo rolled her eyes. "Anyhow, I can just lend you shoes. It's at my dorm anyway."

Niou glanced at the dresses hanging on Momo's arm. "Get the black one."

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you care what looks good on me?"

"Is it bad to do so?" Niou smirked at the violet haired Sanada. "_Fukubuchou_ might get all prissy again if you don't look good tonight."

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Yukimura on the other hand watched Mai attend her dance class. He couldn't help but marvel how graceful and emotional her movements were, flowing with the music. Despite her being at the front row, the _tensai_ stuck out like a sore thumb – literally. Chuckling softly to himself, Yukimura watched Mai kick straight up into the air before bending back and performing a bridge for the stunts.

"That's great, Mai-_chan_," a cheery voice approached Mai from behind. "Can you do it again?"

"The bridge isn't that hard to do," Mai smiled half-heartedly. _Yukimura-kun's not the least bit impressed, isn't he?_

Feeling someone grip her shoulder, Mai turned around to see an orange haired student come up behind her with an excited smile. "Wow, I get to see Hyotei's _tensai_ here! How lucky~!"

"Sengoku," Mai rolled her eyes. "Do know that I'm trying to dance here instead of noticing you flirting with every girl in sight!"

_Is this Nagisaki-chan's boyfriend?_ Yukimura smiled, albeit amused. _If so, she's going to have a hard time._

Sengoku began looking around, whining with puppy dog eyes. "But they're all so pretty!"

"Ugh," Mai whacked Sengoku on the head, earning a yelp from the vice captain of Yamabuki. "Act your age for once instead of acting like a desperate old man!"

Yukimura chuckled inwardly, watching Mai blush with ten shades of red. Being filled with mirrors, the room managed to show Yukimura how flustered the Hyotei _tensai_ was due to Sengoku's flattery. At the same time, he could watch how graceful her movements are compared to most of her groupmates. Looking at the bags, many of them were from the Hyotei dance club like Mai but some were from Seigaku and Rikkai Dai though most of them were from Ramusen Gakuen, Hyotei Gakuen and Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu.

_I wonder though,_ Yukimura glanced at his watch. _How long has Gen-chan been out with the other queen?_

Nevertheless, Yukimura began dialling some buttons on his cellphone. It's a good start for Gen-_chan_ to talk to Kurenai-_san_. She's more appreciative of silence or anything that is tennis related. However, there are times that I just want to rub this in someone's face...

After a few rings, a feminine voice responded. "Yukimura, what do you have planned?"

"I've set Gen-_chan_ loose," Yukimura chirped happily, sensing the demonic aura on the other end of the phone. "After all, it's best she remains with an emperor and rather not with someone who doesn't care about her feelings. After all, your captain seems a bit slow on the approach isn't he, Fuji?"

"Tezuka is anything but a person who doesn't care," Fuji restrained his hiss with a smirk. "Perhaps, Sanada is exactly what I needed."

"Oh," Yukimura leaned against the wall with a 'turtle' smile, scaring anyone nearby. "Pray do explain, Fuji-_kun_."

"A king doesn't stop chasing after what he wants," –Yukimura could imagine Fuji's cerulean blue eyes glaring at him. "Tezuka may not be like Atobe who's more aggressive but he knows when to pull out all the stops especially when he loves someone."

Yukimura chuckled darkly. "Unfortunately, as credible as it sounds – Tezuka's a rock. You should know that."

"He's not a rock," –imagining Fuji's 'you're-dead' smile didn't bother the demigod at all. "He just needs a little push."

Yukimura glanced at his watch again, watching Mai clean up. "Very well, I will expect that then."

After this, the line died.

Pocketing his cellphone, Yukimura didn't notice Mai standing next to him. "That was Fuji-_san_wasn't it?"

Yukimura chided while ruffling her hair. "You shouldn't be listening to conversations that don't concern you."

"It does," Mai pointed out flatly. "This is Shizuru we're talking about! You can't just talk about her as if she's an object to be won!"

Yukimura smiled teasingly at her, ruffling her hair. "Are you jealous, Nagisaki-_chan_?"

Mai scowled while sliding on her shoes. "Now, why the hell should I be jealous over that!?"

Yukimura laughed before opening the door for Mai. "Shall we go? You still need to prepare for tonight. After all, the training camp we're staying in belongs to your aunt for the next few weeks. Some of the teams don't even know that they're heading there."

_I can't believe it_, Mai felt her heart leap to her mouth. _One whole afternoon with Yukimura-sa- I mean – Yukimura-kun to myself!_

While walking along, Mai slid a bit closer to Yukimura as inconspicuously as she could. His presence alone made her knees melt and her eyes twinkled while glancing at the demigod. She shivered with delight as she imagined how he would somewhat confess to her.

_Kyaaah_, Mai felt a hand touch her cheek, only to see that it was Yukimura.

"Are you alright? Your temperature is rising," Yukimura smiled gently at the girl, causing Mai to keel over.

"I...I'm fine," Mai swooned at his touch. _Please don't let him stop! Please don't let him stop!_

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"Why are we shopping for weird ingredients again," Kiyone held out a basket for Hitomi to place some vegetables in. "I mean – we don't want Shizuru-_senpai_ to get a stomach ache before the match!"

Yanagi opened his notebook. "We also need pineapple, oranges and watermelons. That should be about it."

Kiyone's face turned slightly green as she saw _wasabi_, crab, oysters, pineapples, oranges and watermelons fill the entire basket. Shifting it to one side with a grunt, Kiyone turned away from the vile concoction that Yanagi and Hitomi seemed to be up to. They were throwing in all sorts of ingredients and Kiyone withheld her barf before spilling everything out.

"This is quite a recipe," Hitomi smiled business-like. "Where did you get such a nutritious recipe?"

_You call this "Nutritious"!?_ Kiyone stood back, horrified with Hitomi's choice of words. _That thing looks more like poison!_

"This is Yukimura's recipe though," Yanagi got a bottle of chilli sauce. "He prefers taking things very spicy but if your teammates can't handle it – lessen the spiciness a bit."

Kiyone backed away a bit from the scheming data masters, shuddering at the results. _I don't want to even try that thing! I like spicy food but not that bad!_

Hitomi took a tuna from the ice packs. "Well, I hear fish has a good amount of omega three in it. I think they'll need it..."

"Getsugan needs calcium," Yanagi glanced at the smaller girl, causing the first year student to shudder. "What kind of milk has more calcium?"

"I'd go with _carabao_ milk but it's quite addicting," Hitomi flashed a business-like smile to Yanagi. "Kiyone-_chan_ might drink too much."

_Only if there wasn't anything else in it,_ Kiyone withheld her puke. "Guys, are you sure we won't go bankrupt?"

"This place is owned by my parents," Hitomi smiled evilly. "I can get anything I want here for free."

Kiyone gulped, tugging her shirt nervously. "Hey, Hitomi-_senpai_– what are we going to do tonight?"

"It's Mai-_chan_'s brother is coming home," Hitomi looked at her planner. "You need a dress by the way."

"I do not," Kiyone sprinted away but Hitomi grabbed her jacket. "But, I don't need to go shopping!"

Hitomi turned to Yanagi, causing the other girl to whine. "So, are we done here?"

"Yes though I'm concerned about the forty percent," Yanagi tapped the pencil against his chin.

Hitomi looked at his notebook. "Is that the success rate of Sanada being able to woo my captain?"

Yanagi pocketed his pen, sighing in defeat. "Unfortunately, yes – but the forty percent seems to have an anomaly in it. Question is: from where?"

Glancing at his notebook, Hitomi followed his calculations and recalled her captain's behaviour towards another captain. "Perhaps, a certain captain is the anomaly."

"May I know who the potential threat is?" Yanagi pulled out his pen to write as Hitomi smiled thinly at him.

Hitomi swung the basket over her shoulder as she wrote out the name.

_Tezuka Kunimitsu, Seigaku no Hashira... Seigaku no Buchou_

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That night, guests filled up the hallway and the dining room as Mai entranced everyone with a simple dance and a curtsy. An orchestra greeted everyone as waiters appeared on every side serving them with small appetizers. Sparkling wine glasses were distributed to others as the halls bustled with lively chatter followed by the perfect conducting of a Vivaldi's Seasons "Spring". The chandeliers glistened from every side and despite Mai's house not being as grandeur as Atobe's, it certainly almost matched up to a five star hotel.

"Nice greeting," Haruka clapped her hand as Mai went to get punch with her. "Who knew your parents can throw parties like the Atobe's?"

Mai shrugged nonchalantly, drinking down a glass. "Well, it is my brother's return after three years. My parents want to hear about his adventures in America. He works more in the Las Vegas district as an illusionist in functions and hotels. Not only that, my brother's quite the bartender and casino manager."

"Well," Ayane took a piece of garlic bread from the waiter. "He must make a lot of money then. Are there any other siblings here?"

Mai pointed out. "Nah, it's just my grandparents, eight of my cousins, mom, dad and I – why?"

All the Hyotei regulars stared at her as if Mai had grown a second head. "Can you even live with that many people in the same house!?"

"Mai," the _tensai_ excused herself to respond to her mother. "Will you come here for a moment?"

Standing next to her mother, Mai found herself in front of very familiar faces. "Mom, are they the...?"

"Yes," the mom shook their hands eagerly. "This is Yukimura Kazuma and his wife, Yukimura Ritsu. Their children are your age, I believe?"

The blue haired woman smiled kindly. "Yes, my eldest," –she beckoned the bluenette boy to stand next to her. "This is Seiichi and his sister is Ai, she's a few months younger than he is."

Mai coughed a bit, concealing her blush at the same time. _Yukimura-kun looks so much like his mother!_

"Nagisaki-_san_," Yukimura bowed. "It's an honour to meet you."

Mai's mother giggled at the bluenette bowing, unaware of Mai's blush. "Oh, your son is so polite! Please call me Yuma-_san_. I'm amazed – most tennis players could be brutes you know."

"Oh that's only a few," Yukimura Ritsu waved her hand dismissively. "Seiichi is much kinder than them, am I right?"

Yukimura smiled serenely to his mother. "Yes, I prefer words to deal with them."

"Quite the intelligent one I must add," Nagisaki Yuma giggled before nudging Mai. "Why don't you introduce yourself, Mai?"

Mai bowed, blushing madly. "H-hi, I'm Nagisaki Mai."

Yukimura smiled at the red haired _tensai_. "Yes, I believe we've met awhile ago."

Seeing that the two engaged in a conversation, Yuma beckoned Ritsu. "So, shall we go join the others as we discuss about old times?"

"Indeed," Ritsu snuck off with a sweet smile. "I'm sure Seiichi won't really mind it."

Watching them sneak off, Yukimura laughed cheerfully. "I'm quite amazed by your party, Nagisaki-_chan_."

"Th-thank you," Mai waved her hand dismissively, chirping albeit too happily. _I can't believe he's here in my house!_

Yukimura's smile slowly changed into a 'turtle' one as he noticed his _fukubuchou_ and a certain captain come in. "Well, well, Gen-_chan_'s going to have some competition."

Swivelling to the direction where Yukimura was smiling, Mai saw Sanada and Tezuka following their parents around and their eyes locking on her captain's form. Shizuru, occupied as she was, didn't even bother glancing at the two who were throwing a glance at her. However, she noticed the aura next to her change into something more challenged as she watched Yukimura's eyes follow someone else's figure. Because next to Tezuka, Fuji nudged his captain who didn't show any emotion but Yukimura didn't need to be a genius to figure out Tezuka's hesitation.

_Well, since they're not here,_ Yukimura strode smoothly towards Tezuka. "Hello, Tezuka-_kun_."

Tezuka nodded stiffly. "Hello, Yukimura."

However, Fuji and Yukimura had a staring match for a moment while the _tensai_ decided to nudge Tezuka. "Saa~, I'll catch up. You go ahead, Tezuka."

Raising an eyebrow before leaving, Tezuka headed towards the punch glass table while Yukimura and Fuji smiled at one another. Their faces remained serene but the aura scared anyone who got near them. Everyone decided to ignore the two but both didn't budge or blink. Fuji smiled again at Yukimura who seemed to relax at the tension the both of them caused.

"It seems you gave Tezuka quite a push," Yukimura raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to give up now are you?"

Fuji opened his eyes, revealing an electrifying blue. "This is the first time I've seen Tezuka serious about a girl. I won't let some second rate idiot take her away from him."

Yukimura gave him his 'you'll-regret-that' smile. "Would you like to repeat that, Fuji?"

"Perhaps I would allow Oshitari to stall Sanada a bit for me no?" Fuji smiled wider. _Bring it on, Yukimura_.

_It's on, Fuji. _Yukimura's smiling face turned serious. "Niou and Kirihara are pretty good pranksters if you ask me."

"Who said Oshitari was the only man in my arsenal?" Fuji placed his hand on his cellphone. "Niou's not going to be able to keep up with Oshitari all the time."

"Niou just doesn't have Kirihara backing him up," Yukimura noted with a famous serene smile. "He's not alone in all this."

From afar, Tezuka shook his head before following Shizuru to the drinks table. His feet seemed to dig itself into the ground as Shizuru stood a metre away from him. What held him deeply rooted was that Shizuru became the only thing he could see. Her silver one shouldered gown emphasized on her figure and brought out the tone of her skin. Unlike the other extravagant balloon dresses, this one flowed straight down giving her an elegant figure.

(Tezuka's P.O.V)

I've never understood how my foot suddenly rooted itself into the floor. My throat couldn't produce anything and everything became pitch black except for her image. Taking a step forward felt like something tore my leg off. All the discipline my grandfather taught me started going down the drain the moment she stood in front of me. Heartbeats echoed loudly while my arms hung limply at my side. It's not fear then, what could it be?

_You're shy, Tezuka. Must I drill that in your thick head!?_

Shaking my head, I cancelled any rash feelings that could disorient my trail of thought. Kurenai-_san _doesn't even know what kind of effect she has on my conscience bit me hard until a soft voice called out to me.

"Tezuka-_san_, are you alright?"

Snapping out my trail of thought, Shizuru stood in front of me with an innocent smile while handing me a drink. "You've been spacing out for awhile."

Taking the drink, I nodded stiffly. "I was just thinking of something..."

_Yeah, you were thinking about how pretty she is and how to approach her, dummy._

_Be quiet, conscience._ I growl inwardly to myself before taking a sip. "It's quite a party."

"Yeah," Shizuru looked around. "Compared to them, I think I'm underdressed."

_Underdressed is an understatement_, I bit my tongue to control myself. "You look fine, Kurenai-_san_."

"Thank you," Shizuru smiled, bowing. "Though, I'm not the party type... hence, I'm not sure who talk to."

Tezuka blushed slightly but forced it down again. "It's alright, it'll take time."

_Quit blushing and keep a straight face._

_I don't remember being assigned to a vampire; _the voice mocked me from inside before it became serious. "You're human, Tezuka. I think this girl is what makes you more human than a statue everyone claims you are. Open your heart to her. Watching from afar won't do you both any good."

I shook away my conscience as I continued talking to her. Though we were walking amongst the crowd and right past the _tensai_, she didn't seem to notice the evil grin on Fuji's face but something bit my back as things slowly started getting better. I increased my pace while grabbing Shizuru's hand, checking from the corner of my eyes to see who it was.

"Hello Kurenai-_san_," a voice cut me out of my thoughts.

(End of P.O.V)

Tezuka found Sanada standing next to her though he could notice the dark glare coming from the Rikkai Dai vice captain. Reciprocating the same intensity, Tezuka made sure that Shizuru didn't notice it but Sanada's expression darkened making it almost impossible to conceal his own.

"Sanada-_san_, I didn't know you were here as well," Shizuru smiled at Sanada. "Who else is here with you?"

"Rikkai Dai's here," Sanada looked around, sighing as he found Marui devouring more cake. "Your entire team is here I presume?"

"Yeah," Shizuru glanced at Tezuka. "Tezuka-_san_, you're spacing out again – are you okay?"

Tezuka shook himself out of his glare. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Shizuru however remained oblivious to the glaring match they had over her. "By the way, what's this international match that I've been hearing about?"

Before they could respond, one of Mai's relatives stood up on the stairs. "Everyone, may I have your attention please?"

Silence filled the room as she continued. "As you know, there is always something called the Goodwill Games am I right?"

She got a murmured 'yes' as a response. "Now, what we have here today are teams from Middle Schools that would be participating in the tournament. But, this one won't be an ordinary game for it will be a mixed match between both boys and girls. This match will be held a month after the Kanto Tournament of both sides so that it would be easier to coordinate. That will be all, everyone."

After the announcement, Shizuru saw Momo calling her. "Sorry guys, I have to go. Please excuse me, my friends are calling me."

Sanada nodded, smiling a bit. "It's alright, go on ahead."

Tezuka did the same but maintained a cold stare at Sanada. Making Shizuru was no longer an earshot, Tezuka resumed to his stoic tone as Sanada smirked at him. The two stared at each other for awhile before resuming into a cold war.

"You're not usually present in parties like this," Sanada smirked at the captain.

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "Is it just me or have you become less observant?"

"Quite a retort, Tezuka," Sanada's eyes narrowed a bit. "I remember you only going as far as one syllable."

Tezuka somewhat rolled his eyes. "Less is more after all."

Sanada curled his hand into a fist, his knuckles becoming visibly white. "Kurenai-_san_ is someone who deserves a person who would show what smiling should be like."

"You're not the softest cotton ball in the pack either, Sanada," Tezuka felt his temper rising, deadpanning a bit.

From afar, Momo and the other seniors of the Hyotei team found Sanada and Tezuka glaring at each other. Momo face palmed as she glanced at the two boys fighting over her captain. His growling certainly caught her off guard and Tezuka's comments seemed to be a bit nastier than they should have.

"I prefer Tezuka over Sanada," Rin licked her chocolate glazed marshmallow. "I mean – he lives closer to her house at the same time, they know each other more!"

Haruka shook her head. "We can't say that for sure, Sanada and Tezuka met her and only got to know her at the same amount of time. Though, Sanada seems to be a better option considering that because Momo knows him – she can easily monitor him."

"That's true but we have their intentions also to examine," Hitomi flipped through her notebook. "After gathering some data from Yanagi and Inui, these two were her opponents back then which they've both lost hands down. It could be that they only want her as a rival."

Isane nodded while tapping her chin. "Besides, Tezuka doesn't seem to be that bad. Momo often complains about Sanada-_san_ and if he becomes _buchou_'s boyfriend, imagine the hell we'll have to live through everyday."

Momo turned to beckon Mai, Ayane and Kiyone to come forward. "Hey, don't you think it's about time we had an interview session?"

"I know Tezuka would win hands down," Mai folded her arms, smiling confidently. "Sanada's too much of a grandpa statue for Shizuru."

Ayane rubbed her hands together with an evil smile. "Whoo hoo, when does this start?

Kiyone punched the air. "Yay, we're going to have an interrogation for _buchou_'s prospects!""

Hitomi's glasses glinted while she smirked. "When they become easy targets for us, I think that would be around the Goodwill Games."

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The next day wasn't as forgiving as Hyotei faced off against Jyosei Shounan. Watching a cluster of pale blue uniforms fill the bleachers and the bench, Shizuru glanced at her team who warmed up even before she told them to. Their coach, Hanamura Aoi always cast glances at their direction causing the seniors to shudder and Shizuru to tilt her head simply to the left side, innocently staring back.

"_Buchou_," Ayane tapped Shizuru's shoulder. "She's kinda creepy. I don't think you should do that."

Kiyone cowered behind her captain as well as Doubles Two was announced.

"Doubles Two will now begin with Jyosei Shounan's Juushinhi-Tachiwara pair versus Hyotei's Sanada-Yamaguchi pair!"

Nodding to one another, the two seniors got down to face the Jyosei Shounan's doubles pair. Hitomi tilted her glasses as she recalled the first time she played against them.

_Jyosei Shounan's well known for their doubles strategies,_ Hitomi began scribbling down notes. Tachiwara Miho and Juushinhi René's strategies often vary depending on the level of their opponent which results to their undefeated reputation. However, we don't know how well they will fare against our Diamond Pair considering Ayane and Kiyone are strong. But, we're not even sure of our own calibre.

Recalling her match when she was still a 2nd year student, Hitomi recalled the horror of their scores only to have it redeemed by the Singles Matches played by Nagisaki Mai, Kurenai Shizuru and Kotetsu Naomi. The Doubles matches showed total slaughter: 6-0 and another 6-0 even with the famous Osakada-Hikifumi pair using the Osakada Stadium technique and the Midoriyama-Sanada pair losing to their reckless strategy. However, Hitomi lowered her stance at the net as Momo began her service.

_I will not have Hyotei lose again,_ Hitomi watched Momo's service fly past her with a lethal effect. "It looks like you used the Knuckle Serve."

"One thing I hated about these guys," Momo tossed the ball again for the second serve. "They're always bragging on how good their doubles is! Well guess what, some things just get worse and more evil!"

Mai whistled as another Knuckle Serve flew in. "Whew, she's getting nasty today, _buchou_. This game's ours."

"No it isn't," Shizuru's stare remained focused on the other side. "They're only waiting."

Mai raised an eyebrow as Ayane pointed out. "You notice that the baseline player is watching how fast Momo-_senpai_'s serve is flying?"

Watching the two other players, Momo fired a normal serve causing Miho to return it quickly. Hitomi ran for a volley while René fired the shot straight for the corner. Seeing an opening, Momo cross courted her backhand towards the left side only to have Miho bend back and return it with an awkward curve. Hitomi dived for the shot as it floated towards the other side, allowing Miho to smash it.

"The probability of Momo using the _Tetsu_," Hitomi smirked while tilting her glasses and moving back, "is a hundred percent."

Miho saw Momo fire a second smash in conjunction with her own. Keeping a straight face, Miho switched places with René as she fired a forehand towards Hitomi who sliced it down for René to return the shot which came back as a double spin. Hitomi lobbed it up again forcing Miho to smash and allowing Momo to use the _Tetsu_ again.

"Forty – love," the fourth smash of the rally cracked in with exploding force.

Momo began her service again but with René on the receiving end, the shot exploded straight at Momo with the effects of the Knuckle Serve.

"Forty – fifteen," René emotionlessly brushed past Miho before the other player moved over to receive.

Momo and Hitomi began another rally as Miho missed the _Oto_ fired for the right corner.

"Game, Sanada-Yamaguchi pair: one game to love!"

Miho and René silently passed a glance to one another as Momo and Hitomi watched the two Jyosei Shounan players exchange signs. Tilting her glasses a bit, Hitomi placed a hand on Momo's shoulder nodding to her. Momo raised an eyebrow before sauntering towards the net line while Hitomi received the first serve. Miho's serve didn't fly as fast as Isane's but what got the two Hyotei regulars was Miho's trick of forcing the two to move apart with René firing straight down the middle.

"Fifteen – love," Hitomi and Momo exchanged glances in shock as the two emotionlessly changed sides.

Ayane gulped as she watched Hitomi and Momo take a beating. "Who are these guys!? Their style's so... so... perfect... Kiyone and I are nowhere there yet!"

"Their doubles strategy is something your doubles pair can't get past, Kurenai-_san_," Jyosei Shounan's captain, Hoshimura Florence smiled apologetically. "After all, these two are known as..."

Momo missed a forehand that bounced away from the edge of the baseline. A small smile appeared on Florence's face as she turned to the two.

"They are known as the Soul Link Pair..."

Miho and René switched sides again as they scored another point against the Hyotei pair.

"Forty – love," Momo saw the marks on the court while glancing at the two girls move emotionlessly to their appropriate sides.

Hitomi walked over to Momo, checking her notes. "Their kind of doubles means that they've surrendered a lot of their willpower then. Considering that, their movements are more robotic and the shots have become more accurate. It's as if they've trained with each other ever since they've learned how to walk. Also, this lowers our chances of winning down to twenty percent."

Momo's eyes widened. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm afraid not," Hitomi tilted her glasses, shutting her pocket notebook abruptly. "Unless we can achieve Synchro in such a short time then, the odds are completely against us."

Momo clucked her tongue as she watched the two stare blankly at them. "They're almost robotic in every aspect unless sweating is counted as a mechanical function."

Hitomi brightened up with an idea. "Perhaps, if we can run them out of energy before we lose...that could increase our chances by at least thirty percent."

"Perfect," Momo lowered her stance to receive. "Let's take our chances!"

Miho's serve flashed towards them but Momo managed to return it with René volleying the shot towards Hitomi. Mumbling incoherent calculations, Hitomi fired straight towards the back of the court while Miho ran it down with a forehand. Momo covered Hitomi with a long backhand but René quickly compensated for her partner, ignoring the trickling beads of sweat. Hitomi launched another deep forehand only to have Miho slice it down and run across the net, limply landing on her side.

"Game, Juushinhi-Tachiwara pair: one game all!"

Momo twitched visibly as Miho and René emotionlessly nodded to one another in recognition. _I can't believe it! We've been making them run and yet, they're not even breathing heavily!_

Haruka looked at the two of them. "They're not in Synchro mode – this is just plain doubles link with one another."

The others turned to Haruka as Rin began to look at René. "So, why isn't it that they're speaking to one another?"

"I've played against them before," Haruka pointed out, smirking. "That's because...René is mute."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Wha-what do you mean!? As in, she can't speak at all?!"

Rin remembered also why they were so silent. "Oh yeah and Tachiwara-_chan_ is blind!"

"Wh-what the hell!? Then, their playing ability must be completely abysmal," Ayane gaped at the other two.

Florence happened to overhear them. "Although their primary senses are gone, Miho has learned how to use her feet to feel out her partner's movements and also the opponents. She has trained her feet to be sensitive enough for her to see. As for René, she may be mute but as long as Miho can feel out the shots – René can go for the frontal attack. What's the use of telling your partner if she can't see? What's the use of your partner if she can't speak? Therefore, they learned how to do empathic play – which is why, they can do doubles better than anyone in the Kanto District."

A smash echoed onto the court, "Love – fifteen!"

Shizuru found Momo gasping for air, heavily as Hitomi fell over, "Love – thirty!"

Isane shook her head. "I can't believe it, they're taking a beating!"

Momo and Hitomi tried to intercept the next shot but René sent it far back to the very corner of the court.

"Game, Juushinhi-Tachiwara: two games to one!"

Kiyone gulped, holding her racquet near her. "Their formations are completely flawless; it's as if – they're reading each other's minds!"

Momo, propping herself up with her racquet, watched René perform hand symbols on Miho's hand while the latter simply nodded. The two started communicating easily though it was easy to tell that Miho couldn't see what René was saying. Her pupils had no focus and the way she stood looked like she was staring across the court. René on the other hand had lightly tapped her cheek several times to get the girl's attention.

_I can't believe I'm losing to someone who's completely disabled,_ Momo snorted at the thought. Then again, they are a good pair.

Hitomi received René's service as Momo attacked the net against Miho. Watching the ball zip past her, Hitomi took a few steps back for a forehand but René quickly covered her back. Miho waited for Hitomi's volley while René continued attacking both players, causing them to split up in two different directions.

"Damn, they did it again," Momo pivoted around to head for the centre until Miho's shot limply dropped over the net.

Chasing after another shot, Hitomi found it crawling on the net and landing on the other side.

"Game, Juushinhi-Tachiwara: three games to one!"

Momo brushed her hair back, staring at the other court. "So, do we have any brilliant ideas or are we going to do squat?"

"That depends," Hitomi checked through her notes. "Their formations leave so many loopholes in my calculations that it's hard to tell which one they'll do next."

Momo, sighing inwardly, berated herself quietly for not being able to keep up with them. Miho and René easily got the upper hand after one service game and started beating them one after the other. The two didn't bother using any special moves and their strategies threw them off course. Seeing that it was René's service, Momo returned to the baseline to receive as Hitomi advanced to the net line.

_Time to see what the mute girl can do,_ Momo lowered herself for the reception. The only know how I got to defeat her is to use all forms before she crashes anything else.

Seeing the serve fly towards her, Momo whizzed the shot next to René's ear while the latter simply stood there. "What's the matter? Can't return... what the-?"

Miho appeared behind her and slammed the shot back towards her with the same speed. Seeing the ball zoom towards her face, Momo tilted her head to dodge only to have a vacuum blow up in her ear. Stumbling back, the female Sanada player glared at Miho who emotionlessly walked back to the net line.

_Oh wait, she wouldn't care how bad I glared,_ Momo sighed to herself while popping her ear drums. _She copied the Oto exactly. Hmmm, interesting..._

Hitomi noticed Momo's somewhat amused smirk and while it shocked the others, the data master scribbled a new set of notes. "Momo and Isane's growth rate are almost equal. At least, the both of them have learned how to deal with difficult situations."

René's serve zoomed towards Hitomi but she managed to forehand it towards Miho who lobbed it into the air. Seeing her chance, Momo jumped up, smirking at the two.

"Uncontained like water..._Sui_," Momo smashed the shot straight down.

Seeing a fast smash, René intercepted Miho and returned it with a lob. Hitomi took this chance to follow up Momo's attack, jumping up after Momo.

"Derail like a wave, _Tsunami_," Hitomi smashed right behind the two girls.

"Fifteen – all," Jyosei Shounan stared in shock at the two girls while Hitomi and Momo exchanged a smirk.

Momo shook her head disbelievingly. "Where did you come up with that?"

"If Juushinhi can return your _Sui_," Hitomi pointed out with a business-like smile. "Then, there has to be another technique to make sure Tachiwara can't run after it."

Kiyone bounced up eagerly from her seat. "If Hitomi-_senpai_ and Momo-_senpai_ keep this up, we might win!"

Shizuru remained silent throughout the entire match, shaking her head. "Yamaguchi-_senpai_, Momo-_senpai_," –she gripped her skirt. "You revealed your trump card too early..."

Seeing it as a trump card, Hitomi followed up Momo's _Sui_ every time the two lobbed towards them.

"Game, Yamaguchi-Sanada: two games to three!"

Florence shook her head, smiling mercifully to Shizuru. "You're thinking the same thing I am, aren't you?"

Shizuru nodded stiffly as Florence turned back to watch her doubles pair. _Kurenai-san isn't stupid; it's more that her senpai-tachi are too blind to see that the two girls aren't even at their full power._

Miho inhaled sharply and soon, René followed suit. Before the two Hyotei girls knew it, Miho and René were breathing rhythmically. Their eyes dulled into a deep greyish colour as Momo readied her service. Raising an eyebrow, Momo fired the Knuckle Serve and saw both players charging towards it.

"Wha," Momo backed up, horrified. _Which one will strike first!?_

Her serve zoomed back towards her, crashing right at the corner of the tennis court, "Love – fifteen!"

Ayane bit her lip. "This... this is their version of Synchro!?"

"Miho and René are known after all as the Soul Link pair," Florence crossed her legs. "Miho and René have also been good friends ever since elementary school which strengthens their bond as a doubles pair. They can connect with people on higher emotional levels and because of this, as a doubles pair – your set-up is as good as dead."

"Game, Juushinhi-Tachiwara: four games to two!"

Momo shook her head disbelievingly as she watched the two girls move with such synchronized breathing and steps.

_Is this what Midoriyama-senpai was talking about before she went away?_

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On the other side, the male tennis teams were deciding their match-ups as each captain came forward to pull out a ballot. Atobe leaned against the backrest while watching the other schools pull out some random numbers. Whoever gets the number next to theirs will be their opponent and Atobe wanted make sure he knew what kind of players they were facing. Seigaku stood at one side while Rikkai Dai stood at another. Recalling his match with Ayane, Atobe curled his fists tightly; if Ayane could send him leagues away, what more Tezuka?

_Then again_, the Hyotei king stroked his chin. Ayane's playing style is very much different from Tezuka. The one with a similar style is...

"Damn," Atobe brushed his hair back, glaring sideways to Tezuka. "Why does it have to be Kurenai? They're practically the same in skill except Tezuka has a longer endurance in terms of speed!"

Oshitari tapped Atobe's shoulder. "You quit grumbling to yourself; the judges are beginning to think a rock hit your head."

"Arn~, _ore-sama_ doesn't need to worry about things like that," Atobe smirked with his holier-than-thou tone. "Then again, _ore-sama_ wants to make sure he knows what's going to happen in the Kanto tournament."

Oshitari looked at where Atobe was glancing. "You're the underdog compared to Yukimura and Tezuka. After all, those two are called the Stars of Japan remember? Well, Sanada being in debate for number three and you," –the _kansai_ prodigy shrugged. "I don't know where you stand."

"Hyotei Gakuen, please step forward," –Atobe stood up, glancing at the two teams. _Let's see who ore-sama will get._

Digging through the bowl, Atobe pulled out a number one. "So, who is the opposing team?"

Turning around, Atobe's eyes slightly widened when they hung Hyotei Gakuen's name next to another school's: Seishun Gakuen.

_Looks like ore-sama will get his wish after all;_ Atobe sniggered but started twitching at Tezuka's unchanged expression. _How can that man stay so calm!?_

Fuji smiled deviously at Oishi. "Saa~, you'll have to impress Kobayagi-_chan_ now."

When people saw that smile, everyone didn't want to know what the _tensai_ planned for them. "Fuji," –Oishi inched away from the _tensai_. "I don't get what you mean."

"Considering Atobe Keigo is from the same school she is," Fuji opened his eyes a bit. "Don't you think she's slipping away a bit, little by little?"

Kikumaru nodded eagerly at his doubles partner. "Nyah, that's right! Ayane-_chan_'s really sweet too! Are you just going to let Atobe take her!?"

Oishi scratched his head sheepishly. "Well...it's not that..."

_Oh, then what is it, Oishi? You're going to let some arrogant monkey take her away?_

Oishi glanced at the bouncing Kikumaru and the deviously smiling Fuji but shivered at the sight of Atobe's icy blue eyes staring their team down. However, he found the glare aimed at Tezuka who didn't seem to bat an eyelash or even give a hoot on what Atobe wanted to tell him.

_Sometimes, I wish I was like Tezuka,_ Oishi remembered how many times he'd panicked while his best friend simply solved without making such a big fuss. _Then again, if I did..._

However, someone had to worry for the team right?

_Ayane's a sweet girl and she's from Hyotei Gakuen_, Oishi tapped his chin, pondering a bit. But, we're two years apart but that's not it! I mean – we're from different schools and it might sabotage some things! Then again, Ayane always cared deeply for her friends so she wouldn't rush things! But, what if I force her by accident!? No, that can't be right! Oh no...!

Later, Oishi found Kikumaru handing him a towel. "Nyah, you're worrying too much Oishi! You shouldn't worry about it! Just tell her before Atobe manages to do something nyah!"

Oishi nodded with new found determination. "That's right! Fumbling like this won't do any good! There has to be some way where I can tell her!"

Fuji, snickering in the sidelines, watched Kikumaru work his magic while he started over to Tezuka. "Saa~, so you're going to play against Atobe?"

"Aa," Tezuka nodded while Fuji snickered a bit. "What's so funny?"

Fuji smiled before turning around. "Well, other than you being so oblivious – I don't think there's anything else."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow before picking up his tennis bag while Fuji's expression became serious. "Tezuka, are you sure you want to destroy your career for this?"

"Fuji, I already made a promise," Tezuka slung his bag over his shoulder. "I will bring Seigaku to the Nationals and we will win it."

Fuji's cerulean eyes pierced through Tezuka. "What if your shoulder gives out long before you're able to fulfil your promise? Won't it be pointless as well?"

"Thank you for being concerned, Fuji," Tezuka started walking away. "But, I think I can handle myself just fine."

Watching Tezuka's fading figure, Fuji clucked his tongue as it boiled down to one conclusion.

_Tezuka may not listen to me but there's someone else who might dent his thick head._

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Slumping on the floor, Momo dropped her racquet as the ball rolled next to her. _What kind of power was that? I couldn't even tell which one was going to strike first._

Hitomi breathed in sharply as she watched the two Jyosei Shounan players stare them down for a moment. What gave them this kind of power? In her years as the tennis manager and reserve player, she had not seen anyone achieve that level of Synchro except Hikifumi and Shimohi. Kobayagi and Getsugan did it while they were in a pinch and couldn't be perfected the same way they did. Their Synchro was less obvious thus surprising the opponent and snatching games from them one after the other.

Florence shook her head. "It was a valiant effort of your doubles team though... I can give them that."

Glancing at one another, Miho and René walked off the court before taking a seat robotically.

"Game and match, Juushinhi-Tachiwara: six games to two!"

Hyotei stared in shock as Hitomi helped Momo off the court. Glancing at the scoreboard, Hitomi began writing down whatever she had picked up during the match and compared it to her first set of notes. Despite their trump card, Hitomi couldn't believe how easily Momo's forms were destroyed. The _Sui_ was avoided first to be observed and Miho picked it up immediately after it was fired. René didn't even mouth orders nor do any hand signs to the blind girl and yet, Miho quickly compensated for René's lack of speed.

"She's pretty trained," Momo downed a bottle of iced green tea. "To use her feet as her eyes is really torturing especially if your opponent is light footed like Mai and Shizuru. If they went against that pair, that's it – game over for them."

Shizuru glanced at Isane who warmed up prior to her match. "Are you sure you want to do Singles, Uchiha-_senpai_?"

Isane ruffled Shizuru's hair. "Don't worry about me because I don't think I'll have to waste a chunk of energy."

"Don't be too overconfident," Shizuru warned as the other player rose from the bench. "We have to bet on the Singles matches now. Doubles is Jyosei Shounan's best bet."

Haruka watched Isane go for Singles. "Wait a minute, I thought she was more of a doubles player!?"

"Why's she playing Singles again?" Rin raised an eyebrow while glancing quizzically at the second year captain.

Shizuru folded her arms. "Uchiha-_senpai_ didn't tell me exactly..."

Momo leaned against the bench. "Well, I agreed to it. Besides, I play doubles too. I just didn't understand what's going on in Isane's head now."

Isane nodded as the next match was called out.

"Singles Three will now begin: Jyosei Shounan's Shuriki Matsuri versus Hyotei Gakuen's Uchiha Isane! Game start, Uchiha to serve!"

Isane, bouncing the ball, watched her opponent swing left and right. _Alright, let's do this_!

-What do you think Isane's motives are? This is the first time Momo lost in doubles and also Hitomi considering that they agreed to play doubles with one another. Anyway, if I don't get more than two reviews per chapter – I might as well start a new story and put this on hiatus. Please review!


	25. Climbing Over A Wall

(I don't own Prince of Tennis only the OCs!)

**ChocyPockyStick:** Hi thank you for the review! Honestly, I had a hard time in keeping up with the timeline so I made my own. The consistency of the story – thank you for telling me because it's been quite a problem. I'm glad you're fond of Shizuru now. Honestly, I tried my best to make sure she wasn't a Mary Sue because her tennis skills are great and her grades are salutatorian level (her Geometry sucks though! XD). But there will be times that Shizuru will have her downfalls such as her injury, inability to express her true feelings and maybe a few things. Also, I'll do my best to fix them. The reason why I made the tennis scenes long is because it was recommended by writers who wrote similar fics. They suggested to write details so, I tried and I think I'm somewhat failing. Hence, the reason why I sometimes cut the tennis match and make a side story in between so I don't bore my readers to death! XD I'll try my best to match the timeline which is why from this chapter going out – I'll try to match it which means **I MUST READ THE MANGA AGAIN**! XD Thank you for reviewing! The reason why I wanted to stop was because no matter how many hits I got, it didn't rival the amount of reviews. No one told me what was wrong with it.

**Jaria**: Ah yes, the enigmatic captain of Hyotei! I will reveal her life soon. Well, I will give you a little challenge: try to see who will be the one to know the most about her. You can narrow it down. ;P

**ZeniaFlower: **Actually, I want to find a beta but I'm very... well... random in submission. So, I don't want to burden my beta with my erratic scheduling. ^_^

**TennisFreakyCrazyPerson**: I'm not insulted but I'm glad you had the "balls" to tell me such. I have read it before and yes, I've been trying to reach that kind of quality but unfortunately, I'm failing miserably as you can see from the review. But, there will be changes after that. But, the reason why I made her beat Atobe was to give another stepping stone for his Sekai no Koori. Everything has to come from somewhere. Believe me, her denseness is something that I made to cover something but some people don't see why. Shizuru is somewhat a semi-mary sue. For many reasons why, one is that: she can't express her emotions properly, she's AFRAID of many things, she's physically disabled at a certain degree: she's flat footed which means she has no arc and has to wear corrective shoes for such and it drains her stamina faster and she did gain an injury that renders her weaker than most of her members. She has to remain perfect after all in the eyes of her teammates but there will be times that she will crack. Also, she didn't beat Sanada but he mentioned something of a "lucky shot". Yukimura did mention that her skill was almost at par with his. Tezuka didn't lose to her either considering that even though she dragged him out to several games, she still slumped in the end. But I'll try my best to fix my fanfic. It's quite a challenge to me to make something like this and this is my first. I'm sorry if she sounded too Mary Sue. I'll be displaying her flaws as the chapters go on.

Thank you for your reviews! They are always greatly appreciated even if I don't respond!

Chapter 25 – Climbing Over a Wall

_Alright, so it's Shuriki Matsuri,_ Isane inhaled deeply before starting her service. "You don't look the least bit afraid."

"Your serve clocks around at an average of 180 kph," Matsuri pointed out, bending her knees low. "Its accuracy though is sacrificed for the power."

Taking an aim, Isane tossed it up. "That's not necessarily true..."

The ball disappeared only to leave a mark on the intersection of the three courts. The students gaped at the speed and the smoke it left behind. Matsuri however didn't seem the least bit rattled by the speed of Isane's serve. Standing up straight, she licked her own finger and put it up in the air.

"The wind is coming from my side therefore your serve's real speed should have been 195 kph," Matsuri moved to the other side. "Despite the headwind, I'm surprised your serve can still fly at that kind of speed. The accuracy's increased a bit as well but the power is not as what it used to be."

Hitomi tapped her chin with her ballpen. "Shuriki Matsuri is the data girl of Jyosei Shounan but I didn't know she could get accurate readings like that."

"Despite not being labelled as an "Angel of Kanto"," Mai bit her lip, warily watching Isane go for another serve. "She sure plays like one."

Matsuri forehanded Isane's serve while the taller girl backhanded cross court. Forehanding it back to Isane, Matsuri dashed to front as Isane dropped it over the net. Watching the taller girl's eyes, Matsuri stood on one leg as she moved to the other side to volley it back to Isane who missed it by accident.

"Fifteen – all," Matsuri nodded while turning back.

_Uchiha Isane, you may be deemed as the Most Unpredictable,_ Matsuri glanced at Isane who got ready to serve again. _But, you're nowhere as unpredictable as Florence!_

Isane's serve cracked off again as Matsuri backhanded a heavy shot towards Isane's left side. Despite the tall girl's lanky form, she managed to return it without much effort while Matsuri had to run after the shots. Stepping back, Matsuri returned it with a top spin while Isane exploded it with a cross court forehand.

_I can't let her come near the net,_ Isane ripped the ball even harder with a backhand. If there's one thing about Shuriki Matsuri when Hitomi-_chan_ first played against her, it's her stamina that sucks. Hitomi -_chan_ made sure she kept running around but even she lost stamina before Shuriki-_san_ did. I guess this is why Shizuru-_chan_ called our height an ace card...

Matsuri, ignoring the trickling beads of sweat, sent a ground smash towards Isane who repelled it with a forehand. She couldn't bring Isane forward despite the speed of her rallies. Her legs started feeling like lead as she dashed to the left side.

_We can't lose now,_ Matsuri controlled her breathing while she forehanded another shot. My body's giving out but we can't always rely on our Doubles Pair to win for us! Tachiwara and Juushinhi may have won but the only one who can play Singles well here is Hoshimura-_buchou_! Tousaka's dead against Nagisaki considering that she's no _tensai_! This game... ends now!

With a heavy smash, Matsuri brought it down only to bounce high up in the air and have Isane crack it down in return.

"Thirty – fifteen," Matsuri backed up as Isane landed softly on the ground.

"Uchiha Isane, third year student and classmate of Shishido Ryou and Mukahi Gakuto, now can jump at least two feet off the ground," Matsuri began scribbling down. "For someone who's tall," – referring to Isane, smirking. "You sure know how to control your centre of gravity."

Isane shrugged, smiling cheerfully. "Well, I want to change the stereotype of freakishly tall girls. Most tall girls people say are clumsier than an elephant."

"It's eighty nine percent true," Matsuri sauntered back to the baseline. "But, there are a few exceptions to the stereotype."

Isane tossed the ball up for another fast serve. Seeing it vanish, the crowds stood aghast as Matsuri closed her eyes.

_So, it's too fast even for the naked eye to perceive_, Matsuri moved forward. But, there's one thing I know about her style of serving... the land point is too common!

Matsuri returned Isane's service but another fast shot came and the data girl stumbled back to lob it. Jumping for it, Isane smashed right for the corner while Matsuri managed to return it with a low drop shot which smacked the net.

"Net, forty – fifteen," Matsuri fell on the ground, breathing heavily while Isane walked over to her.

"You okay?" Isane extended her hand from the other side. "You wanna have a timeout first?"

Matsuri stood up, hanging her head. "There's a seventy two percent chance that Uchiha will be able to score with the next serve. Her right side has become increasingly unstable..."

_She's in her own world,_ Isane shuddered a bit while walking back to the baseline. One serve ought to end that...

Tossing the ball, Isane served only to have it hit the net.

"Fault," everyone's eyes widened at this.

Isane clucked her tongue as she stared the court down. _Okay, one bad shot. Try another...!_

_I won't let you,_ Matsuri rushed forward to see the shot until it zoomed past her, spinning as it left the court.

"Game, Uchiha: one game to love!"

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On the other side, Hyotei Gakuen entered to face their current opponent: Seigaku. Gakuto and Oshitari were warming up as Kikumaru nervously waited for Oishi to come. Atobe threw a glance at Tezuka who was also looking for Oishi who was usually with Tezuka when he came to the courts. No one really expected Momoshiro to show up; after losing the ranking matches and skipping practice, Tezuka had suspended him for three weeks. Momoshiro got stuck then with the grunt work so, it was no obligation for him to come.

"_Buchou_," a loud voice came from behind, causing everyone to turn around in shock.

Momoshiro came running with a regular's jacket on, breathing heavily. "_Buchou_, Oishi-_senpai_'s on the phone."

Taking the cellphone from Momoshiro, Tezuka heard out Oishi. Nodding after every few seconds, the team waited for Tezuka's response as Kikumaru nervously fidgeted. Then, the phone got passed over to Momoshiro who also began nodding in response to whatever Oishi was telling him.

"How's Oishi, nyah?" Kikumaru turned to face his ever-stoic _buchou_. "What happened?"

"He's in the hospital," Momoshiro bit his lip to make sure he didn't say anything else. "There was a pregnant woman who needed help..."

The regulars exchanged glances until Kawamura sheepishly scratched his head. "Well, that's really Oishi after all."

Kikumaru brightened up immediately. "Nyah, he would never leave anyone in need! So, what now? We can't forfeit Doubles Two!"

"Momoshiro will play," Tezuka glanced at the second powerhouse of the team. "He will play temporarily for Oishi."

Momoshiro nodded as he pulled out his racquet. "Alright, let's do this, Eiji-_senpai_!"

Despite being a bit reluctant, Kikumaru gave them a 'v' sign cheerfully. "You betcha we will, Momo-_chan_!"

From afar, Hyotei saw Momoshiro and Kikumaru going down the stairs. Gakuto raised an eyebrow as he watched Momoshiro take his place behind Kikumaru.

"They're sending a makeshift," Gakuto snorted, resting his racquet on his shoulder. "Who do they think they are!?"

Oshitari placed his hand on Gakuto, trying to calm down the magenta haired acrobat. "I'm sure something happened to their other player. This should be easier for us."

Despite what he said, the _kansai_ prodigy couldn't help but notice the cheerful look on Kikumaru's face. For someone who was devoutly loyal to his doubles partner, Kikumaru didn't show any disdain for playing with Momoshiro. After all, Oishi was supposed to be his opponent while Gakuto sealed off Kikumaru.

"Doubles Two will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Oshitari-Mukahi pair versus Seishun Gakuen's Momoshiro-Kikumaru pair! Game start, Momoshiro to serve!"

Things started getting ugly at one point; Gakuto sealed off Kikumaru's movements almost completely and despite Momoshiro's Jack Knife and Dunk Smash combination – Oshitari retaliated with Fuji's _Higuma Otoshi_. Kikumaru jumped forward for the volley only to have Gakuto send it right over his head and score behind him. Momoshiro found both his techniques sealed by Oshitari as he continued to counter every part of the strategy they were making up.

"Game, Oshitari-Mukahi: one game to love!"

Momoshiro, heavily breathing, stood up as he returned Oshitari's service. However, Gakuto leapt forward with the Moonsault, stunning Kikumaru for a moment and gaining the point.

"Game, Oshitari-Mukahi: two games to love!"

"Momo and Eiji are being completely pushed back," Fuji opened his eyes to observe the match carefully. "Gakuto may be able to return the Jack Knife because he throws his body weight around but not many people can repel the strength of the Dunk Smash the way that Oshitari can."

Kawamura watched Momo send another heavy backhand only to have it returned by Oshitari. Gakuto focused on sealing up Kikumaru's movements with fast attacks which continued to gain points again and again. Slamming it towards one side, Oshitari attacked the open side both Momoshiro and Gakuto had allowing them to gain the next point.

"Game, Oshitari-Mukahi: four games to love!"

Seeing this, Momoshiro recalled his conversation with Oishi. Momoshiro, taking a sneak peek, turned to Kikumaru with an assuring smile. Kikumaru recognized that kind of smile and went to the very front, shocking everyone as they saw Momo start at the very end.

"THEY'RE GOING TO DO THE AUSTRALIAN FORMATION!?" The whole crowd stared at Momoshiro and Kikumaru as if the two had lost their mind.

_He intends to replace Oishi,_ Oshitari smirked while watching Momoshiro take his position while Kikumaru stayed right at the net.

"They're going to do the Australian Formation," everyone stared agape.

Gakuto snorted while kicking the dust. "They can't do one formation just like that! You can't learn a formation in minutes!"

"That's true," Oshitari smirked while lowering his stance for Momoshiro's serve. _Momoshiro after all can never take place of a person._

Seeing Oshitari stand at the other side, Momoshiro fired the Bullet Serve as the _kansai_ prodigy returned it with a forehand to Kikumaru. Gakuto found Kikumaru's volley floating right in front of him and smashed it straight towards the red haired acrobat.

"I'll show you the meaning of someone being better than you," Gakuto sniggered until he saw Kikumaru stretching the other way. "What the world---?"

Kikumaru volleyed it over, forcing Gakuto to lob and allowing Momoshiro to jump up for the smash. "Go for it, nyah!"

Momoshiro brought it down. "This is it, Dunk Smash!"

The shot exploded right in between Oshitari and Gakuto, causing the magenta haired acrobat to stumble back.

"Fifteen – love," Momoshiro and Kikumaru exchanged a high five.

Oshitari raised an eyebrow while Gakuto stared in shock. "Wh-what the hell was that!?"

Smirking while rolling down his sleeve, Momoshiro revealed scribbles on his arm. "Out of the 36 rules of doubles, Oishi said something about rule number 6..."

_It won't work with strength alone._

_When Eiji is attacking support him from the back, return the ball in between the two opponents. _(Courtesy of )

Seeing a new formation, Gakuto turned to Oshitari. "Do you have any new ideas?"

"Right now," Oshitari clucked his tongue, smirking again at the makeshift pair. "This is just getting interesting."

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"Game, Uchiha: three games to love!"

Isane managed to pull off another service game with her Sniper Serve. However, her body started tilting over from time to time. Seeing Matsuri go jump for a serve, Isane took a few steps back while getting ready to sprint. The moment it cracked off, Isane lunged forward as it bounced towards her face. She sidestepped instantly to backhand it but Matsuri cross courted a forehand towards her left corner. Digging her shoes to the ground, Isane returned with a lob while Matsuri smashed the ball straight at the baseline.

"Fifteen – love," Isane breathed heavily as Matsuri brushed her hair back.

Matsuri walked to the other side, smiling slyly. "You've lost fifty percent of your stability already."

"Just because I did doesn't mean I won't be able to return the next shots," Isane lowered her stance. "Give it all you got."

Momo whistled to herself. "Whoo, this is the first time I've seen Isane so fired up. Shizuru-_buchou_, what happened to her at camp?"

_She did triple her training right under our noses_, Shizuru smiled inwardly. "Well, it seems Isane-_senpai_ decided to train well enough for the Nationals while she was there. Her Sniper Serves are more accurate and her stability has increased drastically, am I right?"

Hitomi flipped open her notebook. "Her stability has increased by seventy five percent, her accuracy and speed have increased three fold of what it used to be and let's not forget that Isane's footwork has increased by at least thirty nine percent. She's improved despite training only for three weeks."

Seeing another fast serve, Isane lunged forward for a dashing forehand which caused Matsuri to stumble back for a return. Seeing it smack the net, Isane rushed the net with a light lob, causing the ball to drop right in front of the net.

"Fifteen all," everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Uchiha's rushing the net!? Wow, what hit her head!?" One of the guys exclaimed loudly from the stands. "I mean – doesn't she usually play Doubles with the creepy Mastermind?"

"Yeah but rumour has it she wanted to redeem herself," another whispered excitedly. "She was one of the Queens before!"

Isane returned with a hard backhand, seeing Matsuri run it down. She skipped to the other side, knowing that Matsuri shouldn't move forward. After all, despite playing Singles – Isane knew one thing: she hated the net not just because of her height since it made her vulnerable but also what had happened to her last time. Biting her lip, Isane attacked the corners, forcing Matsuri to run in different directions. Finally, Matsuri stumbled which allowed Isane to score with a cross court backhand.

"Fifteen – thirty," Isane rested her racquet on her shoulder with a smile.

Feeling strained on her wrist, Matsuri massaged it a bit before returning to the baseline. _She's really finishing me off. But, she's not even supposed to be a Singles player..._

"Before we start," Matsuri began bouncing the ball. "I want to ask you something."

Isane raised an eyebrow. "Hm, what is it?"

"You're a doubles player by nature," Matsuri smirked while Isane stared at her.

Isane shrugged nonchalantly. "That's not a question."

"No, the question is: why aren't you playing doubles?" Matsuri tossed the ball, firing a fast service. "I thought your partner was that Yamaguchi girl or Sanada-_san_."

Isane prepared to receive, watching the ball come at her. "Because I wanted to test something, after all – I wanted to have more room..."

"More room to do what," Matsuri shook her head as Isane's form changed into someone much smaller. "So, this must be your famed Illusion technique. But, don't you usually use it in Doubles?"

The ball clipped on top of the net as a very unorthodox form came into play. "_Gekokujo,_" –a second year male ace stood, smirking in Isane's place. "It's applicable to Singles as well."

Kiyone slapped her own forehead. "Isa-Isa-_senpai_ changed into Hiyoshi-_senpai_!?"

"Hiyoshi is known for his fast reflexes after all," Mai recalled all the times she had worked with him in his dojo. "Stupid kid knows how to dodge _bokuto_ with the way he's training."

Hitomi scribbled down furiously. "Isane is now able to adapt to the _Enbu_ Tennis style, seeing that her reflexes match Hiyoshi's. How Isane managed to copy Hiyoshi is quite a feat..."

"Did she ever play against Hiyoshi before," Momo tapped her chin. "As far as I'm concerned, she never did."

Haruka poked the air, stroking her chin. "Well, she did see you play against him during our practice matches. Hiyoshi's stance is so unorthodox even a mimicker like Kabaji won't be able to copy it that easily. Hiyoshi's style is similar to yours after all, Momo."

Mai leaned against the bench. "Mushroom head may have a funky style but he has no rhythm. Actually, as soon as you increase your reaction time – shifting and testing new forms won't be as damaging since you just have to fuse your reaction time training to it."

Hiyoshi (a.k.a. Isane) returned the shot with quick reflexes making Matsuri run around even more. With one tap, Isane/Hiyoshi forced Matsuri to come to the front and volley until she froze at the next image that Isane pulled out. From the short second year ace, Isane became a short kid with a cap on.

"_Mada Mada Dane,_" Isane's voice became pitchier like a certain cocky regular.

Momo stumbled back, aghast at Isane's form. "Oh crap, she just changed into Echizen Ryoma! But, I thought she can't change instantaneously?"

"She conquered her lack of mimicry right under our noses," Shizuru watched Isane skid on the floor, performing a Drive B. "Isane-_senpai_ could only copy those she truly knew and could use it only once per game because of the way it chews up her stamina. However, Isane-_senpai_ switches between forms so it's easier for her to stun the opponent thus lessening her consumption of energy."

Ayane punched the air. "Go _senpai_, we can take them on! Just don't transform into Atobe!"

Watching Matsuri dash forward, Isane transformed again but not without noticing the amount of sweat pouring down her face.

_I may be at my limit_, Isane continued rallying left and right. _But I cannot lose here, I have to make up for Doubles Two!_

Isane forehanded but, fell over which allowed Matsuri to backhand until she saw a flipping form going for the corner.

"Hoi hoi,," a red haired acrobat smiled cheekily at Matsuri, "Ki-ku-maru Bazooka!"

Zooming past Matsuri, the ball cracked loud enough to fly into the bleachers which caused Matsuri to fall backwards, "Fifteen - forty!"

Breathing heavily, Matsuri looked up to face Isane who changed back to her normal self. "Well, that's quite astounding. No wonder you're one of the formers."

"Well," Isane scratched her head sheepishly. "I still have a long way to go. Copying people here and there isn't as easy as it looks."

_So this is why she's deemed the Most Unpredictable,_ Matsuri stood up while recalling the forms. _Funny, she used boys as an illusion. Normally, wouldn't she copy a girl?_

Isane laced her shoes while watching Matsuri analyse her. She knew how most data masters work; her partner's one and if there is one thing Isane figured out about data players is that:

_Most of them are serve and volley. If you think about it,_ Isane recalled watching Inui and Hitomi play. _Both Kaidoh and I had to guard the back while the two played it out right in front. Then again, they get more data that way. Shuriki-san forced me to the net several times but I'm glad my volleying skills got better._

"Wait a minute," Kiyone turned to Momo. "Didn't Isa-Isa-_senpai_ hate going near the net?"

Momo shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, she couldn't be third a player. I mean – a tennis player is composed of three things: serve, volley and baseline. She couldn't be serve and baseline only."

The next shot zoomed towards Isane's right side, forcing the girl to rally to the left. Matsuri forehanded it down the line while Isane went for a crosscourt backhand. Seeing the ball clip the net, Matsuri volleyed the shot right in front of Isane forcing the taller girl to lob. Jumping for the shot, Matsuri aimed it straight for Isane's right side.

_That smash,_ Isane's eyes widened. _That's exactly how..._

_Flashback_

Shina volleyed again towards Isane. "Yay, here I go!"

"Oh no, not another volley shot!" Isane dived for the ball and it came out to be a lob.

Gakuto slapped his forehead. "Uchiha, you're a crazy wimp! Why did you give her a chance shot!?"

"Eh? Gomenasai," Isane shrank at Gakuto's retort.

Ayane pointed to Shina. "Focus on the game, Uchiha-senpai!"

Isane looked at her opponent who was up in the air and smashed the ball towards her. "Ah!"

"Score: 30-love!" The arbiter declared.

_End of Flashback_

_That's exactly how Sunamyou-chan got me_, Isane shuddered at the thought of the little girl. Without realizing, Isane stumbled back, frozen while the ball zoomed past her.

"Thirty – forty," Matsuri landed while pointing straight at Isane.

"Uchiha Isane," Matsuri smirked while pointing to Isane's left rib. "At the Tokyo Prefectural, you played Singles Three against Yuugetsu Chuu's Sunamyou Shina. Of course, at that point in time – you already had a psychological wedge in your head. The fact that you can't tolerate being at the net increased your skill as a doubles player and also, your inability to move while at the net. However, in the training camp you managed to gain a little more courage by putting up illusions to fool your opponent thus lessening your contact with the net."

Isane covered her injury with her jacket. "Just because you know what I'm afraid of doesn't mean you have any ability to get past me... either way, I will win."

"Oh," Matsuri folded her arms, smirking. "Show me what you got then."

Isane readied herself for the next serve as Matsuri fired another fast serve. _I can't let that stop me. This time... my fear ends now...!_

Forehanding it to the baseline, Isane found Matsuri volleying lightly causing the ball float. Isane, dripping with sweat, dashed towards the net and with a ground smash returned the favour.

"Game, Uchiha: four games to love!"

Matsuri stood back aghast, Shizuru's eyes widened slightly, Momo and the others gaped at Isane while Kiyone managed to break the silence. "Whoa, she did it..."

"She charged the net," Haruka began clapping her hands while shaking her head in disbelief. "Go for it Isane! Finish her off! Don't give her a chance to take you down!"

Rin jumped on the fence, whistling. "Yeah, whoo hoo – Go Isane go!"

Isane took the ball from a shocked Matsuri. "I guess you're wondering why I charged the net despite you trying to break me."

Matsuri didn't say anything while Isane ruefully smiled. "I can't afford to keep burdening my teammates with my fear. Among all of them, I'm the only one with a problem. Kiyone's fine with the baseline but it doesn't have a high percentage of entering the other court. Shizuru may have a flat-foot issue and a busted knee but that never stopped her. Ayane may not run as fast as any of us but she's practically strong enough to send a person flying to the wall. Hitomi recently faced someone who tried to crack her but she pulled through. Momo overcame her attachment to Midoriyama-_senpai_ and Haruka became a better partner for Rin. So, I'm the only one who hasn't climbed her wall yet."

Matsuri watched Isane walk to the baseline. "By the way," –Isane smiled cheerfully. "I don't think you need to waste your stamina at this point."

Watching Isane change form, Matsuri noticed that the silver haired regular now had messy black hair with green eyes staring at her with a cocky smirk.

"I'll show you," –the Rikkai Dai ace pointed his racquet at her. "I'll show you the meaning of deadly service!"

Ayane slapped her forehead. "She changed into Kirihara Akaya!?"

"Well," Hitomi looked through her data book. "It looks like she managed to see him play or somehow, get data about him."

Kirihara/Isane shook her head at Matsuri. "You probably have written down that I can only copy those I've played. But, Kirihara-_kun_ has one similarity to someone in the team. Momo can do the same serve and that's all I need to finish this game."

Tossing the ball up in the air, Isane placed more power into her serve causing it to bounce towards the opponent's body which forced Matsuri to dodge the shot.

"Fifteen – love," Isane prepared another monster Knuckle Serve.

"Thirty – love," Matsuri could only dodge the speed of the serve.

Hitomi closed her notebook, pulling out a camera. "Isane has one of the best forms for service hence her ability to place more speed into her service. However, Isane never relied on power which is why the Sniper Serve was invented. But now, Isane is using the weight of her racquet and body to put more power. She made her service more technical though, I'm not sure if she even notices it."

"Game, Uchiha: five games to love!"

Seeing the ball roll towards her, Matsuri sighed before looking up at Isane. "Well, that's quite the service. I just wonder how long you can keep up that illusion"

Feeling her arms numb themselves, Isane slapped her arms to wake both of them up. Matsuri started with a fairly smooth service which allowed Isane to send a backhand towards the other corner. But, Matsuri didn't even budge from her spot as Isane's shot hit the net.

"Net, love – fifteen," Isane shook her head disbelievingly. _Oops, I didn't just do that... did I?_

Matsuri scoffed a bit. "Well, your illusion of Kirihara Akaya wasn't too bad except for the power you were forced to place in his signature serve."

Haruka bit her lip. "Damn, isn't there anyway for her to recover?"

Florence glanced at the scoreboard and then at Matsuri. _Matsuri, this match is already theirs. You should know – even though Uchiha is crippled, what makes you think she'll give up her service game?_

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Game and match, Kikumaru-Momoshiro: six games to four!"

Momoshiro clapped his feet as Kikumaru did a 'v' sign to Oishi who stood at the bleachers. "We won, nyah!"

Seigaku whooped and followed up with their cheer as Gakuto and Oshitari returned to the benches.

"Oshitari, Gakuto," Sakaki turned to the two while they faced him, nodding. "Stay behind after."

Kikumaru jumped up and down, cheering. "Yay, we started off with a win, nyah!"

Oishi nodded approvingly. "Yeah, that was a job well done you two."

Momoshiro grabbed a towel, wiping his face. "No problem, it's just really...really... cool."

"I'm so tired nyah," Kikumaru stretched out his arms. "Keeping up with Gakuto made me dizzy."

Momoshiro peeked from behind his towel as Kikumaru smiled cheekily. "Really Momo, you moved well out there. If it were us out there, I don't think we would have won."

With Seigaku cheering Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ went to the others. "This may be a big comeback for us but that doesn't mean you guys can slack! Pick up the pace, next pair!"

Inui picked up his racquet as Kaidoh finished warming up. While glancing at one side, Inui found Shishido walking down while balancing a racquet on his finger.

"Hey you morons," Shishido pointed his racquet at them. "Have you guys given up already!?"

The crowd stood aghast at Shishido, who was twitching. "Just because we lost one game doesn't mean we're dead yet! You usually cheer louder when you're around the girls! Get your damn act in gear and use your voice to support us you morons!"

THE WINNER WILL BE HYOTEI! THE WINNER WILL BE HYOTEI!

Atobe smirked as he watched Shishido and Ohtori take their place in the court. "It looks like you've grown up, Shishido."

"To think I thought he was dropped from the regulars," Inui stroked his chin before resuming his place on the court. "Kaidoh, shall we?"

Kaidoh hissed his usual reply as he made his way to the court. "Fssshuu, whatever it is _senpai_ – I'm not playing doubles."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Game, Shuriki: two games to five!"

Isane found Matsuri taking down every one of her serves. Slightly trembling, Isane lowered her stance to begin her service.

_Most of them are a fault on my part,_ Isane bit her lip as she tossed the ball. But this time, I'm not going to have Shuriki-_san_ make all of my hard work go to waste!

"Isane-_senpai_ was winning awhile ago," Ayane nudged her captain. "What happened?"

Mai watched Isane send a faulty service. "Isane-_senpai_ can only go so far when she uses her Illusion ability. Her concentration is redirected into her ability to fool the opponent. Another factor," – she started fanning herself. "Check the temperature of the heat right now."

"It's exceeding forty degrees Celsius," Hitomi placed her thermometer back. "Isane may be able to withstand the heat but only to a certain time."

Haruka came back with an arm load of drinks. "I know you guys are going to need this. Isane's probably going to drink a whole box of iced tea later."

"Did you get me my frappe," Rin's eyes sparkled as Haruka handed her a tall bottle of Mocha Frappuccino. "Yay, where's the cookie?"

Haruka flicked her forehead, shaking her head. "You're going to get heavy later. How is it possible that your mind sticks to!?"

"But food's good," Rin pouted while sipping her Frappuccino with puffed cheeks. "I want my chocolate chip cookie!"

Hitomi pat the black haired acrobat on the head. "But you're going to be playing later, a cookie's going to dry you up."

Haruka nodded, wagging her finger at Rin. "Rin, we can have one after we play. We're right after Isane anyway. We need to warm up."

Rin folded her arms as Haruka dragged her along. "I WANT MY COOKIE!"

"You can have it later," Haruka sighed exasperatedly; finally giving in to the acrobat. "I'll buy you a box later."

"YAY," Rin squealed as she ran past Haruka who simply shook her head.

"Rin-_senpai_ can win a cookie eating competition with the way she is," Kiyone downed a bottle of lemon iced tea. "She's as crazy as that guy from Rikkai Dai."

Ayane ruffled Kiyone's hair. "Hey, don't knock it. You have your tendencies too."

"But not as bad as hers," Kiyone puffed up her cheeks. "I mean, I know how to control myself!"

Ayane reached into her pocket, revealing a bag of grilled _wasabi-_coated eggplant chips. "Sure you can."

"Mine," Kiyone lunged at Ayane until the vice captain blocked her with her "assets". "Hey give it to me!"

Momo face palmed while Shizuru sighed into her hand. "How could they talk about junk food right now?"

"Kiyone's been deprived of her chips ever since Hitomi heard about her weak baseline shots," Shizuru sighed as she watched Kiyone bite Ayane who yelped and began swinging her arm back and forth to have Kiyone let go. "Sometimes, Kiyone would actually bite Ayane until she gives in."

"I AM NOT GIVING THIS TO YOU,"Ayane snorted as she put the bag of _wasabi_ chips in another hand.

Kiyone let go and wrestled her again. "I want some! I'm not even playing today!"

"_Buchou_ said for us to pay attention to the game," Ayane pushed Kiyone off her. "So, quit whining about your chips!"

"They're eggplants you dummy," Kiyone bit her again, earning an "Ow" and glare from the vice captain.

With her service speeding towards Matsuri, Isane dashed to one side as the data master sent it back as a straight. While slamming it with a forehand, Isane tried to conjure another illusion but her body started aching the moment she tried. Matsuri watched Isane's eyes carefully while she lobbed the ball straight up, forcing Isane to move backwards. Though barely managing a smash, Isane watched Matsuri return it with a very familiar stance.

"That's the," Isane saw it fly above her head. "That's the _Higuma Otoshi _of Oshitari! How did she do that shot!?"

"_Senpai_, cord smash," Mai pointed at the net, calling from the bleachers. "It will cause the ball to slightly spin and the shot will go out!"

Isane watched Matsuri prepared another _Higuma Otoshi_. _I'll try something else_.

Moving back a bit more, Isane waited for the ball at waist level and cross courted it to the right side. Shocked, Matsuri dashed to the other side, forcing to lob. Isane smashed from afar, allowing Matsuri to perform the _Higuma Otoshi_. When Isane cross courted the top spin, Matsuri zoomed over to the next side and slid the shot gently over the net. Clipping the net, the ball rolled in front of Isane.

"Love – fifteen," Isane bit her lip as she looked at Matsuri again.

"Shuriki Matsuri has no recognizable moves except the _Higuma Otoshi_," Hitomi continued scribbling down. "However, her ace card lies in two things: stamina and... control."

Another cord ball rolled away from Matsuri, "Love – thirty!"

Seeing her approach the net, Isane finally managed to score once. "Fifteen – thirty," Isane breathed heavily as she tried to regain her composure.

"That's not going to work anymore," Matsuri mumbled as she moved to one side. "Uchiha Isane has this tendency to back-up the moment she's 3.5 feet away from the net. Therefore, it gives me a wider opening. Judging from her personality, Isane will have a hard time following up any of my volleys and drop shots."

"Fifteen – forty," Isane missed the other one, nearly crashing into the net.

Punching her hand, Momo bit her lip. "Isane's going to get clobbered if she doesn't get a time out."

"Game, Shuriki: three games to five!"

Isane, trying to control her breathing, saw the ball roll near her. Bouncing the ball a bit, Isane suddenly began whistling.

"Throwing me off guard with a whistle won't help," Matsuri lowered her stance but didn't see the serve fly from Isane. "Hey, what's taking you so long?"

Isane continued whistling as Momo recognized the piece. "Isane, why are you whistling "Brand New Breeze"?"

_You have no idea how tired I am,_ Isane barely managing to keep the tune. Then again, this is quite relaxing.

"Um," the arbiter glanced at Isane. "Uchiha-_san_, please serve."

Isane stopped at the end of the song with a smirk only then did Momo understand what it was for. "Wait a minute, Isane you didn't."

Mai folded her arms, after throwing her jacket aside. "She used it to conserve her energy. That was a habit Ferero-_senpai_ used to do. You're kinda crazy, Isane-_senpai_."

"Here I come," Isane fired her service right in between again.

"Fifteen – love," Matsuri bit her lip. _She gained her stability back that quickly!? But, her data said that she recovers only every five minutes unless I keep making her move!_

"Brand New Breeze sung by Kanon goes on for 4:02 minutes," Mai glanced at her iPod. "But, why this...?"

Hitomi recalled Ferero-_senpai_ mentioning something about the speed of the song. "The song is slow therefore it allows Isane to cool down and allow her to recover stability for her feet. That's something that even Ohtori's working on but I don't know what Sakaki-_kantoku_ is making him do."

"Thirty – love," Isane fired another serve in; Matsuri couldn't even see where it was going.

Haruka came back with a panting Rin. "So, who's winning?"

"Isane's having fun whistling," Momo face palmed before watching another serve fly. "She's copying Ferero-_senpai_."

Hitomi shook her head. "It was never Ferero-_senpai_'s idea – it was more Isane's. By doing this, she conserves her energy, intimidates her opponent and also, buys enough time to plan a serve. However, Ferero-_senpai _did this as well in order to maintain the consistency of Isane's service. _After_ all, Isane's not the type to do things without reason."

"Forty – love," Isane tossed the ball again.

_This is it,_ Isane watched the ball freeze in the air. "This is... for Hyotei Gakuen!"

The serve exploded in front of Matsuri, causing the girl to slightly fall back. Seeing the mark on the floor, Matsuri looked at Isane who walked over to her side to help her. "You okay?"

"Game and match, Uchiha: six games to four!"

Matsuri took the taller girl's hand. "You're doing well despite your fear. I think you should be proud today."

"I haven't conquered entirely," Isane meekly smiled at the data girl. "But, playing with you gave me a little more progress. I should be thanking you."

"I'm honoured that I get to play one of the former queens," Matsuri turned around, heading towards the benches. "Though, I wonder how well can your doubles pair can hold up."

Isane looked at the people entering the court. "I don't think that's something I should worry about."

Walking down the stairs, Hyotei noticed Haruka and Rin smiling at one another. "Perfect," –Haruka placed her racquet on her shoulder. "Rin, I think it's time to pull out our Synchro."

Rin licked her lips with a smirk. "You betcha coz they're not going to know what hit them, _kuwee~_!"

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Game, Shishido-Ohtori: five games to love!"

Inui glanced to Kaidoh. "I think it's time we have a counter attack."

Kaidoh smirked at Inui while glancing at the Hyotei pair. "Yeah, you got that right."

While the two switched places, Kaidoh placed a hand on Inui's shoulder. "Did you gather all the data?"

"Yes, thank you," Inui had a business-like smile, causing Kaidoh to slightly shudder.

_He smiles like that creepy girl from Hyotei_, Kaidoh shook his head a bit as he walked to the net line.

Shishido and Ohtori raised an eyebrow as Kaidoh waited for their attack. Serving, Inui had Shishido running all over the place.

"The possibility of a straight shot: a hundred percent," Inui backhanded it back to Shishido.

_So that's why he kept mumbling,_ Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ shook her head disbelievingly. Let's just hope Kaidoh still has enough juice to keep on running.

Twitching and snorting, Shishido fired a backhand towards the other side. "Che, as if that's going to happen!"

"I'm sorry but," Inui stood still as the ball slapped the net. "The third shot won't go over the net."

As usual, the Freshmen Trio (I don't like them, annoying side people) jumped up with delight. "There it is, Inui-_senpai_'s Data Tennis!"

Kaidoh and Inui gave each other a knuckle as they agreed on one thing. "This time, we're not going to fool around anymore. This is where the counterattack begins."

"Yeah," Kaidoh nodded while watching the Hyotei pair stare somewhat disbelievingly.

Shishido grumbled a bit, tightening his grip on his racquet. _Damn, Inui collected our data when we were playing around with Kaidoh! But they did it in three games!? Are you serious!?_

Another serve flew as Shishido moved to the right for a cross court while Inui already made his way there.

"The probability of hitting leftward: seventy five percent," Inui began mumbling as he returned it with a backhand.

Shishido, getting more hot-headed, rushed forward for another shot. "Damn it, try this!"

"The probability of a short cross is eighty five percent," Inui drove it down to the service box.

Momoshiro cheered on. "Alright, go Inui-_senpai_!"

Kikumaru punched the air. "Yeah, go Inui!"

_This is crazy,_ Ohtori ran for the next shot. _There's no one who can collect data like that! Doing that in three games is impossible! But first, destroy their formation with a lob..._

"Kaidoh, three and half steps back," Inui instructed the junior who readily complied.

Watching the ball fly up, Inui tilted his glasses a bit. "It's obvious what's going to happen because the probability of you doing a lob: a hundred percent."

With this, Kaidoh smashed straight down, forcing Ohtori and Shishido back.

"Game, Inui-Kaidoh: one game to five!"

Oshitari leaned against his knees. "What Inui's doing is impossible – to gather data after three games..."

"Damn, my brain hurts," Gakuto snorted while stretching his legs. "What then, Atobe?"

Atobe pointed at a heavily breathing Kaidoh. "Even if they have the data, they won't be able to counter attack. Not with Kaidoh being so tired out with his reckless espionage awhile ago."

Kaidoh performed a short snake, gaining them the next point. "Game, Inui-Kaidoh: two games to five!"

Inui followed up with a smash, forcing the Hyotei pair back. "Game, Inui-Kaidoh: three games to five!"

Shishido snorted, brushing away the sweat from his face. "Damn, I didn't know they could read us that way. But who cares?"

Ohtori gave him a quizzical look until Shishido handed him the ball. "It's already the ninth game. I think we can seal this up."

Seigaku bystanders gaped as Ohtori took the next service. Shishido swung himself a bit at the net while watching the serve come from behind him. Inui stayed a bit on the left side as he watched Ohtori's serve smack into the net.

"Double Fault, Love – fifteen," Ohtori breathed heavily as Inui moved a bit more to the left side.

_Ohtori has this bad habit of gripping his racquet tighter,_ Inui tilted his glasses a bit. _The more leftward I lean, the higher the probability of the ball hitting the net._

"Double Fault, Love – thirty," Ohtori bit his lip. _Why isn't it going in?_

Looking to one side, Ohtori looked at the scoreboard while taking a glance at Kaidoh and Inui. Naturally, he would've hit the Scud Service by now and they would have won but he couldn't feel his hands. In fact, his whole body shivered a bit as he prepared another serve.

"It's not that Ohtori's exhausted," Atobe glanced at Seigaku's side. "It's just that Inui's very spot-on with his observation. He's turning Ohtori against himself. That's how the last games fell to them."

Gakuto draped the towel over his head. "Geez, stupid smelly Seigaku! They think they're so good! Who the hell do they think they are?"

"Gakuto, they have a reason to brag," Oshitari couldn't believe Gakuto could maintain his arrogance despite them losing to Momoshiro and Kikumaru.

Atobe began looking around, seeing that another player was missing. "Kabaji, go find Jirou and bring him back here!"

"Usu," Kabaji walked off while trying to find the sleeping volleyist.

_So, what exactly is Seigaku trying to do here? _Atobe raised an eyebrow as Inui waited for another serve. _They're not a bad pair after all, Tezuka._

Another serve missed, causing Ohtori to lose balance, "Double Fault, love – forty!"

Breathing heavily, Ohtori couldn't believe he missed thrice. His body started aching and firing that service and making it miss again and again frustrated him. He was about to toss the ball until someone got it from him. Looking for the ball, Ohtori then found the ball back in his hand with Shishido smirking at him.

"Relax, Choutarou," Shishido shook his head, casting a sideward glance at the crowd which caused them to shut up. "Don't push yourself to hit for an open space. Just hit it right in front of them, which should be good enough. What use is a serve if it won't go in?"

_That's right_, Ohtori tossed the ball. Just focus in getting it in. It's all in the follow through.

Finally, it zoomed in allowing Inui to return it. Kaidoh lunged forward to send a crosscourt shot which brought out Shishido to return it far into the back.

"There's such a large space," Shishido smirked until Inui raised an eyebrow, smiling more business-like. "What's with you?"

Inui looked back slightly. "As I expected..."

Kaidoh, punching in his shot, fired a Boomerang Snake which went under the referee's chair and right unto the Singles line.

"What the heck," Momoshiro gaped at how fast it flew. "It's in the Singles Line!"

Fuji shook his head, pointed out to Momoshiro. "But now that it's there, the other guy can easily counter it without putting much strain."

Shishido recalled all the times he had brutally trained for the Kanto tournament. All the times he forced Ohtori to keep serving at him just so he could train harder, all the times he played tag with Shizuru just so his footwork would increase and everyday, he would keep track of his own progress. After beating Taki, he couldn't believe that Hiyoshi had replaced him. But after a little debate, Shishido regained his position and gave it his all ever since.

_I better return this godforsaken shot,_ Shishido managed to hit but fell over and landed on his left side.

"He hit it," Kawamura gulped. "Even from that range..."

_Based on Ohtori's personality,_ Inui watched Ohtori shift left and right. He thinks that we're going to take advantage of the fallen Shishido thus making him cover the latter. So, the chance of a straight shot is...a hundred percent.

Ohtori bit his lip until he saw Shishido raising his eyebrows. "Alright, I'll take the straight, Shishido-_senpai_!"

Shishido smirked while watching Ohtori charge at Inui. _So, where are you going to fire now you creepy data man?_

To their surprise, Inui changed his mind last minute and fired the shot a bit more to the side.

"Game, Inui-Kaidoh: four games to five!"

Shishido fixed his cap a bit. "Darn, one more game and now they're catching up! Wait, what's that...?"

Inui brought the referee over and seeing the mark, the referee took his seat back on the chair.

"We'll start the game from love – forty! Please resume your game!"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Well," Haruka looked at the next set of players. "They don't look as lifeless as the first two."

Rin hid behind Haruka. "Don't say that, they're looking at us!"

"Doubles One will now begin: Jyosei Shounan's Nakayama-Zanshoryuu versus Hyotei Gakuen's Hikifumi-Shimohi! Please come to the court!"

Taking a glance at the two players, Haruka found the two talking to one another and then, the blue haired girl extended her hand. "Hi, Nakayama Shikako, playmaker and this is my partner," – referring to the dark haired girl, "Zanshoryuu Hikari."

_People don't usually do that_, Haruka warily extended her hand. " I'm Hikifumi Haruka, Hyotei Gakuen's Pearl Dragon."

Rin jumped from behind, giving her a 'v' sign. "I'm Shimohi Rin, the Black Dragon!"

Haruka raised an eyebrow as Hikari gave her a foxy smile. _That smile usually means I'm going to kick your ass whether you like it or not._

"Rin," Haruka glanced at the hyperactive acrobat. "This match won't be anything like Yuugetsu Chuu's or Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu's."

Rin raised an eyebrow while Haruka narrowed her eyes slightly. "These guys aren't normal..."

"Ranking," Rin bit her lip as Haruka looked at the other girl. "Should I even ask?"

Haruka watched the two exchange strategies. "Let's say Jerrard Vera and her _senpai_ will come back to haunt us."

Rin bit her lip. "But, there's something I noticed."

_Wow, Rin's serious all of a sudden,_ Haruka touched her forehead. "Are you okay?"

Rin nodded but her eyes looked at Hikari. "Chocolates are more dangerous than blueberries."

"Eh? When did you start," Haruka looked at the two when she saw Hikari wordlessly nodding. "Actually, if you look at it..."

Rin gave her a thumbs up. "Yeah, that's no problem, kuwee~!"

Haruka breathed in relief, chuckling a bit. _For a moment there, I thought Rin was sick..._

Watching them move around, Haruka closed her eyes and felt the air around them. _Well, the wind seems tenser today..._

Rin saw Hikari toss the ball with a fast spin. "What the heck is she doing!?"

With a hard serve, Hikari spun the ball as Haruka watched it intently. _You're trying to make it disappear, I suppose... Oh well, neutralize it then..._

Momo saw Haruka's change in position. "Here it comes, the Dragon's Retaliation..."

"Top spins are my best friends you know," Haruka increased the top spin, causing it curve around. "What the world---?"

Shikako appeared from behind. "You cut the ball twice to increase your top spin. Not bad, your spin rate is good enough to make the ball change direction only though."

Rin glanced at Hikari who started snapping her fingers. "Wait a minute..."

At the fourth snap, Shikako added an even heavier spin. Rin shook her head to check whether or not the spin power, moving to one side.

_Holy crackpot,_ Rin saw it spinning in all different directions. _I can't even tell where it's going to spin next!_

Haruka ran for the shot, slicing it down. "Rin, that's why you have me!"

Seeing the ball float, Hikari moved forward for a ground smash while Rin went over to block her. _Hmph, so she's the one with Insight..._

Twisting around, Hikari escaped Rin and let Shikako smash straight in between her legs.

"Fifteen – love," the Twin Dragons gaped at the two who simply nodded at one another while Shikako continued smiling.

_Damn, she's like that Fuji guy from Seigaku,_ Haruka's face scrunched up while she continued twitching. _That smile should be copyrighted!_

Rin swung her legs lightly. "What was that they just did?"

"That's the Time Difference attack," Haruka noted as she recalled how Shikako and Hikari simply switched places. "By feinting to one side, the user allows her partner to come up for the attack while she fools the other side into thinking that she's the attacker. It's a normal application for a doubles pair when you're trying to break their formation."

"Oh," Rin looked at the two again. "I noticed something..."

Haruka looked at Rin who tilted her head slightly. "You notice how they keep snapping their fingers?"

"It's how many times Shikako should cut the ball," Haruka glanced at Hikari's fingers, tracing a wire from her pocket. "Wait a minute, is she listening to an iPod???"

Hikari bobbed her head a bit while giving Shikako a high five. Haruka and Rin glanced at each other as they started changing formation.

"Oh? What's this," Florence raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see this last year."

Ayane looked at their positions, pointing out. "Hold on, why is Rin-_senpai_ the middle of two courts?"

"Haruka's right at the net which means," Hitomi tilted her glasses a bit. "She's going to use 'that' to make sure they break the rhythm of the other side."

Momo watched the serve fly from Shikako. _Another top spin serve, wait a minute..._

Rin saw where it landed, seeing that it was delayed. _Perfect, it's a Twist Serve...!_

"That serve is nowhere near Echizen's," Momo shook her head, sniggering. "Echizen makes this girl's Twist Serve look normal."

Rin backed up to return the shot with a sinker as Hikari followed up with a slight float over the net, forcing Haruka to volley towards the left side. Rin lunged forward while Haruka pushed herself back to the baseline while resuming a different formation. Hikari began snapping her fingers while Rin watched their foot movement.

"Haru," Rin turned back to see Haruka right where she had anticipated.

"No problem," Haruka backhanded the shot with a deft crack. "Just keep your eyes Hikari's fingers!"

Rin watched several snaps come into play, smirking as she did so. As the ball spun a few times to disappear, it didn't matter to Rin. With one high jump, Rin somersaulted and sent the shot exploding from her racquet. "_Kuwee~_, here we go! This is the Avalanche Driver!"

"Fifteen – all," Hikari stumbled back a bit as she saw Rin land gracefully on the floor.

Haruka and Rin gave each other a knuckle five as they walked towards the baseline to receive the next service. Watching Hikari carefully, Haruka stood slightly to the left as the Twist Serve zoomed past the net but on the wrong court.

"Fault," Hikari bit her lip as she prepared another serve.

Rin watched Haruka's eyes focus carefully. "Wait a minute, you mean...?"

"Her Twist Serve isn't perfect," Haruka glanced at Hikari where her foot was positioned. "I asked Hitomi prior to the game and there is one bad habit Zanshoryuu has never gotten rid of..."

Rin narrowed her eyes. "So, it's her ankle..."

"Glad you caught up quickly," Haruka watched her hit another fault. "As long as you pressure her, there's no way her serve's going to get in."

Hikari, feeling the sweat cover her hands, tossed the ball fumbling before Shikako jumped up and caught it. "Huh, Shikako, what is it?"

"The two of them are pressuring you to play by their rhythm," Shikako continued smiling. "It seems that we need to push them a little more. Just hit it right in front of them; it doesn't need to be a special serve to take them out."

Hikari nodded before tossing the ball again as Shikako returned to the net line with her usual smile. "Let's rock this thing!"

The ball zoomed over the net which allowed Haruka to stretch over and return it. Rin sealed Shikako right at front with her eyes but the moment Shikako opened her eyes, Rin couldn't believe what had happened. Alternating between sinker, slices and top spins, Shikako sent a top spin lob which threw Rin back and forced Haruka to move to another side to make sure it doesn't end up in only to have the lob drop right in between them.

"Thirty – all," Haruka glanced at Shikako as she walked towards the other side of the service court.

_She has that crazy kind of control,_ Haruka looked at where the ball floated at. _Kiyone-chibi can't even do those kinds of shots yet!_

Shikako looked at Rin and then at Haruka, her emerald eyes analysing them carefully. _Because their style is so aggressive, there's no way they can counter the weaker shots easily. They are always agitated because the first thing they'll expect are heavier and faster shots._

Hikari looked at her once-smiling partner. "Shikako, are you okay?"

Turning to face her, Shikako smiled at her like always. "Yeah, I was just analysing something..."

"Shikako's known to be one of the more dangerous players of Jyosei Shounan," Hitomi explained to Kiyone. "Her control level exceeds Kiyone's and is almost at par with Marui's. Nakayama Shikako also comes with a title..."

_Yes, you're right, Yamaguchi,_ Florence glanced at Hyotei's data master before watching Shikako get ready for the next rally. Shikako is known as one of the most dangerous players on the court... After all, her nickname is actually...

Ayane raised an eyebrow at Hitomi. "She's known as the 'Wildcard'?"

"In card games, 'wildcards' are cards that are not usually expected with a high rate," Hitomi somewhat twitched, unnerved by Shikako's smile. "You cannot expect a Queen of Diamonds that easily and that same principle applies to her. You cannot expect the same style the next turn. Any data gathered about Shikako is deemed useless in the next match. You have to beat her with raw skill alone."

"Or brute force," Ayane grinned cheerfully. "That should send her flying."

Momo shook her head. "She returned my _Sui_ before. Don't think she can't return your _Kotsubushi Katana_ on her worst days. She doesn't really show her true potential."

"That's the scary part," Isane shivered a bit. "As long as she keeps smiling and her eyes are closed, there's no way you can tell what she's thinking."

Kiyone noticed Shikako's green eyes had vanished. "So, she plays blind?"

"Not really," Shizuru tried her best to simplify it for the freshman. "Very few people have that kind of potential. Let's say if she plays in a Singles Match..."

Mai nodded stiffly. "As much as I hate to admit it, she has the potential to massacre me on the court."

"Game, Nakayama-Zanshoryuu: one game to love!"

Haruka clucked her tongue while Shikako simply gave them a foxy grin. "Well, you should try harder next time."

"_Zannen mataraishu,_" Hikari placed her racquet on her shoulder.

Rin glanced at Haruka who smirked back at them. "Well, it looks like we'll have to do you guys in... as soon as we start our service."

-That's Chapter 25! By the way, before you think it's a Mary Sue, please read the later chapters. Also, do you like the revamped version or do you like the old version? Because I reedited some things like, Shizuru's game with Atobe so – yeah, please tell me what you think! Please review!


	26. Alterations

(I don't own Prince of Tennis except the OCs!)

**Note:** OMG, I now have 100 reviews! Thank you so much! I never had this much except from my Beyblade story which I think totally sucked since the format made people dizzy. Thank you and please keep reviewing! As you review, my writing somehow improves! Flames are okay as long as you try to explain and tell me HOW to fix it instead of just firing criticisms. I'm not a genius, sad to say. Although, I want to ask: would you like for me to maintain Shizuru's win over Atobe or Atobe win over Shizuru? Because, other than that... yeah, 1-3 chapters will be undergoing revision as we speak. I need your responses for this, thank you!

**ChocyPockyStick:** I guess that's one of the main reasons. The weird part is that they didn't even bother finish reading it and then all these things come out so, yeah... I guess it needs tweaking which is why I reedited 7,8,11,15,16,17 because that probably made her Mary Sue. Although, I thought making her flat footed was quite a flaw since I myself knows what it's like to be flat footed. When you play, it gets really irritating because the pain in your arcs climb up to your legs and boy, do you get crippled! XD I even thought the honorific thing was a bad thing seeing that Shishido complained about it and Atobe is fairly irritated by it too and also she has a slight phobia for water. Thank you though for giving me advice! It's probably the best I've gotten so far. Though, if you're a member of , can you please use your pen name instead? I'd like to make the message more private. But as the chapters go on, the 'real' Shizuru will make her appearance.

**Sundae Bunny: **Well – I'm considering Global Warming hence the rise in temperature so yeah. I don't really live in Japan and I'm not too sure myself since I'm more at the South Eastern part of Asia.

Thank you for your reviews! They are always greatly appreciated! Also, "Zannen Mataraishu" is a catch phrase of Kikumaru wherein he means: "See you next time!"

Chapter 26 – Alteration

Watching Hikari from one end, Haruka bounced the ball up and down. Recalling their last movements, Haruka couldn't help but feel unnerved by Shikako's smile. The girl simply kept on smiling as she started her service. Dashing to one side, Hikari returned the shot with a forehand while Rin volleyed it over to Shikako. With a backhand, Shikako sent it to the corner while Haruka lobbed it lightly towards Hikari. Seeing the chance ball, Hikari jumped high enough for a smash but only to have it repelled by Rin's last jump for a volley.

"Fifteen – love," Rin recovered to return the next shot.

Haruka looked at Hikari who didn't seem rattled by Rin's jump. _That's odd, most people would wonder how the world she did that._

"I'm surprised you can keep at it," Rin pointed out at Hikari's ankle. "Despite your ankle giving out, you still got game, _kuwee_~!"

Hikari winced while Shikako's eyes suddenly popped open which caused Rin to jump behind Haruka. "Waaah, she opened her eyes!"

"Are you alright," Shikako's face etched with concern. "Your ankle, how long can you play?"

Hikari stretched it a bit. "Well, as long as I don't do acrobatics then a tie-break shouldn't be a problem."

Rin and Haruka exchanged glances before returning to their positions.

"We're playing this on an even court," Haruka placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. "We're not going to wear them out like cowards."

With a fairly fast service, Haruka watched Shikako add a higher level of top spin to her serve while she managed to add some more with the Dragon's Tail. Seeing it bounce in a ninety degree angle, Hikari went to one side as she returned the shot.

"No way," Momo dropped her jaw slightly ajar. "She can return the Dragon's Tail!"

Isane turned to Hitomi. "But I thought the Dragon's Tail was impossible to return especially with that ninety degree angle!"

"Some people just have very sharp eyes like Rin and Mai," Hitomi noted down. "If you haven't noticed, Haruka uses that as a finishing move more often but look at it now..."

Haruka came from behind Rin as the acrobat moved towards the shot as well. "I didn't expect them to return the shot, really."

"Neither did I," Rin puffed up her cheeks as she dashed to the other side. "I got the next volley!"

Upon hearing that, Shikako sent a far shot but Rin managed to somersault and send it back with a backhand. Hikari lunged for the shot, wincing in pain as she returned it. Finding an open space, Haruka targeted right in the middle of Shikako and Hikari causing them to stumble back.

"Thirty – love," Haruka wiped the sweat from her brow as Rin sauntered towards her.

"Haru-_chan_," Rin clung on to Haruka, whimpering like a puppy. "Nakayama's scary!"

Haruka pat the black haired acrobat on the head. "It's okay; I think it's very obvious why..."

"She smiles like that Fuji guy and that Yukimura dude from Rikkai Dai _kuwee_~," Rin bit her lip, jumping up and down. "_Buchou_ smiles like that too sometimes!"

Haruka shrugged while looking at her captain. "Well, she's kinder about it."

"You can bet your leg she is," Rin shivered behind Haruka. "I mean – hello!"

Momo sighed into her hand. "I don't know why Rin just doesn't understand the smile of people. She deems it scary unless they're jumping around like her!"

Taking the notes from Hitomi, Mai looked at the list. "After them, it's Rikkai Dai or Seigaku..."

"What," Ayane dropped her jaw. "We're going to play Rikkai Dai after this!"

Hitomi looked at her planner. "Well, it depends on who wins or... if there's another no namer that made it into the semi-final and it would become a "Challenge the Winner" type thing."

Mai glanced at Shizuru, noticing that there were fresh slash marks on Shizuru's legs. _Damn, they did it again!_

"Shizuru," Mai pointed to the bathrooms around the corner. "Can you come with me? I need to address a hair problem..."

Shizuru, raising her eyebrow, tilted her head. "Uh, Mai, your hair looks fine."

"Dummy, I don't go with my hair like this," Mai dragged Shizuru, giving the captain less time to react.

"Ah, wait," Shizuru struggled against Mai's grip. "What about the match?"

Mai snarled inwardly before nudging Ayane. "Yane, take over the coach's bench until we get back!"

Ayane stared quizzically at the _tensai_ until Mai grinned sardonically at her. "Ah, okay... I'll take over, _buchou_!"

"Don't get lost Mai," Hitomi warned as Mai ran off. "I hope she has a cellphone."

Momo, exchanging glances with the two, continued to watch Rin and Haruka play. "I hope these two know what to do despite _buchou_ missing."

()()()()

"Kabaji," Atobe beckoned the taller _kohai_ to the court.

Obediently moving towards Atobe, Kabaji didn't say anything as Atobe smirked at him. "Finish this game in less than fifteen minutes."

"Usu," Kabaji took the tennis ball from Atobe.

Kawamura moved towards the court to meet up with Kabaji. "BUUURNING, LET'S GET THIS ON, BABY!"

However, much to Seigaku's dismay – Kabaji didn't even bat an eyelash. He stood there, staring at Kawamura as if the Seigaku powerhouse had lost his mind.

"Is Kabaji even human?" They heard a Hyotei student ask. "He doesn't even talk."

Momoshiro and Kikumaru stood back aghast. _For him to withstand Taka-san's Burning attack, he's no joke!_

Kawamura waited for Kabaji's serve on the other end. _I can't lose... This season is my last..._

With an explosive serve, Kabaji fired it long towards Kawamura who repelled it with the same power. Explosions echoed throughout the court as Kabaji grunted here and there. Kawamura ran left and right, blasting the shot right back at the junior who didn't seem to break a sweat despite everything thrown at him.

"BUURNING, GREAT-O," Kawamura swung even harder than last time. "COME ON, BABY!"

Kabaji forehanded the ball to Kawamura's left side. "Iii...!"

"He's good but trying to scare us with those noises," Horio folded his arms with a snort.

Inui shook his head. "It's actually very useful. Each sound has its own shot designation. "Ii" is an approach shot, "Fu" is a drop shot and "Ho" is a lob while "Ha" is a passing shot."

Horio stared agape while Inui sadly closed his notebook. "Not only does he play powerful tennis but uses a method that's very reasonable too."

Kabaji continued exploding shots towards Kawamura who decided to grab his racquet with both hands and prepare for a huge swing.

"Taka-_san_," Momoshiro gripped the fence. "You're really going to do it?"

Oishi stared in horror at what Kawamura was planning. "Wait, that's Ishida from Fudomine Chuu's _Hadokyuu_!"

_I can't lose here, I'm sorry guys,_ Kawamura swung his arm causing the ball to fly with amazing speed. "This is it: _Hadokyuu_!"

"Wait a minute, there's something different," Kikumaru pointed out as they saw Kawamura's grip.

Momoshiro pointed out. "What's the difference of holding it one handed and two handed anyway?"

"The strain is lessened drastically," Inui began scribbling down new data from Kawamura. "By using two hands, there would be more power and less strain therefore making it less likely for Kabaji to return it. However, there's something about this boy that makes him fearsome..."

Watching the ball fly, Atobe smirked at Kabaji. _That's it Kabaji, return it just like that._

With one swipe, Kabaji sent Kawamura's shot as a drop, forcing Seigaku's powerhouse to move forward.

"Damn," Kawamura was forced to volley it over while Kabaji sent it back as a lob.

"Love – fifteen," Kawamura watched the ball drop on the baseline.

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ glanced at a laconic Sakaki-_kantoku_ before taking one last look at Kawamura. _That boy better not do what I think he's going to do..._

Kawamura fired the Burning Serve only to have Kabaji return it easily. Kawamura returned it with a forehand as Kabaji began grunting with his usual expressions. Feeling his arm strain, Kawamura forehanded it again even harder than before. However, something within Kabaji sparked the moment Atobe snapped his fingers in the air.

"Finish him off, Kabaji," Atobe smirked as Kabaji placed both hands on his racquet.

"Baaaau," Kabaji swung his racquet, exploding the ball with the same _Hadokyuu_ Kawamura just fired at him.

The Freshmen Trio stood back aghast. "What the hell was that! That big lug just returned Kawamura-_senpai_'s _Hadokyuu_!"

"Any data taken from him prior to the match would be completely useless," Inui sighed as he placed his pencil back in his bag. "Kabaji's mind so pure that he can absorb anything – just like a baby."

Kikumaru pouted impishly. "He's more like a sponge nyah."

Fuji watched Kawamura take another stance. "Maybe we should worry more about Taka-_san_, ne?"

Kawamura fired another two handed _Hadokyuu_ at Kabaji who strengthened it with more power. Before Seigaku's powerhouse could do anything, the racquet flew out and landed right behind him.

"Thirty – love," Kawamura could only stare in shock on how far his racquet flew.

Momoshiro gaped at Kabaji's power. "Damn, he's strong!"

"It's amazing how a second year could outdo Taka-_san_," Oishi gaped at Kabaji's strong hits.

()()()()

"I can't believe this," Mai rolled up Shizuru's sleeves, revealing more whip marks. "Geez, don't they know any damn gratitude!"

Shizuru yanked back, her smile becoming deadlier. "Mai, stop this stupidity and let's head back."

"_Teme_," Mai balled her fists. "Why the hell won't you let us help you, damn it!"

Shizuru's smiling façade dropped immediately, her voice dropping dangerously low. "Do you really want to know what they can do to people?"

_Damn, her aura's changing and so's her eyes,_ Mai backed up, terrified of Shizuru's glaring red eyes. "Well, give it your best shot!"

_I did not just ask for that did I?_

_You did, dummy,_ a voice in her head mocked her.

Mai couldn't believe it but Shizuru kicked her stomach hard, causing the _tensai_ to keel on the floor. "Agh, Shizuru that hurt like hell!"

"That's only one-fourth the damage they can do," Shizuru bitterly smiled, extending her hand. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

Mai took it gratefully, scratching her head. "I can see that. Just – do Shishido and Ohtori know about this?"

"Ever since before," Shizuru hung her head until she heard a crisp sound echo in the air.

Feeling the sting on her cheek, Shizuru saw an angry Mai with her hand posed for another backhand and tears slipping out of her eyes. "Damn it Shizuru, why do you trust them but not me!"

_It's not that I don't trust you,_ Shizuru held Mai's arm to lower it. "It's complicated... Shishido-_senpai_ and Ohtori-_kun_ discovered that by themselves..."

"You think I haven't yet," Mai punched one of the cubicle doors. "Damn it, you keep smiling as if nothing happens! Don't you know you're causing more people pain by hiding your own!"

Shizuru turned away, heading towards the door. "Come on, we have to go."

Mai bit her lip and forcefully grabbed her. "Will you answer me straight!"

_A genius normally doesn't snap like this_, the voice mocked her in her head.

_I'm not a mind reader so, cut it out,_ Mai tightened her grip on Shizuru's arm. "You are not going anywhere until you tell me EVERY last tidbit about what happens to you in that house!"

However, what shocked Mai was that Shizuru's smile suddenly vanished and was replaced with this stolid glare that gave her message straight and clear.

_Push this issue any further and I will not hesitate to hurt you._

Mai, sighing in defeat, finally let go of Shizuru who smiled again. "I'm sorry but... I will tell you soon..."

"Which is never," Mai rolled her eyes while walking past her. "I'll meet you in the courts."

Watching Mai leave, Shizuru was left alone in the bathroom while rolling down her sleeves. Her smile slowly faded which tears started falling out of her eyes. Wiping them, the Hyotei captain tried to smile but more tears started falling out. Staring at the mirror, Shizuru finally decided to punch it causing a slight crack on the glass.

_Oops,_ Shizuru saw her sore knuckles. "I'm sorry..._minna_. But, they are crueller than you think."

()()()()

Mai came back, frustrated and plopping on the bench. "Who's winning?"

"Haruka and Rin are still within a deuce," Momo noticed a shoe print on Mai's shirt. "Geez, who brawled with you?"

Mai stood up looking over the fence. "Shizuru did," her voice only reached Momo's ears or so she thought.

Momo's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"I'm not kidding," Mai shook her head while looking at her hand. "That's the first time I slapped her," – Mai's voice became inaudible after that.

Isane could see Mai's printed shirt and sore hand. "This is the first time I've heard of Shizuru kicking Mai. She never did that before..."

"What made her snap," Momo handed her a pack of ice. "This should help your stomach."

Mai took it gratefully. "I guess I did push it a little too far. She's just crazy..."

Seeing her teammates look at Mai, Haruka noticed that Mai had a foot print on her jersey. _That's a first; I've never seen someone able enough to kick Mai._

"Haru-_chan_," Rin snapped her out of her thoughts. "There's another shot, your corner!"

Haruka ran it down with a backhand. "Sorry, I got stuck thinking about something!"

Hikari snapped her fingers thrice as Shikako sliced the ball thrice, making it vanish. "Shikako, do you think we can pull out our Synchro now?"

"Not yet," Shikako continued volleying against Rin. "Just keep it at what it is now."

Rin lunged for the next ball while Haruka went to another corner and started attacking in between them. Shikako however cut the ball several times to throw Rin back but not good enough to have Haruka miss the shot. Hikari backhanded towards Haruka who sent a forehand along the way. Hikari gave a top spin lob until she found both Rin and Haruka jumping for the shot.

"Here it comes," Shikako got ready in front as Rin twisted in the air and Haruka dropped down.

"What the," Hikari gaped at the two. "They're not going to...!"

Rin backhanded the shot to the far end corner, shocking the Jyosei Shounan pair.

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: one game all!"

Hikari looked at Shikako who simply smiled at the two. "So, you guys decided to return the favour?"

"We always do," Haruka knuckle fived Rin. "Isn't that right, Rin-Rin?"

Rin cheekily puffed up. "You can bet on that!"

Shikako opened her eyes a bit, causing Rin to jump behind Haruka. "Well, that trick won't work again. After all, Shimohi's reaction time is very different from yours, Hikifumi. Shimohi-_san_ requires enough space to make that twist and enough time therefore delaying your attack by at least a few seconds. The Time Difference Attack is supposed to be used as a feint but with a difference that big, the technique won't work again."

Haruka backed up, staring aghast. _Wait a minute, how did she figure that out in one use!_

"The Time Difference Attack is often used by Hikari and Shikako," Matsuri began scribbling down notes. "Hanamura-_sensei_ made sure that Shikako-_chan_ was her masterpiece."

Florence glanced at the Twin Dragon Pair before she noticed Shizuru taking her place back at the coach's bench. _Well, it seems like your seniors are stumped – what do you plan to do now, Kurenai-san?_

Shizuru found Mai hanging her head while holding an ice pack. Taking one last glance at the _tensai_, Shizuru watched Haruka and Rin head back to their positions as Shikako started her service.

_Mai, I'm sorry,_ Shizuru ruefully smiled. _It's something that will endanger not only your dreams but your lives as well..._

"Well," a voice rebuked her thoughts. "I guess I just have to wait then..."

Taking a look to her left, Shizuru saw Mai handing her a bottle of green apple iced tea. "Don't worry... they'll show their colours."

"You know," Mai scratched her chin while taking a seat next to her. "I never knew that Shikako was that much of a genius."

Shizuru pointed to the smiling girl. "Yeah, she doesn't normally show it but among the regulars – she could be more dangerous than Hoshimura-_san_ herself."

Shikako dropped her serve with a twist while Rin jumped to one side to return it. Watching Rin jump for it, Shikako halted Hikari while opening her emerald eyes.

"That shot will disappear," Shikako smiled wider. "No amount of motion sight will help you..."

As soon as it came in contact with Rin's racquet, it vanished but the black haired acrobat managed to scrape the ball barely.

"Net, fifteen – love," Shikako smirked at Rin. _So, she managed to return it..._

Haruka rushed to Rin's side. "Hey, how bad is it?"

"Not much," Rin stood up, dusting her skirt. "I'm A-okay!"

Haruka, sighing in relief, looked over to Shikako who prepared another. "So, you're using an underhand serve?"

Shikako's smiling façade became more serious and analytical. "Well, it's not against the rules isn't it?"

"Not really," Haruka lowered her stance. _If what I saw was right, Rin twisted her body to perform a backhand to return it which means the ball bounces at a certain angle..._

Rin noticed Haruka take a different stance. _Osakada-senpai did mention something about that kind of serve... I just hope Haru-chan remembers..._

As the serve flew off, Haruka waited at the left side and the ball curved towards her. _Hopefully, I have enough power to return it!_

Sadly, her shot struck the net, "Net, thirty – love!"

Shikako glanced at Haruka, scratching her chin. "Now where did I see you again?"

"She was with that Osakada-_san_," Hikari pulled off one of the earphones. "Osakada Yuri was here last year wasn't she with that Midoriyama girl?"

Shikako nodded while looking at Haruka. "Well, we better be careful then."

"Why?" Hikari cocked her head until Shikako resumed smiling.

"It seems that this pair has discovered one of the Infinite Possibilities of Doubles," Shikako looked at the bench. _Though, I don't quite understand why they didn't use their famous Diamond Pair for this round. What was their captain thinking? From the rumours, the Diamond Pair accomplished that way before them._

"Well, what do you know," Hikari tapped Shikako's shoulder. "They're changing their rhythm."

Haruka and Rin high fived while Haruka moved in front and Rin stood in the middle. Seeing Rin swing left and right, Shikako fired a normal serve this time as Rin lunged for the shot. Hikari ran down the next shot for a volley. Watching their footwork, Shikako sealed off Haruka at front as she started cornering her each time.

_Tch, they know Rin can't handle long matches,_ Haruka saw Rin breathing heavily. "Sorry sweetie, I got to escape!"

"Don't worry about me," Rin forehanded the next shot. "I got this all covered, _kuwee~_!"

Haruka noticed Rin's expression become less cheerful than what it should be. _Rin, if we need to use Synchro – say so now!_

Flipping through the pages of her notebook, Hitomi tilted her glasses a bit. "Any data taken from Shikako's basically useless and fake. Her style alters drastically that the only one who can corner her are either Momo, Mai or _buchou_. Haruka better use 'that' formation now."

"What formation," Kiyone looked up at her bespectacled manager, cocking her head to the side. "You mean the Synchro one they used against Taishaku Fuzoku Chuu?"

Isane shook her head as she looked at Haruka attack the corners. "No, there was a formation that she and Osakada-_senpai_ made last year. I just hope she and Rin can pull it off."

"Knowing Haruka," Momo flipped open a can of soda. "Haruka's going to exhaust every method first before resorting to that one."

Mai leaned against her elbows. "Geez, exhausting every method is so not going to help here."

Seeing a chance ball, Hikari jumped up while Shikako returned to the back. Haruka backed up while Rin shifted towards the net until Hikari spun in a 360 degree arc and sliced the ball down. With a lucky save, Rin managed to lob it again only to have Shikako smash it straight back at her, causing the said acrobat to roll back.

"Forty – love," Rin clucked her tongue, standing up to recover her bearings.

Haruka looked over to the other side. "I didn't expect them to use it again."

"So, what do we do now," Rin glanced at Haruka who offered her a high five.

Haruka closed her eyes, smirking. "Let's show them... what dragons mean by business..."

Going for a high five, Rin and Haruka felt their consciousness fade and their bodies started moving by themselves. Hikari and Shikako watched the two Hyotei girls stare at them beadily as if expecting an attack. Shikako, patting Hikari on the shoulder, turned around with her.

"I think it's time we did the same," Shikako closed her eyes, smiling at Hikari.

Hitomi saw the aura glowing from both Haruka and Rin. "So, they're now at a level where they can activate Synchro at will. This is very good data..."

"That's so cool," Kiyone jumped up and down. "But, it took us months before we got to do it by will!"

Ayane gaped at the two. "I know one thing: Synchro only happens when you're in a ditch. But how can they activate it by will?"

Mai shook her head. "To them, it doesn't matter. Haruka and Rin are very close to one another. Not only that, the more you trust your partner – obviously the easier it is to Synchronize."

_Wait a minute, is that why...?_

Mai glanced at Shizuru who was watching Shikako start her service. She then realized that there was some truth to what Naomi-_senpai_ had said prior to her graduation. During the Nationals, a lot of people thought that Naomi had gone suicidal to send Shizuru and her separately and many said she deliberately did that to fool Seigaku. However, underlying those rumours was another reason which many people couldn't understand.

_Shizuru and Mai may be best friends but there's a lacking element. Mai has it but Shizuru doesn't._

_It was trust,_ Mai ruefully glanced at her former doubles partner. "Shizuru, can I ask you something?"

"Hm, what is it?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the _tensai_.

Mai breathed in sharply. "Well, what is trust for you?"

Taken aback, Shizuru stared at Mai incredulously. "Trust is between two people in which..."

"Not like that," Mai flicked her forehead, earning a slight whimper from her former doubles partner. "Refer away from the text book."

Shizuru remained quiet and smiled faintly. "Well, trust is something that both sides need. If one will not concede to the desire of one and vice versa, there will be nothing."

_Typical Shizuru answer_, Mai rolled her eyes as she watched Haruka and Rin take another point. "Wow, so that's the Punishment of the Jade Emperor."

"Forty – thirty," Rin somersaulted for a backhand.

Hikari, breathing heavily, glanced at Shikako who didn't even bat an eyelash at what she was seeing. Shaking her head, Hikari found Shikako smiling shrewdly while watching the two girls walk together.

_I wonder what she has up her sleeve; _Hikari glanced at Shikako who started breathing slowly until her body was engulfed in a fog. "Shikako, you're going to use it!"

"_Вы идете вниз с,_" Shikako pointed her racquet at the two Synchronized players, her smiling façade dropping completely.

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Please translate what the hell she just said!"

"She said: "You're going down"," Hitomi placed her dictionary back. "After hanging around with Atobe as his classmate, picking up Russian wasn't so hard. Nakayama Shikako was born in Moscow and therefore a dual citizen while Hoshimura Florence is a French-Japanese. Jyosei Shounan and St. Rudolph have their own set of _mestizas_."

"_Mestizas,_ what's that?" Isane began counting the air. "Is that a number?"

Momo flicked Isane's head. "No, it's a Spanish term for those with mixed blood. Europeans usually called them hybrids, kinda like in the Philippines. We just took that subject."

"We did?" Isane cocked her head to side, making Momo face palm.

"Ugh," Momo threw her hands in the air. "I give up explaining history to you. Go ask Shishido."

Haruka fired the Dragon's Tail but Shikako lunged for it while Hikari had to cover her from behind. Rin returned the volley with her acrobatic play which Shikako returned with the same. Watching the ball fly, Haruka twisted her body causing her to use the momentum to spin the shot. Hikari, wiping away the beads of sweat, forehanded the shot while Rin returned it with another lunge. Every time Rin jumped for a shot, Shikako mimicked her exact same movement and returned the shot with double the force.

"Deuce," the shot exploded past Rin.

Florence took one look at the doubles pair. _Shikako may have mastered the Muga no Kyouchi but the two still have their Synchro. I don't get why Hanamura-sensei put Shikako in Doubles when her Singles play is so much better. Then again, it could be good experience for her..._

"Advantage, receiver," Florence snapped her head towards Shikako who was breathing heavily.

_She used it too early; _Florence bit her lip while turning to the Twin Dragons. "They don't look that peachy either."

Sweat poured down Haruka's face while Rin started gasping for air. Hikari felt her legs give in while Shikako started sweating buckets and more. Getting ready for another serve, Shikako fired a normal serve while Rin volleyed it over and Haruka managed to cover up for the Black Dragon.

"_Heilongjiang_," Haruka turned to Rin. "妳犹自可以双打 吗?" (Ni You Zi Ke Yi Shuang Ta Ma?) - Can you still play?*

Rin wheezed a bit. "I can do fine, _Zhujiang_!"

Hikari and Shikako exchanged glances. "Hikifumi speaks Chinese?"

"She did go for exchange program before," Hitomi looked through Haruka's scores and grades. "She took two months off in China to learn Chinese and her father brought her there before."

Momo raised an eyebrow. "But Rin's stupid in linguistics!"

"But because they're linked in mind," Mai pointed out to the female Sanada. "Chinese may have been incomprehensible to Rin-_senpai _but now, it will now become understandable."

Isane shrugged while watching Rin fly. "She really fits the name... _Heilongjiang..._"

"The Black Dragon always flew better than the rest," Momo recalled the legend. "It's just... I never knew how easily Rin could fill the role."

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: two games to one!"

Watching Rin gracefully land, Shikako inhaled sharply before passing the ball to them. _They've progressed pretty well..._

"Shikako," Hikari hooked up her iPod. "We better increase our rhythm soon."

Shikako, cracking her knuckles slightly, watched Rin sweat buckets while Haruka slowly tailed behind her. Hearing her heartbeat echo in her ears, Shikako readied herself to receive as Rin began her service. Dashing to one side, she forehanded the ball back to Haruka who cut the ball right in between them.

_Shimohi and Hikifumi have the upper hand as long as their Synchro is running_, Florence watched Rin and Haruka take another point. "Excuse me; may I have a time out first?"

Sauntering towards the bench, Shikako and Hikari took a breather while Rin had to be dragged off the court by Haruka.

"Their skills definitely improved," Shikako continued smiling. "Their seniors managed to unlock it before they left for graduation."

Florence found Rin downing another bottle of juice. "If you're going to challenge them to a game of rhythm then, I suggest you turn it up a bit."

"Shimohi's stamina is at its limit," Shikako glanced at a heavily gasping Rin. "The Synchro has its own side effects as well. Considering the heavy mental strain, the heat and the force required, Shimohi will be down in the next thirty minutes."

Hikari inched away from her doubles partner. _Scary calculations..._

"You can't keep betting on Shimohi's lack of stamina," Florence checked her racquet. "I'm going to warm up with Tousaka. We'll have to make up for the loss."

Hikari and Shikako got onto the court while Haruka and Rin managed to pull themselves into the same state again. Feeling her body out, Shikako watched the next serve come in. Returning it with a top spin, Shikako started changing her rhythm while Hikari sped up. Rin and Haruka started changing dancing patterns into something more like a swirl. Rin back flipped into the air, sending it towards the corner while Hikari had to lob it back. Seeing the top spin, Haruka sliced the ball again while Shikako ripped it to the left side.

"Shimohi's breathing heavily already," Hikari watched Rin land albeit clumsily. "Wait a minute, Hikifumi's not even...!"

Shikako's eyes widened as Haruka didn't even break a sweat. Sending a forehand, Shikako noticed Rin slowing down while Haruka steadily kept her pace while her and Hikari were scattered all over the place. Relaxing her breathing, Shikako returned with a flat shot as Haruka cut it again.

_How can she maintain her Synchro in this kind of heat,_ Shikako watched Haruka's eyes become clear again. _Unless, they were...!_

"Hikari, aim for the middle," Shikako forehanded it hard, forcing Rin to lob the shot.

Jumping for the shot, Hikari smashed it right in between the two.

"Love – fifteen," Rin and Haruka exchanged glances with one another.

Shikako smiled continuously. "You know, you're quite good in bluffing. We were actually fooled for a moment that you guys were in Synchro until Haruka's eyes cleared up. The Synchro shows itself when both the users eyes dull considerably."

Haruka clucked her tongue while watching Shikako go to the net. Realizing that their cover was blown, Haruka turned to Rin before she served.

"We better pull out the real thing," Haruka glanced at Rin. "Nakayama knows we can easily fake it."

Rin pouted impishly. "And I thought we could finish this game fast..."

Looking up, Mai found Kabaji walking with a Seigaku player. _That's Kabaji,_ _where's he going?_

"I'm gonna go check on Kabaji-_kun_ okay," Mai stood up, leaving Shizuru to watch the game.

()()()()()

On the other side, Shishido and Ohtori were already running to cool off. With sweat trickling down his face, Shishido controlled his breathing while trying to keep up the pace. He couldn't help but think about the girl's game especially when Jyosei Shounan was involved. Most of the girls may not be as strong except for a few like Souma Fuuka, Yukimura Ai and Amakusa Natsuki but they had something that could render players crippled.

"_Senpai_," Ohtori pointed to the court where the girls were playing. "Are they in Synchro?"

Shishido looked at their movement and the points they were scoring. "Yeah, Hikifumi and Shimohi always had that thing."

"Hey," a deep voice called the two of them causing their heads to snap up.

Shishido grit his teeth, balling his fists tightly. "I didn't know it was within your nature to watch people get better...or should I say – come and watch Shizuru play...?"

"You're a nasty bit," the man smirked. "You should know my name after all."

Shishido lunged at him but Ohtori restrained the sputtering dash specialist. "Screw you! Your name is so easy to memorize that I remember how many cups of mouthwash I had to use to rinse it out, Aikawa Kaitou! God, now I need even more mouth wash. I finished one bottle of **Astring-a-sol*** because of you!"

"I'm sorry," Ohtori placed Shishido down and stood in front of his _senpai_. "If you're here to hurt Shizuru then, I'm afraid you'll have no chance to."

_He dropped the honorifics; this guy has no idea what happens to Ohtori when he blows a fuse, _Shishido stared, shocked while Kaitou stepped back, amused by Ohtori. "You're a cocky little brat."

_Do remember that Ohtori is WAY taller than you,_ Shishido sweat dropped at how tall Ohtori really was. "Shizuru's on her own, why tie her down!"

"She's still living in our house," Kaitou folded his arms, smirking. "Also, don't you dare threaten me, you little boy."

Shishido slipped past Ohtori and punched the guy square in the gut. "Go knock yourself in the mountains!" (Shishido does not mean hit your head on one of the crevasses)

Stumbling back, Kaitou wiped the blood he nearly spat out. "Well, let's say... she has her 'uses'."

"Asshole," Shishido glared daggers that could destroy a building.

"Kaitou," a more velvet voice approached him from behind. "Would you like to be punished again?"

Kaitou froze as he turned around. "Tch...Agito..."

"A man shouldn't pick on children unless he's a coward," Agito calmly strode towards him. "I can still ask Rue to do a few numbers on you. I have the arsenal."

_Grr, stupid brat,_ Kaitou huffed while Agito bowed in front of them. "I'm sorry; my brother clearly has no brains unlike my other brothers."

Shishido raised an eyebrow. "What did you do that for?"

"Both of you are precious to my sister," Agito smiled before turning away. "The last thing she wants is both of you to get killed. After all, the Aikawa side of the family knows no bounds..."

Shishido stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait a minute, you're... Argh, I don't get a bit of your family at all!"

"Not a word," Agito wagged his finger. "I'm trying to track down the rest of the family... Just keep her happy...We're around eighteen boys since our father married five more women with several children. The girls are not very plenty and they're just as cruel as animals."

Ohtori watched Agito walk away. "All this time, he's been..."

"Her family is soon damn complicated," Shishido bit his lip. "Hopefully, this guy breaks her out by the time the Nationals come around. It would be nice for her to see her dad watch her game for once."

"Game, Zanshoryuu-Nakayama: three games all!"

_So this is their Synchro,_ Hitomi began scribbling down. However, I highly doubt that Haruka and Rin will let it end here. Jyosei Shounan may be known for their doubles and although we can make up in Singles, Haruka would never let anyone flatten her in Doubles unless she knows it's an opponent she cannot take.

Haruka saw Hikari started to lose her reaction time. Bending low for a top spin, Haruka forced Shikako to run to the other side and lob it while Rin somersaulted for an exploding forehand.

"Fifteen – love," Haruka and Rin gave each other a high five.

Shikako's smiling façade dropped as Haruka smirked at Jyosei Shounan's Wildcard. "_Sou dana_, what do you think?"

"_Zannen mataraishu~,_" Rin wagged her finger in front of Hikari. "After all, we're the Twin Dragons, _kuwee~_!"

Shikako held her breath as she released most of her tension. After taking a beating from them, she couldn't believe how their Synchro could easily extend. "Wait a minute; you were breathing heavily awhile ago. How did you manage to rejuvenate so fast?"

"Simple," Rin cheekily smiled. "I DRANK ICED TEA AND MOCHA FRAPPUCINO!"

_Giving her iced tea and the Frappucino was the only idea I had,_ Haruka face palmed when her Doubles Partner started jumping up and down. "What did you eat this morning?"

"CHOCOLATE," Rin squealed while bouncing away. "YAY, I'M GONNA FLY!"

Twitching, Haruka raised an eyebrow at her teammates. "Okay – 'fess up, which one of you geniuses fed my doubles partner chocolate!"

"I know I didn't," Mai emptied her pockets. "I ate them before I got here."

Kiyone shook her head, twiddling with her thumbs. "I don't eat chocolate."

Hitomi opened her notebook. "I wouldn't give her something that would destroy her diet."

Momo whistled a bit while smiling a bit. "Uhm about that... I'm sorry?"

"MOMO," Haruka gripped her racquet tightly. "YOU MORON, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FEED RIN CHOCOLATE IN THE MORNING! HOW MUCH DID SHE EAT!"

Momo pulled out a small Tupperware from her bag. "I think she ate three cubes. Why?"

Haruka began counting her fingers, calming down a bit. "Okay, that should be good enough."

Shikako, raising an eyebrow quizzically, returned to the baseline to receive as Haruka began her service. Running it down, Shikako cross courted to Rin who volleyed against Hikari. Watching Hikari's movements become more flaunted, Shikako listened to Hikari's humming.

_A Bossa Nova doesn't seem to be a bad choice,_ Shikako forehanded it to the corner. "Hikari, give them the flash dance!"

"Alright," Hikari sped up her movements while smiling. "I'm gonna shift the rhythm!"

Haruka lunged forward for the net. "Rin, go for the third dance!"

"YAY," Rin jumped high into the air while Haruka volleyed towards Hikari. "It's acrobatic plaaaaaay time~!"

Momo looked at her Tupperware then glanced albeit horrified at the jumping black acrobat. "I don't understand how dark chocolates can hit Rin like that..."

"It has a delayed reaction on her," Hitomi recalculated through her notes. "The more sugar – the faster her body dissolves it and if there's barely any, it will take her awhile."

Ayane sighed while looking at Rin bounce up and down. "Does this mean if we give her milk chocolate...?"

"She'll crack in the next fifteen seconds," Hitomi closed her notebook. "The dark chocolate has a longer lasting effect on Rin's system."

Isane saw Rin scoring point after another. "Well, it's helping her win anyway."

()()()()

Meanwhile, Fuji went down from the stands to face against Hyotei's resident volleyist – Akutagawa Jirou. Recalling his match with Shizuru, he looked at his racquet and then remembered Mai's match with him. He first glanced at Tezuka and then at the others while Jirou dragged himself across the court, staring drowsily at the _tensai_.

_"You're only using your true form now? I think you're going to have a lot of catching up to do then," Shizuru fired a no return serve_.

_Mai noticed that Fuji's head was no longer in the game but, he was hitting pretty well despite that. "Fuji-san, your shots are getting flat and boring…"_

Those words echoed in his head as he recalled his match with the two girls. Mai may have or may not have been using everything she had and Shizuru blasted him almost as bad as Tezuka would have. This time, what held him back? Glancing at his racquet, Fuji inhaled sharply as he went for the underhanded serve.

Jirou didn't bother moving until the ball suddenly disappeared behind him.

"WOW," Jirou jumped up excitedly. "IT DISAPPEARED! THAT IS SO COOL! I HAVEN'T SEEN A SERVE LIKE THAT! Did you see that, Atobe?"

Atobe rolled his eyes at the hyper volleyist. "Yes, I did. Just start getting serious, Jirou."

Moving over to the baseline, Jirou bent down a bit, smiling cheekily at Fuji. "Do it again! Do it again!"

Smirking a bit, Fuji spun the ball again and it disappeared on Jirou's side.

"Thirty – love," Jirou watched the ball disappear again and again.

"Game, Fuji: one game to love!"

Echizen smirked before leaning against the coach's bench. "Fuji-_senpai_, try playing more seriously now."

"Oh," Fuji smiled at the freshman prodigy. "Sure thing then..."

Everyone stared at Echizen. "For Fuji-_senpai_ to use his Disappearing Serve," Momoshiro began ruffling Echizen's hair. "Isn't that good enough?"

Snorting at his Dunk Smashing _senpai_, Echizen turned back to the court while raising an eyebrow at Fuji. "_Mada mada su,_ Fuji-_senpai_," –Echizen smirked, lying back with his arms folded.

At first, Fuji didn't say anything as Jirou began his attack. Volleyed shots came from all sorts of directions and Fuji was forced to come forward. However, the _tensai_ had decided to seal off Jirou by firing deep shots to keep Jirou's volleying at bay. However, Jirou still managed to flick Fuji's shots away despite the deep ones that the _tensai_ had sent at him.

"How can he possibly do that," one of the Freshmen Trio exclaimed while yanking down his face.

Fuji smiled at Echizen. "You've already seen the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ and the _Higuma Otoshi_ right?"

Nodding slowly, Echizen watched Fuji finally open his eyes. "Well, I will show you the third counter..._Hakugei_."

()()()()

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: four games to three!"

"How far exactly are we going to drag this game," Hikari turned to Shikako. "They're really doing it, Shikako."

Shikako twirled her racquet. "The _Muga no Kyouchi_ didn't work... I'd say that even we're cornered as long as Hikifumi can make up for Shimohi."

"But she's puffing like a choo-choo train and Hikifumi's sweating buckets," Hikari raised an eyebrow at Rin who slumped over while Haruka managed to catch her.

Shikako's smiling façade dropped. "Hikifumi may be sweating buckets but look at her face..."

"She's not even panting," Hikari gulped while watching Haruka kept track of their movement carefully.

_She may have a long line of stamina,_ Shikako prepared for her service. "There's no way she can keep up for the next two games."

Tossing the ball, Shikako hit it hard down the line while Haruka sliced it over the net. Hikari ran it down for a lob while Rin soared high in the air for a smash.

"I'm surprised that three pieces can do this to Rin," Hitomi began scribbling down new notes. "Maybe it's a good thing to feed her dark chocolate."

Momo saw Rin cheekily jump for another shot. "I'm surprised that she can still do that when sugar normally burns faster in heat."

Rin dashed for another shot, despite the heavy huffing and puffing. Haruka managed to backhand the next shot sent by Shikako as Hikari made a return with a slicing cord ball. Sending a lob, Rin found Hikari going for a smash towards Haruka who was far enough to return it at waist level. Shikako ran for the shot and returned with a dashing backhand which caused Rin to return with a lunged volley.

"Love – fifteen," the volley floated over the net, landing on the corner.

"Fifteen all," Shikako managed to confuse Rin with a top spin.

"They're making sure that Rin doesn't have enough time to recover from her stamina loss," Hitomi tilted her glasses. "As you can see, the dark chocolate is already losing its effect."

Momo started digging through Rin's bag. "She ought to keep a Snickers bar here somewhere."

Isane tapped her chin while she recalled recess. "You know, I think that was her breakfast this morning."

"Thirty – fifteen," Rin backhanded the ball with a smash.

Hikari managed to score with a slice," Thirty – all!"

Feeling the numbness in her legs, Rin rubbed them while glancing at Haruka who controlled her breathing very easily. _Wow, these are the times I'm glad Haru-chan has crazy stamina!_

Breathing sharply, Rin waited for the next shot as Shikako struck with a Disappearing Serve. Despite her motion sight, Rin nearly got dizzy but forced herself to at least lob the shot. Seeing it fly high, Hikari came down for a smash while Haruka managed to move far back to go for a ground stroke. Shikako returned with an under spin which forced Rin to jump for the ball again. However, Hikari volleyed downwards to throw the black haired acrobat off guard while Shikako stood her ground ready to repel Haruka's shot in case.

"Forty – thirty," Rin stumbled over but managed to recover her stance again.

_She's finally slowing down;_ Shikako had her creepy smile back on her face. "Alright, I guess – this will be our game then."

Haruka stood at the receiving end. "Don't be so sure."

Serving with the Disappearing Serve, Shikako waited for Haruka while she fired the Dragon's Tail. The ball curved in an awkward manner, swishing like a dragon's tail which forced Hikari to lob while Rin ended the rally with a jumping smash.

"Deuce," the two pairs could feel the heat beating down on them worse than before.

Wiping the sweat from her face, Haruka licked her lips as she felt her throat run dry. She couldn't believe that their game started off so neck to neck and Shikako, being more of a Singles player since she had the _Muga no Kyouchi_, kept up with her even if Hikari wasn't used to her.

_Nakayama Shikako_ _played against Momo last year,_ Haruka shuddered at the image of the score. _I don't get why they put her in Doubles when her Singles play is so much better._

"Tousaka needed a little push," Shikako smiled eerily in front of her.

"Yikes," Rin jumped on Haruka, Scooby-Doo style. "She did it again!"

Shikako started her service again while Hikari waited for Rin's attack. Watching the girl shift left and right, Hikari made sure Rin had no way out and Haruka started running all over the place. Haruka jumped for another high shot and dashed towards the other side as Shikako sent a top spin lob. Rin and Hikari stood there, staring at one another and not even making a single move.

"You're just going to stare at me," Rin raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you?"

Hikari bounced a bit. "I'm just giving Shikako enough time to make a good rhythm then, I'll beat you black and blue."

"_Kuwee~,_ Haru-_chan_ and I are one of the best doubles pairs," Rin cheekily smiled. "We don't lose to people who think their rhythm is better than ours because we're the best!"

Hikari shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well, suit yourselves then."

Despite the heavy beating of the sun, Haruka continued running. Her mind screamed at her body to stop and for Haruka to rest but the latter refused. The pale pink haired regular couldn't understand what kept her running other than her insanity. She could hear Hitomi from the bleachers muttering about her stamina being at its limit while Rin slowly recharged.

_Perhaps, that's what I was aiming for._

Haruka watched Rin's sweat dry up and her breathing slow down. She felt Rin's heart rate drop drastically back to normal while hers increased like mad. Sweat trickled down Haruka's face while she returned a top spin lob from Shikako. Watching Hikari continue to corner Rin, Haruka sliced the ball, performing the Dragon's Tail again. This time, Shikako managed to return it with an under spin which allowed her to retaliate with the Dragon's Retaliation. Much to her dismay, the ball shot too far out of her range but to her surprise – Rin stretched backwards for a bridge and sprung up like a corkscrew. The ball zoomed for a driving volley causing Shikako and Hikari to miss the shot.

"Advantage: Hikifumi-Shimohi pair," Haruka nearly gaped; it took them that long!

Rin glanced at a dumbstruck Haruka. "Haru-_chan_, when's this going to end? My legs are falling off!"

"Giving up already?" Hikari took out one of her earphones. "You Hyotei Regulars were usually the ones making us complain."

Haruka tousled her hair back. "Well, we can't stop here nor can we give up. Everyone's giving their all for the Nationals! If the guys don't make it then, we girls have to make sure Hyotei has the best record of wins from the girls' tennis team!"

Rin punched the air. "Yeah, that's right!"

"The guys have pretty big contenders this year," Haruka began noting the powerful players. "There's Rikkai Dai who have National level players, Seigaku has Tezuka, Echizen and Fuji and Shitenhouji has Shiraishi and that afro-guy that used to be from Shishigaku and a lot more. I don't think the others are going to take them lightly!"

Shikako's emerald orbs stared them down. "Well, it seems that we should have done it long time ago then."

"Huh," Rin cocked her head to the side when Shikako and Hikari started walking in Synchronized manner.

Haruka stumbled back. _No way, they were hiding their Synchro all this time?_

"One thing I noticed," Shikako smiled sardonically. "Your Dragon Dance has a story to tell. But, what if the person can alter the story?"

Haruka clucked her tongue while Shikako started her shot at the baseline. "Let's show them a real dance, Hikari."

As the ball sailed towards her, Haruka lunged for the shot while Rin went to the back for a hard return. Hikari floated it to Rin who managed to jump in the air for a hard upside down backhand.

_So, this is Kurenai's way of saying goodbye,_ Shikako fired a shot towards Rin's left side. Florence and she seem to think the same way except for one thing: Florence is a senior. To Shizuru, her career is at its peak while Florence's is coming down to an end. Nevertheless, we shouldn't deprive Florence her chance of entering the Nationals!

"Deuce," Hikari outran Rin as the black dragon landed back on her feet.

Rin turned to Haruka. "We're going to need a new dance soon."

"I'm working on it," Haruka bit her lip, feeling her heart race rapidly. _I can't believe they figured out the Dragon Dance after three games. It usually takes an opponent five!_

Another shot sped past Haruka, making its mark on the baseline.

"Game, Nakayama-Zanshoryuu: four games all!"

_Tch, thinking of a new dance isn't easy,_ Haruka took the ball from Shikako. "Rin, there's something I want to try..."

Rin tilted her head to the side. "Huh, what new dance?"

Beckoning Rin over, Haruka glanced at the other two players. "Well, they figured out our Dragon Dance and we can't keep using the same one. If we're going to the Nationals, one dance can't beat everyone. Remember what happened to Ayane and Kiyone? They were FORCED to create a new dance to go against the Golden Pair."

Rin pouted impishly. "_Mou~,_ I thought this game would be easier than that!"

"Weirdo," Haruka flicked her forehead. "Obviously it ain't!"

With the next serve cracking off, Shikako fired it towards Haruka who dodged and had Rin hit it. She saw Haruka at the net and soon, Hikari found herself completely sealed off. Shikako found herself bending in all sorts of directions while Haruka moved around to keep Hikari by the net. Haruka started doing hand signals while Rin started sending the shots either far back straight or to the corners. Shikako ran in all directions, trying to keep the flying acrobat on the ground only to have her shots returned every time. Sweat poured down both their faces but Rin's breathing seemed less haphazard than the last time. Rin's shots became awkward to the point Shikako had to bend around just to return a few of them towards the corners.

_Come on, keep at it,_ Haruka watched Hikari's feet and her eyes. _Rin, this is more your style of play... Start flying!_

On the other side, Yukimura Ai pulled one of the strings of the racquet after her match. _6-0, I'm glad I pulled that off._

"Yukimura-_buchou_," a strawberry blonde haired girl motioned to her captain. "Souma-_san_'s here to see you."

Ai clapped her hands together, smiling cheerfully. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? Let her through!"

Fuuka stepped in, walking past her Singles Three player. "I see you're doing well..."

"Yeah," she hauled her bag on her shoulder. "I mean – it's a great day isn't it?"

Fuuka face palmed at Ai's bright smile. "Never mind that, do you know the order of the matches?"

Ai threw her bag down at the ground and started throwing out random things. Fuuka wasn't even sure whether or not a bottle that had the label of "YUKIMURA SEIICHI'S SPECIAL POISON – DO NOT DRINK" had just popped out of the bag rolling near her. Raising en eyebrow, Fuuka slightly shuddered. _This girl's really Yukimura's sister..._

"Here it is," Ai held it proudly, shoving it towards Fuuka. "From what I remember, it's going to be a 'Challenge-The-Winner' type thing!"

Fuuka ran through the paper, glancing at every match but glared the moment words like "Hyotei Gakuen", "Jyosei Shounan", "Rikkai Dai" and "Seigaku" showed up at the same branch but at different brackets. Jyosei Shounan was going to decide whether or not Hyotei would move on to the next bracket but Fuuka knew better.

_It's too bad your Tezuka cannot see you destroy Kurenai hm,_ a voice mocked Fuuka in her mind.

"Shut up," Fuuka seethed frigidly to herself. "Whether he's there or not, I'm going to destroy her!"

XiaoLi rolled on the floor laughing. "She reminds me of that guy from Jimmy Neutron!"

Miaka clicked her cuffs back on, snorting. "She's such a freakin' piss off. Why the hell is she even sucking up to you, Yukimura? If she wants to get screwed, she should just go eat Tezuka already."

Ai glared at the second year. "Miaka, I will not have that language in my team."

"What the hell is her damn problem," Miaka tinkled her bell necklace, licking her lips. "I just wanna play against that Sanada girl again."

Ai, face palming, resigned to face Fuuka who glared daggers at both the paper and at Miaka. "Please ignore Inuzuka-_san_, she clearly," –casting a sideward glare, "doesn't know her manners."

Fuuka shook it off after a five minute glare. "It's no harm done really, Yukimura."

"Well," Ai's face became grimmer while checking the scoreboard. "I wanted to have a good match before Amakusa gets involved. When she's here, everything Rikkai works for usually goes down the drain. Jyosei Shounan won't give you an easy time either, Souma."

Fuuka crushed the paper. "I don't give a darn about Jyosei Shounan – it's Hyotei Gakuen. As long as Kurenai's in their arsenal, our chances drop drastically."

"Shizuru's not as bad as you think she is and you still have Shibuya Ran-_chan_," Ai raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so hell-bent in...? Oh..."

Noticing Fuuka's heated glare, Ai held her laughter in as best as she could. "You want Tezuka to look at you..."

"He's so concentrated in winning the Nationals," Fuuka slumped on the chair. "I just want to stand next to him... Maybe..."

Ai laughed a bit, watching Fuuka stare off. "You... with Tezuka...? You really look like a fairytale princess."

"What's your problem," Fuuka glared at Ai until she heard Miaka chortling like no tomorrow. "Shut up, Inuzuka!"

Miaka wiped a tear from her eye. "Damn, that was just so rich! Where the hell did ya get that kind of imagination? If I were a dude, laughing in ya face woulda been so damn easy!"

"Inuzuka, your way of speaking disgusts me," Fuuka growled before turning heel.

Ai glared at Inuzuka before cheering Fuuka. "Well, I hope your fairytale comes true! Tezuka's not exactly a Prince Charming!"

_I know it will,_ Fuuka made a slow smile while turning towards her side of the court.

()()()()

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: five games to four!"

Somehow, the temporary dance proved to be efficient especially with Shikako's shots spinning with complex rotations. Rin flew high in the air for a backhand smash, causing Hikari to stumble back a bit while Shikako reached out for the ball.

"You're not going to win if you can't escape me," Haruka smiled while she suddenly broke away from Hikari.

Hikari, clucking her tongue, ran towards the open side while Haruka fired a shot right in between Shikako and her.

"Love – fifteen," Shikako bit her lip as another serve came from Hikari's side.

Rin leapt up in the air for another forehand aiming towards Shikako's right side which Hikari readily returned but Haruka countered with a spin volley right over the net.

"Love – thirty," Shikako felt all the sweat trickle into her mouth; this game pushed them beyond.

Though she may have been Hanamura-_sensei_'s "masterpiece", these two made a new strategy on the spot and brought it out instantly without any adjustment period. Shikako bristled a bit while resuming back into her smiling façade.

"Love – forty," Hikari stumbled over the next volley when Rin started swooning around.

Haruka held Rin up. "I'll handle this. You can sit in the corner and look pretty."

"I don't wanna do it," Rin pouted impishly while folding her arms and puffing up her cheeks.

Haruka tapped her foot on the ground. "I am not hearing an argument from you."

"I wanna play," Rin shrieked loud enough to shatter Isane's eardrums.

Haruka flicked her forehead. "You want to dry up your throat badly?"

"Well," Rin puffed up her cheeks. "You're evil!"

Haruka sighed, ruffling Rin's hair. "Fine, if I don't get the next two shots – it's yours okay?"

Rin clapped her hands, jumping up and down. "YAY, I'M GONNA FINISH THEM OFF!"

Momo stared aghast. "She's still high!"

"Hyper would be more appropriate," Hitomi fixed her glasses. "Though, I wonder how long it will take before the chocolates wear off."

Hikari couldn't keep up the pace anymore, feeling numb in her legs as Haruka slipped in the Dragon's Tail.

"Game and match, Hikifumi-Shimohi: six games to four!"

Watching the two head back to the benches, Hitomi began scribbling on her notebook. "The chocolate will wear off in the next 5,4,3,2...1."

Rin slumped on the bench, completely tired and sleeping. Hearing a slight snore, the whole team decided to shut their mouth before she squeaks in horror of her snoring.

-That's chapter 26! I'm sorry for the late update! Please review! Your reviews are forever appreciated!


	27. Inspired

Sorry for the super late update because my computer crashed. My Wi-Fi chip module broke and I couldn't update. I did chapter 27 until they reformatted my computer including Drive D! X-( Also, I don't own Prince of Tennis!

Chapter 27 – Inspired

Seeing Rin snore, Mai placed her towel aside as she walked forward for the Singles Two match. She glanced one moment at her captain who continued smiling at her teammates. How her captain managed to maintain that facade she had no idea but Mai felt her blood boil every time she saw Shizuru smile like that. Her knuckles turned white while her amber eyes glinted angrily before she turned to face the court.

"Glaring isn't going to get her closer," a voice came from behind. "It's normal for captains to be aloof after all."

Mai turned around to see a smirking Tousaka Umeyumi with her racquet resting on her shoulder. "Hmph, that's because you never made the effort to be a good friend to your captain."

"Who are you in your place to say," Umeyumi chuckled darkly before heading to the courts. "Let's dance."

Mai flipped her racquet around. "Alright, you better show me what you preach then."

"Singles Two will now begin: Jyosei Shounan's Tousaka Umeyumi versus Hyotei Gakuen's Nagisaki Mai! Game start, Nagisaki to serve!"

Gripping the ball tightly, Mai began bouncing it as she stared her opponent down. Umeyumi rolled her racquet back and forth as she slightly jumped for a sprint. Mai fired a top spin serve while Umeyumi dashed for it. Despite the low bounce, Mai managed to forehand it back to her opponent causing Umeyumi to fumble a bit. The said girl however backhanded it back to the red haired _tensai_ but Mai danced back to slice it right over the net. Seeing Umeyumi wince, Mai looked at the girl's footwork before the next shot came lobbed at her.

_Her right side is weaker than her left so,_ Mai jumped up and smashed right on Umeyumi's left side. "Obviously, you won't be able to defend your left side."

"Fifteen – love," Umeyumi wrinkled her nose at where the ball had landed.

_Interesting,_ Umeyumi readied herself for the next shot. "Well, let's see how strong that theory would hold."

Mai lowered her stance as she went for another serve. Umeyumi dashed forward with a slice which forced Mai to dance back a bit. With a deep forehand, Mai reappeared at the net while Umeyumi trapped herself at the baseline. Mai volleyed it to the corner on her left side, causing Umeyumi to stumble.

"Thirty – love," Umeyumi clucked her tongue as Mai readjusted the strings on her racquet.

_You're not the only one carrying the burden,_ Mai picked up the ball as she began her service. "I'll show you that you're not the only one bringing us to the Nationals!"

Haruka whistled. "It's rare for Mai to be this furious."

"She's not furious," Isane glanced at Mai's glistening amber eyes. "Rather, she looks frustrated. I know that look anywhere. It's how... Momo used to look when..."

Momo clenched her fist. "That was when Midoriyama went crazy. But, somehow – the situation's different."

"Instead of trying to get away," Haruka glanced at Shizuru who watched the match calmly. "She's been trying to get through Shizuru's barriers."

Hitomi flipped open her notebook. "Hence, Mai's grudge against Kotetsu-_senpai_ began. Ever since Shizuru had joined the team, Kotetsu-_senpai_ had eyed Shizuru and taken her under her wing. Mai never had a mentor unlike most of us. Momo had Midoriyama-_senpai_, Ferero-_senpai_ coached Isane-_chan_ and Osakada-_senpai_ had Haruka and Rin while Shizuru had Kotetsu-_buchou_. Because of her reputation as a "prodigy", Mai never had that deep connection. The only one who was there for her was..."

_By then, Shizuru had strayed away when Kotetsu-buchou took her under,_ Haruka found Mai high in the air, smashing at Umeyumi's left side.

"Forty – love," Umeyumi stood there shocked by the impact of Mai's smash.

Florence folded her legs as Mai walked back to the baseline. The golden brunette glanced at the dark chocolate haired girl who shifted her position without even showing a hint of shock or concern. She noticed Umeyumi missing Mai's shots terribly as the blue haired girl returned to the benches to wipe up the sweat.

"Game, Nagisaki: one game to love!"

Umeyumi returned to the bench while wiping the sweat away from her face. Taking a seat, Umeyumi noticed a water bottle hanging in front of her face.

"You should stop fooling around," Florence raised an eyebrow. "Nagisaki is still considered an Angel if you have forgotten."

Umeyumi shrugged lazily. "I'm still collecting data. Shuriki, do you need any more?"

Matsuri began skimming her notes. "Nagisaki Mai has not revealed any of her special techniques yet so you might have to press her a bit harder."

"Hmmm," Umeyumi tapped her chin while walking to the court. "I think I know just the image that will tick her off."

As the two players met, Mai handed the ball to Umeyumi who gave her a Cheshire grin. The _tensai_ knew that Umeyumi could send a man running for the hills and back but what made her so dangerous? Mai stretched her arms, yawning as she did so. Umeyumi took a deep breath, blinking at the _tensai_ at first. The red haired Hyotei regular raised an eyebrow until she couldn't believe whom she was seeing. A tall dark chocolate haired girl stood there with her usual faint smile.

"Shall we play," 'Shizuru' lowered her stance, "Mai?"

()()()()

"Wow," Jirou bounced up and down towards Fuji. "Your service is so cool! Your style is so cool! You didn't even let me hit my Magic Volley even once!"

Chuckling, Fuji placed his racquet in his bag. "Well, I was afraid of it actually."

Jirou pouted childishly. "But you didn't even let me hit it! I wonder – is there anyone stronger than you?"

Fuji smiled even wider as he looked at the taller brunette walk down. "Yes, there is."

Tezuka plucked off his jacket while laying it on the side. With his racquet in his left hand, Tezuka already started emitting an aura that said 'do-anything-stupid-or-say-anything-stupid-or-get-laps' and 'if-you're-that-stupid-you're-running-until-I-say-stop'. Everyone knew Tezuka never swore or wasn't even the type to start cussing but his aura did the talking for him. Seigaku erupted into a loud cheer which actually put Hyotei to shame. Soon, many of the Hyotei students began murmuring amongst themselves until Atobe took a step forward for his match.

"_Ore-sama_ hasn't lost his match yet," Atobe raised his hand into the air for a snap. "_Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina!"_

Loud cheers filled the court which easily out powered Seigaku as their chants became increasingly loud.

_Shousha Atobe, Haisha Tezuka! Katsu wa no Hyotei! Makeru no Seigaku! Katsu wa no...!_

"Eep," Kikumaru bit his nails. "I didn't know they could be that degrading, _nyah_~!"

Oishi glanced fearfully at Tezuka. _Tezuka, please don't do what I think you're going to do._

"Whoa, look who it is," one of the Seigaku students called out. "All the champions are here!"

A team in a red uniform appeared from behind, watching carefully at Tezuka's match with Atobe.

"What the hell," –one of the guys stared in shock. "It's the number three seed of Kanto, Rokkaku Chuu from Chiba!"

Another guy pointed at a yellow and black team. "No crap, Rikkai Dai's here too!"

Swivelling his head towards the bleachers, Tezuka found Sanada with his arms crossed. _Sanada, what's he doing here?_

Many teams had gathered for the match between Atobe and Tezuka. Yamabuki and Fudomine had taken their seats nearby, wondering what the outcome could be. Tachibana glanced at Tezuka first and then at Atobe who smirked at the crowd as he tossed his jacket in the air.

"The winner will be me," Atobe smirked as he snapped his fingers.

The whole Hyotei crowd wildly began chanting again as Atobe and Tezuka approached the net.

"Are you satisfied now?" Tezuka extended his hand for the courtesy handshake.

Atobe smirked as he shook Tezuka's hand firmly. "Of course, let's begin the match."

As they took their places at the baseline, Atobe picked up the ball while staring down at Tezuka.

"Game start, Hyotei to serve!"

"I've never played against you before," Tezuka quietly noted as Atobe smirked.

"That's because you kept avoiding me, right?"

Bouncing the ball, Atobe smirked at the Seigaku captain. _This is what happens when you avoid me all the time, Tezuka._

His serve came down hard and fast but Tezuka repelled it easily with a backhand which Atobe was forced to run for it to go for another cross court. Atobe dropped it off which Tezuka was forced to slightly lob the shot in which Atobe found an opening for a drive volley.

"Fifteen – love," Tezuka slightly glanced at where the ball had made its mark.

The whole crowd stared in shock as the two captains stood face to face against one another. Tezuka remained stoic despite Atobe's ability to snatch the first point. As he waited for the next shot, Tezuka lowered his stance while Atobe sent a fast serve. Tezuka returned it with a forehand, forcing Atobe to go a bit long.

"That's naughty of you to attack the corners like that," Atobe snickered as Tezuka attacked the other corner again.

Rokkaku and Rikkai Dai weren't the only ones there but even Yamabuki showed up with St. Rudolph and Fudomine. Many of the players could only stare in awe at the speed the two played which continuously kept them at the edge of their seats.

"Tezuka-_san_ sure is something," Dan nudged Muromachi and Sengoku.

"He's not just hitting the balls left and right," Muromachi noted as Tezuka slammed the ball towards the other end. "All of his shots are barely in and they move outwards after bouncing."

Sengoku couldn't help but note Atobe's talent. "Yeah but Atobe's no small fry either. He's returning all those shots and not even breaking much. When I was in the Junior Sanbastu Camp, Atobe really blasted all of them. His skills are that of almost perfect all-rounder."

"Yeah even his attitude," Nitobe nodded weakly.

"Let's not forget his narcissism," Kita snickered with his seatmate.

Dan shook his head, reprimanding them like a mother. "You're not supposed to insult people like that, Nitobe-_senpai_, Kita-_senpai_!"

Shaking his head, Sengoku turned back to the match. "Yeah, not only that – Atobe's Insight to see his opponent's weaknesses is incomparable."

()()()()

Seeing Shizuru proved to make Mai twitch a bit as she lowered her stance for the next shot. Bouncing the ball, 'Shizuru' calmly glanced at the red haired _tensai_ as her service cracked off. Mai dashed forward for a drive volley while 'Shizuru' managed to return it with a sliced drop shot. Mai lobbed it in the air slightly while 'Shizuru' brought it hard down for a devastating smash which threw the _tensai_ off guard.

"Fifteen – love," Mai glanced at where the ball had landed and then back at 'Shizuru'.

_Perfect timing,_ Mai lowered her stance while watching 'Shizuru' bounce the ball. _I was just going to beat the living daylights out of you for hiding so many things from me!_

"You don't seem stunned," 'Shizuru' raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

Mai chuckled lightly. "_Mada mada dazo,_ Tousaka_-san._" (It's her variation of "_Mada Mada Dane_".)

"Oh," 'Shizuru' raised an eyebrow. "Has the sight of me made you tremble, Mai?"

Mai pointed her racquet at her. "I'll show you why."

'Shizuru' shrugged while serving quickly. Mai returned it with a backhand which caused 'Shizuru' to retaliate with a slice. Dancing towards the ball, Mai forehanded the shot towards the deep left side which the Jyosei Shounan regular returned easily. Running down the shot, Mai lobbed it slightly over the net which caused 'Shizuru' to back up a bit for a smash. Seeing it come down, Mai uncoiled her body which repelled the smash into a lob.

"The Adonis Drop," Kiyone jumped up and down excitedly, scaring the sleeping Rin into a fit.

"Waaah, a hot man's attacking me," Rin jumped up and clung on to Haruka. "Oh, hi Haru-_chan_."

Haruka tried prying off the black haired acrobat. "Geez Rin, any girl would want a hot man attacking her!"

_Tch,_ 'Shizuru' moved all the way to the baseline. "Well, you're getting faster."

Mai didn't respond as she watched the ball fly over the net towards the left corner. Dancing over, Mai began taking a different rhythm which 'Shizuru' countered with the _Shunpo_. With a weak backhand, 'Shizuru' forced Mai to come up front as she centred herself at theservice court. Mai slapped the ball which made 'Shizuru' cut it from below.

_Damn, the Subera Kagerou_, Mai bent a bit lower to lob it slightly.

Seeing it jump, 'Shizuru' sidestepped and drove it down the line right next to Mai.

"This is where things get interesting," Florence folded her arms. "Shuriki, how much more time do you need?"

Matsuri pressed a few buttons on a calculator. "Mai's predictability shortens the time by twenty minutes."

"That shouldn't be long then," Florence nodded while casting a glance to Umeyumi. _Toy with her a bit, will you?_

"Devious," 'Shizuru' snickered. "I like that."

Mai glanced at where Florence had taken her seat, wondering what could have been so important. However, 'Shizuru' began with a strong service which forced Mai to move back. The Jyosei Shounan regular fired a left backhand towards Mai while the _tensai_ managed to forehand it with a top spin.

"You know – I constantly wonder," Momo placed a finger on her chin. "How is it that Mai came to play Singles when she was a doubles player to begin with?"

Hitomi flipped open her notebook. "As soon as Shizuru became Naomi's protégé, Mai estranged herself from her."

Haruka shook her head sadly. "Naomi-_buchou_ may have been one of my favourite _senpai_ but what she did to them was unforgivable."

"What did she do, Haru-_chan_?" Rin loomed over _Zhujiang_ from the bleachers.

Haruka looked at her wallet and pulled out a picture. "Did you know Mai and Shizuru could eat in Synchronized motion before?"

"What," Hitomi began scribbling it down. "Where did you get that idea?"

Haruka snickered before explaining to Hitomi. "Well, it was before you joined the team, Hitomi. As a doubles expert, it's easy to come up with that. Simply put, Shizuru and Mai were so tight that whatever Shizuru eats – Mai eats too. After that, even their chewing becomes a musical beat. Naomi-_buchou_ noticed that Shizuru had this bored expression on her face every time she played doubles and so, she figured what if there was a doubles pair that could wow her a bit."

"That's when Midoriyama-_senpai_ and I started playing her," Momo bit her lip as she recalled the match. "The score could probably rival the face of a dead fish."

Hitomi recalled the matches as she flipped through the pages of her notebook. "The matches were 6-2, 7-5 and the last one Midoriyama-_senpai_ and Momo won because of the fatigue. They blew all their stamina at the first part."

"That's true," Haruka tapped her chin. "But, did you see how defensive they got when one was threatened?"

Momo nodded her head vigorously. "Damn, that was a hell-hole."

"But that's where it all started," Hitomi sighed bitterly. "That was the beginning of Shizuru's and Mai's journey solo."

Mai returned the next drive volley but 'Shizuru' slapped it down allowing her to score a cord smash.

"Thirty – love," Mai bit her lip as she glared back at 'Shizuru'.

Tilting her racquet a bit, 'Shizuru' smiled faintly before returning to the baseline. Mai stood there, glowering slightly before returning to her position.

_Well, I guess this gives a meaning to 'be careful for what you wish for';_ Mai chuckled before facing her with a grin. "So, you think you got everything jotted down now do you?"

"You shouldn't be so cocky at a time like this," 'Shizuru' bounced the ball, smiling faintly as she prepared for her service.

Hitomi began scribbling down notes. "Tousaka Umeyumi has learned to project illusions fairly similar to Isane's except... she's much more... flawless."

Momo gaped at the Hyotei data manager. "Are you kidding me!"

"I'm afraid not," Isane shook her head ruefully. "I have a hard time copying Shizuru's style as is but this girl is doing it as if it were a part of her."

Haruka bristled at the thought. "Mai's in for it if she doesn't figure out other techniques."

()()()()()

"Another net ball," the trio exclaimed as Atobe fell to the ground to lob it a bit.

"Ch," Atobe winced at the sloppy shot as he found Tezuka right at the net.

"Tezuka's good! He plans to return the shot in the same way!"

However, Tezuka's drive volley flew back when Atobe caught it with a backhand.

Kikumaru dropped his jaw. "No way, he returned even that!"

"That was my Jack Knife just now," Momoshiro bit his lip as he watched Tezuka get pressured by Atobe.

Atobe snickered as he forehanded it towards Tezuka. "This is too easy!"

Soon, the chants got louder which could have pissed off the Seigaku captain but the latter didn't show a hint of annoyance on his face.

_This isn't going to end pretty, _Fuji opened his eyes, glancing at Tezuka every once in awhile.

"I'm going to end this," Atobe forehanded the shot towards Tezuka.

Much to Atobe's dismay, the ball flew straight towards Tezuka. Soon, each time Atobe shot a cross court swerved back to Tezuka as if it was attracted to him.

"There it is," Inui tilted his glasses a bit. "It's the Tezuka Zone. All shots that have a spin will return to him as if they are attracted to him."

"Fifteen – all," the shot cracked past Atobe, shocking the crowd.

Gakuto's jaw hung loosely. "Are you telling me that Atobe is being forced to hit wherever this guy wants him to?"

However, the bigger shock came from Atobe's maniacal laughter which accompanied news that would throw Seigaku off guard.

"You're doing well," Atobe smirked after using his _Insight._ "...with that arm of yours..."

Everyone stared at Atobe first as if he had lost his mind. However, the beads of sweat dripping profusely from Oishi's face just proved how right Atobe was.

"That arm? What is he talking about?"

Soon, whispers erupted from around the court and even the team had their jaws slightly hanging. Echizen, who usually didn't give a damn, sat up straight while trying to confirm the news. Kikumaru couldn't stop his jaw from hanging, Momoshiro and Kaidoh didn't even let out a single snort or insult while Fuji and Oishi remained quiet but albeit worried.

"Huh?" Atobe continued analysing Tezuka. "Your left arm's taken quite the beating... Right Tezuka?"

Oishi shook his head defiantly. "You're wrong; Tezuka's elbow is fully healed!"

Everyone stared at Oishi as Atobe snickered at the Seigaku vice captain. "So, it's the elbow..."

"Oishi-_senpai_," Momoshiro turned to his pale faced vice captain. "What happened to _buchou_?"

Oishi turned away, hanging his head guiltily. "Two years ago, Tezuka's elbow took a hit from a jealous _senpai_. At first, it only seemed to be a bruise and despite the injury – he always outdid them. That gained him so much popularity and made him what he is today."

Despite the vice captain's low tone, Tezuka picked up every word that Oishi had said. That day became the very stone of his hard work. From a stepped on freshman, Tezuka recalled every ranking match that he had played with both hands. Dominantly, the left side would have finished the match but Tezuka thought it would be very humiliating for his _senpai_ to lose to a score of 6-0.

However, it didn't occur to him that both of sides were equally powerful.

After that, Tezuka remembered the time that Takesue slammed the racquet against his arm. He recalled all the rage and words that just flew out of his mouth. Even his own best friend had a gaping jaw and his most respected _senpai_, Yamato couldn't help but chuckle at him.

_Become the pillar of Seigaku, Tezuka. I've already given you a foundation – it's up to you on what you want to do with it._

Tezuka glanced at Atobe who bounced the ball to begin his service. Wincing at the slight itch in his left arm, Tezuka decided to lower his stance as his response.

_Seigaku will go to the Nationals no matter what._

()()()()()

"Game, Tousaka: three games to one!"

Mai, breathing heavily, collapsed on the floor while staring at the sky. She looked at the marks created by 'Shizuru' which could have brought anyone into an analeptic shock. Skid marks came from her shoes and her racquet strings were full of fuzz. Sweat poured down her face as her heart beat pounded heavily in her ears. In front of her stood her captain but Mai couldn't feel any will to lift her racquet.

_She's exactly like her, start to finish,_ Mai breathed in sharply. The _tensai_ had taken list of all the moves and even the mannerisms made Shizuru look like she had a twin sister.

"This is what the Nationals are like now," 'Shizuru' pointed her racquet to the fallen _tensai_. "You can't keep playing with that kind of calibre if you only have those techniques. I've seen the _Sazanka Serve_ from last year. The _Adonis Otoshi_ also and even the Jazz Tennis is something we've all seen. What's there not to see?"

Mai squinted a bit at the glaring sunlight. _She's right; right now – I'm doing things at the top of my head..._

Kiyone tilted her head to the side. "Wow, she's really good..."

"Mai got taken out after one game," Momo twitched, disgruntled. "If their Singles Two is this powerful, how far did Hoshimura go?"

Shizuru turned her head towards the Jyosei Shounan captain who smirked at her.

"Nagisaki's been slacking," Florence folded her arms. "Or is it that you decided to destroy everything your _senpai_ had worked for?"

Haruka stood in front of Shizuru. "That's low – Hoshimura!"

"I'm stating the truth," Florence threw her hair back. "What the queen won't see, the Nightingale will."

Rin jumped over Shizuru and glared at Florence. "Stop talking in such cryptic words!"

All of a sudden, Shizuru stood up and walked towards the court.

"Hey," Momo watched her approach the red haired _tensai_ who lay flat on the floor.

Shizuru glanced at Mai whose amber eyes glared back at her. "What? Are you going to hit me again?"

Being slightly taken aback, Shizuru flicked her nose with a small smile. "You should stop fooling around."

Mai twitched her nose while creasing her eyebrows. "Geez, I guess I overdid it huh?"

"What do you think?" Shizuru extended her hand to help her friend up. "Unless you get yourself together, a kick is not the only thing you'll get."

Shaking her head, Mai finally stood up. "Hey, Shizuru..."

When the captain turned around, Mai slapped her across the face teasingly. "That's what you get for kicking me, sister."

Shizuru giggled a bit before heading back to her seat. "Alright then, show me what you got."

Mai smirked before returning to her match. "Hell yeah I plan to."

"Now you're getting serious," 'Shizuru' clicked her tongue as she changed back into her original form. "You're telling me Shizuru won't work on you anymore?"

Tossing her red hair back, Mai shook her head. "Maybe at some point she will but... you still have a lot of work to do."

Umeyumi didn't reply as Mai explained. "You may have figured out her looks but your eyes are different. Momo-_senpai_ once quoted to me: 'The eyes are the doorways to the soul.' For that, I'm very grateful. Shizuru doesn't have that devious expression – heck, she can't even do it. When she gets excited, Shizuru's eyes glisten differently. You on the other hand make her look like she's some sadistic pompous brat that can't pull it off."

Umeyumi, hanging her head, slowly began chortling and hugging her sides. "Man, you really have a serious face! I just can't stop laughing!"

_What the hell? She can't even take a simple serious expression properly!_

Mai raised an eyebrow before turning to her teammates. "Guys, do I look that ridiculous!"

Haruka shook her head. "No, you look fine."

Kiyone stuck her tongue out. "She's a weirdo, Mai-Mai! Crush her!"

Stifling her laughter, Umeyumi changed back into her serious expression. "You got some nasty words, brat. I hope you can back it up."

_Whoa, talk about Schizophrenic_, Momo twitched her nose a bit. "So are you done yet?"

"Yeah kgrnnk," Umeyumi puffed up her cheeks to stop her laughter. "We should get started then."

_God,_ Mai lowered her stance as Tousaka started her service. Taking a forehand, the _tensai_ dashed to the other side for a cross court while Umeyumi glanced at Matsuri who nodded at her.

"Well," Umeyumi clipped the ball. "I think I've taken enough information out of you."

Mai raised an eyebrow as Umeyumi smacked the _tensai_'s wrist. _Damn, what was that!_

"Mai-Mai," Kiyone pointed at the air. "What does it look like to you!"

_The Hamutsu e no Rondo,_ Mai lunged for her racquet as she uncoiled quickly to repel the smash. "Where did you get that move?"

"I've been watching Hyotei's games and Kajimoto-_san_ has been telling me all about it," Umeyumi went for another smash. "You don't even know your _senpai_'s moves? How distasteful."

Mai furrowed her eyebrows. "Of course I know what they are! You're just doing a bad imitation of the _Hamutsu e no Rondo_!"

Umeyumi dashed to the left side as Mai sliced the ball for a cord.

"Love – fifteen," Mai twirled her racquet.

Mai shrugged as she waited for the next service. "My turn to swipe a couple of games from you."

()()()()()

"Tezuka's elbow has been injured until recently," Oishi offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry but he told me not to tell you guys. I guess he didn't want us to worry while we were aiming for the National Tournament."

The cheers increased in noise as Tezuka took in shot after shot. Atobe resisted the urge to wipe the sweat off as he continued running around. Tezuka fired at the corners while he forced himself to play defensively. However, the Hyotei captain knew that the only way to take out Tezuka was a game of endurance. Focusing on Tezuka's movement, Atobe smirked to himself.

_My bet is that you can last only an hour with that arm_, Atobe forehanded the next shot. _Unfortunately for you, I am your dance partner so... _

_I will make this dance last more than an hour and a half!_

Tezuka on the other hand noticed what Atobe's challenge was. However, his body started hesitating but some other part forced him to play. Watching his shot fly to another corner, Tezuka couldn't help but try to figure out on what was pushing him to such extent.

"Two years ago," Oishi bit his lip as he slowly explained it to his teammates. "When Tezuka first entered middle school, the third year _senpai_ had no chance to begin with."

_Flashback (Seigaku Two Years Ago)_

"Game and set, Tezuka: 6-2!"

The opponent shakily extended his hands as murmurs echoed throughout the courts.

"Man, this first year is really something!"

"It's like it's in his blood!"

However, the bespectacled boy didn't pay much heed to it as he responded with a slight bow. "Thank you very much, Sugiyama-_senpai_."

After practice, Tezuka walked home with his best friend, Oishi who seemed more of a worrywart compared to what most people thinks.

"I can't believe it," he chuckled lightly. "You beat five _senpai_ in a day! You're really something but – don't you think it's a bit too much? Some of the _senpai_ might do something bad to you or something..."

Tezuka slightly halted in his steps. "Does it really matter?"

Oishi sighed dejectedly. "Well, for four years going five – the Seigaku Tennis club couldn't even reach the Prefectural tournament. But as long as Tezuka-_kun_ is here, the _Kantou_ tournament shouldn't be a problem at all!"

_Kantou?_ Tezuka's head slightly shot up as he thought about it. "Oishi..."

"But the rules say that the freshmen can't become Regulars 'til summer," Oishi quickly explained. "I just wonder..."

"I don't mind that at all," Tezuka nodded stiffly. "But... Oishi-_kun_..."

Oishi stared slightly ajar as Tezuka flashed a small smirk. "In our time, let's lead Seigaku to the Nationals."

_The Nationals? Tezuka-kun might want to take it easy first,_ Oishi sheepishly shrugged. "Huh, how troublesome..."

After a few moments, Oishi looked up into the sky. "By the way, Tezuka-_kun,_ are you right handed?"

Tezuka hung his head slightly. "I'm a lefty..."

Oishi stared agape. "Huh? But wait a minute – you were playing against our _senpai_ with your right hand!"

"Hn," Tezuka didn't say anything as he reached for the gate. "You better go, Oishi. It's getting late."

"Ah-ha," Oishi sheepishly scratched his head. "Yeah, see you in school tomorrow."

_End of Flashback_

"I guess Tezuka was using his sense and acted kindly towards our _senpai_ in his own way," Oishi smiled a bit as Momoshiro and Kikumaru exchanged grins.

Momoshiro snickered. "That reminds me of a certain someone... hehehe..."

Kikumaru ruffled Echizen's cap as the younger boy snorted in response. "Nyah, they're so alike!"

"Who are you talking about?" Echizen nonchalantly brushed off Kikumaru's hand.

Oishi hung his head sadly again. "But there were some _senpai_ who didn't think that way..."

_Flashback_

"Stop screwing around, Tezuka," a loud yell came from the tennis court.

Tezuka nonchalantly shrugged. "You're the one who wanted a tennis match."

"Damn it," one of the seniors slammed the racquet against the net. "You bastard, you were using your right when you're actually a southpaw! I see now – it seems like you don't even need your dominant hand at all!"

"Hey Takesue enough," one of the other seniors tried to grab him but he threw them down anyway.

Takesue raised his racquet. "You all shut up," –he turned to Tezuka. "I can't stand this anymore! If you don't need that left hand of yours then, I'll just do this!"

Silence filled the court as Oishi ran to Tezuka. "Tezuka-_kun_!"

No one said anything but Tezuka stumbled back a bit but took back his racquet. "Stop screwing around."

Oishi stood back as Tezuka glared at them. "HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING TENNIS! RACQUETS AREN'T USED TO HURT PEOPLE! IF THIS IS WHAT KIND OF CLUB THIS IS...!"

The seniors couldn't move a muscle as Tezuka bent down to reclaim his glasses. "I'm sorry, Oishi-_kun_..."

Oishi shook his head. "No, Tezuka-_kun_, you can't..."

"I quit," Tezuka's voice was low but everyone didn't even want to stop him from leaving.

_End of Flashback_

"WHAT THE HELL," The trio gaped in unison. "Tezuka-_buchou_ chose to quit the tennis club before!"

Oishi shook his head. "No... At that time... Someone else managed to convince him to stay..."

_Flashback_

"Now, now, now," a voice came from the doorway. "What's with the entire ruckus?"

Everyone turned around only to see the captain of Seigaku, Yamato Yudai. "That would be a hundred laps around the court, everyone. Come on," –he beckoned them out the door. "It's a group punishment. Now now, if you don't run the sun will set!"

"But... a hundred laps are unheard of, _buchou_!"

While the others left, Tezuka picked up his tennis bag and brushed past Yamato. _Even if it was for a short time..._

"Hey, hey," Yamato hooked his finger onto the freshman's shirt, causing Tezuka to nearly choke. "You're a member too right? Now go – hundred laps."

Tezuka hung his head as he avoided being choked again. "But... I quit the team."

Yamato raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You did? But, you haven't turned in your resignation form yet. Run those hundred laps first and then I'll take your form."

Seeing that there was no way out, Tezuka decided to run as many started lagging behind. Oishi trailed behind the other _senpai_ but couldn't help but be amazed by Tezuka's ability to keep up. Despite only staying for a short while, Tezuka quickly outran the others and started catching up with the lead.

_Tezuka didn't only fix his skills but trained himself for it;_ Oishi wiped the sweat away from his brow. "He's just so great..."

Oishi then decided to stop in his pace and stand in front of the stoic first year, causing the other seniors to nearly bump into them.

"Tezuka-_kun_," Oishi inhaled deeply. "IF YOU'RE GOING TO QUIT THEN, I WILL TOO! But," –he recalled the images of Tezuka being determined to bring Seigaku to the Nationals. "If you're going to give up over something like this, what are you going to do?"

Tezuka bit his lip in order to stop himself from saying anything until Yamato appeared behind Oishi. "Because of you, your friend is about to quit..."

"Yamato-_buchou_," Oishi stared up in shock as he stood behind.

Yamato sighed before scratching his sheepishly. "There is not much I can do as captain. I even lost to you yesterday," –chuckling inwardly. "But never did I lose the dream of bringing Seigaku to the Nationals. That's why – Tezuka-_kun_, I want you to be the pillar of the Seigaku tennis club."

However, the only reply he got from the freshmen was a dead-on stare. "Huh?"

_End of Flashback_

"That's when Tezuka-_buchou_ returned to the club right?" Momoshiro pointed out. "What happened then?"

Oishi inhaled sharply. "By then, we thought that there was no lasting damage but... his training menu was almost borderline insane. His workload was twice more than that of everyone else's. The _Zero Shiki Drop shot_ and combined with that old injury, Tezuka made the damage permanent. Before, there was a point he couldn't play..."

Kikumaru then recalled something about Tezuka being accepted by a high ranking club. "So, that's why he rejected the _Senbatsu _Camp last year..."

Momoshiro hung his head a bit. "So, the Tezuka-_buchou_ we've been playing against was actually..."

Kaidoh slammed his fist on the rail. "Yeah..."

The whole Seigaku team fell silent as Echizen smirked and glanced at them. "But he's better now, right?"

Oishi nodded. "Yeah, he got an ok from the doctor in the hospital and there shouldn't be anything holding him back."

Momoshiro brightened up. "That means Atobe's just lying!"

"That's right," Kikumaru punched the air. "You're worrying too much, _aibou_!"

_I just hope that's the case,_ Oishi sighed in relief. _But this is Tezuka we're talking about..._

"There it is," one of the students yelled. "It's the _Zero Shiki Drop Shot_!"

The Hyotei students stared in awe as the ball rolled towards Tezuka except it was blocked by the net. Atobe stared at the ball that had slightly clipped the net which now lay tauntingly by the net.

"Game, Tezuka: one game to love!"

_Even with that arm,_ Atobe stopped midway as Tezuka resumed his position.

"Don't hold back, Atobe," Tezuka slightly smirked. "Come at me with all you have!"

()()()()()

_Damn, she's coming up with new tricks every time,_ Umeyumi found herself running towards all the corners.

Mai on the other hand found the _Subera Kagerou_ flying towards her again but sliced it down below. "You should have never used Shizuru against me."

"Pray do tell why," Umeyumi slyly smiled as Mai's sardonic grin equalled hers.

"That's because she's my doubles partner," the red haired player closed her eyes as she ripped it towards the baseline.

Umeyumi fired it back with a backhand as Mai's eyes fogged up a bit. "Oh, what's this?"

The _tensai_ pointed her racquet at Umeyumi. "_Mada mada dazo,_ Tousaka."

Almost giggling at the sudden change, Umeyumi lowered her stance and got ready to knock down Mai. _You're using the Muga no Kyouchi a bit too early, don't you think?_

Florence watched Mai slice the ball and flash in all sorts of directions. However, she took more notes on how much sweat poured down Mai's face. The redhead's speed forced Umeyumi to run from left to right while the _tensai_ didn't even notice how parched her face looked. The captain of Jyosei Shounan glanced at Shizuru who gripped her skirt tightly.

_She knows,_ Florence smirked before looking at the match. "Matsuri, how long does the _tensai_ last before her stamina runs out?"

"According to my calculations," Matsuri looked at her watched and then put her finger in the air. "I'd say in the next ten minutes – she's down."

Hitomi began scribbling down furiously. "Mai's getting reckless; the _Muga no Kyouchi_ will leave her in the open!"

Shizuru swivelled her head towards her former doubles partner as the _tensai_ started hitting Ayane's shots. Her speed had tripled and the strength she was hitting at drained every ounce of her willpower. Standing up, Shizuru motioned to the referee for a timeout as Mai scored the next point.

"Game, Nagisaki: two games to three!"

Umeyumi, breathing haphazardly, dragged herself to Florence while Mai emotionlessly wobbled towards Shizuru. Isane handed Shizuru a bottle of water but the captain decided differently.

SPLASH.

Mai's eyes cleared up as she shook her head like a wet dog. "Hey, what gives!"

"You're going to exhaust yourself before the match even ends," Shizuru handed her the bottle. "Tell me, what's your idea of winning?"

Mai raised an eyebrow as she downed a bottle of water. "Well, it's exhausting every method there is."

"A determined player would do that," Haruka leaned against the rail, wagging her finger. "But a smart player would know how to use it to her advantage. Every decision is a double edged sword."

The _tensai_ stared at _Zhujiang_ queerly. "The _Muga no Kyouchi _is only a way to secure the win. I can recover the other points after that. I know Tousaka is a National Level player but she won't do much after this. Let alone – she's just tossing things around."

"That's the scary part," Momo watched the body language of Umeyumi and Florence. "She got data from you for Shuriki. Prove them wrong, Mai."

Hitomi's eye glasses glinted. "Mai, be careful. What you'll see after this timeout is the real Tousaka."

Mai snickered to herself. "The _Muga no Kyouchi_ played its part already. Time to bring her down the old fashioned way."

Rin bit her lip. "I'm worried for her, _kuwee_. Remember our _senpai_ couldn't get past her?"

"Who got past her that time anyway," Haruka turned to Momo who hung her head.

"Only Midoriyama-_senpai_ did..."

Mai lowered her position as she began her service. Despite it being a T-serve, Umeyumi jumped for the shot as Mai slammed it with a backhand to the other corner. Umeyumi backhanded it the same way as the ball flew to the other side. Watching the Jyosei Shounan regular's movement, Mai quickly sprinted with a dance step as she returned it with a floating drop shot.

"Fifteen – love," Mai glared at Umeyumi.

"Grrnk," Umeyumi held her sides to contain her laughter. "My God, you're so serious! It almost cracks me up! Hahahahaha!"

Haruka shook her head disbelievingly. "Geez, that's totally strange."

Momo shrugged with a snicker. "Well, at least Genichirou will be laughed at if he comes across this girl."

Isane shook her head disbelievingly. "I can't believe she can still think like this in a middle of a match."

Umeyumi lowered her stance, smirking at Mai. _You're going down here, Nagisaki_.

On the Jyosei Shounan side, Shikako leaned back on her chair with her usual smile. "Wow, she's getting riled up."

"It's been awhile since she's last fought a _tensai_," Florence sighed, dejectedly. "You know – I wonder if people are aware of why Umeyumi's vicious..."

Hikaru tilted her head to the side. "Wait a minute; I thought it was only the illusions!"

Florence shook her head. "Aren't you aware of her title?

_Yes, it's something that Midoriyama would have told Momo_, the Jyosei Shounan captain bit her lip at the thought. _Question is – why doesn't Mai know it? Aren't they both tensai in their own levels?_

Hitomi turned to see Florence biting her lip. "Mai doesn't know does she?"

Isane raised an eyebrow at her doubles partner. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Tousaka-_san_'s real title," Momo winced at the memory. "Her illusions are nothing..."

Haruka gulped while looking at the blue haired girl. "Oh yeah... her name is..."

"The Awakened Angel," Rin cowered behind Ayane.

The vice captain wrinkled her nose. "Huh? What's so scary about that?"

Kiyone began shivering while holding on to Shizuru's sleeve. "It's horrible..."

"Huh?" Ayane glanced at her doubles partner who clung onto Shizuru's sleeve tightly. "I don't get it!"

Shizuru's eyes narrowed. _Here it comes..._

Umeyumi breathed in sharply as she turned to face Mai. "I know everything about you now."

Mai glowered at the blue haired Jyosei Shounan player. "Try me."

Attacking with a fairly fast serve, Mai forehanded the next shot sent to the left corner as Umeyumi curved the shot outwardly. Seeing it swerve, Mai quickly volleyed it which caused it to smack the net.

"That was the _Habu_ of St. Rudolph's Madoka," Ayane dropped her jaw. "What the hell?"

"Fifteen all," Mai picked up the ball while recalling the pathway. _Odd, I don't remember them facing St. Rudolph before._

Umeyumi shrugged before returning to the baseline. "Is that it? Is that all you can do?"

Mai furrowed her eyebrows a bit as she readied another serve. Watching it fly from the _tensai_'s racquet, Umeyumi darted forward with a volley which forced Mai to come forward. The ball slipped faster and faster, disappearing the moment it crossed the net. Mai danced towards Umeyumi's rhythm often times, throwing Umeyumi in a different direction. However, Umeyumi slid over from any shot fired at her.

_She's doing acrobatic play,_ Mai cringed as she returned the shot. _But, she never faced Rin before! Rin's one of the best in Kantou!_

Florence smirked as she turned to Shizuru and back at Mai. "To stop the mental game Nagisaki often plays with her opponent, Umeyumi posed as the perfect weapon. After all – she can use any technique as long as she has encountered it."

"Wait a minute," Ayane gasped as she turned to Hitomi. "Can't Kabaji-_senpai_ do the same!"

Hitomi nodded as she glanced through her notes. "The only difference is that Kabaji-_kun_ clears his mind again as soon as the match is over. Tousaka is called the 'Awakened Angel' because she can use the experience of any match she has gone under."

"In other words," Momo stared aghast. "She's using the _Muga no Kyouchi_?"

Haruka shook her head as she watched Umeyumi's eyes glance left and right. "No, she's...not..."

"If she did," Isane noticed Umeyumi's slowed breathing. "She would be sweating buckets by now."

"Which she isn't," Hitomi began running through her notes again. "Rin, can you use your Insight please?"

Rin shook her head, sighing sadly. "Already did and I can't find anything, _kuwee_~."

"No weakness or anything," Momo gaped with her hands in her hair. "Please tell me you're joking!"

Rin shook her head while Haruka glanced at Mai. _She better find a way out of this, fast!_

()()()()()

"Change court!"

Tezuka headed towards the bench while Atobe shrugged it off as he made his way to the other side.

"Geez, not a word or whatsoever," Kikumaru watched Echizen sip his Ponta while Tezuka wiped the sweat off his face.

However, Atobe didn't get any reaction from his teammates except a gape from Ohtori, Gakuto snorting, Oshitari winced slightly while Jirou simply slept through everything. Atobe snickered a bit to himself as he stopped right in front of the coach's bench.

"The opponent is attacking at the start, Atobe," Sakaki pointed out which only earned him a smirk from the Hyotei captain. "His plan is to hit the corners and tire you out by making you run left and right. He seems to be hurrying a bit."

Atobe shrugged it off. "That just proves how much he fears himself, right coach?"

"Atobe," Sakaki sighed defeated. "Don't let your guard down at all! It's about time you took control of the game. That is all..."

Atobe brushed his hair back with his icy blue eyes glittering with arrogance. "Don't worry; _ore-sama_ already has control over the game."

On the sidelines, Yanagi blinked in realization to Sanada. "Genichirou, you noticed anything strange? That Atobe hasn't used the move that he showed us during Junior Camp."

Sanada smirked while looking at the two. "That's right; it's that crazy smash of his."

Soon another rally ensued with Atobe and Tezuka throwing cross courts at one another. Chants from the bleachers became louder while many of the spectators couldn't help but comment on the rally.

"This rally's... amazing!"

Tezuka bent down for a low shot but lobbed it high enough for Atobe to go for a smash.

"Too easy, Tezuka-_san_ hit a lob," Kirihara peeked from in between Atobe and Yanagi.

Yanagi nodded stiffly, despite the loudness of Kirihara's voice. "He's going to hit it."

However, Atobe smirked as he volleyed it down towards the other end of the service court. Forcibly returning the volley, Tezuka nearly stumbled which allowed Atobe get ready for a backhand. Despite the speed of the shot, Tezuka managed to run it down.

Fuji opened his eyes. "This match is bad..."

Atobe smirked as he ran for a forehand. "It may be true that your elbow is all better, Tezuka. If your elbow was hurt, there's no way you could hit a drop shot like that!"

_But you're so careful about your elbow that you've forgotten about your shoulder,_ Atobe snickered to himself. _It seems even you haven't noticed that._

Watching the forehand go cross court, Atobe went for a down the line shot which Tezuka easily ran down.

_This would have ended twenty minutes ago if it were a Regular match_, Atobe ran down the next shot again. _What makes you think you can last a drawn-out match? If you keep at it, you're dancing towards your own destruction_. _Thirty minutes would be boring; it's no fun if you just win right?_

"I'll make you dance with me for a minimum of two hours," Atobe smirked as he backhanded his shots to the corner. "That goes along with the destruction of your shoulder!"

()()()()()

Mai, lying on the floor, inhaled sharply as she stared into the blue sky. Umeyumi stood there with a smirk while Hyotei couldn't help but stare at the fallen red haired girl. The ball lay on her side of the court, rolling weakly towards Mai after a furious volley.

"Game, Tousaka: five games to three!"

Isane drew back horrified. "She's really tossing Mai around as if..."

"Midoriyama-_senpai_ knew how to deal with her before she went nuts," Hitomi sadly hung her head. "Mai was never a Singles player after all."

Shizuru shook her head, smiling kindly. "It's not that she was never a Singles player. Mai's just too used to Doubles play."

Mai heard her captain as she sat up, sighing to herself. _With that kind of play, where will we go? _

"The Nationals would never accept a person like you," Umeyumi smirked before tossing her hair back. "A self-proclaimed genius like you isn't going to get anywhere."

Mai stood her ground, gathering up more energy for another round. "Let's see how long you can last after this rally."

"I just need one more game," Umeyumi shrugged. "After all, this is the power of Jyosei Shounan's Unpredictability."

Kiyone swivelled her head towards Hitomi. "Wait, so each school has their own attribute?"

"Technically," Hitomi nodded as she flipped towards a chart. "The school is based off by their players' styles. For example, Seishun Gakuen is known to take things by brute force therefore giving them the attribute of power. Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu's level of Control is almost insane. Kiyone, it's like having seven of you in their team."

Ayane drew back horrified. "No way, they bite people!"

"I meant in terms of control," Hitomi sighed, face palming. "Shitenhouji has something in their arsenal and I just don't remember what. Rikkai Dai beat them last year with Inuzuka Miaka as their ace card along with Yukimura Ai. Hyotei Gakuen narrowly snatched the victory from Seigaku when Souma Fuuka and Kurenai-_buchou_ played it out. Shigetsu Kaori had taken down Naomi-_buchou_ by then and we had to gamble on Shizuru. Actually, we also have Mai to thank Shizuru's recent improvement in abilities. After all, they are doubles partners."

_Hmph, what can Nagisaki possibly come up with,_ Umeyumi swiped the ball for the _Habu_ until it zoomed back at her.

"Fifteen – love," Umeyumi stared at Mai who inhaled sharply.

Mai stared her down with her racquet pointed at the Jyosei Shounan player. "_Kousoku Yaribana_..."

Florence raised an eyebrow while Shizuru smiled a bit at Mai whose expression glared a bit at Umeyumi. "I'm going to take the next four games from you."

"Alright then," Umeyumi smirked, tossing her hair back. "Show me what you got."

Florence glanced at Mai. _She's come a long way. Umeyumi better not get cocky despite the lead. Nagisaki is no self-proclaimed genius..._

Matsuri turned to the Jyosei Shounan captain. "So, how will her genius show now?"

"I absolutely don't know," Florence glanced at Shizuru. _For what reason did you send out Nagisaki if you knew that Tousaka played Singles Two?_

Hitomi bit her lip. "You knew that Tousaka would play Singles Two? You could have sent in Isane instead!"

"I had suspicions," Shizuru watched Mai position herself for another shot. "I didn't know Tousaka would really take the spot."

Haruka thought things through. "Actually, this would do Mai some good."

"Do explain," Momo raised an eyebrow.

Hitomi nodded as she glanced at Mai's record. "Mai always won against her opponents but they never thrilled her. No victory has ever thrilled her."

Ayane shuddered at the other players. "I can't believe it! You guys had to play these monsters last year!"

"If you think these guys are monsters," Momo shook her head, chuckling nervously. "Seigaku's worse."

Rin shivered at the thought. "Yeah, I remember that girl who always stared down at me."

"Mouri Enma and Tadashiko Midori are not exactly what you call 'Seigaku's Golden Pair'," Isane folded her arms while recalling her match. "Ferero-_senpai_ and I had a hey-day."

Shizuru shook her head. "It's not them we should be worried about. It's the top three we have to be afraid of."

Hitomi pulled out a notebook. "Souma Fuuka also known as "Seishun Gakuen's Bloody Rose" is known for her ruthless style of taking out her opponent. Her style is beyond aggressive. Jerrard Vera is known as the "Heartbreaker" and Shibuya Rangiku... is very well known in the Junior Tournaments as," –gulping fearfully, "... the "Wraith Child"."

"That's not a nice nickname," Rin and Kiyone whimpered as they hid behind their respective playmakers.

"Shibuya Rangiku isn't a doubles player isn't she?" Isane loomed over Hitomi to check her notes. "All her matches were in Singles Three..."

Shizuru placed a thumb on her lip. "It's probably because she's never faced anyone stronger than her. Singles Three is usually what they call as the 'warm-up' match. With Shibuya Rangiku in that line, Souma-_san_ doesn't need to worry and would easily put the momentum to Seishun's advantage."

Seeing another _Habu_ shot flying at her, Mai grabbed the shot and terminated the spin again.

"Game, Nagisaki: four games to five!"

_Here it comes,_ Florence watched Umeyumi go for her service.

"Tch, so that's it," Umeyumi tossed the ball. "You're in for it now!"

Seeing a fast serve, Rin gaped while hanging on to Haruka. "Hey, isn't that the _Roadrunner Serve_ of Habernägen Cynthia!"

_Looks like I'll have to bend low,_ Mai lobbed it slightly into the air as Umeyumi volleyed it faster.

"That's Hitomi's Sonic Volley," Isane dropped her jaw a bit.

Mai snickered. "Hitomi's volley is nothing compared to what Kiyone hit at me!"

Kiyone clapped her hands with delight. "Yay, I'm actually doing something right!"

"You've always been silly," Ayane flicked the smaller girl's forehead. "I'm sure Mai-_senpai_'s gotten much faster!"

Mai jumped high in the air as she went for a smash. _I am not going down, not here!_

"Love – fifteen," Umeyumi stumbled over while taking a glance at Mai.

_Now you're showing your colours,_ Umeyumi brushed her hair back, sighing. "You should have done that awhile ago."

Mai, heavily breathing, tossed back her red hair. "Well, it takes a lot to wake me up. I'll give you that."

Umeyumi glanced at Matsuri who had pulled out a new notebook. _Alright, this is where things get messy._

Serving the Roadrunner Serve, Umeyumi sent it near Mai's foot but the girl immediately danced away for a slight volley which slapped off the tip of the net. Umeyumi ran forward while Mai cornered her with a deep shot to her left. Though her body had sweat dripping from every side, Mai simply skidded around while recalling the shots sent at her. She carefully analysed the other girl's foot pattern while going for a backhand volley.

"Love – thirty," Umeyumi clucked her tongue as she watched Mai return another one of her shots.

_Now she's getting serious,_ Umeyumi snickered to herself. _It's rare to see the tensai so riled up._

Haruka nodded with a balled fist. "Alright, take her out – Mai!"

Shizuru glanced at the Jyosei Shounan side. _No, there's something wrong. It's as if they deliberately did this to..._

Mai ripped the Roadrunner shot as she sent the shot straight into the air.

"_Aki no Counter: Kurosakuraso,_" Mai turned away as the ball limply fell on Umeyumi's side of the court.

"Game, Nagisaki: five games all!"

Umeyumi scratched her chin. "Hou~, this is something new..."

"It's something I've improved on," Mai winked as she went for the baseline. "This game's mine!"

Umeyumi chuckled darkly at the _tensai_. "I guess that's what you Hyotei brats are known for – your immeasurable arrogance!"

()()()()()

"Game, Tezuka: three games to two!"

Atobe stared in shock as Tezuka returned back to the baseline. He could see the determination in Tezuka's eyes but he never expected the latter to take it this far. Was this his way of accepting Atobe's challenge? No one knew except a handful of Seigaku students who knew Tezuka too well.

"He's going to do it," Oishi gripped the rail mutely. "There's nothing I can do to stop him now."

Kikumaru glanced at Fuji. "Nyah, Atobe's purposely drawing out the match? But why would he do that?"

"He plans to crush Tezuka's arm in a battle of endurance," Fuji bit his lip as he watched Tezuka play.

Fuji's eyes remained peeled open as Horio tapped his shoulder. "Can't Tezuka-_buchou_ rush this match?"

"That's exactly what Atobe wants," Inui tipped his glasses a bit. "He's waiting for Tezuka to make a mistake by pressuring him into a protracted game."

Fuji shook his head. "Besides, he's a National Ranked player. There's no way he's going to let up just like that."

Echizen sighed to himself. "Hn, _buchou_'s really going to get in trouble..."

Arai slammed his hand on the fence. "Damn, this guy's playing dirty! Fight...!"

"Shut up!"

The other Seigaku members turned to Kaidoh who hissed his usual. "Can't you morons cheer silently?"

Watching the rally, Fuji shut his eyes slightly. "This is what a serious match looks like."

Tezuka and Atobe did nothing but exchange cross court shots, causing each other to run back and forth. Atobe nearly stumbled but managed to backhand the next shot towards Tezuka who managed to volley it over. Chants of either Hyotei or Seigaku screamed all over the place, pressuring both captains to keep on playing. Atobe smirked inwardly while firing the forehand over.

_I commend you for pressuring me, Tezuka,_ Atobe cross courted a forehand. _However there's something you forget..._

Oishi grit his teeth as he watched Tezuka and Atobe trying to bait each other to make a mistake. _He knows that Tezuka won't hurry in attacking! If he plays a protracted game like this, it's going to be fatal!_

Atobe, sensing the anxiety surrounding Seigaku, smirked as he drove it in. _I completely control this game! Come and get me, Tezuka!_

As Tezuka returned the forehand, Atobe managed to get a glimpse of Tezuka's eyes.

_I won't back down, Atobe._

Sengoku whistled as he watched the two players start attacking one other. "Tezuka Kunimitsu, he's a frightening man..."

"Over his arm, he has chosen the victory of Seigaku..."

Oishi couldn't help but feel numb at Tezuka's choice. However, he knew stopping his friend right there and then would be suicide.

"Tezuka plans on taking on the battle of endurance!"

()()()()()

"Game, Tousaka: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"

Mai and Umeyumi felt their bodies breaking a new limit. Sweat poured down their faces as the sun beat down on them. Umeyumi shrugged at the _tensai_ as the two of them began glaring at each other like wild cats. Mai's amber eyes beadily analysed Umeyumi's movement as the bluenette strode carefully back to the middle watching Mai's movement from drastic to twitching. Umeyumi tossed the ball up, feeling the pressure out. Mai dashed immediately giving her an advantage while forcing Umeyumi to dash to the other side to take out Mai's blind spot.

"I'll crush you," Umeyumi snickered. "The same way your captain will get crushed by Florence!"

However, Mai sliced Umeyumi's drive shot which caused it to bounce awkwardly and slide past her.

"This technique was initially experimental," Mai ruefully smiled. "I was saving this technique for the National Tournament."

Rin yelped while hiding behind Haruka. "She put a heavy spin by slicing it over and over again. But, even with the amount of times – it wouldn't be enough!"

Haruka shook her head. "Umeyumi's drive shot still had leftover spin so; she must've used that to propel her shot over."

"Isn't that like the," Kiyone snapped her fingers. "It's the _Tsubame Gaeshi_ of _Kyoushou-san_!"

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is... oh, it's Fuji-_san_."

"Please address older people by their proper name, Getsugan," Shizuru ruffled the hair of the smaller girl, causing Kiyone to put impishly.

"I don't wanna," Kiyone folded her arms. "After what he did to Mai-Mai, he's better off being known that way!"

"Two – zero," Mai performed the 'trick' again.

Umeyumi tousled her hair as she wagged her finger. "Now, would you be so kind to tell me what that technique is?"

"You seem pretty cocky," Mai rolled her eyes as she became more serious. "It's the _Hofuku Yamaonna_."

"The Crawling Akebia," Hitomi scribbled down. "Interesting, these flowers grow as vine plants. Although, I never knew that Mai would hide a technique from us."

Haruka shrugged. "Maybe she wanted to master it first before showing it off. She's usually like that."

Umeyumi watched the ball roll by her feet. "Interesting, it's still experimental and you've gotten it this far? Quite the technique, I must say but unfortunately..."

Mai raised her eyebrow as Umeyumi crouched down with an evil grin.

"I will crush that technique within seven points."

-That's chapter 7! Geez, Atobe and Tezuka really know how to destroy themselves! I wonder what would happen to Mai. Anyway, I'm going to put a poll later. It's about Rin okay? Please answer it and review!


	28. Crushed, Battle of Endurance!

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

**LivesForTennis0001: **Thank you for pointing that out to me. In fact, this is why this chapter will be different. After all, Mai would be taking more of a beating here. Also, thank you for telling me what to do instead of just criticising me on the details. I didn't understand before that having a horrible family makes her a Mary Sue but honestly, I thought the flat footedness could be one of her flaws and she does have a minor injury which you will see later when she plays in the finals. She just tries to mask her pain but I know how it feels like because she's my character! XD I will definitely take your suggestions. Some people don't do it just as politely as you do. Don't worry – Haruka did have her moment with her sister Ino, Momo had an insanity moment and Rin just had a sugar rush! XD but Hitomi and Isane will reveal their side of the story soon. I just thought now's not the time yet. But Shizuru tries to look perfect but as you can see – Atobe doesn't like her. XD

Chapter 28 – Crushed; Battle of Endurance!

Slicing it under, Mai brought out the _Hofuku Yamaonna_ as Umeyumi bent down to lob it. The only thing is that...

"Net, three –zero," Umeyumi glanced at her racquet and then at the ball.

Mai's amber eyes analysed Umeyumi carefully. "What makes you think a lob can return it?"

"Grrnk," Umeyumi withheld her laughter. "HAHAHAHA, there you are again!"

Haruka face palmed, sighing. "God, doesn't she ever stop laughing at serious faces?"

"I guess that's what makes her dangerous," Isane shrugged. "People normally get pissed off at people who laugh too much."

Hitomi nodded as she looked at Mai. "Mai however happens to be like that."

"Geez, what's wrong with you," Mai pointed her racquet towards Umeyumi, twitching at the same time. "For goodness' sake, will you serve already!"

Umeyumi stopped her snickering as she picked up the ball. "Well, time to crush you then."

Mai stepped back to see Umeyumi's glowering eyes while throwing a glance to Shizuru. _You better warm up, I'm not sure if I can handle her._

Shizuru turned to Momo. "Momo-_senpai_, please follow me to the empty court next door."

Momo stared at her, puzzled. "What's up?"

Mai smiled cheekily at her while Shizuru nodded as the two left the benches.

"What was that for," Kiyone glanced at Haruka who simply sighed.

"She knows that the percentage is low," Hitomi tilted her glasses. "It's Mai's way of telling her to get ready for a battle of a lifetime."

()()()()

"_Buchou_," Momo glanced at the younger girl. "Were you the one who kicked Mai?"

Shizuru's head swivelled up. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not the type to pry but," Momo bit her lip. "It's rare for Mai to get a footprint on her shirt."

Shizuru hung her head, smiling faintly. "Well, guilty as charged."

Momo sighed inwardly; how could Shizuru do that? "I don't get it, why don't you want us to help you? We're willing to take the risk."

Shizuru shook her head as she laughed softly. "No, everyone's only scraping the surface."

Momo slapped her own forehead while hearing a few loud sounds. "Whoa, looks like Hyotei Gakuen and Seishun are having a heyday out there. Wanna go check it out?"

Shizuru nodded weakly as Momo and she reached the bleachers overseeing the match in the boys' division.

Atobe ran from left to right as he returned most of Tezuka's shots. _You're really something, Tezuka. Every one of your shots is coming after me. You of all people should know the plan... playing a long game with that handicap is insanity._

Watching a forehand come straight at him, Atobe ran for the ball. "Now hurry up and attack me!"

However, what grabbed Atobe's attention was that now Tezuka started returning the shots at him and found one coming in between his legs.

"Don't tell me," Atobe gaped in horror. "You're telling me that you're willing to do it!"

Tezuka's eyes glared holes into Atobe's as he kept on playing. Tezuka felt his body move by itself even with his mind yelling at him to hurry up instead of accepting the challenge. However, even he couldn't understand why his body mechanically moved by itself. Until, a small flashback showed itself in front of him.

_Tezuka-kun, kimi wa Seigaku no hashira._ (Tezuka, become Seigaku's pillar of support.)

Tezuka smirked barely at what echoed in his ears. _No matter what, Seigaku will go to the Nationals._

Everyone would have seen Inui's eyes slightly widen if he had no glasses. "I can't believe he chose the long method..."

Oishi recalled everything that had happened to them in first year and freshman Tezuka's words echoed in his mind.

_Oishi-kun, in our time – we'll definitely lead Seigaku to the Nationals!_

"To become Seigaku's pillar," Oishi smiled bitterly to himself. "You had to risk everything but I didn't really expect this..."

From the sidelines however, Sengoku shook his head disbelievingly. "It's all up to him now. Tezuka has chosen his victory as the Seigaku captain over his arm."

"Game, Tezuka: six games to five!"

With chants howling left and right, Tezuka took in a deep breath as he prepared for a service. Atobe stood warily, waiting in front of him. Tezuka closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he tossed it up in the air. However, something went terribly wrong as his racquet clattered on the ground with the ball dropping along with it. Tezuka dropped on one knee, gripping his shoulder tightly and gritting his teeth. Oishi stared in horror as Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Inui and Fuji left the bleachers to help the fallen captain.

"Don't come," Tezuka's deep voice caused the others to halt.

Oishi gaped in shock as Tezuka took a few steps towards them. "The match isn't over yet."

Shizuru couldn't believe what she was seeing and Momo glanced towards Atobe. Taking a quick assessment, Momo watched the Hyotei captain carefully analyse Tezuka's movements as the Seigaku captain made his way to the baseline once more. _Damn, this man is crazy! That injury is career threatening! What's the moron thinking!_

Shizuru however didn't budge from her spot but chose to analyse his eyes. "I see... so that's what it means."

Momo swivelled her head to the captain's direction. "What are you talking about?"

"The Nationals," Shizuru smiled as she watched Tezuka begin his service, noticing him wince before he served. "It is too important for him to lose sight of."

Momo whacked the upside of her _kohai_'s head. "That doesn't mean he needs to destroy himself for it!"

Shizuru faced Momo with a slight twitch. "But that's something a captain should do. His or her health is secondary for the sake of the team. Even," – her voice slowly rose, "even Midoriyama-_senpai_ knew that about Kotetsu-_senpai_."

The two of them had a slight silence before watching the game again. "I'm sorry," Shizuru hung her head. "I forgot how..."

"Like what Mai once told me," Momo brushed it off. "You'll never understand how it's like to be a doubles pair."

()()()()

"Four – zero," Umeyumi watched the ball fall on her side again. _Interesting, the ball has such a heavy spin that no matter what I do – there's no return._

Mai glared intensely at Umeyumi until the Jyosei Shounan regular smirked. "Thanks for giving it to me though."

Taken aback, Mai served the shot as Umeyumi sliced it the exact same way which forced Mai to bend.

"Net, Four – one," Mai gaped slightly. _No way, she copied it!_

Ayane yanked her hair. "How did she copy her technique that fast! Mai-_senpai_ was already leading in the points!"

"She bided her time," Hitomi began scribbling down. "Like I said, Tousaka Umeyumi is known as the Awakened Angel. She already mastered her Self-Actualization and can do it consciously. Kabaji can only absorb it but has to erase his memory of the former match for the next. She can use whatever experience she had earned even from long time ago to take down an opponent."

Haruka stared in shock. "She never faced Kotetsu-_senpai_ right?"

"Worse," Isane bit her lip. "She faced Midoriyama-_senpai_. She's the only one who could ever bring her down..."

Umeyumi snickered to herself as she twisted herself in mid-air and sliced the shot down, creating a backlash on the ball. "Do you remember that technique, Nagisaki? The technique you could never hope to defeat... it's the one even Shizuru could not figure out ne?"

Mai gripped her racquet hard. _This is bad, what am I going to do now? That shot's called..._

"It's somewhat similar to Kiyone-_chan_'s _Chire Gaigetsu Sakura_," Hitomi pulled out her cell phone and played out one of Kiyone's match. "Because of the heavy spin, the ball shoots forward and makes a heavy whiplash against the opponent thus scaring anyone who faces the shot. It's deemed unreturnable due to the wild flash it creates and also the wind it whips back with. This is what Midoriyama-_senpai_ called the Backlash Drop. Something she got inspired by when Momo and she simply went roller skating in the park."

Kiyone tugged her collar. "She's that good?"

"Believe me," Isane nodded vigorously. "She was offered a chance to enter Wimbledon Doubles Team but turned it down because it meant leaving Momo-_chan_ behind."

"Net, Two – Four," Mai stared at the ball that bounced in front of her while Umeyumi tossed her hair back.

_I can't believe it,_ Mai shivered a bit. She saw her opponent changing into a lavender haired girl with dreadlocks and tanned skin. Mai's eyes widened as the girl stared at her for a few moments, realizing who Umeyumi had now changed into. Taking a few steps forward, the girl smirked at Mai while pointing her racquet down at her.

"Don't you feel pathetic that even your own doubles partner won't trust you?"

Mai shuddered at the sound of the girl's voice as she tried to stand up. "M-Midoriyama-_senpai_... is that...?"

"You knew that she was afraid to trust," 'Midoriyama' continuously smirked at her as she lowered her racquet. "She only became your doubles partner in order to get you in. She's low on confidence; you of all people should know that."

Mai froze at Midoriyama's words as the lavender haired girl turned around. "You're not a genius – you just pretend that you are to make people think that you are."

_She's right,_ Mai bit her lip. "You're right on one thing... I forgot to consider that she never had good confidence levels. She only became captain because of her insane skill but confidence became more my league. But, you're also wrong about one thing," –she closed her eyes. "There's one thing that makes me different."

Midoriyama (a.k.a. Umeyumi) clucked her tongue. "Alright, show me what you got."

Inhaling deeply, Mai stared her down before closing her eyes. _How long have I been playing this way? Why did I even start playing this way for that matter?_

"If you truly wish to be her doubles partner then, keep up with her."

Mai spun around to see Kotetsu Naomi behind her. "What the hell? Now, I'm hallucinating..."

"Put it this way," Naomi smiled gently at the younger _tensai_. "A doubles partner is not supposed to wear his/her partner down. You should remember that. They should have complete and utter trust. While you learn how to trust, you always tend to hold back. You better get yourself in gear if you want to maintain that title."

Mai laughed bitterly as she faced 'Midoriyama' again. _I was always afraid, alone and hurt. When Shizuru and I joined the team, that's when everything changed._

'Midoriyama' raised an eyebrow as Mai lowered her stance. "Hou~, so what's this?"

"You're not going to work on me anymore," Mai raised her racquet. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ is the past!"

()()()()

"Wow," Gakuto whistled as he turned to Oshitari. "Atobe's getting desperate isn't he?"

Oshitari watched annoyance flicker in his captain's eyes. "This time he's going to go for it. He knows what's going to happen..."

Atobe saw a lob and targeted Tezuka's wrist right away. "This is... the _Hamutsu e no Rondo_!"

From the sidelines, Yanagi winced a bit. "Here it comes..."

Sanada glanced at Tezuka who didn't even twitch despite the pain or the insanely fast smash coming at him. _What will you do now, Tezuka?_

Tezuka, wincing slightly, forced down his racquet down as the ball lobbed into the air.

"Whoa, that's an insane amount of tenacity!"

"Go Tezuka-_buchou_!"

Atobe shook his head while desperately searching for a place to attack, casting his eyes towards the right side. _Tezuka, you lowered your racquet instantly. I'm surprised that your shoulder is still cooperating with you...!_

As he attacked the right side, the ball swerved towards Tezuka which allowed him to return it.

"You still have the Tezuka Zone?" Atobe stared aghast at the Seigaku captain. "Will you risk everything for this one match?"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes a bit as he readied a return. "I'm sorry Atobe; Seigaku is going to the Nationals."

Glancing towards the side, Momo found Atobe biting his lip as he backhanded Tezuka's return. She couldn't believe that Tezuka still had that kind of willpower despite the injury in his shoulder. Most sane people would choose to forfeit the match.

_Geez, men and their stupid pride,_ Momo snorted as she glanced at Shizuru. "Shouldn't we head back to Mai?"

However, the violet haired _Shinigami_ earned no reply from the captain as the brunette kept her eyes glued. "For the love of God," –she tugged Shizuru roughly. "Will you peel your eyes away before you get hypnotized into doing something that stupid?"

"Hey," a bouncy orange haired vice captain smiled cheerfully. "Need any help with her?"

"If you're going to flirt," Momo glared holes that would have made turtles turn into runners. "Then, get the hell out of my way before I hammer your little tongue to the roof of your mouth."

Sengoku winced but grinning cheekily either way. "Aww, but you're so cute when you're mad."

Momo twitched visibly. "Damn it, what kind of boy just approaches you just like that?"

"Some people would be blind if they didn't see a beauty like you," Sengoku snickered as he poked Shizuru. "I guess she's too mesmerized by Tezuka-_san_."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Hence the reason why I think he's a bad influence, she's probably going to do the same with Souma Fuuka at the Finals!"

Sengoku waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure she'll always have the team's best influence at heart."

"Problem with her is that she believes that captains have this annoying 'code' to follow," Momo yanked Shizuru's left arm. "Come on _buchou_! Agh, forget it – I'm leaving you."

Shizuru grabbed Momo's wrist. "Wait, there's something I need you to clarify for me."

Momo rolled her eyes as she shrugged. "Now you respond, what is it?"

"How long has Atobe-_senpai_ kept that _Hamutsu e no Rondo _hidden?" Shizuru watched the ball fly back and forth. "His two part smash wasn't as fast as the one he fired at me."

Momo stared at her aghast. "What makes you think I know that?"

Shizuru pointed at Atobe's face. "I've never seen Atobe-_senpai_ so desperate. Also," – she smiled slightly. "You're the one who knows human anatomy better than anyone else."

Momo exhaled sharply while looking at Atobe's form. "Well, judging from his stance and breathing rate – I'd say he's been hiding it and it only came out now. His type of challenge was never for endurance. Come to think of it, what kind of idiot prolongs a game?"

Sengoku exchanged glances with the two girls. "How did you make that conclusion so fast? Wow, your team's lucky to have you two!"

Momo shushed him, earning a slight pout from the Yamabuki vice captain. "Will you keep shut? I'm trying to figure out what this guy's antics are supposed to be for. Normally, he'd drive his opponent up to the wall until he couldn't play anymore."

Sengoku tapped his chin, snapping his fingers. "Hey, I remember seeing that in the Junior Senbatsu Camp!"

Momo glared at him as she grabbed his collar. "You moron, why didn't you tell me earlier! It would have helped instead of you flirting with my captain!"

"I wasn't flirting with your captain," Sengoku stared at her quizzically.

"What," Momo flushed into a deep colour of red. "Will you shut the hell up and get away from me!"

Shizuru cast a glance towards the _Shinigami_. "Momo-_senpai_, please stop making a scene."

Many of the Hyotei students stared quizzically at Momo while Seigaku somewhat twitched at how Momo held Sengoku by his collar.

"Well," he shrugged. "I'm lucky to have met you, what's your name?"

Momo tightened her grip. "Do you have to know! It's Sanada Momo! There, go ahead and say the facts!"

Sengoku grinned goofily at her. "Wow, such a nice name! Lucky~ for such a pretty girl!"

Momo drew back her fist. "You know – there's a reason why boys avoid me!"

Shizuru stood in between the two of them. "Momo-_senpai_ please put him down."

"By the way," he gave her a thumb up. "I'm Sengoku Kiyosumi! _Yoroshiku, hime-chan_!"

Momo gnashed her teeth together. "Whatever, you're even worse when you're in person!"

After a few pleads, Shizuru managed to get Sengoku down from the raging Momo's grasp. "I'm sorry, Sengoku-_san_."

"It's okay," –he leaned over to whisper. "Do you have her phone number?"

"Momo-_senpai_'s? Why," Shizuru tilted her head to the side. "I don't think..."

"Shizuru," Momo grabbed Shizuru by the wrist. "Let's leave this flirt to himself."

Sengoku waved goodbye cheerfully as Momo stomped away furiously towards the courts. "Some nerve," –she growled inwardly. "He has some nerve to think I'll fall for those lines!"

"Didn't you say," Shizuru found her _senpai_'s hand clamped over her mouth.

Momo smiled sickeningly sweet. "Say it and you're not going to play properly, _buchou_."

"Hurt me and you have Mai to deal with," Shizuru pulled off Momo's hand with a faint smile.

Snickering, Momo ruffled Shizuru's hair. "If Midoriyama-_senpai_ were here, I'd be using her as the threat."

Shizuru hung her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Momo-_senpai_. I forgot that..."

"It's no big deal," Momo shrugged it off, smirking inwardly. "She's the past. She's not a part of your regime anymore."

Watching Shizuru smile faintly at her, Momo curled her fist as she recalled seeing Midoriyama appear in one of her games. At first, she brushed it off but started explaining to her _senpai_ until that semi-final match in the Nationals Tournament against Rikkai Dai. Momo's nails nearly cut into her hand as the score flashed in her mind.

"Inuzuka Miaka," –she hissed under her breath. "We'll meet in the semi-finals. I just know it!"

Feeling her phone vibrate, Momo pulled it out as she read the message.

_Bring Kurenai-buchou in. Hoshimura's warming up and Mai's taking hits. – Yamaguchi Hitomi_

Slapping it shut, Momo turned to her junior. "We better get going, _buchou_. Looks like Tousaka sealed up Mai for this round."

()()()()

"Game and match, Tousaka: seven games to six!"

Mai pounded her fist on the floor as Umeyumi resumed to her normal form. "I have to admit," –she extended her hand. "You're a genius to a certain point. But you're kinda an idiot when it comes to improvising."

Standing up by herself, Mai gave her a cursory handshake as she dragged herself to the bench. She silently took a seat as the Hyotei team members stared in shock; Mai stared blankly at the floor as the towel remained draped on her head.

"Even Fuji didn't make her this miserable," Haruka glanced at Hitomi. "This is one of her first official losses right?"

Ayane slapped Mai's back, earning a blank stare from the _tensai_. "Come on Mai-_senpai_! You win some, you lose some! No one's perfect!"

"I thought I had it all sewn up," Mai stared blankly at her racquet. "I didn't even expect to see Midoriyama-_senpai_ come at me. Kotetsu-_senpai_ just flashed in my mind the moment I took my stance to crush her. How did she even know all those things?"

Haruka took a seat beside her. "As half of a doubles pair, it's quite easy to see if your partner doesn't trust you or not. Kotetsu-_senpai_ had her become a Singles player to fill up for Midoriyama-_senpai_ after all. Even with Momo as the partner, Seigaku would have crushed us into pieces."

"But is that worth the cost of a friendship," Isane rubbed her forehead, timidly. "I mean – our performance relies on how much faith our captain has in us."

Rin's face became more crestfallen. "She does – it's just that it's not the kind of faith we want, _kuwee~_."

"The one who probably has the biggest amount of her trust here is Kiyone," Mai glanced at the sandy haired control specialist.

Kiyone pointed at herself with a tilt of her head. "Huh? Why would she trust me? I'm only first year!"

"You're a sapling that just needs a lot of guidance," Mai bitterly smiled. "She doesn't do it with me. She usually makes things cryptic then makes me figure it out. Then again, there was no one in the team to back me up."

Ayane rolled her eyes as she swatted Mai's head. "You stupid genius, don't you get it!"

Mai stared at Ayane as if she had grown a second head. "You didn't need one because you already had everyone!"

Kiyone face palmed. "Yane-Yane, I just wonder how badly your beloved 'hubby' has affected you. Your IQ has now increased by sixty percent. Well, not like you had any to begin with."

Ayane grabbed Kiyone, shaking her repeatedly. "Why I oughta...!"

"H-h-help m-m-me," Kiyone yelped as Ayane's shaking increased in speed. "Yane-Yane's trying to kill me!"

Ayane twitched visibly. "Damn it, don't say things like that!"

"For the love of God," a voice came from the bleachers. "We only leave for ten minutes and this is what happens?"

They found Momo with Shizuru as the captain passed her jacket to Mai. "Mai," –her face softened with concern.

"Save it," Mai waved her hand dismissively. "Kick my butt after you give Hoshimura a good taste of your tennis."

Shizuru saw the crestfallen blank gaze of the _tensai_ as she went to the court to face the honey haired captain of Jyosei Shounan herself, Hoshimura Florence.

"Well," Florence cast a glance towards Shizuru. "It seems that you might end up like her later on."

Shizuru's smile dropped immediately. "I have no intention of losing to you or making anyone's sacrifice in vain."

Florence shrugged. "Well, about that – what makes you think you can beat me?"

"What makes you think I'll lose," Shizuru whispered before spinning her racquet. "Which one: Smooth or Rough?"

Florence shrugged nonchalantly. "I call smooth."

The racquet landed on smooth, allowing Florence to take the service. Shizuru stayed at the baseline, swinging left and right as she watched Florence toss the ball.

"Mai, maybe you should watch," Hitomi placed a hand on the _tensai_'s shoulder. "There's a different look in her eyes this time."

Mai glanced up as Shizuru returned Florence's serve with a quick draw backhand. The captain jumped to the side to return Shizuru's shot with a forehand as the Hyotei captain volleyed it over to force her to the front. Gripping her skirt tightly, Mai glared inwardly as she hung her head.

_Why? What is it I lack? The enthusiasm, the skill, what is it I lack!_

Isane watched the ball fly back and forth. "Hoshimura-_san_ really knows how to make us look bad."

"Hoshimura Florence was the Junior French Open champion," Hitomi skimmed through her notes. "She took down most of the big guns in the French Open and after her fourth time – she returned home to Japan to find new opponents. Some like Souma Fuuka, Yukimura Ai and Amakusa Natsuki had persuaded her to stay."

Momo gripped the fence. "The Jyosei Shounan captain before her was nothing. She couldn't even score a point."

"Kotetsu-_buchou_ was one of the supreme Angels of Kantou after all," Haruka recalled looking at a tennis magazine. "Even now, she continues to take the tennis world by storm."

Isane felt her phone vibrate as she picked it up. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hey Isa-_chan_," a cheerful voice rang out. "How's my favourite sniper, hmm?"

Isane's face lit up. "Ferero-_senpai_, where are you?"

"Take a 180 degree turn and you'll see where," –Isane made a turn as the former vice captain stuck out her tongue. "Boo."

Isane, stumbling back, yelped as she clung on to the female Sanada. "Waaah, Ferero-_fukubuchou_! You're here!"

Lulu scratched behind her ear, tossing back her olive green hair. "Meh, I know. Naomi sent me over to check on her protégé again. Besides, it's a refreshing change to see the former sophomores. So, who's winning?"

Momo pointed at the score board. "Well, we're currently stuck in a tie."

"Ah, Hoshimura's now carrying the torch," Lulu glanced at the court as she adjusted the chopsticks in her hair. "Well, this is going to be one hell of a fight. So, who's the current vice captain?"

Rin yanked up the strawberry blonde freshman. "Here she is, Kobayagi Ayane!"

Observing her carefully, Lulu hummed to herself while folding her arms. "Well, you sure have bigger assets than them. Momo is clearly normal, Isane's a _pomelo_, Haruka's a teacup, Rin probably has oranges and Hitomi here has cantaloupes and you – have watermelons for it."

Ayane flushed red. "Wha- hey, I'm not that big!"

Lulu looked down at the smaller girl who sat on the bench. "I suppose the little girl there is your doubles partner?"

"Yeah," Ayane bit her lip deep, curling her fists. "Why? Is she a gingerbread woman or something?"

Lulu shook her head. "She reminds me of a toddler. Then again, she'd look cute in a cat suit"

Ayane snorted, fuming and popped a vein. "Hey, she is not that short! And my God, what did you just say!"

"I forgot to tell her," Isane sheepishly fiddled with her thumbs. "Ferero-_senpai_ is very fond of..."

"Erotic manga and fantasies," Momo face palmed. "God, that's just disgusting."

Lulu shrugged as she began pinching the smaller girl's cheeks, earning a glare from the sandy haired control volleyist. "Well, it's true. Especially if you make her wear brown cat ears and maybe white fur and brown paws... it makes her look sweet! I'm sure a bushy brown tail won't hurt either." (A/N: Guess what kind of cat that is.)

Haruka sighed into her hand. "You never changed, did you Ferero-_senpai_?"

"Hey," Lulu lazily shrugged. "Even though I like imagining little girls in cat suits, it doesn't prove anything about me being a pervert."

Momo glanced at her chest. "You just said my boobs were practically normal. Most girls don't do that!"

"Maybe that's just you," Lulu raised her eyebrow while shrugging.

Rin pressed her boobs but earned an upside whack from Haruka. "You said mine were oranges!"

Clearing her throat, Haruka pointed at the court. "Guys, as disturbing as the topic sounds, I think we should resume back to the game."

Isane nodded as Lulu turned to watch the game. "Hey," –she turned towards Isane. "You guys want to train with us before fighting with Seigaku?"

Mai's head shot up whereas the two first years gaped at her. "Wait, we'll get to train with the former regulars?"

Lulu tapped her chin nonchalantly. "Well, we're not much but we can handle you guys, easy peasy."

Hitomi skimmed through her notes as she took a listing of all the former regulars. A lot of them though were either replaced by them or the first years during their time but somehow, something pestered her to do it. Even their time as regulars was charted there and all the techniques learned but there was one page that remained almost completely blank.

_Kotetsu Naomi, Hyotei Gakuen no Espada_, Hitomi flashed through all her notebooks and found nothing. What was it that Naomi so great? She plastered almost anyone who challenged her for the Hyotei captaincy and some happened to be winners of Wimbledon and minor tournaments. Whereas Naomi simply refused to go international despite her level of skill, many members constantly pressured her and constantly gave her problems to make her give up the captaincy.

"Never got any good data on Koko-_chan_ did you?" Lulu loomed over Hitomi's shoulder, causing the data girl to slap her notebook shut. "Come on, there are a few people who can get good data about her."

Hitomi hung her head. "That wouldn't make my efficiency any better."

"But, you still have a chance," Lulu's face became serious. "I mean – everyone is always given a second chance. Mido-_chan_ isn't as crazy as everyone still remembers... but, the drugs did one problem."

It was Momo's turn to have her eyes widen. "What would that be?"

Lulu shook her head. "We'll leave that for another day. I'm here to accomplish this one thing."

Florence backhanded the next shot as Shizuru sliced it down. However, Florence took a split forward and tripped it over the net.

"Fifteen – love," Hyotei stared in awe as Florence recovered her stance.

Hitomi bit her lip while opening her book. "Hoshimura Florence, also known as the "Floating Nightingale", has exceptional styles and no one knows what her true style is."

"The true embodiment of "Trickery and Unpredictability"," Lulu clucked her tongue. "Naomi's protégé is going to have a heyday with this one."

Haruka looked at Shizuru whose smiling facade dropped instantly. "Never seen her so serious; half time, Shizuru's smiling or simply staring at them."

Lulu folded her arms, nodding. "Well, Hoshimura Florence is one of the few Naomi told Shizuru-_chan_ to be wary of."

Florence balanced her tennis racquet on her finger. "You improved a bit. But, I never realized that you would start an attack that early."

"Huh," Ayane raised an eyebrow as the others frowned a bit. "What did she mean...?"

Mai sullenly raised her head. "She knows Shizuru's style inside out. They may have never faced each other before but I think their predecessors did give them a heads up."

Hitomi bit the top of her pencil. "This is going to be one hell of a fight..."

Shizuru glanced at the ball in Florence's hand, readying her position. Her crimson orbs watched every twitch of Florence's hand while the ball flew into her side of the court. Sliding forward, Shizuru sliced the ball which forced the older captain to run forward with a slight lob.

"_Buchou _had her shot returned," Kiyone jumped up from her seat.

Mai shook her head, smirking. "Knowing her, she picked up this trick from a senior back from the training camp..."

Fair enough, Shizuru closed in for the smash while sending Florence reeling back.

"Fifteen all," Florence clucked her tongue while Shizuru smiled faintly at her.

Tossing her hair back, Florence watched the ball roll back towards her. _Certainly, she wouldn't have gotten this far if Nagisaki didn't slap some sense into her._

"Nagisaki Mai and you used to be Doubles partners," Florence placed her racquet on Shizuru's right shoulder. "Am I right?"

Shizuru gently pushed the racquet away. "Yes, but what's its connection to now?"

"To trust in one's self," Florence retracted her racquet. "What kind of captain would you be without it?"

Shizuru didn't reply but turned around to start another rally between her and Florence. With the ball zooming past her, Shizuru sliced it heavily causing the ball to make an awkward curve on the floor.

"The _Ayame Gaeshi_," Florence whistled to herself. "Unfortunately, I know how to return it."

Bending low, Florence sent it back at her with a top spin while Shizuru flashed to the front.

"_Hou~_," Florence snickered with her French laugh. "Well, show me what you got!"

Shizuru ripped the ball with a backhand, forcing Florence to move back to send it zipping past Shizuru's left side. Flashing back to the baseline, Shizuru returned it with a forehand which zoomed towards Florence's baseline.

"_Shunpo,_" Kiyone whistled. "Yay, go for it _buchou_!"

Rin jumped from her seat. "Take her out, Shizuru-_chan_!"

Momo watched Florence's body tense up. "She's not taking Shizuru seriously."

"Hoshimura-_san_ would have used the style by now," Hitomi browsed through her notes while biting her lip. "Whatever Hoshimura-_san_ has planned, it's about to destroy Kurenai-_chan_'s stamina or mental stability."

Shizuru forehanded the next shot as Florence dropped the shot again. Flashing forward, Shizuru sliced the ball to the other corner which caused the Jyosei Shounan captain to jump for the next slight lob. Sensing another trip ball, Shizuru scratched the ball with the tip of her racquet as it fell on Florence's side.

"Fifteen – thirty," Florence ran her fingers through her hair with a small smile.

"I have to admit," Florence's blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight as she tousled her honey hair. "Your flashes are pretty good but..."

Florence tossed the ball, sneering at the younger captain while zooming towards her. "But not as good as mine..."

"She has the _Shunpo _too!" Kiyone swivelled her head towards Hitomi who sullenly nodded.

"Hoshimura Florence in her first year was the very first "Flash Goddess"," Lulu tapped her chin. "She managed to beat Naomi at speed but somehow her style changed drastically after a clash between her and Naomi. Her speed dropped insanely but her skill maintained."

Momo's hand balled into a fist. "In our first year, she was already going around with a title known as..."

"Hoshimura Florence of the Blue Flash..."

Florence snickered as she started her rally. "A mere carbon copy... That's all Naomi made you to be... Can't you see it? How naïve..."

Shizuru didn't say anything as she backhanded the shot back to Florence. Her eyes glimmered as she sliced another shot towards Florence as the said girl reappeared right in front of the net.

"Battle of the Flash," Rin bit her lip. "I never thought Hoshimura would really _kuwee~_..."

Lulu nodded solemnly. "Hoshimura Florence was the original Flash Goddess until Shizuru-_chan_ revealed the same style. Question is: who's is better?"

Florence watched the sweat trickle down the Hyotei captain's face. _She's feeling it already... should I use it?_

Glowing with a different aura, Florence slammed the shot with double the force which sent Shizuru backwards towards the wall.

"Thirty all," Shizuru coughed a bit, gasping for air while trying to gain back her stance.

Lulu whistled. "Damn, that's gonna hurt."

Shizuru, shaking herself out of the daze, glanced at Florence who stood smirking at her.

"You can never call yourself a "Flash Goddess" with that crappy speed," Florence shrugged as she pointed her racquet at Shizuru. "Sorry to keep you, but you're up next."

While watching, Ayane heard a loud cheer coming from the other side. "Guys, I'll be right back."

Kiyone snickered. "You going to see if your hubby's gonna get himself killed?"

"He always tries that," Ayane rolled her eyes while running towards the boys' side.

()()()()

"Game, Atobe: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"

Atobe clucked his tongue a bit as he saw Tezuka stubbornly saunter towards the receiving end. _Is this man insane?_

Soon, loud chants erupted again which caused Atobe to smirk. Yes, he hadn't lost the game yet. All he had to do – was crush Tezuka's arm all in one go and the tie breaker would be his. Taking a farther look with his Insight, Atobe gaped at Tezuka for a moment while shaking his head.

_This man's willing to throw everything away just for this one match?_

Atobe smirked inwardly. "Your choice is brave but not a very wise one, Tezuka."

Kikumaru bit his nails. "Eep, this Atobe guy's serious!"

_Shousha Atobe, Shousha Atobe, Shousha Atobe...!_

The Hyotei captain heard the chants echo all over the place as he readied a serve. "Arn~, _ore-sama_ will do the honour of sealing you then... Tezuka..."

"ATOBE," a loud cheer caused Atobe to freeze.

_Don't tell me,_ Atobe turned towards the bleachers to see a very familiar strawberry blonde vice captain squeezing her way past the onlookers. "Kobayagi, what are you-?"

"You egotistical jerk," Ayane shrieked. "What kind of match is this!"

Atobe snapped his fingers, causing the cheers to cease. "Kobayagi," –he got ready to face Tezuka once again. "Just sit back and watch the show."

Gnashing her teeth together, Ayane gripped the fence until she noticed the wire started bending and gathering a bunch of older seniors. "Ah hehe," –she scratched her head sheepishly. "I didn't mean to bend it, I swear! Some moron over there made me do it!"

Atobe mentally slapped himself. _Obviously, everyone knows who that "moron" is, Kobayagi._

Gakuto snickered to himself. "Geez, Atobe's going to get it big time, isn't he Yuushi?"

"As much as I don't want to enjoy it," Oshitari found himself smirking. "I'd like to see what happens when she hears how he achieved his victory."

Atobe froze when he heard Oshitari's words. As long as his conclusion about Ayane was correct, he shuddered at what she was capable of. He recalled the time Getsugan Kiyone got bullied by the martial arts seniors and Ayane managed to give one of them a suplex. Some even came to him for complaints that some "random watermelon tangerine haired girl" came at them for harassing her "Pomeranian". Atobe could only recall that because Getsugan Kiyone was nicknamed a "Pomeranian", Ayane became more like "Xena Warrior Princess".

_She has the volume to match the title too,_ Atobe sighed to himself as he continued rallying with Tezuka.

Ayane glanced around while finding Oishi biting his lip hard. "Hey, what's going on? Why do you look so nervous?"

"Tezuka," Oishi managed to splutter out as his captain continued to take a beating.

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "What about him? I don't," –she glanced at Tezuka's arm which looked like a car ran over it. "What the... _AHOBE_!"

Oshitari winced at the volume. "God, she can scream until glass breaks."

"Your glasses haven't broken yet, Yuushi," Gakuto checked around the rims to see if there were cracks.

Hiyoshi unplugged his fingers from his ears. "Someone call the crazy _Shinigami-senpai_ to shut her up."

"I don't think Momo's that scary," Oshitari shook his head. "Only Kiyone can divert where she screams."

Shishido, being slightly shaken by the volume, plugged in his iPod again. "Damn, what was that?"

"I think Kobayagi-_san_ and Atobe-_san_ are going to remake World War II again," Ohtori sheepishly laughed to his doubles partner.

Shishido rolled his eyes. "World War II's nothing; Kobayagi makes Hitler look like he's an opera singer."

"I didn't know she used _kansai_ accent," Oshitari raised an eyebrow at the glaring tangerine haired vice captain. "Then again, she will use any insult to take down Atobe."

Ayane turned to Oishi. "What happened to his arm?"

"Tezuka was challenged to a battle of endurance," Fuji offered to explain for the stunned vice captain. "Tezuka accepted it and his limit... was an hour..."

Ayane checked her watch. "Wait a minute, that hour has been long over! He shouldn't be able to lift his arm at all after this...!"

"He knows," Oishi renewed his resolve. "We just have to believe in Tezuka. He chose victory over his arm... that's something even I'm not sure I can do."

Horrified, Ayane watched Tezuka take point after point along with Atobe returning the favour each time. Students stared with her as the match intensified with each passing shot.

"2-0," Tezuka forehanded the shot.

"His shots should be flat by now but," Ayane shook her head. "But, I'm still seeing spins and insurmountable strength! What is he...?"

Fuji smiled with his eyes shut. "Tezuka is our captain after all..."

Ayane looked around and saw nobody at the bench. "Hey, where's your coach?"

Oishi shook himself out of the daze. "Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ had to bring Taka-_san_ to the hospital. Echizen and Momoshiro went off to warm-up. Tezuka knows..."

Suddenly, Atobe tripped over his feet, crashing to the floor with a sound _thud_. "NO!"

Ayane bit her nails. "This is it...!"

However, Tezuka's final shot sadly smacked into the net and rolled by his feet. The whole crowd was stunned with silence until the arbiter declared.

"Game and match, Atobe: seven games to six!"

Atobe stared in awe as the ball lay on the other side before getting up to congratulate Tezuka for a well fought match.

"You're one insane man, Tezuka," Atobe smirked as he raised Tezuka's right arm for Hyotei to recognize him and Seigaku to understand the dedication their captain had for the match. "When you're at full power, _ore-sama_ would want a rematch. What you showed us just now barely scraped of what you're truly capable of."

"Ah," Tezuka nodded as he shook Atobe's hand. "Thank you..."

Oishi and the others ran to their captain while helping him to the bench. "Tezuka," Oishi bit his lip. "May I take a look at your shoulder at least?"

Tezuka slowly revealed his shoulder which was red, purple and blue all mixed together. While some of the members cringed, Oishi gaped in horror while Fuji's eyes peeled open. Kikumaru couldn't lock his jaw back into place, Kaidoh's eyes widened every three seconds while Inui passed Oishi Tezuka's jacket.

"Hey guys what's," Momoshiro ended up gaping at the colour of Tezuka's shoulder.

Echizen pulled down his cap. "That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen..."

On Hyotei's side, the regulars and members of the Hyotei tennis club congratulated Atobe while Ayane had her arms folded with a frown.

"Kabaji, towel," Atobe caught the towel the bigger boy handed to him.

Ayane shook his head, darkly whispering. "I can't believe you..."

Atobe, quizzical, raised his head to face the horrified Ayane. "HOW COULD YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN INJURED MAN LIKE THAT, ATOBE!"

Despite the volume, Atobe remained calm. "_Ore-sama _did what he had to do in order to win."

"Was it necessary to crush someone else's chances of ever playing again," Ayane retorted back.

To Atobe, this was like salt being rubbed into an open wound. Ayane liked victory so, what was the problem? "Ayane," –Atobe stood up to glower a bit. "Do you think he would want me to hold back! The man made his choice!"

Atobe's answer however met a solid punch and him sprawling to the floor.

"You jerk," Ayane hissed icily. "That wasn't your real style at all! In other words, you were holding all your shots either way!"

Atobe stared at her as many of the Hyotei members glanced at the loudly hissing Ayane. "I thought you had a bit of kindness in you," –Ayane tightly balled her hand into a fist. "At least now I know, that you're nothing but a two faced jerk who can't even face himself!"

Atobe's eyes widened as she turned around. "I'll still stick to the bet but," –she glared. "There will be some boundaries that I'm going to break."

Watching her walk away, Atobe felt a pat on the shoulder. "Just ignore her, Atobe-_sama_," –one of his fan girls glared at Ayane's back. "Her brain's gone all into her boobs after all."

Glaring icily, he brushed the girl's hand away. "Look who's talking."

The girl stared stunned while Oshitari had to apologize to her. Ayane on the other hand had marched over to Seigaku handing Oishi some ointment.

"Here," Ayane smiled kindly. "I think this should stop the swelling a little."

Oishi felt his jaw drop but accepted it gratefully. "Thanks, it's rare that Hyotei cares for other teams..."

"My _buchou_ taught me that," Ayane cheerfully grinned. "At least she teaches me how to care unlike a certain **somebody**."

Atobe bit his lip but resisted every urge to yell at the tangerine haired vice captain. However, something stung him deeply: was it because she showed sympathy for his rival whom she has absolutely no idea who exactly he is? Or was it more that Oishi managed to make her smile while all he got was a yelling and a punch in the face once in awhile?

"Atobe," Oshitari watched Atobe's arrogance fall away from his face.

_What's driving her away from me? Why am I so bad in being nice...!_

()()()()

"Game, Hoshimura: two games to love!"

Shizuru watched Hoshimura's body glow with an eerie blue aura at the same time felt the power the aura emitted.

_It feels as if I'm going to be decimated by that aura alone,_ Shizuru gripped her racquet tighter. _No, I can't. I'm the captain of Hyotei and I won't let anyone stop me..._

Soon, Shizuru's body was engulfed in a similar aura except more flame like.

"_Hou~,_" Florence tapped her chin, sniggering at the younger girl. "What makes you think that your mere imitation of an aura can shake me?"

Mai's eyes widened. "That aura... it actually has a shape..."

"It does?" Momo glanced at the red haired _tensai_ before looking back at the court. "I don't see anything."

Mai bit her lip. "Each captain has their own animal that projects their power or personality. That's why the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ in our case is so much different from the boys'. If I were to describe their states, Hoshimura's the nightingale and Shizuru right now is a..."

"That's odd," Haruka watched the auras dance around. "Why doesn't Shizuru's have form?"

Hitomi glanced through her notes. "After all her matches, it hasn't changed shape."

"Maybe it was never meant to have a shape," Momo shrugged while glancing at the former vice captain. "What's with you?"

Lulu turned around, pulling out her cell phone. "I think I've seen enough."

Isane raised an eyebrow as Lulu began dialling buttons. "Yeah it's me," Lulu's brows knitted themselves together. "It's still there."

Isane exchanged glances with Haruka. "What's still there?"

"Hoshimura Florence won't be enough," Lulu added while listening in for a bit. "We need someone who could press her farther."

_Someone to press her farther?_ Mai looked up as Lulu continued. "It's actually an improvement for her _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ to change colour and intensity."

_Actually an improvement,_ Haruka raised an eyebrow. What's she doing now? "Wait, what do you mean...?"

"Her _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ used to have no colour before," Lulu glanced back at the courts. "Shizuru's still using that pilot light she calls a "flame"."

However, unknown to Lulu – Shizuru's aura started growing bigger and soon Florence's doubled returned just quadrupled in force which sped past the Jyosei Shounan Captain in a new time.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to two!"

Florence watched the ball smoke up a bit before taking it out of the hedges. "So, that little pilot light does do something to you."

Kiyone shivered at the intensity of her captain's gaze. Normally, Shizuru would smile but somehow the sandy haired girl started feeling as if her captain was already imagining ways to tear Hoshimura to shreds. Hitomi madly began to scribble while the others froze in shock as Mai watched Shizuru brutally attack the corners with quadrupled force.

"Game, Kurenai: two games all!"

Lulu whistled to herself. "Well, it seems that she did get somewhere after a year."

Hitomi looked at Lulu's cell phone. "You never dialled up Kotetsu-_buchou_'s phone number did you?"

Lulu clucked her tongue, scratching her head. "You were always so perceptive, Hitomi."

"You knew Shizuru would flare up," Momo crushed a bit of the wire in her hand. "Are you insane?"

Lulu didn't flinch under the intensity of the Sanada girl's stare. "Shizuru's holding back – time to make her show what it means to be a queen. She didn't become Hyotei's Angel by being who she is."

Mai stared horrified. _No, please no... Don't tell me..._

Shizuru started glowing in another colour. "Twelve shots..."

Kiyone gulped. "Is that _Insight _too?"

"Nope," Rin shook her head, cowering behind Haruka. "This is her true self right?"

"I don't think so," Isane shivered a bit. "This is too... demonic to be her... I've never felt anything so... dark..."

Lulu's expression didn't change. She quietly watched her captain's protégé start revealing her true nature to the team members; the true monster that Shigetsu Kaori feared that day.

_Naomi_, Lulu bit her nail. _Did you know that she was this powerful? Will Hoshimura survive this ordeal?_

Soon, her phone began ringing and when Lulu opened it, it was a message:

_Return back to the camp. I think I know what's going on. – Kotetsu Naomi_

Lulu cheerfully waved goodbye. "Well, looks like my job here is done. _Ja_, you guys..."

While Lulu vanished, Florence watched Shizuru's auburn eyes become bloodier than normal. "Ah, so this is why... you're truly a fearsome piece of work. What did Aomaru-_senpai_ call you before she left? Oh yeah," –she sniggered. "While Sanada Momo was the _Shinigami_, you were the _Shikabane Ginn'ei._ I'm glad I got to see your monstrous style before anyone else. Has Souma Fuuka seen this yet?"

Shizuru however didn't respond as she walked towards the baseline.

"This is bound to get interesting anyway," Florence yawned a bit while heading towards the baseline. _Show me what you got, Shikabane Hime..._

Tossing the ball, Shizuru served noiselessly as Florence backhanded it back to her. Shizuru attacked the left corner, forcing Florence to slide all the way. The Hyotei captain continued attacking the corners while Florence started breathing heavily.

_So this is what it means,_ Florence watched Shizuru's eyes become even darker red. _Come on; show your teammates the monster you truly are!_

Shikako shook her head at Florence. "Geez," –she continued smiling her usual innocent way, "How can you be so foolhardy when Kurenai looks like she wants to tear you from limb to limb?"

"That's always been her style," a smooth voice came from behind as the smiling girl spun around. "Then again, this might not work in her favour this time."

"Kajimoto-_kun_," she stared at him, albeit shocked. "I thought..."

Kajimoto scratched his head. "Fudomine was really a big problem. We couldn't even get a point from Tachibana. To think I thought he gave up his violent style. So, did the _Shikabane Hime_ finally show her face or did she continue smiling like she always does?"

Matsuri glanced at her notes, throwing them to the ground with a snort. "All my data against her... useless..."

"Not all," Hikaru blew up a bubblegum, picking some of them up. "Florence-_chan_ did pick up something from it."

Matsuri gaped at the girl. "But all I got was...!"

"Tell me," Florence picked up the ball after Shizuru took another point. "When is your _Tsuuro no Shichihenge _going to come out?"

Everyone froze; Isane gaped. "But no one knew about that technique except Kotetsu-_buchou_ and Souma Fuuka!"

Florence smirked while tousling her hair back. "I've created a counter measure for that. Observe," –she readied her stance. "Come and attack me, Kurenai!"

Shizuru didn't waste any time in trying to attack her. Soon, the ball spun faster and faster until the fifth spin which became invisible to most. Ayane began rubbing her eyes while Kiyone became all swirly eyed and dropped on Haruka's lap. Rin on the other hand yanked her face as Hitomi caught most of them on camera.

Seeing the ball spin faster and faster, Mai stood up immediately. "Shizuru, stop the _Tsuuro no Shichihenge_! She's going to...!"

Shizuru watched the ball zoom past her but stood emotionlessly as the ball spun right on the baseline and nearly hit her squarely on the face if not for her racquet blocking it.

"Love – fifteen," Florence clucked her tongue.

"In exchange for increasing your skills," Florence glanced at Shizuru. "You threw away your merciful side... Good, show me everything you've hidden away!"

Lulu clucked her tongue. "I better call Naomi."

"Why," Ayane found Mai shivering. "Mai-_senpai_, are you okay?"

Mai bit her lip hard. "Shizuru, what is this... what are you...?"

Seeing Mai starting to babble nonsense, Ayane couldn't believe the dark side of their captain. She stared back at them which they couldn't believe they were seeing.

_It was eyes of a corpse._

Shizuru attacked again, throwing Florence off guard with a top spin backhand.

"Fifteen – all," Florence whistled in surprise as Shizuru began another attack.

Shikako glanced at Matsuri. "Are you getting everything down?"

Matsuri watched a crimson flash appear in different places. "That's why I'm using a camera... Their speed is almost invisible to the naked eye."

"Guys have more upper limb power than women," Hitomi scribbled down. "But, Kobayagi is quite the exception."

Kiyone nodded firmly. "Yeah, she has wrestlers for brothers!"

Shizuru went for another top spin drop shot while running towards the net. Florence smirked at the younger captain before tossing it towards the other side. Watching the rally progress, Mai bit her lip as Shizuru relentlessly attacked the older captain without letting out a sound. The _tensai_ watched the sweat pour down her best friend's face as the ball zoomed from left to right. Momo's jaw hung a bit as she glanced at Shizuru's knees.

"She better let go off that relentless style," Momo winced at the swelling at Shizuru's knee. "That leg's going to undergo surgery soon."

"Fifteen – thirty," Florence panted heavily while Shizuru stood there but soon, her knees buckled under her.

"_Buchou_," Isane and Rin ran towards her with Momo following behind while Ayane, Kiyone and Hitomi dashed past the _tensai_.

Florence watched Shizuru stand up again. _Hmph, so – you're going to be suicidal about it?_

"Stay where you are," Shizuru's serious tone caused the other members to freeze. "This match isn't over."

_Oh no, she ain't,_ Momo still advanced towards her. "Just because that idiot of a captain sacrificed his arm for victory doesn't mean you have to apply it to you! For the love of God, we can handle a reserve match! Who's more stupid: the stupid one or the one following the stupid one!"

Shizuru didn't respond as her eyes glimmered again before she faced Florence. Mai stood up and walked towards the arbiter, signalling for a time out. After the arbiter agreed, Momo hauled Shizuru on her back towards the chair while Haruka popped open a can of Coke and splashed it in Shizuru's face.

Coughing, Shizuru glanced up at Haruka who shook her head disapprovingly. "Guys, my leg is fine..."

Face palming, Momo pointed at her swollen knee. "Tell that to someone who's blind. Don't you dare pull off that damn stunt!"

"What stunt," Mai turned to Momo who sighed.

"We saw the game between Atobe and Tezuka awhile ago," Momo glared a bit at her captain. "After that, the stupid genius Tezuka decides to forsake his arm over victory. She's doing the exact same thing for the love of God! She thinks that victory is more important than her own health!"

They all stared at their captain as if she had grown a second head. "KURENAI-_BUCHOU_, ARE YOU NUTS!"

Shizuru stood up again, despite her leg shakily taking a stance. "I'm not nuts," – she flatly stated. "I'm going to get us to the Nationals, whether my leg likes it or not."

Mai bit her lip before walking over to Shizuru. "You..."

When Shizuru turned to face her, Mai slapped her across the face. "You stupid idiot, how could you not see that she's trying to tire you out! Are you that blind! Ever since awhile ago, Hoshimura's been forcing you to play as the _Shikabane Ginn'ei_ in order to turn your leg useless! Are you that unobservant!"

Shizuru remained quiet until she took a seat. "Then, do you have any better ideas?"

"I'd say give up but you'd make me run laps," Ayane shook her head. "Besides, unless – there's a reserve for Doubles then we have no way of winning."

Shizuru rubbed her knee a bit. "Tch, I didn't expect it to give out that fast."

"By the way, how were you able to make it last," Mai checked her watch. "Well, one set to you did end in thirty minutes flat. You're only in the first game and it's been past thirty minutes!"

On the other side, Florence folded her arms as she tapped her foot. "I didn't expect that to come out."

"Well, you're holding your own pretty well," Matsuri commented as she looked at the new sets of data. "A lot of people said that this is the 'true' Shizuru. That smiling one was just a total crap façade, considering it was more of a promise."

Florence's head swivelled towards the data girl's direction. "What do you mean?"

"Souma Fuuka has best experience with this," Matsuri checked her notes. "I clarified data with Amane-_san_ and it turns out what she used in the Nationals wasn't the _Teni Mu'hou_ as many say."

Shikako's eyes revealed themselves. "The _Teni Mu'hou_ taps into all the happy memories of tennis you have. Unfortunately, Kurenai Shizuru will never be able to do such a thing."

Florence pointed at the brunette seated at the Hyotei bench. "Clearly, she was smiling in her other matches."

"How sure are you that's real," Matsuri tilted her glasses a bit. "Honestly, Florence – I thought you could see through her."

Florence bit her lip. "I just never understood it. I understand people by seeing the colours from them. The thing is – Kurenai's is so dense I can barely see anything..."

"It's dark isn't it," Hikaru blew up another bubblegum as Florence remained silent. "I kinda figured that."

Florence hugged her body. "I've never felt anything so cold and sadistic in my life. It's like Shikako times fifty."

Shikako sighed. "Did you have to say it that way?"

"All those smiles are fake," Matsuri pointed out. "Can't you peel her open like a banana?"

Florence glanced back at the Hyotei bench and then smirked. "Hey, you actually gave me an idea..."

Shikako shook her head. "Don't leap just yet – she's still a captain."

Florence nodded as Shizuru and she returned to the court. "Are you ready?"

Shizuru nodded wordlessly while beginning her service. Florence narrowed her eyes, watching Shizuru's movement.

_Alright, show me those other demonic colours that your persona is made of..._

Soon, Florence started seeing other colours. Black, crimson, violet, gold and hints of dark blue flickered violently in front of her while Shizuru's smile returned onto her face.

"Hoshimura Florence has something called 'Prism Empathy'," Hitomi explained to the team as they watched Florence change stance.

Ayane gaped at her. "Is that even in English?"

Mai glanced at the honey haired captain. "Hoshimura can see what one feels by looking at the colours emitting from her opponent's body. Shizuru may be an empath but Hoshimura Florence is more exact; she can attribute each colour to different emotions. It's kind of like _Insight_ but hers is more colourful. That's why... they call her..."

"You're disheartened aren't you," Florence smirked as she forehanded the ball. "You're disheartened that you can't trust anyone because of your fear of being them getting hurt. You tend to run away from your own problems while you help others. With your leg collapsing under you, deep down – you already know that this game could end in my favour."

Shizuru's eyes slightly widened while everyone stared in shock as Mai bit her lip. "She is known as "Queen of Prisms"."

Shizuru sliced the ball. "I have no intention of explaining myself to you," –her voice remained polite despite the revelation.

"That's hilarious," Florence volleyed it over. "You want to silence me, don't you? You just have no idea how you're going to do it. Your eyes tell me everything... _Shikabane Ginn'ei. _Crimson Angel is just a title Naomi made up to disguise the true brutality of your power. _Ojou-sama_ is not that blind you know. Your polite self hides what the real "you" is. So tell me, what is the truth?"

Shizuru's eyes flickered angrily as she smashed the ball on Florence's side, "Thirty all!"

Florence laughed while pointing her racquet at the younger captain. "You're a bigger coward than you are, Kurenai! I'll peel you open like a banana when this match gets fun."

-That's chapter 28! I made sure there were a lot of insults coming here and there. Please review!


	29. Under the Smile, Shikabane Hime

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

**LivesForTennis0001:** Well, thank you for your review. I always appreciate those who review me! My writing's become better and better. I didn't know it was like that considering Tezuka's like that too. He's the one who gave her the drive after all. I thought stubbornness was a horrible trait though. Yes, Lulu is very disturbing. She's an erotic novel and erotic manga fan. I wanted Lulu to be very distinct so, there wasn't anything I could think of at that time. Also, I warned you – the Burned Mystery will at some point traumatize you since I've gotten a few reviews that they couldn't go to the bathroom alone or go look themselves in the mirror anymore. I hope you're not too traumatized by it. I'm glad that you're one of my fans considering this was my first PoT fics for tennis romance. The Burned Mystery, well – my inspiration comes from Edgar Allan Poe. May he rest in peace. By the way, your reviews are not painfully long. I mean you have spaces in between. Just space them right and I won't find them as long. Sticking them together makes me go blind. O_O

**Me:** This chapter will be different. Since everyone's been wanting to know why I don't consider Shizuru a Mary Sue (well at some point I do), here's the reason why.

Chapter 29 – Under the Smile, _Shikabane Hime no Shizuru_

Shikako smiled sardonically. "She's full of latent potential but... how long will her emotional stability hold?

Florence smirked while Shizuru's glare became harder than before. All the kindness in her eyes drained itself as the "Hyotei Angel" took her stance. Florence watched the ball sail towards her right side as she hit it down the line. Shizuru ran the shot down while Florence dropped it over. Shizuru flashed at the net while Florence appeared as well. Two flashing lights appeared in the courts revealing both girls to run each other to the ground.

"Rainbow_-san _has a funny talent,"Kiyone nodded vigorously. "Shizu-_nee_'s being pushed into a corner."

Momo watched the ball slam against Shizuru's racquet. "It's something that doesn't happen most of the time. Hoshimura is usually defeated by Souma so we never had a chance really to play against them until now. Yukimura was usually her opponent but she wasn't this fearsome."

"Forty – thirty," Florence wiped the sweat off her brow.

"I'm impressed," Florence chuckled inwardly. "Your emotional stability is stronger than I thought. Most would cry at the sight of their true attitudes being revealed."

However, Mai hung her head. "It's in her eyes..."

Shizuru felt her body tremble as the whole scene looked like it was stabbing her head. She gripped her racquet tightly as Florence stared down at her. Everyone watched Florence glow blue and gold again while Shizuru's aura started changing again.

"You," Death stared back at Florence.

Rin clung onto Haruka. "I thought only Momo-_chan_ could do something like that."

Shikako smirked as she watched the second year captain flare up. "Izanami's made her appearance."

Hikari turned to the smiling Wild Card. "Why did you call her Izanami? I mean... isn't she..."

"You should brush up on your Theology," Matsuri explained to the younger senior. "Izanami was the mother goddess of all Shinto gods. She died giving birth to _Hi no Kugutsuchi_, the god of fire. When Izanagi tried to track her down from _Yomi_, she was already decaying."

"But," Hikari raised an eyebrow before tilting her head to the side. "She's not dead."

Matsuri face palmed. "Hikari, honestly – did you even get the symbolism? Shizuru hid her brutality under her smiling façade the same way Izanami hid her decaying self in her shining glory."

Haruka glanced over to Jyosei Shounan. "They're talking about Shizuru as if she was some monster or something."

"Shizuru doesn't look it so they tend to make funny conclusions," Hitomi placed her hand on Haruka's shoulder. "Though I wonder, where did that thing come from?"

Everyone turned to Mai for answers. The _tensai_ exchanged glances with them before sighing outwardly.

"It all started two years ago when we were about to graduate," Mai hung her head. "Before we left elementary school, I got bullied by her step brothers. They were already high school and they kept picking on me for no reason at all. They pestered me constantly just because I was her friend but one time... it went too far."

Ayane gulped. "Then what happened?"

"Before I knew it," Mai shook her head. "I was in the hospital and Shizuru was sitting next to me with her usual smile. But, under that smile I could feel it..."

Kiyone clung onto Ayane with her eyes widening. "Is it bad like Momo-_senpai_?"

"Could be worse," Mai sighed before leaning against her elbows. "I've never seen it but I've felt it."

Momo glanced at Shizuru. "Well, it's about time we see this to the end."

"I wouldn't say double," Hitomi's glasses glinted a bit. "I'd say what we see everyday isn't 'her'."

Florence sniggered as another drive came at her left side. Shizuru's eyes remained lifeless as her body flashed in all directions. Florence easily kept up with the _Shunpo_ despite everything while finding places to attack. Florence watched the aura Shizuru emitted fluctuate as it created another set of colours.

_So, now it's red and black only,_ Florence smirked inwardly as she backhanded the ball towards the corner. "Typical for someone whose real self is more brutal – you're trying to silence me, Kurenai."

Shizuru didn't respond but continued getting increasingly aggressive towards the Jyosei Shounan captain.

"You're afraid," Florence sniggered while continuing to defend. "You're afraid to lose everything that you possibly called 'family'. These so called 'friends' you earned with that façade of yours will vanish because you constantly lied to them. You're nothing but a hypocrite by your own words. You believe in nonviolence and mercy when you're the living embodiment of it!"

Mai bit her lip; Isane clasped her hands together. _Shizuru, please... don't crack under the pressure. She's lying!_

Ayane and Kiyone held on to each other as Florence started attacking the corners while Shizuru returned them with the same tactic. Hitomi scribbled down as fast as she could while Matsuri continued to video the entire match. Momo curled her hand into a fist when Haruka shook her head.

_This has to stop,_ Haruka dug her nails into her palm. _If Shizuru continues to fight at this rate, she won't be walking for the Nationals!_

Shizuru missed the next smash as it cracked in between her feet.

"Deuce," Shizuru glared at the sniggering Jyosei Shounan captain.

"You should use that time to think of a plan," Florence turned her back at Shizuru. "Instead of glaring at me, figure out how you're going to make me eat my words. Though, I doubt you'll be able to."

Ayane shivered at Florence's tone. "How can she be that evil?"

"Eeeeeh, it'as like wondering why mole diva's ego is the size of Andromeda," Kiyone waved her hands in the air frantically. "You should remember that, Yane-Yane! I thought you were the elephant!"

Ayane grabbed the girl by the collar. "Hey, what's it with you anyway!"

"Your IQ's been shot ever since mole diva's been hanging out with you," Kiyone puffed up her cheeks.

Haruka grabbed the both of them, separating them. "Guys, quit talking about him for once and figure out how to fix Shizuru-_buchou_!"

Ayane and Kiyone exchanged glances with one another. "There's a way?"

"We don't know," Hitomi closed her notebook sadly. "We've never seen her this way. I don't think Kotetsu-_buchou_ ever did either."

Haruka turned to Isane who still kept her hands clasped tightly. "Do you think Ferero-_senpai_ did?"

"Possibly," Momo shrugged nonchalantly. "But, if you look at it – it's not out of anger."

They all stared at the _Shinigami. _"How can you possibly say that?"

"You guys are thinking too much with her current personality," Momo pointed out. "You guys failed to deduce that the 'Shizuru' we've always seen could be the fake one. This could be the real girl. Not only that, if you watch her movements carefully – if anger or rage based, she would be sending Hoshimura to the wall. Right now, what do you think she's doing?"

Hitomi smiled bitterly. "How can you easily see things like this?"

"The eyes have always been the gateway to the soul," Momo calmly folded her arms. "If it's one thing that Genichirou taught me, it's that if they won't talk - their eyes will talk for them."

Rin whimpered behind Haruka. "You're telling me that you've seen her this way before?"

"She doesn't get angry," Momo flatly stated. "If I were to describe her personality, it would be the reason why Atobe and she are not fond of each other. Ice and Fire react - hence Ayane and Atobe but she's water and he's ice, nothing to it."

Hitomi tilted her glasses. "Kurenai-_buchou_ has a high forgiveness level compared to most captains. Considering my loss and Mai's, if it were Atobe – rubbing it in our faces would be the first thing."

"If it were Sanada," Momo snickered to herself. "Our cheeks would be sore and we'd be nicknamed the "Tomato Faces"."

Mai balled her hand into a fist. "Momo-_senpai_, you told us that Kotetsu-_buchou_ made you promise something before. What was it?"

Momo tapped her chin but became serious after seeing glowering amber orbs. "Initially, if it wasn't for my loss against Shizuru and my downright hot tempered personality in second year – the captaincy would have gone to me. Thing is, Shizuru won in both categories. However, Kotetsu-_buchou_ spoke to me after graduation."

(Flashback: Hyotei Gakuen, one year ago)

"Momo-_chan_," Naomi kindly called out to the purple haired Sanada who walked down from the hallway. "Would you like to join me for a drink?"

Momo stared at her quizzically. "I thought you would rather stick your head into a toilet than eat with me, Kotetsu."

"Momo," Naomi shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "I'm not quite adept in doing tea ceremonies – do you mind teaching me?"

_Crap, she's giving me that smile,_ Momo sighed inwardly. "Fine, fine, give me a minute."

The two entered the increasingly elaborate cafeteria of Hyotei Gakuen as Naomi and Momo sat across each other.

"So," Momo passed her tea to the captain, crossing her arms and legs after. "What's this so called urgent matter you wanted me to deal with?"

Naomi sipped a bit before glancing sadly at Momo. "It's about Shizuru."

"What about her," Momo popped open an orange soda. "She's everything you wanted her to be, what's wrong with her now? You made her into this tennis machine that has no feelings whatsoever."

Naomi shook her head. "It's not that she has no emotions. Actually," –she smiled bitterly. "She has a lot of it."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Oh so, protégé decides to turn against mentor or something? I'd understand actually – you weren't the best."

"You're the one who knows how to deal with losses the best," Naomi placed her cup down. "After Midoriyama left, you..."

Momo slammed her can on the table. "Spare me the details and get to the point. If you're here to waste my time then, go do your victory dance already, Kotetsu."

"Shizuru came crying to me after the graduation," Naomi smiled bitterly until she heard a snicker which soon became a loud laugh.

"Hah, that machine can cry," Momo wiped a tear from her eye. "Damn, never thought I wouldn't hear it! So, she's developed emotions – whoopee."

Naomi slammed her hands on the table, standing up and startling the second year student. "Momo, that's enough! Maybe I should have entrusted this to Isane instead."

Calming herself down, Momo took a normal sitting again. "Okay, okay, I'll stop laughing. Go on, tell me."

"Shizuru doesn't know how to express herself," Naomi sat down again. "One day, all those emotions will go out of control."

Momo shrugged nonchalantly. "No duh, Sherlock. You made her abandon everything including her best friend."

"I didn't force her," Naomi's tone became a little colder.

Momo glared back at the former captain. "Screw that, Mai doesn't even know how to talk to her anymore! That's what I don't get! Why did you choose her? For the love of God, she's a first year! Sure, she's got latent abilities but you forgot to consider – she's just a damn kid! She can't tell what's neutral! To her, everything you say is white and everybody who hates you is black! So, give me ten good reasons before I turn around and leave...!"

Naomi didn't say anything as Momo got up. "You're wasting my time."

As Momo got to the door, Naomi whispered. "Momo, just promise me..."

"Promise you what," Momo hissed before swinging the door open but stopped when she saw tears slipping from the older captain's eyes.

"Promise me that you'll watch over her," Naomi smiled gently. "She needs someone to make her more..."

Momo snickered to herself. "Yeah, she needs someone who'll make her more human. That's what."

Naomi hung her head. "Please Momo, I'm not begging you as your captain but," –she got on her knees, sobbing quietly. "But, I'm asking you as a friend... as a _senpai_. You're going to be her _senpai_ next year... I don't expect drastic results but maybe – just help her deal with the pressure."

(End of Flashback)

"Seeing Kotetsu kneel in front of me proved how serious she was," Momo hung her head. "I didn't take it seriously until now. I always thought that Shizuru had a disease in the hypothalamus."

Rin gaped at the violet haired _Shinigami_. "What the heck is the...?"

Hitomi explained to the black haired acrobat. "The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls the emotions. But, point aside – what did you answer her?"

Momo bit her lip as she recalled her reply.

(Flashback)

"I'll erase it," Momo smirked causing Naomi to snap her head up.

"What," Naomi watched Momo smirk at her as she pointed at her face.

Momo gleefully smirked at the older captain. "I'll erase every memory she has of you! I won't just remove the pressure but all the crap you've dumped on her!"

(End of Flashback)

"You told her that," Isane stared aghast at the _Shinigami_ who simply shrugged.

"She deserved that," Momo waved her hand dismissively. "Shizuru may be strong but her strength is not real... Tell me, who do you see on the court right now?"

They all swivelled their heads to the court. "Shizuru, _kuwee~_," Rin turned back to Ayane who slapped the black haired acrobat on the head. "Owie, what was that for?"

"Don't go philosophical on me," Momo shook her head as her dark eyes focvused on Shizuru's form. "Check her form again."

Hitomi looked back until she compared her data. "It's... Kotetsu-_buchou_."

"That's right," Momo folded her arms. "Everything that Kotetsu says to her is her creed. She won't break it, question it or even wonder how she came up with that kind of law. In other words, Shizuru doesn't exist. That thing over there is just a carbon copy of the captain of three years."

Ayane shook her head. "You can't say that! She hasn't...!"

"She was like you," Haruka sadly glanced at the younger vice captain. "Innocent, doesn't get anything right unless yelled at, increasingly friendly and talented, divinely kind but look at her now. She's already started breaking you two apart. Getsugan Kiyone's her new successor, tell me – has she told you anything?"

Ayane bit her tongue until she hung her head. "No, she hasn't."

"We were like you two before," Mai averted her gaze from the court. "Everything we did - we were together. Shizuru was more like Kiyone except more shy and sweet. I took the role of beating up the bullies unless it got ugly."

"No offense to Kotetsu that she was a great captain," Momo shook her head. "But when friendships came about, she shattered them. The same way she did to Shizuru in order to bring us to the Nationals. Instead of her sacrificing, Shizuru did all the sacrificing..."

Haruka nodded as she imagined it. "Actually, you do have a point..."

"Game, Kurenai: three games to two!"

The whole Hyotei turned their head towards Shizuru whose knee looked like one huge blister. She lifelessly sauntered back to the baseline while Florence began breathing heavily.

"You're running away," Florence snickered as she went back to the baseline to start her service. "You're such a moron. You're still hanging on to her words aren't you?"

Momo face palmed. "See? Even Hoshimura knows Shizuru's blind loyalty to Kotetsu. I'm sure even Souma has that kind of intuition too."

Everyone checked Shizuru to see her reaction but the girl simply lifted her head but lowered her stance.

"Come at me, Hoshimura-_san_," Shizuru monotonously commanded as she waited for the ball.

Haruka blinked in realization. "Wait a minute; I know what that personality of hers does now!"

They all turned to Haruka as she pointed at Shizuru. "All her pain receptors are shut down in turn to enhance the motor neurons in the body. Remember I splashed her with coke awhile ago?"

"I'm sure you're running laps tomorrow," Isane sighed, scratching her head sheepishly.

Haruka waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, it's worth it. She felt the splash but she didn't say how cold it was did she? That thing was ice cold!"

Ayane snapped her fingers. "Wait my brother said something about this; he said that humans acquire superhuman abilities when they're backed into a corner!"

"Or when they feel they're at their wits' end," Hitomi scrawled on her notebook. "Somehow, her over-emotional state helps her place her mind in a corner."

Mai shook her head. "No, you're all wrong..."

They all swivelled their heads towards Mai. "Shizuru does have this problem with her sensory neurons - it's either their all bunched up together which is why in some parts of her body she can't feel anything. But Hitomi's half right that her over-emotional state helps her induce the condition of being backed into a corner."

Staying silent, Ayane turned to watch her captain who emotionlessly and lifelessly took out shots left and right. Florence didn't seem the least bit rattled despite running left and right with forehands and backhands. Shizuru winced a bit as Florence smashed right in between her feet.

"Love – fifteen," Ayane stared in shock as Florence brushed back her hair.

"Hahahahaha," Florence chuckled at Shizuru. "Now, you begin to feel it. The effects of all your reckless and blind loyalty to that useless captain of yours back then. She couldn't even take a point off me!"

Ayane gulped while turning to Hitomi. "Is that true?"

"Yes at some point," Hitomi calmly stated as she showed Florence's stats to the vice captain. "Kotetsu-_buchou_ only won a few points here and there but that's it. Other than that, she didn't win a single game against her. We only discovered her abilities too late."

Shizuru collapsed with her feet aching badly and knees swollen like a blister. Her eyes became clear again as she faced Florence, breathing heavily. "You're lying..."

"Face it," Florence snorted while turning away. "Kotetsu Naomi's nothing but a liar. Everyone knows that even you deep down..."

Shizuru gripped her skirt, tears forming at her eyes. "That's a lie...!"

Everyone had never seen anyone break their captain in pieces the same way Florence did it. Mai had never seen Shizuru cry, Kiyone had witnessed fear in the captain's eyes before but that was just it. Ayane stood up, running to her captain despite the protests.

"You shut the hell up," Ayane seethed through her teeth. "I bet talking's all you do!"

Florence tossed a string of her hair back. "Please, I know things about you too – you're annoyed by your captain that she's taking Kiyone away from you. You also feel jealous that you're not exactly the best example as vice captain since you use your mouth to think more. Honestly, did you think you could hide your weak over-emotional self with your loud obnoxious mouth? Tell that to someone who's actually gullible enough. Besides, can you defend your claim with your racquet?"

Ayane froze as Shizuru stood up, pointing her racquet at Florence. "You have no right... to say things like that."

"What? Are you afraid to face the truth, Kurenai?" Florence snickered as she turned away. "If you can't handle it, turn back now. I'll just have to tell my _senpai-tachi_ to tell your beloved "Naomi-_mama_" that you're nothing but an egotistical brat. You're not even worth my breath, why am I even wasting it on you?"

Shikako stood up. "Florence, that's enough! You don't have to bash her that hard!"

"I've heard enough that she can take the tennis world by storm," Florence sniggered at the frozen vice captain. "Yes, yes, let's not deny the fact that she's almost equal to Sanada or Tezuka but someone's bound to know that she's nothing but a spoiled little girl who doesn't know the true meaning of tennis."

_A true meaning?_ _Was there even such a thing, _Shizuru glanced at her racquet until a crisp sound sent her spiralling to the floor. "What the world-?"

"Are you going to let her step on you," Ayane placed her hands on her hips. "_Buchou_, Atobe insults better than that!"

Mai signalled a time out which made Ayane drag Shizuru by the arm. "Shizuru, listen: everything you learned from Kotetsu-_buchou_, drop it right now."

"But, she always," Shizuru got slapped by Mai this time.

Mai pulled her hand over her face. "Will you stop talking about her? It's "Naomi this", "Naomi that", God – will you ever stop! Every time we go out, it's always about her! But this game isn't about her – it's about you," –she jabbed her finger at Shizuru's face. "So, pull it together before I smack your face and you become the first Tomato Face of the Tomato Face people!"

Momo stared at Mai. "You really want us to get slapped by Sanada don't you?"

"No," Mai snapped at Momo. "I couldn't think of any better name!"

Haruka sighed before walking over to Shizuru. "I'm sorry but I can't think of a better way to phrase it: Shizuru, you're the most vunlerable among us in the team."

Everyone stared at Haruka as if she had grown a second head. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Your personality's a mess," Haruka mildly admitted. "Face it, we've never seen the real you because you became someone you could never be. You aspired and tried to be Kotetsu Naomi but, where did it get you? You became nothing but a mess. What we want is not just the Nationals," –her hand extended to the younger. "But to win the Nationals with our **REAL** captain. So tell me, the Shizuru we've always come to know – is she nothing but a living lie?"

Shizuru hung her head as Rin showed her a white shell bracelet. "Remember this? Didn't you and Mai make it for us when you were first year? I've worn it everyday, no matter what. Somehow, it gave me hope that the baby birds we found back then were still here instead of these shells. How much," Rin began to sniffle and cry. "How much farther do you want to destroy yourself?"

Momo gulped, whispering to Isane. "She didn't use _kuwee_."

"That proves how much Rin likes her," Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "Rin's always been the affectionate one."

Rin sniffed, wiping her nose. "STOP BEING SO SUICIDAL! IT DOESN'T JUST HURT YOU!"

Everyone stumbled back, shocked by the black haired acrobat's yell. Rin never shouts unless it's out of glee and she plans to glomp someone or whimper behind someone.

"She's right," Haruka stood in front of the crying acrobat. "Just because you're suicidal doesn't make you a hero. If you keep all the pain inside, the people around you can feel it ten times worse than you."

Mai hung her head. "Kotetsu _-buchou_ said to sacrifice everything you have to win right? But, does that include the family you've always wanted!"

Shizuru couldn't say anything; her head throbbed in pain with all of them yelling at her all at the same time. "I..."

"This has to end now," Momo shook her head with a dejected sigh until she cornered Shizuru with her racquet against the wall, earning her shocked faces from both Jyosei Shounan and Hyotei. "Tell me, what's your name?"

Shizuru didn't understand where this was going. "Kurenai Shizuru..."

"I don't see the conviction there," Momo pressed the racquet even harder "What's your name?"

"K-Kurenai Shizuru," Shizuru whispered until Momo slammed her again.

"Say it louder," Momo coldly glared at Shizuru. "Show me that person we've come to love and respect."

Hitomi pulled Momo's shoulder back. "Momo, enough!"

"She needs to hear this," Momo nudged Hitomi back with her shoulder. "Did you ever hear how much Kotetsu hated you?"

Now, Shizuru stared at her with glassy eyes. "W-What?"

"She hated your guts for being such a kind girl," Momo bit her lip, lowering her voice into a fierce whisper. "Why do you think she kept you so close to her? There's a saying that goes "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer". Shizuru, how stupid could you be to not see that she was just using you to get to the Nationals? How could you possibly enjoy living a nightmare of no freedom?"

Isane shook her head. "I wouldn't say hate but we didn't have a Singles Three player at that time and..."

"Midoriyama had that spot," Momo pulled back from the captain a bit. "But that doesn't change my argument. Kotetsu was this conniving treacherous bitch that you never came to see. She was always about tennis yes, fine. That's a good thing but look how far she destroyed you!"

Hitomi pinched Momo's arm to loosen the female Sanada's lock on the captain. "Our point is – who are you really? Will you show us what happened to that first year before she got changed?"

Shizuru didn't say anything until a voice came from the bleachers. "Shizuru, come on! Aren't you going to show me how to kick ass?"

They swivelled their heads up and found Kiyone with Shishido and Ohtori.

"Kiyone," Haruka gaped at the smaller girl. "How were you able to find them so fast?"

Kiyone shrugged nonchalantly as Shishido got Momo let Shizuru go "Listen, I know you. Everyone's saying the truth. So, will you run or show us that it isn't the truth about you at all?"

Ohtori nodded with a sad smile. "I mean – it's not that we hate you but... whenever we look at you, it's not you at all."

Hearing their voices echo in her head, Shizuru tried to hold back her emotions but her body trembled in response. Her throat tightened as she watched them stare at her for the next few minutes. Everything she had believed in was all a lie? That was something she never expected to hear from Momo of all people. Haruka averted her gaze while Rin continued to sob. Momo's glare became even more petrifying and Mai pat Rin on the back. Isane stood far while Hitomi closed her notebook.

"Shizuru," Hitomi sadly sighed. "Maybe this is why – you weren't as strong as you wanted to be."

Shizuru felt her body shiver at the sad gazes of her teammates. Taking a look at her racquet, Shizuru found herself standing there without knowing what to do with herself anymore.

"That's also one of the main reasons why Sacrifice is part of the top ten reasons for death," Mai knitted her eyebrows. "It meant death of a lot of things."

Rin sniffled, wiping her tears. "Will you at least try to trust us again?"

"If you can't handle the weight of the torch," Mai grabbed Shizuru's collar, keeping her tears from falling. "Then, I'll help you! I'll make sure we all get to the Nationals! It isn't just us, it's also you! You're not the only one who wants to hold the torch! We can't have Momo-_senpai_, Haruka-_senpai_, Rin-_senpai_ and Hitomi-_senpai_ leaving us with our team broken – right!"

Lowering her eyes, the Hyotei captain stared at the floor and her racquet. Her ears screamed with a buzzing noise and Mai's teary eyed face didn't help make things better. Although it meant letting go of everything she believed, was staying true to Kotetsu Naomi worth it?

Shizuru hung her head and unclipped her necklace, staring at it for a few moments. "Shishido-_senpai_, one favour..."

"Wow, you didn't use 'please'," Shishido nodded in shock. "So, what do you want me to do with the necklace?"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes at it. "Throw it away."

Shishido stepped back. "What! Didn't... Naomi... give...?"

"I know," Shizuru stared at it ruefully. "But she's the same person who ruined everything for me even though she got me to the top. I don't want to look at that necklace ever again. Also," –she snatched Shishido's cap. "Borrow this."

Shishido jumped for his cap. "Hey, that's mine!"

Shizuru wore it backwards with her ponytail tied up tightly. "I know," –she smiled.

Shishido twitched. "But...! Ah, never mind!"

Florence returned to the court as she bounced the ball. "So, who's this Shizuru now?"

"The one," Shizuru smiling faintly while lowering her racquet. "I'm the Shizuru that's going to take your place in the Nationals."

Shishido whistled. "Whoops, I think I taught her that."

Rin pretended to gnaw at him. "You're supposed to be a good role model! How come she became like that, _kuwee~_?"

Ohtori stood in between Rin and Shishido. "_Senpai-tachi_, please don't kill each other!"

Rin watched Shizuru ready herself for Florence service. "What now?"

"We'll just have to watch," Haruka sighed as the two held on to each other.

Ayane bit her nail while Mai watched intently. The whole court fell into a silence as Shizuru and Florence faced each other again.

"You know," Shizuru swung left and right. "You were right."

Florence stopped bouncing the ball, staring at her. "What did you say?"

"I said "you were right"," Shizuru calmly fixed her racquet strings. "But, you're wrong on one thing too."

Florence folded her arms. "What would that be?"

"I wasn't afraid to lose my family," Shizuru glanced back at them. "At one point, I was but then – Momo-_senpai_ helped me remember something."

Cocking her head to the side, Florence winced as Shizuru's faint smile changed into a smirk despite the polite tone. "You're strong, you're fast and you're...uh... I don't know any better term but... I'm just stronger and faster than you. Perhaps, this game has already been in my favour."

Florence glared at her. "Why you cur...!"

Shishido laughed, holding his sides. "Hahahahaha, way to go!"

Ohtori scratched his head. "Uh, I guess..."

"Well, this sounds more like her," Hitomi nodded while glancing at Momo. "I guess you're living up to your promise."

Momo stared at the data girl. "What promise are you talking about?"

They all stared at Momo again. "MOMO, HOW CAN YOU FORGET!"

Momo chuckled at their faces. "Hmph, you guys can't take a joke."

Shizuru served quickly but Florence backhanded the ball towards the corner. Smiling in replacement of her glare, Shizuru forehanded it back towards the left corner and forced Florence to run to the front. Flashing towards the net, Shizuru volleyed it right in between Florence's feet.

"Fifteen all," Florence glanced at where the shot had landed.

Shizuru returned to the baseline. "Hoshimura-_san_, please don't hold back."

Florence snickered to herself. "Well, quite a paradigm I'd say. You changed after a few slams against the wall. How sure can I be that this person is you?"

"Use your Prism Insight then," Shizuru got ready to serve.

Florence analysed the colours and it was still there but the black and the red weren't so clashing anymore. The black started changing into a wildly flashing gold and the blue vanished from the black and red aura as Florence continued to analyse Shizuru's behaviour. To this, she simply smirked.

_Black is known as the absence of all colours,_ Florence lowered her stance. _Not only that, it's also recognition of darkness within the heart. I see gold now... Interesting colour combo..._

Releasing the serve, Shizuru sent it by Florence who returned it with double the force. Shizuru released the same aura which Florence quadrupled it but Shizuru managed to trip it over the net. Florence let out a low growl, returning it with a slice but Shizuru slammed it to the other side.

"Thirty – fifteen," Florence glared at the ground.

_Tch, I didn't expect her to improve so fast,_ Florence curled her hand into a fist while her body started glowing. "Well, time to slow things down for you then."

"Her _Hyakuren _changed form again," Hitomi scribbled down. "From a Nightingale, Hoshimura's animal has become..."

Kiyone gulped as she stared at its size. "Why did Rainbow_-san_ summon a car brand_?" (Lynx for cat and Lynx for car)_

"A wildcat known for acuity of vision, rapid cleverness, mental alertness ," Momo saw the appearance. "The question is – what's _buchou_'s going to be?"

Shizuru took in a deep breath, slowly revealing a different form. Her _Hyakuren_ made an appearance but of something else.

Ayane gaped. "What is that?"

Kiyone stared in awe, Momo rubbed her eyes before watching the form appear.

"_Hou~_," Florence sniggered as she tousled her hair. "What's that creature?"

The aura danced around, revealing a small bird but slowly increased itself in size. Hitomi quickly jotted down notes as Isane's eyes widened in amazement and Ayane started taking pictures.

"A sparrow," Florence brushed her hair back. "Interesting, tell me – for what reason did that creature become your animal?"

"I thought the guys can do this too," Isane turned to Hitomi. "Why can't they?"

Ayane giggled to herself. "Their egos make it impossible for them to see."

"Ayane's half right," Haruka nodded as she explained to the taller senior. "Men have pride in power so sometimes, small details escape them. One good example: Atobe Keigo."

Shishido waved his hands. "Hey, on behalf of the male population – we're not that arrogant."

"Ohtori's an exception," Haruka placed her hands on her hips, pinching the taller boy's cheeks which caused the sophomore to blush. "I mean – he doesn't know the meaning of arrogance and is humble at least about his achievements. You... I don't know."

Shishido glared at the pink haired control specialist. "Hey, I resent that!"

Ohtori tried to break up the fight. "But, I still don't get it. She had this ever since before then, why did it never have any form?"

Momo's dark eyes analysed the sparrow. "I know where this came from. Sparrows... mean "gentleness". Shizuru only became a monster because of Kotetsu's way of training her. That's why her _Hyakuren_ had no form."

"The conflict between her two halves made the sparrow," Isane watched Shizuru's gentle smile appear on her face again. "It seems that the real one has won."

Ayane tapped her chin. "Hmmm, I wonder what mine is."

"Think about it when you get _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_," Haruka ruffled the strawberry blonde girl's hair. "I'm sure it would be like an ox or something."

Ayane pouted impishly. "Hey, why's my animal that weird?"

"Yane-Yane's big and scary," Kiyone tapped her chin until she brightened up with a childish grin. "She could be a bear! No, no, no, even an elephant! That'd be so cool!"

Ayane roared at her and started strangling the smaller girl. "HEY, YOU LITTLE! I BET YOU GET A CROW FOR YOUR _HYAKUREN NO _BLAH BLAH BLAH!"

"It's _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_," Mai face palmed at the two.

"WHATEVER," Ayane shrieked back while continuing to shake Kiyone silly.

Hitomi sighed as she wrote down on her notebook. "This is the fifth time that Ayane has strangled Kiyone in public."

Rin cheekily smiled. "I'm sure there's a reason why they do it all the time. I mean – Haruka and I have the "please-don't-glomp-me-but-I-know-you'll-do-it-anyway" relationship! Ayane and Kiyone have the "shut-up-about-Atobe-or-I'll-strangle-you-relationship", _kuwee~_!"

"Game, Kurenai: four games to two!"

Haruka punched the air. "Keep at it,_ buchou_!"

Florence smirked as she fired the service with a fast spin. It vanished the moment it crossed the net, rendering Shizuru vulnerable.

"Fifteen – love," Shizuru looked back and forth. Where did the ball go?

Florence pointed at the hedges. "Look behind you, sweetheart."

Shizuru stared at the rapidly spinning ball before it finally stopped cutting the leaves. "Wow, that's new."

"Yep, that's definitely new," Haruka gulped. "I didn't know the _Hyakuren_ could be that deadly."

Hitomi shook her head. "The _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ only amplifies returns not serves. So, this only means one thing..."

"That's Hoshimura's true strength," Mai watched Florence bounce the ball, eyeing it carefully. "Hey," -she pointed out to the captain. "Shizuru, the sun rises in the east not the west."

Everyone stared at Mai. "What the hell was that?"

Shizuru blinked in realization before casting a glance at Florence's stance. _Wait, her right side...?_

Florence's right foot started twitching which gave Shizuru the signal. "Thank you!"

Watching the ball vanish from the net, Shizuru flashed towards the net only to miss it by a large gap.

"Thirty – love," Florence made a sizzling sound as she placed her thumb at her side.

Shizuru watched the ball slash the hedges again as she waited for Florence's next serve. _Her right foot is the signal... _

Florence fired a normal serve which Shizuru doubled the return and Florence quadrupled it. The ball vanished from people's line of sight as the two continued playing. Matsuri tried to follow it but her phone died out of strain and Shikako's eyes were bleeding from not blinking. René and Miho made sign language to each other, showing that they could see the battle either way. Momo couldn't help but drop her jaw while Ayane looked left and right but threw her hands up in the air. Kiyone tugged her collar, gulping while Haruka and Rin held on to the hope that Shizuru would win the wild rally.

"Forty – love," the ball curved in a ninety degree angle causing Shizuru to stumble back slightly.

Florence placed her racquet on her shoulder. "I guess I'm just too strong for you, little girl."

Shizuru looked at where the ball had made its mark as she went to receive Florence's serve again. Despite the reinforced power, the result was the same.

"Game, Hoshimura: three games to four!"

Florence clucked her tongue. "You may have acquired a new sense of power but you have no idea how to control it. The _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ slows down the movement in order to put more power into the shot. After all, there is no such thing as a perfect technique."

Haruka sighed while shaking her head. "Wow, I think I'm going blind. Shizuru-_buchou_, can I go to the bathroom? My eyes need to cry a bucket."

Shizuru laughed softly at Haruka's excuse. "Alright, you may."

Haruka silently cheered before leaving and Hitomi somehow heard a distinct _Hallelujah_ from Haruka's direction. "Boy, she had quite a heyday. I wouldn't be surprised though."

()()()()

Haruka strode with her hands behind her head. "Aaaah, this is such a relief! I thought I was going crazy back there."

Walking around, Haruka heard a few yells coming from behind the bushes.

"_Ne, _Jackal-_senpai_," a voice whined out of boredom. "I want a good match! Is there anybody here who's good!"

_Wait; did he just say Jackal-senpai?_ Haruka raised an eyebrow before looking through the bushes. "Isn't that boy...?"

The dark Brazilian shrugged while patting the seaweed haired boy on the back. "I hear Seigaku's good this year, Kirihara."

Kirihara stamped his foot on the ground. "But only Tezuka-_san_ is good there and Atobe busted him up before we got to him!"

Jackal shook his head. "I'm sure there's someone here."

Haruka blushed a bit. _Darn it, his sweat is making his shirt stick to his abs!_

"Well, well, well," a sniggering voice came from behind. "I didn't know you were such a stalker, Haruka-_sama_."

Haruka jerked up immediately, seeing her sister. "I AM NOT A STALKER!"

However, what the pink haired girl didn't realize was that Jackal and Kirihara distinctly heard her.

"Hikifumi-_san_, is that you?"

Haruka froze immediately, despite seeing the snigger on her sister's face. "Uh," –she turned around with a sheepish smile. "Hi, Jackal-_san_! Nice to meet you, uh..."

"Kirihara Akaya," the seaweed haired boy folded his arms with a sulk. "What are you doing stalking me?"

Jackal face palmed. _Why does he think everyone's after him? God, I think Marui or Atobe did something to him._

Haruka waved her hands dismissively. "No, no, no, you got it all wrong! I just suddenly screamed! Yeah, it's because my sister surprised me and accused me of such a stupid act!"

_Ino, you biatch,_ Haruka growled mentally while thinking up ways to torture her.

"_Senpai_," Kirihara poked Jackal. "Somehow, I can see a huge volcano bursting behind her."

Haruka stopped immediately and tried to smile, only managing to twitch. "Ah, don't worry about it! It's a sister thing!"

Ino sniggered in the background as Haruka glared back at the girl. "Well, I got to go. You go help yourself, dear sister."

Haruka inhaled sharply. _I'm not going to let my anger get the best of me. Ino is just Ino, nobody else._

"You okay," Jackal handed her a soda from a plastic bag.

Haruka nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I'm just great! Yeah, no problem!"

Kirihara shook his head. "She's really weird, _senpai_. I don't think we should even talk to her."

Jackal slapped Kirihara lightly. "Kirihara," he chided the younger. "Don't say things like that!"

"It's okay," Haruka waved her hand dismissively. "I was the one acting strange. But, yeah – what are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you guys be done with your matches already?"

Kirihara puffed up. "Yeah, you betcha! I wonder why you're here. Shouldn't you be done by now?"

"Yeah," Haruka managed to calm herself down. "It's just our captain. She's kinda suicidal."

Jackal chuckled lightly. "I think I know what you mean."

"Well, it can't be helped now can it?" Haruka shrugged it off. "She is trying to make everyone happy."

Jackal stared at her. "Wow, that's something I haven't heard about a captain. I mean – our _fukubuchou_ is like that at one point."

It was Kirihara's turn to stare at his _senpai_. "What? Are you serious, _senpai_? Did she make you go all crazy or something? _Fukubuchou_ always slaps us!"

"That's all you, Kirihara," Jackal sighed, face palming until he heard a slight giggle. "What is it?"

Haruka stifled her laughter. "I'm sorry, he reminds me so much of my doubles partner. Rin-_chan_'s like that too."

"She complains a lot?" Jackal chuckled a bit. "I thought she would be more... well, cooperative."

Haruka shrugged meekly. "Well, it can't be helped. She's just very energetic."

Jackal glanced at Kirihara who snorted. "Well, at least she's not vain or doesn't crack weird jokes."

"It makes it interesting though," Haruka turned to Kirihara. "I guess you're just being babysat?"

Kirihara glared at her. "I don't need a babysitter! But noooo, Sanada-_fukubuchou_ won't let me go alone!"

Jackal shook his head. "That's because you're usually caught up in some weird trouble God knows what! Geez, you're going to make me grow hair soon."

"I thought you never had hair," Kirihara pointed out to Jackal's bald head.

Jackal folded his arms. "I did, once."

Haruka laughed lightly. "But, it's kinda less of a hassle since you won't have to spend for shampoo and stuff. Besides, less sweat to worry about."

"That's really weird coming from a girl," Kirihara stared at her queerly with a sweatdrop coming from behind.

_HYOTEI, HYOTEI, HYOTEI!_

"Isn't that your school," Jackal pointed at where the yells were coming form.

Haruka looked at her watch. "Well, I better head back soon. See you Jackal_-san_ and Kikiri_-kun_!_"_

Kirihara stamped his foot as she left. "IT'S KIRIHARA, DAMN IT!"

()()()()

"Game, Kurenai: five games all!"

Everyone stared in shock as Shizuru and Florence forced one another to five games. Usually, both would only play until ten games but they forced themselves to twelve or thirteen. Florence's arms hung limply on her sides while Shizuru was on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Hey guys," Haruka came running back. "What did I miss?"

Rin jumped on Haruka. "Only the coolest rally in Jyosei Shounan-Hyotei history! Where did you go anyway?"

"Uh, bathroom," Haruka smiled but only got a devious smile from the black haired acrobat. "What?"

Rin gave her a Cheshire grin. "You got embarrassed in front of Jackal-_san_, _kuwee~_!"

Kiyone spun around. "Wait, she met _Pachinko _head? Cool, was he with the Seaweed Monster?" (A/N: Yes, she and Kusajishi Yachiru are very similar at one point.)

Ayane slapped the girl's head, earning an 'ow' and glare from the younger girl. "Hey, they're older! Call them by their proper names!"

"I don't even know them," Kiyone hollered at the vice captain.

Mai face palmed. "I think we should have just shut our mouths during the entire match."

Watching them yell at one another, Shizuru couldn't help but giggle to herself. However, she became stoic again when Florence stood erect. The honey haired girl's blue eyes stared her down while Shizuru had her red eyes observing every movement the Jyosei Shounan captain made. The wind blew past them, making everyone feel the tension of the match between them.

"Well, you've grown up," Florence began clapping. "I'm proud of you."

Shizuru stared at her quizzically. "Huh? What's that got to do with anything?"

"I've spoken to Souma the other day," Florence twirled her hair with her fingers. "She said that she's waiting for the real Kurenai. She wants to fight the girl who took her down in the Nationals that day. Souma does have that kind of intuition after all. Matsuri did say you could never master the _Teni Mu'hou_ but in reality – that was an incomplete part of it. There are other divisions of it after all. The _Teni Mu'hou_ is how you imagine it."

Shizuru adjusted her racquet strings again. "Wait, how do you know this?"

Florence chuckled darkly while starting to glow. "Simple, I'll show you..."

"Ack, that's the," Kiyone jumped on to Ayane as they yelped together. "That's the _Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami_!" (Pinnacle of Flawless Unity)

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. "Hoshimura Florence had no exact style but there was one thing also: she had the ability to tap into the _Teni Mu'hou_ by will."

Momo narrowed her eyes, curling her lip in. "Everything has to have a weak point. We just need to find it and then, exploit it."

"Only with another _Teni Mu'hou_," Mai bit her lip. "That's the best way to counter it or if you're that damn good."

Rin blinked while tapping Isane's shoulder. "You know, that doesn't look like the _Teni Mu'hou_. Take a closer look."

Isane watched the aura flare up while tapping Momo's shoulder. "Can you run a physical analysis on that thing?"

"Guys," Momo stared at them all. "I don't remember signing up to be an MRI."

Hitomi opened her notebook, smiling at the _Shinigami_. "But you're the most accurate one when it comes to human physiology. After all, that is one of your gifts."

Momo sighed dejectedly before looking at the aura. "Actually, Rin – I think you're right."

Rin grinned cheerfully. "Really? So, there's hope, _kuwee~_?"

"For all we know," Florence shrugged at the younger. "There is no such thing as the _Teni Mu'hou_."

Jyosei Shounan stared at the captain as if she had lost her mind. "Florence, what do you mean!"

Florence however didn't grace them with a response. _Come on, figure it out. You did it before, you can do it again._

Shizuru watched the aura fluctuate as she calmed her body down. She glanced at the aura until Florence started coughing badly. "Are you okay, Hoshimura-_san_?"

Florence nodded, waving her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. René, get me my inhaler!"

_She has asthma?_ Momo watched Florence get her inhaler from René. _If so, she's pretty good for someone whose lungs are below average._

"Sorry," Florence cleared her throat. "I get funny reactions to dust."

Shizuru smiled but winced as she took a step forward. "Oh..."

"Would you like to rest first," Florence pointed at her bench. "I need more than what I just inhaled anyway."

Shizuru gratefully took it and grabbed a drink from her bag. Seeing this, Hitomi scribbled down on her notebook. "Kurenai Shizuru has now shown signs of sensitivity of her own body. Her stubbornness has dropped ten percent and she's emitting a new aura now."

Mai handed her a towel. "Here, wipe your face. The court's going to grow plants if you sweat anymore."

Shizuru giggled softly. "Thanks, Mai."

Momo smiled inwardly as Mai and Shizuru talked to each other normally. _Well, it's one step but... I hope it will continue._

Isane nodded to herself. _Yeah, this was just the first step._

"Shizu_-nee,"_ Kiyone tapped her shoulder. "Yane-_chan_ said that Rainbow-_san_'s going insane..."

Shizuru shook her head. "Wha, what did you say?"

"I think she meant that Hoshimura-_san_ has medications," Haruka paraphrased quicly before the second year girl got the wrong idea.

"Thanks Haruka_-senpai,"_ Ayane nodded as she opened a notebook. "I'm my uncle's secretary therefore I keep track of all his patients. She happened to visit him last week for an MRI scan. But, that's not it. She has _Alpha 1 Antitrypsin_."

Rin stared at the two first years. "What in the name of...? Hitomi, I don't understand!"

"_Alpha 1 Antitrypsin_ is a rare genetic disease wherein the victim has low A1AT protein content," Hitomi explained to the black haired acrobat. "Also, A1AT deficiency retards the natural healing ability of the lungs and liver which then makes many parts of these areas get swollen with infection. It makes them more prone to _Emphysema_ even without smoking."

Rin whined. "In English please?"

"She was born with a bad set of lungs," Momo cut it short for the black haired acrobat who sighed in relief.

Ayane shrugged. "I don't know; I'm not an expert on this kind of thing."

"Well," Momo looked at Shizuru. "You should start taking it easy on your leg too. That knee of yours might swell up with fluid inside and the only way to fix that is surgery. I know you hate hospitals and needles. Don't make it hard for yourself."

Shizuru nodded while Isane glanced at the other side. "It looks like they're worried about their captain too. I mean – Hoshimura-_san _is a talented player after all."

"Once they lose Hoshimura," Momo's shoulders sagged. "Jyosei Shounan's out of the picture. Rikkai Dai's not going to hold back."

Mai nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, I don't think Souma's going to give a care that Hoshimura's dying."

Shizuru gripped her racquet. "If her days are numbered then, I want to make this game something she'll remember for the rest of her life. It's bad to hold back just because they're sick."

"I guess so," Ayane sombrely held her head, recalling what Atobe had said.

Florence and Shizuru returned to the baseline to start their game. Taking a deep breath, Florence bent her knees as she sent a serve towards Shizuru's side. The Hyotei captain returned it with a backhand, causing Florence to run to the other side. Shizuru dropped in front while Florence sliced it to the other side. Flashing over, Shizuru cut it again forcing Florence to lob and allowing Shizuru to take the smash.

"Love – fifteen," Florence glanced at it with a snigger.

_At least I know,_ Florence gripped the ball tightly. _At least Souma won't be disappointed... Now, we get to see the Kurenai everyone has waited for..._

"Love – thirty," Shizuru received the next serve with ease as she cut the ball again, causing an abrupt spin.

"There it is," Kiyone jump excitedly. "_Subera Kagerou_!"

Momo shrugged her shoulders, sighing to herself. "It's about time."

Haruka nodded as Rin nudged her. "Hey, what happened between you and Jackal-_san_?"

Haruka flushed pink. "Uh, nothing! Honest...!"

"As your teacher in deception," Rin stole Hitomi's glasses causing the data girl to try and grab it back. "I give you... an F!"

Haruka stared at Rin. "Uh Rin, you're not very good in lying either."

Rin pouted as Hitomi grabbed her glasses back, grinning like the cheshire cat. "My point is – did you kiss him?"

"No," Haruka slapped Rin, twitching. "Why would I kiss him on first contact!"

Momo looked up at the both of them, deadpanned. "Simple, you like bowling balls."

"He's not a bowling ball," Haruka slapped Momo's head in vain as the black eyed girl glared at her.

Kiyone clapped her hands together. "Yeah, he's a _Pachinko_ Head, _murasakiiro_-_senpai_!"

"Yeah," Momo chuckled until she twitched at Kiyone. "Wait, why did you call me Purple?"

"What," Kiyone smiled innocently. "Yane-Yane's called _Higuma-chan_, Mai-Mai's called _Tap Tap-chan_ and Hitomi-_senpai_'s called _Dokuyaku-senpai_."

Ayane growled at the smaller girl. "Why do you have to associate me with a bear!"

Hitomi's glasses glinted. "Kiyone, how much _PenalTea_ would you like to drink?"

Mai shrugged. "I actually like the sound of my nickname."

"It's actually a name of a game," Rin showed Mai her iTouch. "It's called Tap Tap Revenge."

Starting the game, Mai started pressing the screen. "Hey, this is catchy."

Hitomi shrugged. "Well, it will help her motion sight."

"Game, Kurenai: six games to five!"

_This is it,_ Momo stood up, calling out to Shizuru. "Alright, one more set – nurse it in and take her out."

Shizuru nodded at her _senpai_ as she prepared for her service. However, she relaxed her stance when she saw Florence sweating profusely.

"Guys," she turned to her _senpai_ and beckoned them to check Florence. "We can't continue this."

Florence's honey hair became soaked in sweat before she collapsed on one knee, causing an uproar from the team.

"_Buchou_," they ran towards her.

Florence shook her head. "Guys, I can handle it. It's a game and it's hot – this is normal."

"Hoshimura-_san_," Shizuru walked towards her. "Please don't make the same mistake I made and I don't think your teammates are going to take no for answer."

She glanced at them, seeing their crestfallen faces. "Even if we're fourth place," Miho spoke up. "We don't mind, _buchou_. It's not worth your life."

Seeing the blind girl's point, Florence turned to Shizuru. "Alright, one last... let me see if I can hold."

Shizuru turned to her teammates who simply nodded.

"It's what she wants," Miho smiled. "I may not see you, Kurenai-_san_ but I can tell you're quite a person. Please make Florence happy."

Shizuru nodded. "I'll do whatever I can."

"For starters," Florence smirked at her as she lowered her stance. "Don't hold back just because I'm a sick old lady."

Shizuru laughed softly. "You're not old."

"Well," Florence chuckled darkly. "I'm sick like one. So, give it your all – little girl!"

Shizuru, nodding in affirmation, tossed the ball in the air and served hard. Florence dashed with her _Shunpo_ which Shizuru countered with her own. Taking it out with a backhand, Shizuru went towards the net for a smash as Florence dashed towards the right side. However, Florence stumbled which gave Shizuru and opening.

"Fifteen – love," Florence smiled at where the ball landed but coughed violently right after.

Hitomi turned to Ayane. "So, two hours is her limit?"

Ayane shook her head with a shrug. "I don't know, I have to ask my uncle for the strength of the medicine."

Shizuru scored one point after another as Florence started slowing down. With one smash, Shizuru finished the game with a graceful landing on her feet.

"Game and match, Kurenai: seven games to five!"

Shizuru helped Florence off the court. "Are you sure you can manage the Nationals?"

"Well," Florence laughed bitterly. "I just hope I can make it."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"This is between us captains," Florence looked around to see if her teammates were trying to listen in. "My operation and therapy start right after the end of this tournament. I'll get to watch the finals before I go to Britain for my therapy."

Shizuru hung her head. "Oh, I..."

"It's alright," Florence waved it off. "What matters is that you became you again. Catch my drift?"

Shizuru nodded and bowed. "Thank you very much, Hoshimura-_san_."

"Heh," Florence saluted her. "Just don't lose to Souma otherwise I'll have to kick your butt again. By the way, may I speak to the girl who corneredd you?"

Shizuru beckoned her violet haired _senpai_ to come over. Seeing this, Momo stared quizzically at her first before walking over.

"Yep, you were looking for me?"

Florence smiled. "Thanks, if it weren't for you – I don't think my tactics would have been good enough."

Momo raised an eyebrow. "So, what was the master plan?"

"Kurenai won't listen to anyone, you know that," Florence smirked at the brunette who stood in front of them. "But the storm's not over yet. I still see hints of black now and then. When I see her next time, I expect her aura to be the true colour and her _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ is completely moulded. Also, make sure she doesn't break her leg. If she persists, I suggest you break the other one too."

Momo chuckled as she gave her a vigorous nod. "Yeah, that was actually my last resort but I will consider your option."

Shizuru stared at her _senpai._ "Momo-_senpai_, please don't make me force you to run laps and drink Yamaguchi-_senpai_'sjuices."

"So," Momo rolled her eyes. "It's better than dorm food – I'll give you that."

The three of them began laughing as Kajimoto came down. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah," Florence snickered. "I'm just glad I got my job done."

Kajimoto shook his head. "You never planned to win did you?"

"I did," Florence shrugged. "If that's what it took to make her change. Oh by the way, this is Kajimoto Takihisa – captain of the boys' Jyosei Shounan team."

"Oh hi," Shizuru bowed then glanced at her. "Wait a minute, why do you...?"

"Kurenai," Florence extended her fist. "You're one of the few who made me have a thrill. Besides, I hate seeing my rivals crumble when I'm at the top of my game. I like fair fights."

Momo stared at Florence for a few moments. "You hate seeing your rivals crumble?"

Florence rolled her eyes. "I meant if someone else did it for me. I'm the embodiment of analysis and complete mental destruction. I don't want anyone snatching that from me. Now," –she jabbed her finger in Shizuru's direction. "It's your turn to give your tennis a style. Something everyone would cower in fear the moment they hear your name or something. I don't know, you think of something."

Shizuru looked at her racquet as Florence beckoned her team over. "Hey, you guys better help them train against Seigaku and Rikkai Dai. Yukimura's still the sister after all and Souma's out for blood. Besides, this is an opportunity for you guys to get stronger. No slacking or else you clean the toilets for the next three months!"

The team gulped while Shizuru smiled sheepishly at Florence. "Um, you didn't have to."

"Face it Kurenai," Florence playfully slapped her face. "Yukimura's a monster, Souma's a class all by herself when brutality is in the pageant. You're anything but bitter. Sanada here better teach you a thing or two on how to tear at the jugular. You've played against Souma, we all know how brutal she can get."

Shizuru remained silent as Florence shook hands with her. "Win your battle here and I'll win mine. I expect a good match when things are finished."

"Yeah," Shizuru shook her hand firmly. "Also, thank you again."

Florence waved it off. "Ah quit thanking me. I better go, René – a little help?"

Watching them leave, Shizuru turned to Momo. "So, ready for Rikkai Dai?"

"I hate having the past bite me," Momo face palmed. "Wait a minute," –jabbing her finger at Kajimoto's direction. "Why are you here?"

Kajimoto shrugged. "Just came to make sure that Hoshimura doesn't destroy herself. She was like you, Kurenai-_san_ in more ways you'll ever know."

Momo nodded solemnly. "Yeah, she looked like she had more experience in the field than anyone else."

"That Prism Empathy of hers is truly a gift," Kajimoto admitted. "She can make people see who they truly are inside."

Shizuru looked at her hand. "Yeah... maybe that's why she's very different."

Kajimoto looked at his watch. "You sure you girls can get home?"

Shishido appeared from behind. "Don't worry, if you hear a police siren that means a bunch of morons tried to harass them."

Shizuru stared aghast at Shishido. "Shishido-_senpai_, please refrain from throwing a police department into chaos."

"Who cares," Shishido shrugged with his usual 'the-devil-doesn't-need-to-give-a-damn-attitude'.

Kajimoto nodded. "Well, I hope we meet again. It's an honour meeting you."

Shizuru bowed. "Yes, likewise."

Seeing Kajimoto leave, Rin bounced over to Momo. "Hey _murasakiiro_ who was that?"

Momo twitched slightly. "Rin, only Kiyone can call me that because she cannot remember names. You, however should be a better example to her to help her remember names."

"Kajimoto Takihisa of the Jyosei Shounan boys' team," Shizuru raised an eyebrow at Rin. "Would you like his phone number, Shimohi-_senpai_?"

Rin flushed red, folding her arms with a pout. "Wha- I never said anything about that!"

Haruka shook her head. "Your face has it."

"No it doesn't," Rin whined. "Why are you all so mean to me, _kuwee~_?"

Momo shrugged. "We're pointing out the obvious. Kajimoto-_san_ isn't a trash bin you know. Rin, we were not born with the attention span of a goldfish."

Rin sputtered, watching her team laugh at her. "But, but...! Aww, you guys are mean!"

()()()()

"Hey," Lulu closed the door behind her. "The game sucked."

A familiar dark brunette looked up from her book with steely gray eyes. "Oh, how bad?"

"Her aura was nothing compared to Hoshimura," Lulu shrugged. "Naomi, what are we going to do?"

Naomi took off her reading glasses. "What do you mean?"

"You know Sanada's going to do something right," Lulu leaned back against the chair. "I never trusted Sanada. Why did you put her in the team?"

Naomi looked out the window. "I needed Nanako but she wouldn't play unless Momo-_chan_ was her partner. You know the story."

Lulu sighed as Nanako came in. "Oh, you're here. Did you hear about your pet _Shinigami_?"

Nanako narrowed her eyes. "Lulu, we are not discussing this."

"Think about it," Lulu ran her fingers on Naomi's bed. "She's got a good body."

Nanako would have swat her if she could balance on one crutch. "You're lucky I'm limping."

Naomi stood in between them. "Now now, Lulu stop reading those horrible books. Nanako, I need you to wedge yourself in Momo's brain again."

"Why," Nanako stared at Naomi. "What's in it for me?"

Naomi flipped open her phone. "We're going to make a phone call."

-That's chapter 29! Now we see who Kotetsu Naomi really is. Is she some treacherous person Momo said or does she have something else? Find out in chapter 30! Please review me! I appreciate all comments and compliments. Flames also but please do it politely.


	30. Coming of a Storm

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

**ChocyPockyStick**: Haruka is the older sister however like Kira and Cagalli from Gundam Seed – their relation is very strained. Ino has a huge superiority complex with her sister and Haruka has no way how to deal with her. Cagalli, though being younger, kept telling Athrun that she was older to show that she was stronger or to her fierceness compared to Kira. Ino and Haruka have that kind of relationship. Thank you for your review by the way!

**LiveForTennis0001:** Thank you for the review! I gladly appreciate it. I actually put a poll asking my readers who Rin should be paired up with. Unfortunately, I forgot to post it in my profile so no one ever saw it. My cousin kind of gave me the idea of Kajimoto considering that he's very flexible like her but I'm not sure how to incorporate his personality into the story but I'll find a way. Yes, Momo has this tendency to take everything **too** seriously because of the Sanada family. She'll reveal her story in the game against Rikkai Dai after she meets up with a very familiar face. The last scene is just the start of this chapter. Don't worry – it's going to be explained why I placed Lulu, Naomi and Nanako in the end. Readers thought that Midoriyama was dead since Momo herself said so but she has another meaning of the word 'dead' so, don't worry.

**Me: **Guys, I need pairing suggestions for our beloved seniors like Isane and Hitomi. Rin still needs deliberation so; I'll need a popularity vote. Thanks!

Chapter 30 – Coming of the Storm

Sitting in the hospital caused Shizuru to wrinkle her nose as the smell of antibiotics permeated the air. Momo sat next to her with the other regulars, waiting for the processing of the X-Ray taken from Shizuru's knee. Mai leaned back, tapping to the beat on Rin's iTouch while Haruka began counting the number of tiles on the floor. Rin popped a lollipop into her mouth while Kiyone and Ayane were hooked on to their PSPs and playing a game called "Dynasty Warriors 6". Isane popped in a chocolate while Hitomi began watching the videos in her camera.

"I'm amazed," Hitomi managed to say as she scribbled down notes. "Hoshimura-_san_ really pulled things off despite that genetic disorder."

Shizuru nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, I guess that's why many people fear her as well."

"She's kinda like that blue haired lady face from Rikkai Dai," Kiyone tapped her chin. "What was his name again?"

Mai glared at Kiyone. "He does not have a lady face! He's just more... more..."

"Dainty," Haruka spelled it flat out. "Face it Mai, you're in love with a man who could put Ms. Japan to shame."

Mai snorted at Haruka. "Hmph, you guys don't know hotness when you see it."

Haruka rolled her eyes. "I don't think he should be classified there. One I call hot is..."

"Kuwahara Jackal a.k.a. _Pachinko_ Head," Kiyone gave them a toothy grin. "Thing is – he's bald!"

Haruka raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl. "What's the point with that?"

Kiyone shrugged as she snickered. "Well, at least you can make him go as a bowling pin on Halloween. Just say he's made out of wood and he'll pass," –her character then suddenly died. "Hey Yane-Yane, you're no fair!"

Ayane stuck her tongue out at Kiyone. "Bleh, you weren't paying attention!"

"Hmph," Kiyone cast a withering look until she pointed at the other side. "Look, Atobe's at the end of the hallway!"

Ayane shot up. "Where is he?"

The whole team snickered as some like Hitomi, Momo and Shizuru stifled their laughter. Others like Kiyone and Rin burst out laughing while clutching their sides.

"Hahahahaha, you fell for it," Kiyone began smashing all the buttons on her PSP.

Ayane glared at her, sitting down again and started mashing buttons. "Kiyone, you annoying pest – I'm going to beat you black and blue!"

Isane tried to shush them. "Guys, we're in a hospital – please don't make so much noise."

Momo face palmed. "God, you guys make more noise than fireworks on New Years!"

Haruka grabbed the PSPs form the both of them. "Guys, stop making so much noise! The nurses are already staring at you!"

Kiyone pouted impishly. "But... but... _Higuma-chan_ did the same thing!"

"I did not," Ayane glared at the smaller girl. "Give me back my PSP!"

Haruka raised it above their heads. "Come on, we're here to get the results of the X-Ray not to make a rock concert."

Mai sighed as she took the PSPs from Haruka and shut them off. "You guys sit down and wait. We're almost done anyway."

Soon, the door swung open. "Kurenai Shizuru," the doctor peeked out from behind. "Would you come in please?"

Shizuru followed the man in while the others were left to sit outside. However, a stretcher flew past them with bustling doctors following behind and Rikkai Dai regulars. When the second set of doors swung, the regulars stood where they stopped watching the doors lock up.

"Hey, what happened," Momo stood up, grabbing Sanada's shoulder. "Why were you guys running in like monsters just now?"

Sanada glared at her. "You're not from Rikkai, what's your concern?"

"Well, you're here so it is," Momo snapped at the capped vice captain. "So, better tell me now."

Mai stood up, turning to Yanagi. "Hey, was that...?"

"Yukimura collapsed again," Yanagi remarked sullenly. "He just suddenly dropped in the middle of practice. He said he was fine and that was it."

Marui blew up a bubble gum while taking a seat next to Ayane. "Geez, I didn't know it would happen just like that."

"I'm sorry," Ayane pulled out her earphones. "Is there anything I can do?"

Marui smiled cheekily. "Don't worry about it; _buchou_'s strong... I hope."

"He is," Sanada spoke in a low voice while he turned to Momo. "What are you doing here? Did you kill someone again?"

Momo tightened her grip on his shoulder. "We're just here for an X-Ray processing. It's basically none of your concern but – I guess I do owe you that much for telling me why you're here."

Sanada turned to Shizuru looking at her knee. "You played against Souma-_san_ today?"

Shizuru shook her head, smiling gently. "Ah, I just overdid it... somewhat."

Sanada looked at her knee. "It doesn't seem just 'overdid'."

Shizuru laughed softly. "Well, its a little miscalculation I made I guess."

"More like recklessness," Haruka rolled her eyes which met Mai's elbow nudge."What? It's true!"

Mai glanced at the other two. "Hey Niou-_san_, check your glasses before you imitate Yagyuu-_san_."

Sanada turned around to see exactly what Mai said: two Yagyuu's. "Niou," –his eyebrows knit themselves together. "Change back or that's a hundred laps around the campus later!"

One of them pursed his lips, changing back into his silver blue haired self. "_Puri~_, the _tensai_ just had to say so. Sheesh - because you and Yukimura-_buchou_ are tutor mates, you know how to deal with all of us already."

Mai shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's not my fault that it's obvious Yagyuu-_san_ doesn't have a twin brother."

Momo sniggered at the silver blue haired trickster. "You haven't changed ever since I left."

"Yeah, how's Hyotei treating you," Niou glanced over the team. "Are we still more dysfunctional?"

Momo pushed Niou teasingly. "Yeah, you guys are brothers of the apes. At least Isane doesn't pull pranks and her illusions are as good as yours."

"_Puri~,_" his blue eyes focused on the tall silver haired regular as he cornered her against the wall. "Hmmm, interesting – show me what you got."

"Ummm," Isane flushed pink at the distance of Niou from her face.

Momo snagged his collar. "Hey, sit boy. No flirting with my teammates until you get my permission."

Niou shrugged as he lazily leaned against the wall. "Hey, stop messing around with them. Uchiha's got the sweet looks."

Isane gulped. "How does he know my last name?"

Niou pointed to the closed eyed data master. "Ask him, I don't know where he got it."

Isane found Yanagi scribbling away as Momo marched towards him and grabbed his notebook. "Honestly, if I were a boy – the first thing I'd do is rip this notebook into shreds."

Yanagi managed to snatch it back from the _Shinigami_. "You have more forceful than Genichirou, that's for sure."

Momo lunged at him while getting ready to claw out his face. "Alright, that's it! I've had it...!"

Before Momo could lay a hand, Shizuru came out of the examination room staring in shock. "Momo-_senpai_, what are you doing?"

Momo found Haruka and Rin holding her back. "Sorry, I was just clawing out potential stalkers."

"Well, you could have done that with Inui-_san_," Rin tapped her chin. "Wasn't he following Hitomi half the time?"

It was the data girl's turn to blush. "What? That's impossible! I didn't see anyone...!"

"That's the point of stalking," Mai pointed out, nudging her blonde _senpai_. "You're a bit slow on that area, Hitomi-_senpai_."

Hitomi folded her arms. "Hmph, yeah right – what do you know? Well, you do stalk Yukimura once in awhile."

Mai grabbed Hitomi's notebook in vain. "Hey, who told you that!"

Jackal glanced at Haruka. "Does this happen all the time?"

Haruka shrugged while watching Mai trying to grab the notebook. "Believe me, this isn't even half of the mess they create everyday. I feel bad for Ayane and Shizuru because they have to clean up after us all the time when things like these happen."

Mai growled before turning to her captain. "Oh yeah, what did the results say?"

Shizuru flipped through the folder in the envelope. "Ah, it just said that I shouldn't push it to hard and if I can resist using the _Shunpo_ – that's fine also."

"Yeah maybe the second line up shouldn't have you in it," Ayane glanced at the paper. "Jyosei Shounan's out but Rikkai Dai and Seigaku are still there."

Hitomi seconded the motion. "Ayane's right – we can't have you destroying yourself before you get to Souma-_san_."

"I'll take care of Inuzuka," Momo punched her hand. "She's going to pay for making us crumble like that!"

Mai gave Shizuru a thumb up. "You rest off first – if there's anyone who has to beat Souma Fuuka, it's you."

Marui wagged his finger. "Hey don't underestimate Ai-_chan_ either!"

"She's pretty good also," Sanada monotonously commented as Mai smirked at the vice captain.

"She won't know what hit her this time," Mai tousled her long red hair. "Wait; does she even know what happened to him today?"

Sanada nodded stiffly. "She does but she wasn't allowed to leave. She made a promise to Seiichi that she would train hard for the Nationals. No matter how long it took her."

"Besides," Niou placed his hands behind his head. "He told her not to worry about him."

Yagyuu glanced at the hallway the stretcher was wheeled into. "We also promised Yukimura-_kun_ we'd get the Kantou tournament for him."

Kirihara turned to them. "By the way, did you know Atobe won?"

Ayane furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, I socked him for it."

"I know," Kirihara hooted with laughter. "That's going to leave a mark on his face! I bet he's gonna freak out about it like a girl!"

Though Ayane loved insulting Atobe, having someone else doing it for her was not the best idea because she grabbed Kirihara and glared at him beadily. "What did you say?"

Kirihara sniggered at her glowing green eyes. "So what's your problem? You hate the guy don't you?"

"Listen you insensitive pile of seaweed," Ayane pointed out the door. "I think the aquarium is big enough for your head to fit in. No one insults him but me! Got it, seaweed?"

Shizuru placed a hand on Ayane's shoulder. "Ayane, please put him down. You can't keep bagging bodies wherever you go."

"If this guy continues," Ayane gripped his collar tighter, causing the said boy to somewhat gulp. "I'll throw him out the window."

Haruka shook her head. "And risk the Rikkai Dai regulars? Uh, no thank you. You're on your own on that one."

Ayane snorted, letting down Kirihara and slumping down on her seat. "Fine, I'll let him off easy."

"That just proves you like Atobe," Kiyone grinned teasingly.

Ayane stood up, marching off. "I'm going for a walk. Geez, you people..."

Watching her leave, Marui whacked Kirihara on the head. "You're not supposed to say things like that especially if that player is more talented than you!"

Kirihara whined at the red haired _tensai_. "B-But, I thought she hated his guts!"

"Apparently not all of it, moron," Niou drawled while pointing out the door. "Go get her, fatty. She might appreciate your company."

Marui glared at Niou. "Hey, I'm not fatty!"

"Your name means round, dumbass," Niou chuckled as Marui too stomped off.

()()()()

"Hmph," Ayane kicked a pebble. "Of all the nerve, that boy has no right to insult Atobe!"

_Oh and you have that right?_

Ayane stopped in her tracks as that question echoed in her mind. She looked at couples laughing together and some even having the guy sleep on the girl's lap or vice versa. Bicycles rolled by with the leaves rustling in the wind and Ayane stared at her hand. What made her start hating Atobe in the first place? Soon, her phone began ringing and when she looked at it – the devil stared back at her: ATOBE KEIGO. However, instead of answering it – she let out a sigh and shut off her phone.

She continued to walk and slumped on the bench. "What made me hate him? I mean – yes, his arrogance is a pain in the ass but it had to stem from somewhere."

The wind blew again causing her to shiver until Ayane felt a jacket drape on her shoulders. "Ah, thanks," –she turned around. "Ah...oh... it's you, Marui-_san_!"

Marui winked with a 'v' sign. "Yo, you shouldn't be out here in this kind of weather."

Ayane laughed ruefully. "Yeah, sorry..."

"Hey," Marui sat next to her, pulling out his favourite gum. "Want one?"

Ayane slid out a piece. "Are you sure?"

"I'm giving it to you, aren't I," Marui chuckled lightly as Ayane took off the wrapper to eat. "Well, how is it?"

Ayane chewed it as she tossed the wrapper into the waste basket. "It tastes good. Though, you're dead if you eat this in Singapore."

Marui nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I'm going to die without my favourite gum..."

Ayane smiled as she pulled down the yellow jacket a bit. "Aren't you going to feel cold?"

Marui shook his head. "Eh, it's okay. I'll be fine. You're going to freeze though. Wait, one question: you punched Atobe?"

Ayane laughed bitterly. "Yeah, it's because he took advantage of Tezuka-_san_'s arm. If I were him, I wouldn't have."

"Actually," Marui blew a bubble. "I would have done the same he did."

Staring at him quizzically, Ayane waited for Marui to explain. "Think about it, would Tezuka appreciate that he won against Atobe who was only at half his power?"

"Either way," Ayane pointed out. "He could've won without making Tezuka-_san_ play beyond his limit."

Marui popped his own bubble. "Question is: did Tezuka accept the challenge?"

Ayane opened her mouth to reply but shut it. She heard it herself from the bleachers that Tezuka had accepted the challenge. "Yes..."

"Then, Atobe has no reason to hold back," Marui pointed out. "I mean – sure he's a pain but, he's got redeeming qualities somewhere."

Ayane hung her head. "Marui-_san..."_

"By the way," Marui waved his hand. "Don't call me 'Marui-_san_' – that's my dad. Call me Bunta if you want!"

Ayane shook her head. "But, but why?"

Marui ruffled her hair. "Because," –he popped her bubble. "You're my favourite _kouhai_ from Hyotei! Besides, you have nothing to ashamed of! You're so _kawaii_!"

Ayane blushed, twiddling with her thumbs. "Ah, thanks... um..."

"Bunta," he smiled cheekily until his bubble popped. "Hey!"

Ayane laughed as he popped hers again causing them to end up in a 'pop-the-bubble' war.

But what the tangerine haired vice captain didn't notice was a limo lying behind them with Atobe watching them from the window. His icy blue eyes glared at Marui's cheery face as he watched the red haired _tensai_ make Ayane happier than he could ever make her. Curling his hand into a fist, Atobe turned away in disgust.

"Keigo-_bochama_," one of Atobe's most loyal chauffeurs looked up at him. "Would you like me to...?"

Atobe shook his head. "No, just keep driving."

The limo moved away without Ayane's notice as she and Marui kept talking. Atobe watched the buildings pass by as he leaned against his elbow. How did he do that and it was Marui Bunta of all people! That _tensai_ had almost the equal amount of vanity he had yet Ayane laughed with him and what disgusted him more was the yellow and black jacket hanging on Ayane's shoulders. Atobe exhaled sharply, flipping open his phone and scrolling down for another number.

A deep voice finally resonated. "Atobe, what is it?"

"Arn~," Atobe maintained his arrogant façade. "Tell that annoying bubblegum chewing cherry head of a _tensai_ of yours to stay away from Ayane. He'll give her bad habits."

"Atobe, I have no control over what he does with his social life," a firm voice chided him from the other side.

Atobe gripped the phone even tighter. "_Ore-sama_ didn't call you up for a lecture, Sanada. Tell that annoying commoner to stay away from Kobayagi or _ore-sama_ will have Shishido and Ohtori crush your main doubles pair."

"Using other people to do your dirty work isn't a good idea, Atobe," Sanada countered; he didn't even know what Marui had to do with anything.

Atobe gripped his phone even tighter. "Just tell him to stay away, Sanada."

With this, Atobe cut the line while leaning his forehead against the window.

()()()()

Walking back to the dorms, Momo stuck her hands in her jacket pocket. The chilly wind blew past her while she thought about the game against Jyosei Shounan the other day. Momo bit her lip at her words and at the same time glanced at her hands. The violet haired _Shinigami_ couldn't believe she slammed her own captain against the wall but somehow, it didn't seem so guilt riding as it should have. While walking, Momo felt her phone vibrate as she picked it up.

"_Moshi moshi, _Sanada Momo speaking," Momo groaned with annoyed tone; she was shivering and taking out her hand from her pocket wasn't helping.

"_Fufu_, you don't recognize me anymore," a voice slyly spoke from the other end. "I guess it can't be helped – Momo-_hana_."

Momo's eyes widened as her body froze. _No, it can't be..._

"It's nice to see you haven't changed your number," the voice noted from the other end. "I hear you lost against Jyosei Shounan."

Momo gripped her phone tighter. "But... how... what... wait..."

"Sweetie, don't start stammering," the voice purred, causing Momo to shiver even more. "I hear you've been playing with Naomi's darling."

Momo punched a nearby streetlight. "What the hell, how come you have my number? You're supposed to be..!"

"Dead? Ouch," the voice mocked hurt. "You wound me, Momo-_hana_."

Momo felt like crushing her cell phone. "Alright, that's it – where are you?"

"Tsk tsk," the voice clucked her tongue at the other end. "You'll see me soon. Don't worry – I'm here to request a match between the current regulars and the formers. After all, we want to see how all of you turned out ne?"

A chuckle came from behind. "You're too much, Nanako. Just finish the poor thing off; she's shivering in her tennis clothes."

Momo snapped her head around to see anyone watching her but there was nobody there. "Now listen to me," –the voice sweetly crooned. "I want you to make accept the match. No matter what happens, they have to accept it. Make sure you bring Shizuru with you. See you."

The phone line went dead as Momo growled inwardly at herself. _Where did this all come from! I thought she had forgotten all about me! I thought..._

Momo felt her knees grow weak as she dropped to the floor. "Why is she still haunting me? Didn't I surpass her after those six months?"

Seeing raindrops falling, Momo didn't budge as the raindrops fell on her face. Her body froze as her black eyes became glassier each second. The rain became harder, completely soaking her clothes while her purple hair hung loosely over her face. She gripped the stones on the floor tightly as her nails cut through her palm but stopped when the rain stopped pattering over her body.

"Hey, what's a pretty girl doing out here in the rain," a cheerful voice woke Momo from her trance.

Much to her surprise, Momo found Sengoku Kiyosumi holding an umbrella over her head. "Wow, you could've gotten sick! Not only that, you're the pretty girl from awhile ago! I'm so lucky~!"

Momo chuckled bitterly. "Sorry for causing you trouble."

"No worries," he gave her a goofy grin as he extended his hand to her. "You might want to dry off though. I don't think anyone wants a cold in this time of the season."

Momo shivered slightly as Sengoku helped her up. "Here," –he took off his jacket. "You're better off using it."

The walk along was a bit short, considering Sengoku lived nearby. "I came here to see who was outside. I saw a shadow from my house and I was wondering why it wasn't moving. When I got out, that's when I found you. I thought I wouldn't meet you again."

Momo chuckled darkly. "Well, you must be one lucky dork to find me here."

Sengoku didn't mind the insult. "Well, at least I found my lucky _Shinigami_ under the rain!~"

Momo stared at him for a moment. "Wait, when was I your lucky _Shinigami_?"

"That's your title isn't it," Sengoku goofily grinned. "After all, my name's Lucky Sengoku! Anything or anybody who comes near me becomes lucky too~!"

Momo smirked as Sengoku cocked his head in her direction. "Say, why were you sitting in the rain like that? Weren't you worried to get a cold before the Finals?"

Hanging her head, Momo folded her arms around herself. "One of my _senpai_ called me up..."

"Huh," Sengoku tilted his head. "What happened?"

Momo curled her hand into a fist, with her tears falling freely. "This _senpai_ had a big effect on me... she guided me all the way to who I am today. After trying to convince myself that she was dead, she calls up my cell phone demanding a match between the current regulars and the formers! One of my _kouhai_ just let go of hers today and now, they're going to claw their way through into our minds again! I'm sorry... it's just so hard to face them again..."

Despite being shocked by the outburst, Sengoku put his arm around her. "Well, you can't change the past but you sure can face it."

Momo raised an eyebrow at Sengoku. "The shadow of the past will be there but... you have the choice whether or not to let it grab you. I mean – ahhh, I don't like explaining."

However instead of snapping, Momo started giggling in front of the hapless Sengoku who brightened up at her laugh. "Yay, I got to make you laugh, lucky~!"

"Will you stop saying that," Momo punched his shoulder playfully. "There's no such thing as luck."

Sengoku smiled goofily. "Then, what do you call our encounter today?"

"Pure coincidence," Momo smirked at the orange haired vice captain as he pouted.

"Aww, don't say that!"

Momo felt her shoulders lighten up a bit as Sengoku made her laugh. At first, she thought boys were a bunch of morons considering that he was the first one who flirted with her. Not only that, Rikkai Dai had a lot to contribute on her ideals about men. She couldn't help but feel attracted to this goofy vice captain when her family was a bunch of statues that have hardcore traditions.

_Sanada's going to have a heyday after this._

()()()()

Hitomi on the other hand began looking through the grocery store as she took note of some vitamins. She then glanced at her notebook which was full of notes about the regulars' performance in each of their matches. However, what she didn't expect was a huge change in their personalities. Momo had shown a great deal of care for the captain and Ayane actually hit the older girl. Sighing to herself, Hitomi knew that there were times captains could be so stubborn but didn't know how to fix that part of them.

"Tezuka has that same problem actually," a voice came from behind but Hitomi disguised the shock. "Our captains are alike in thoughts."

Hitomi smirked at the voice. "Well, it can't be helped, huh, Inui Sadaharu."

"Your memory of voice is quite astounding," Inui's glasses glinted as he stepped forward to face the blonde girl. "You're not as shocked as should be."

Hitomi shrugged it off. "Recheck your data, it should say there that I'm a professional at things like this."

Inui checked his data and it didn't say there. He looked up as Hitomi flicked his nose.

"You have a lot more to work on before you become a Mastermind," Hitomi picked up a few mangoes from the cooler. "So, what's your next drink?"

Inui put in a few vegetables. "I was planning to make a vegetable drink but somehow, my mom decides to send me to get groceries to stop me instead. The chances of that however were ninety percent."

"Well, not many people understand brilliant minds," Hitomi laughed darkly while picking up a tomato. "Hmm, I wonder how tomato juice tastes. It does have Lycopene after all."

Inui nodded as he pulled out a cabbage. "You'll need something to disguise its taste."

"True," Hitomi pulled out a carrot and mango. "There two ought to do it. After all, they're both sweet and beneficial."

Inui looked at the fruits she was placing in the basket. "Who do you usually test it on?"

"My captain or Momo," Hitomi shrugged as she looked at her notes. "So far, none of them broke out weird reactions except Shizuru is to nuts. Momo eats anything."

Inui raised an eyebrow. "It definitely sounds like Momoshiro."

"Nah, this one isn't a junkie," Hitomi wagged her finger in front of Inui's face. "I made sure of that."

Inui smirked at the data girl but caught himself blushing at her. He never realized that the data girl would have an effect on him. Realizing that if Momo and Kikumaru heard this could result to blackmail, Inui cleared his throat as he proceeded to finish his grocery list. He couldn't help but look at the light shine off the girl's glasses and blonde locks. Hitomi's serious face when she examined things caused him to hang his jaw and it took a lot of willpower for him to finish up a grocery list which was only a few words long.

"By the way," Hitomi glanced at Inui. "Did you get any data off your captain yet?"

Inui shook his head. "Tezuka proves to be a good challenge. How about you?"

"Unfortunately," Hitomi sighed while counting the fruits in the basket. "Shizuru's real side only came out when Momo got physical with her. I guess I should thank her later for giving me a chance to get good data."

While the two were talking, a male approached Hitomi from behind. "Hey, you're the Hyotei Mastermind right?"

Hitomi's eyes slightly widened as she turned to face the man. "Aikawa Onryou, Shizuru's fifth step older brother. I didn't expect to see you here."

Tousling his dark red hair, he leaned closer with a wolfish grin. "So, you're the one with all the data about us..."

Hitomi bit back her fear of the older man. "I have no intention of talking."

He glared at her, drawing back his fist. "Well, you should – after I beat it out of you that is...!"

Before he could lay a hit, a huge bucket of water splashed on him resulting into a stumble. Hitomi saw him coughing and behind Onryou stood a smirking Inui as he pushed up his glasses.

"Possibility of him having short attention span: 99.9 percent," Inui glanced at the fallen man. "Probability of him punching you and possibly trying to rape you: 98.57 percent."

Hitomi relaxed as she moved to the side. "Thanks though – who's going to clean the mess?"

"He should," Inui added quickly; what was making him talk so fast? Why was his face heating up? Most of all, when did he care about these things?

Hitomi smiled at him, causing the data man to stumble back a bit. Before she could say anything else, the Mastermind felt her phone ring.

"_Moshi moshi,_" Hitomi brought it near her ear.

"Hitomi, are you nearby?"

Hitomi looked at her watch. "It depends where you are, Momo. Where are you?"

"I'm at Sengoku Kiyosumi's house," Momo told her, cutting her off quickly. "Hey, no funny ideas!"

Hitomi stifled her laughter. "Very well, where is his house? I'm currently at Daiichi Grocery Store."

The Mastermind could hear distinct voices, one obviously belonging to Momo and another most likely coming from Sengoku Kiyosumi. "Well, it's a fifteen minute walk from where you are. I need to tell you something but not on the phone. Do remember that someone could tap into your phone."

Hitomi's expression changed. "Momo, your tone sounds bewildered. Did Kotetsu-_buchou _contact you?"

"Worse," –Hitomi heard Momo swallow hard. "Midoriyama-_senpai_ did..."

Hitomi froze at the sound of the former's name. "Wait, I thought..."

"That's what I thought too," Momo's voice started breaking. "I need to talk to you. Now, finish up whatever poisons you're buying and test it on me later. This is more important."

Hitomi nodded. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Cutting the phone line, Hitomi bowed to Inui. "Sorry I have to leave so early, my friend called me. She sounded like a calamity's going to happen."

Inui tilted his glasses. "Probability of it involving the former female regulars of Hyotei: one hundred percent."

Hitomi wanted to hit herself; how did he get it so fast? "How did you...?"

"That was the reason why Kurenai Shizuru was deemed unreadable in the first place," Inui noted as he showed her his notes. "And also, your expression became steelier with your fists curling up. They are the ones with the most effect on the team than anyone else."

Hitomi shook his words out of her head, running out the door. "Sorry, I have to go."

She left Inui behind with the fallen Onryou, hoping for once Inui was wrong.

()()()()

Rin and Haruka on the other hand were in the ice skating rink. Rin wanted to go practice flying around the place so Haruka had to make sure that Rin doesn't kiss the pavement or ice. While Haruka started getting a hold of herself, Rin found herself making splits due to the slippery ice. The black haired acrobat, despite being known for her flexibility, stared at the ice with horror. No matter what stance she took, everything else started to follow. When she got her posture right, her right side started slipping causing her to do another split.

"Argh," she yanked her hair while sadly whining. "I can't do this right, _kuwee~_."

Haruka groaned as she managed to slide normally. "Well, I wish I could help you but I'm as bad as a hippo on ice."

Rin whined as she started clambering up to her feet. Finally becoming more stable, Rin managed to dash as she saw a pink haired girl hanging around a familiar Brazilian. "Haru, your sister does have pink hair right?"

Haruka nodded at the black haired acrobat. "Yeah, why?"

"She's with," Rin pointed at the two figures. "She's with _Pachinko_ head and the seaweed haired guy right now."

Haruka froze as she remembered: this mall belonged to her mother's family so it would be obvious that Haruka's sister would be here. "Damn it, Rin – wait for me here!"

Rin had never seen Haruka skate out so fast as she started skating by herself. She couldn't believe what had happened during Jyosei Shounan and she recalled Tachiwara Miho and Juushinhi René's match with Momo and Hitomi. Not single word of communication considering that they're both not deaf but only one mute. One could easily take orders from the other yet didn't. However because Rin wasn't paying attention, she slid too fast and collided into an _Edelweiss_ smelling wall.

_Wait,_ Rin's eyes widened. Walls don't smell like _Edelweiss _flowers!

"Are you alright," –Rin turned to up to see the brunette she had asked about, Kajimoto Takihisa.

"Um," Rin smiled cheerfully. "Yeah, don't worry! Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Kajimoto helped her up. "I'm sorry; the name's Kajimoto Takahisa."

Rin grinned, pretending that she didn't know his name. "I'm Shimohi Rin, nice to meet you!"

"So," Kajimoto sheepishly scratched his head. "What are you doing around here?"

_Kajimoto, what great socializing skills you have,_ his conscience mocked.

Rin grinned as she started playing with the ice dust. "Ah, I'm just figuring out how to improve my flexibility. I thought ice skating would be the best thing. The problem is – I suck at balance!"

Kajimoto then offered. "Would you like me to help you?"

Rin's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"I mean," Kajimoto pulled back right away. "I mean – if it's okay, would you like me to help you?"

Rin giggled at the sight of Kajimoto's face. "Sure, why not?"

Kajimoto extended both his hands. "Alright, all you need to do is slide across the ice. Don't try walking on it."

Rin nodded slowly as she slid cautiously. However, her mind wasn't concentrated on the sliding on ice but rather on the hands that held hers. Kajimoto had a reassuring smile on his face and Rin couldn't help but turn pink at his expression. She continued to slide and didn't even realize that they were moving faster and faster. Soon, she began skating in figure eights and started sliding around easily with Kajimoto being her spotter. The two glided easily and fair enough, a whole crowd gathered around them. Rin laughed as she started spinning around while Kajimoto chuckled a bit as Rin and he finally ended their little 'flight' with each other a few inches away from their faces.

Applause came and startled Rin causing her to hide behind Kajimoto. "Wah, what was that for?"

Kajimoto laughed sheepishly. "Well, I guess they were amazed by your performance."

She stared at him incredulously. "But you're better than me, _kuwee~_!"

Kajimoto shook his head, smiling at the black haired acrobat. "No, you were the star today. I just spotted."

Rin couldn't help but blush at his smile as he let go with a bow. "It was nice skating with you, Shimohi-_san_."

Rin laughed, waving it off. "Just call me Rin-_chan_! I don't like people making me sound old."

Kajimoto smiled as they both heard a voice. "Rin, where are you?"

Rin's head swivelled behind her and found Haruka. "Haru, did you see all that?"

"What do you think," Haruka clapped her hands together. "That was amazing!"

Rin scratched her head. "Yeah but Kajimoto-_kun_ did most of the work! He was so cool, _kuwee~_!"

Haruka laughed until her phone rang. "Hello, Hikifumi Haruka hotline, how may I help you?"

"Haruka dahling," a voice purred through the phone. "I've been trying to contact you but you haven't answered!"

Haruka squealed through the phone. "Oh my gosh, Yuri-_senpai_ – where have you been?"

"Around dahling," Yuri chuckled, listening to _Zhujiang_'s squeal. "Listen dear, Naomi's planning to hold up a game..."

Haruka's face suddenly became serious. "Wait, what for?"

"You'll see, dahling," she slyly purred as she cut the line. "Toodles, dearie."

The line went dead as Haruka stared at the phone queerly. "What in the world...?"

Rin saw Haruka's eyes glimmer differently. "Who called up, _kuwee~_?"

Haruka began dialling numbers. "It's Osakada-_senpai_..."

When she redialled the number, Haruka only heard a busy tone and that was it. _Odd, now I can't call her back..._

Rin tilted her head. "What did she say?"

Haruka gripped her phone tightly, gazing at Rin firmly. "I think we're going to have to call in Hitomi for this."

()()()()

"Is he okay," Mai managed to gain entrance as the nurses peeked in.

She nodded. "Yes, he's awake now. Would you like to speak to him?"

Mai smiled as the nurse opened the door for her. "Thank you."

When the red haired _tensai_ closed the door, Mai glanced at Yukimura. "How are you feeling?"

Yukimura chuckled lightly. "I've been better."

Mai took a seat next to his bed. "Do you want anything?"

Yukimura played with his Rubik's Cube. "No, I'm fine. Thank you for looking out for me though. Where are the others?"

"Marui-_kun_ went to find Ayane, Sanada-_san_ left already, Kirihara didn't want to leave until Yanagi-_kun_ dragged him away," Mai giggled as she remembered Kirihara's whining face. "Niou-_san_ and Yagyuu-_san_ decided to escort Isane-_senpai_ home. Yagyuu said it wasn't right to let Isane walk to the train station in the rain and Niou liked teasing her."

Yukimura looked at the light drizzle outside. "Well, that's Yagyuu for you. He's quite the chauvinist. As for Niou, it might be nice if he could pull her out of her shell. You were telling me she's a very shy girl."

Mai smiled ruefully as she looked at her hands. "So, how many times has this happened?"

"Oh a few," Yukimura placed the Rubik's Cube aside. "So tell me, how's everything in Hyotei now?"

Taking a glance at the flowers, Mai responded half-heartedly. "A lot better now..."

Yukimura noticed a change in her eyes. "Mai-_chan_, did something happen?"

"Well," Mai twiddled with her thumbs. "What Tousaka said... somehow, I find it true..."

Yukimura stared at her, puzzled as Mai explained. "I'm nothing but a self-proclaimed _tensai. _Maybe I'm not who people say I am..."

Ruffling her hair, Yukimura leaned closer to her. "I'm sure you're a genius."

Mai looked up at the serene smiling Rikkai Dai captain. "Not many people can match a rhythm the way you can," Yukimura pointed out. "Mai, you have the genius there. It's just maybe you're placing it in the wrong place. All I know is that – it's in tennis. Maybe it's how you look at your opponents."

"That's true," Mai recalled the time she looked so bored during a match; it meant that she wasn't giving her all. "By the way, when are you out?"

Yukimura shook his head. "I'll be having my operation soon."

"When," Mai glanced at him. "When would that be?"

Yukimura showed her his calendar. "Right on the finals of the Kantou Regionals."

Mai paled a bit. "But, what about...?"

"Sanada can manage them while I'm gone," Yukimura smiled ruefully as he looked down at the sheets. "I just want to get out of this place as soon as possible."

Nodding, Mai got up with a determined look. "I'll watch them for you!"

Yukimura stared at the girl puzzled as Mai gave him a thumbs up. "I'll make sure they don't screw up."

Laughing softly, the blue haired captain of Rikkai Dai nodded. "I'll hold you to your word then."

Mai chuckled lightly but soon felt her phone vibrate. "A message from an unknown number?"

Yukimura noticed her expression change as she opened it. After a few moments, Mai dropped her phone with a pale face and widened amber eyes.

"Mai, are you alright," Yukimura quickly got up, shaking her but the said _tensai_ didn't move. However, he decided to pick up her cell phone and see what spooked her so much.

_I know where you are, Mai. You know that I won't leave her mind. Make sure __**she**__ attends the match between the former regulars and current ones this Saturday. –Anonymous_

Yukimura stared at it, puzzled as he let Mai sit down. "Mai-_chan_, who is this?"

"I-I d-don't know," Mai saw her hands trembling until Yukimura covered his hands with hers.

Yukimura gazed into her amber gold eyes. "Don't panic, it's alright. Just remember – it could be a prank message. If it isn't then, make sure that none of your friends are in danger."

"Definitely, I'll make sure," Mai smiled as she leaned against Yukimura's arm. "Yukimura-_kun_?"

He glanced at her as Mai giggled softly. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he ruffled the girl's hair again. "Anytime, Mai-_chan_."

()()()()

"Wow," Sengoku stared in shock. "I'm surrounded by pretty ladies~! How lucky~!"

Momo glared at Sengoku, causing the Yamabuki vice captain to snap his mouth shut. "Keep quiet. Anyway, what do we do?"

Haruka tapped her chin. "This won't be easy. They're not letting us out of this one. But the real question is: why are they challenging us?"

"It could be a reunion type thing," Sengoku shrugged. "Maybe they just want to see how the sophomores they left behind grew up."

Hitomi shook her head. "The thing is – there is a ninety five percent chance that Naomi wants something again."

"But what could she possibly want from us, _kuwee~,_" Rin crossed her legs, frustrated.

Hitomi glanced through her notes. "Lulu wasn't there just to watch and take progress... She was a warning..."

"A warning for what," Momo stared at the data master incredulously.

Sengoku whistled. "It looks like one of your _senpai_ are targeting your _kouhai_ or most probably you guys. You sure you guys don't need help?"

"Actually," Hitomi pointed out. "Sengoku-_san_ may have a point."

Momo stared at him. "Wow, you're actually thinking!"

"Hey," Sengoku pouted impishly causing Momo to ruffle his hair. "Hey, you ruffled my hair! Lucky~!"

Momo rolled his eyes as she pulled out her cell phone. "What now, Hitomi?"

Hitomi bit her lip hard. "We'll have to be ready. When did she say the game was going to be?"

Haruka gulped. "She said this Saturday."

"That's too early," Momo snapped moodily. "We can't take on another match, not when we have Rikkai Dai!"

Rin yelped behind Haruka. "We'll be too tired to take down Rikkai Dai."

Sengoku stroked his chin as he popped up with another idea. "Say, who exactly are these guys? I mean – I only know one of them..."

"The Hyotei team was composed of what people called the Royal Orchestra," Momo bit her lip. "At that time, we weren't named by Card Suits but by rank. The highest was _Mil Espadas no Kotetsu Naomi_ or "Kotetsu Naomi of the Thousand Swords". After her was... What was Ferero-_senpai_'s title again?"

Sengoku poked Momo. "Say, why "Naomi of the Thousand Swords"? It makes no sense."

"When you see her play," Hitomi hugged her body. "That's when you'll feel it..."

Rin shivered at the memory. "Every time someone plays against her, they feel as if they're stabbed by a thousand blades. I was so scared of her, _kuwee~_."

"Mai was the first one to experience that," Momo gripped the carpet in Sengoku's room. "When she first challenged Naomi's authority, the girl showed no mercy and brought blow after blow. Mai didn't even have a chance to get up."

Sengoku shuddered. "Okay, I think I can imagine that now."

Haruka leaned against her elbows. "Osakada-_senpai_ was known as _Maestro no Yuri_. She could get along with anyone and make any doubles pair play by her rhythm. Before Mai, it was her. Not only that, she used music terms to indicate how fast we should play like _Accelerando_, _Allegro_... or if it were a short shot it would be _Staccato_ and stuff."

Sengoku watched all their expressions become more crestfallen. "Wow, those titles aren't ordinary. I mean – I've heard stuff like "_Sanryou Kagami no Furensu_", "_Chinurareta no Fuuka"_ and I think there was _"Shiramuzai no Ai"_. But, _Mil Espadas no Naomi_ takes the cake."

Momo leaned against Sengoku's bed. "So, how do we tell the others? We can't have Ayane and Kiyone get crushed right now! They're our best bet against Jerrard-Ryuuzaki!"

"That's what I was thinking," Hitomi sighed inwardly as she looked at her data. "Some girls didn't have titles like Ayane, Kiyone, Rin, Haruka, Mouri Enma and Mikurahara Otohime... but, that's because when they have titles – it means run for your life or give it up."

Sengoku poked Momo. "Hey, uh, correct me if I'm wrong but... didn't your captain have a funky title too?"

"Which one," Momo raised an eyebrow. "There are a lot people made up for her because she couldn't decide."

Sengoku sat up on his bed. "Well, it was a rumour but – when pushed to a corner, she loses her emotions and stares back at you like a corpse then..."

"_Shikabane Hime no Shizuru_," Hitomi noted down. "Yes, that's one of her titles. It's either – she looks at you like a corpse or...she makes you become one. Yep, that's the right one."

Sengoku shuddered. "Your _kouhai_ are scary."

"Problem is," Haruka curled her hand into a fist. "How do we get Ayane and Kiyone to prepare for the match between us and them?"

Hitomi began running the calculations. "There's no way they can win with the way they are now."

"They've always made the impossible come true, Hitomi," Momo countered. "Ayane and Kiyone are our Wildcards."

Sengoku tapped his chin. "Hey, what if you guys mix up the doubles positions?"

The four girls stared at him. "What?"

()()()()

Kiyone on the other hand ran over to the pet store to grab some treats. Apparently, her dog developed an addiction and he wouldn't eat anything else. Examining some boxes, Kiyone sighed as she began looking around for cheaper brands. Dogs barked left and right while parrots began squawking. Wincing at the out of tune squawk, Kiyone moved away but only managed to accidentally hit a cabinet which caused things to tip over. Frozen by the shock, Kiyone didn't move until a hand grabbed her out of the way causing the sacks of dog food fell.

"Great," Kiyone twitched her nose. "Stupid parrots..."

A smooth _kansai_ accented voice laughed. "I'm sure you don't have any back at home then."

When Kiyone looked up, there stood Shiraishi holding his own basket full of pet food. "Oh, I didn't know you were here!"

"Well, with the Goodwill Games coming up," Shiraishi shrugged. "Many of the _kansai_ teams are coming. Besides, Kenya needed to come here to buy Iguana stuff. He said this is the best place to buy."

Kiyone looked at the prices. "Yeah, it's really cheap here so you can get them easy. By the way, who else is with you?"

"Well, there's Kenya and Zaizen," Shiraishi pointed behind him. "Hitouji and Konjiki went to a comedy bar while Chitose and Gin decided to babysit Kin-_chan_ for me. They thought I needed a break."

Kiyone nodded vigorously. "Yeah, being a captain gets tiring, I bet!"

"Definitely," Shiraishi laughs as he runs his hand through his hair. "But sometimes, it's also refreshing to be a captain. At least you know you get to touch the hearts of a lot of people."

Kiyone smiled sheepishly at Shiraishi's words as she noticed the light tint off his sandy brown hair. Her cheeks flushed ten shades of red as she looked away from his face, hoping to make it look like some trick of the light. "So, where are you going after this?"

Shiraishi shrugged. "Well, I wasn't planning on doing anything this afternoon. Kenya might want to hit the arcade though with Zaizen. He wants revenge for the Dance Dance Revolution."

Kiyone giggled as she imagined Kenya dancing. "Well, that's kind of hard to imagine. Zaizen, I still can. He's got the attitude."

"Yeah," Shiraishi glanced at Kenya who was carrying a whole basket full of Iguana stuff. "You seriously are making that fortress for your Iguana?"

Kenya frowned a bit. "He can't keep staying in my bathroom all the time. Sure it's okay if Yoshi stays in the bathroom but chances are he might fall in the toilet."

Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "You named him after Mario's dinosaur?"

Kenya chuckled. "I couldn't think of any other name. Besides, it fits the little green guy."

Zaizen took off his earphones. "Oh, it's the midget we found the other day."

Kiyone glared at the black haired _tensai_ of Shitenhouji. "What? I'm a late bloomer!"

Zaizen rolled his eyes. "That just proves that you don't drink milk."

Kiyone pursed her lips. "Evil _tensai_, why are most of your kind either a baddie or evil?"

Zaizen shrugged. "I don't know – I guess we have fun making others miserable."

Nudging the other boy's shoulder, Kenya shook his head. "Sorry, Zaizen tries hard to keep up his 'bad boy' image."

As the younger boy rolled his eyes, Shiraishi offered. "You want to hang with us for awhile? I mean – you're kinda..."

"Short," Kiyone folded her arms with a pout. "Go on, just say it."

Shiraishi stared at her puzzled. "I was going to say you're kinda pretty and guys go after girls who are alone. So, maybe it's best that you hang with us."

Kiyone's head swivelled up. _Did he just call me 'pretty'?_

Shiraishi blinked at the smaller girl. "Um, did I say something wrong?"

Kiyone quickly shook her head, laughing. "N-no, not at all! So, are you done?"

Shiraishi chuckled as he pointed to the stumbling _Naniwa _Speed Star. "As soon as he's done buying out the entire store, I think we can consider ourselves done."

As soon as the door closed behind them, Shiraishi brought Kiyone along as Zaizen and Kenya ran for the arcade. Ishida and Chitose had Tooyama running with a bag loaded with mangas and comic books while Konjiki and Hitouji were running around throwing jokes. Shiraishi guided Kiyone through the crowds as Kenya and Zaizen finally found the Dance Dance Revolution game. However, a bunch of high school guys shoved Zaizen back with a sneer.

One of them chortled. "You brats should be home with your mommies right?"

"Yeah," he stole Zaizen's earphones. "Feeling cool, huh, punk?"

Despite being a tennis player, Zaizen jumped for it but had them hanging over his head and arm reach. "Give back my earphones, jackass!"

The grown man snorted. "Screw you, _kansai_ boy!"

Kiyone narrowed her eyes as she stepped on the guy's foot. "Hand the earphones over, whiny!"

Yelping, the guy let go of the earphones which Zaizen caught before they touched the floor. "Brat, know your place!"

As he raised his arm to swat her aside, a bandaged hand blocked his fist. "Look," Shiraishi's voice whispered very low. "I don't think you want trouble here. Or rather, you wouldn't want it right now."

The guy bit his lip from yelling 'ow' as he glared at Shitenhouji's captain. "You should learn how to respect your seniors!"

Chitose sighed, face palming. "Guys, we're not going to rumble the house are we?"

Tooyama stuck his tongue out. "This guy's easy peasy!"

Gin's eyes opened. "Still, that is no reason to jump into a fight especially when this is not our ground."

"We could have taken them if it's our ground," Kenya separated the two. "Though one thing: how can we respect the seniors if they don't teach anything good?"

The guy hit Kenya hard on the cheek, sending him stumbling. "Annoying pest, you should just get lost!"

However, Tooyama jumped him anyway and started gnawing on his hand which also had Zaizen getting ready with a few punches. Shiraishi had to threaten him with the "poison hand" just to get him to stop while Kenya held back Zaizen's fists. However, Shiraishi had control over Tooyama only but not the other first year hanging with them.

"Go get your balls cut," Kiyone kicked him where it really hurt, causing the guy to keel over.

He seethed through his teeth as he glared at her. "Brat...!"

"Sasabe, are you alright," one of his friends quickly went to help him.

He stood up again as he lifted up the smaller girl from the ground. "You ought to learn your manners...!"

However, Sasabe never had the chance to throw her because someone managed to whack him with one of the mallets attached to a "Whack-The-Idiot" game.

"You retard," a shriek came from behind. "What makes you think I gave you the right to hold my doubles partner like that!"

Shiraishi looked behind the guy and saw a very pissed off Ayane with a Marui staring in shock. "Uh, who are you now...?"

Ayane narrowed her eyes. "Pissed off! No jackass handles her like that otherwise, I give them hell!"

Chitose whistled. "I don't think I need my _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami_ to tell me how fast this match will end."

Sasabe turned around to face her with a sneer. "So, what are you going to do to me? Hit me with your watermelons or something?"

Ayane twitched at the word 'watermelons' as she smiled at Marui. "Bunta-_senpai_, promise me you won't tell your _fukubuchou_ or anyone about this."

Marui crossed his heart. "Can I take a few hits when you're done?"

Ayane nodded cheerfully. "Sure, help yourself."

Kiyone smirked at the older man. "Yane-Yane's going to kick your butt~!"

Fair enough, the tangerine haired vice captain punched his face and snarled at him like a lynx. He dropped Kiyone but Ayane didn't stop despite him begging for mercy. She naturally gave him a bleeding lip, a black eye and scratches all over his face. Bruises were all over his arm and he had a lot of swelling bumps on his face and arms. However, he tried to take her out but a ball rolled by his feet to which he tripped and met Marui's leg instead.

"Subtle," Ayane laughed at Marui who shrugged.

"_Tensai_ always come up with good ways to beat up guys," Marui glanced at him. "Though if beating up people were a part of Rikkai's curriculum, I think you would've gotten an A."

Ayane blushed at the compliment. "Well, I can't say my brothers didn't teach me anything."

Shiraishi helped Kiyone up, raising an eyebrow. "I guess I should've hit him."

Kiyone pat his head, teasingly. "It's okay, you didn't have to. That's Yane-Yane's job. Don't do jobs you're not comfortable with."

One of his friends glared at Kiyone as he grabbed her wrist. "It's all your fault that Amazon showed up!"

Ayane curled her fists tightly. "This guy's asking for it...!"

Kenya then stepped on his toes. "Oops, my bad."

"Hey," he swung his arm over which Tooyama then gnawed at it again. "Hey, what the hell is wrong with this kid?"

Shiraishi sighed as he looked at the game. "If these guys don't give up then, let's settle this in a game."

They turned to Shiraishi. "What the heck? In what?"

Shiraishi pointed at the Dance Revolution Game. "I'm sure we're more than enough. I'm not sure about your friend though."

Everyone turned their eyes to Sasabe who managed to get up despite Ayane's assault. "If we win, I get to file a case of assault!"

Kiyone stepped forward. "But that's not fair, you started it!"

"Actually," Shiraishi thought about it. "We'd win either way."

They turned to Shiraishi who explained it. "If my estimation's right, you guys must be around 19 and above. You attacked Getsugan-_chan_ here and therefore that can be held against you. The gravity of harassing a minor is much worse compared to a minor harassing an adult. After all, they charge the arsonist not the fire."

Sasabe grit his teeth at Shiraishi who simply stared at him as he snorted. "Come on guys, let's get outta here."

With a dissatisfied snort, the boys left leaving the Shitenhouji team to stare at their captain. "How did you know that?"

With a shrug, Shiraishi simply smiled. "It's common sense."

Kiyone nudged him playfully. "You looked like you wanted him to hit you."

"Actually, I was preparing for that," Shiraishi glanced at the swinging glass doors. "If he hit me then, he has no choice but to face my parents."

Ayane pointed at the team behind him. "What makes you think the big guy behind you won't throw him out the window?"

"Gin's actually very docile," Shiraishi got an approving nod from Gin. "He doesn't beat up people. People get themselves beaten up when they try to hit him. It's either that or... these guys behind me rape him in front of a lot of people." (A/N: You know who he's talking about.)

Konjiki fanned himself. "Aww, thank you for complimenting us Shiraishi~!"

Shiraishi shuddered at the tone. "Koharu, don't do that again."

"Aww," he pursed his lips as Hitouji whacked his head.

Marui shook his head. "I'm glad my teammates are just dysfunctional."

Ayane shrugged. "Momo-_senpai_'s more violent than I am."

Kiyone folded her arms. "Yeah right, you punch any guy who tries to cross paths with you."

"I do not," Ayane towered over the smaller girl.

Kiyone pointed at the window. "Well, explain the cuts and bruises on that jerk's face."

"He was harassing you," Ayane protested. "What? I can't defend you anymore?"

Kiyone shook her head, cheekily grinning. "Nah, I was just kidding. Besides, how will you explain it to _buchou_?"

Ayane let out a small 'eep'. "Oh no...!"

Marui tugged his collar, shuddering in horror. "If Yukimura-_buchou_ hears about this, I'm screwed."

Kenya looked around. "Well, let's go eat. Fighting with idiots like that worked up an appetite."

Marui heard his stomach rumbling. "Let's go get cake, Yane!"

Ayane nodded cheerfully while leaving with him. "Sure, see you back, Kiyone!"

()()()()

"All things are in position," Yuri moved her knight forward to corner Naomi's bishop. "Are you sure it's alright to scare them like this?"

Naomi nonchalantly attacked the knight with a pawn. "Well, who cares? That's what they're there for. If one falls, the rest go with them."

Nanako stared at Naomi incredulously. "I don't get it; why are you trying to attack Shizuru now? Wasn't she your favourite?"

Naomi chuckled darkly at the Doubles Genius' words. "What makes you think that?"

"You gave her more attention than anyone else," Nanako pointed out as she watched Yuri move he rook to check the queen. "Of course a lot of people would think you loved her like your own."

Naomi laughed as she stared at Nanako incredulously. "What makes you think I gave a care on what Shizuru is?"

"What is she to you then," Nanako bit her lip.

"Nothing like this little pawn here," Naomi sacrificed it to get Yuri's queen. "She's just a step to keep me going. I never considered anyone a worthy subordinate."

Lulu looked up from her book. "Aww, your little uke's going to be so hurt when she hears that."

"Before you say things," Naomi glared at the former vice captain. "Think about them and understand what kind of pain you want. By the way, checkmate Yuri."

Yuri sighed as she tossed her hands up in the air. "Well, you've improved. But... what about that match between us and the current?"

Naomi stood up. "I'm going to take a walk. I'll think of the line up and while I'm at it," –she narrowed her eyes at them. "Get rid of any sentimental attachment you have to them."

As the door shut, Nanako bristled at Naomi's words. "Get rid of any sentimental attachment you have to them," –she imitated Naomi. "That's crap! We can't keep hanging over them like a shadow! We're the past and they're the present and future! What the hell is this...?"

"I don't know exactly," Yuri looked at her cell phone. "I wish I could tell Haruka everything though. This all seems wrong..."

Lulu shrugged. "I don't know about you guys but, this game sounds like fun."

They all stared at Lulu. "Are you nuts?"

"Well," Lulu put her finger on her lip. "Think of it this way: we get to meet them again. Not only that, we get to play with them."

Nanako stole Lulu's book, glaring. "This is not some game, Ferero Lulu. Naomi's out for blood; she will stop at nothing to maintain what she believes is rightfully hers."

"What got her so threatened in the first place anyway," Yuri leaned against the chair. "I don't remember her being that... threatened."

Nanako revealed newspaper clippings. "Naomi never got us in the papers but Shizuru did. It says here "_Shinigami_ wins Singles Three with a Vacuum!" and another "Super Doubles Pair!". There were so many things accomplished in her time compared to Naomi. But... as long as she keeps a grip on Shizuru's mind..."

"Everything will be credited to her," Yuri sighed. "God, will she ever let that kid go?"

Nanako sighed as she drew the curtains aside. "I think the question should be more like: will the kid ever let her go?"

Lulu shrugged. "Well, I don't get her motives either but – it's fun to watch."

"Not when you're one of the pawns," Nanako curled her hand into a fist. "Momo sounded so terrified when I called her. It's as if I was a ghost. Also, I hate calling her 'Momo-_hana' _. It reminds me how I used to be during my dark days." (A/N: The days Momo considered Midoriyama dead)

Yuri glanced at her cell phone. "Calling up Haruka wasn't easy either. I just wonder – who called up the others?"

"I texted Mai for you guys," a voice came from the door.

When they looked up, a silver red streaked haired girl tossed back her long hair with a smirk. "I don't think Mai's gonna be happy that her past is going to bite her in the ass."

-That's chapter 30! I know there's no epic tennis here but there will be! This is just a start of another arc. Please review! Your reviews help me write faster!


	31. Shadows of Regret and Doubt

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

**Me: **Alright, just a translation of the titles for the girls: "Florence of the Mirror Prism", "Blood Soaked Fuuka", "Innocent Ai" and "Corpse Princess Shizuru". Anyway, thank you for all your reviews! They are highly appreciated which is why I'm updating faster than normal. The more reviews you send the better. Also, pairing suggestions for Hitomi and Isane are well appreciated!

**LivesForTennis0001:** I don't mind painfully long reviews. In fact, it makes me happier that people are more detailed with their reviews. So, the longer the review is the better.

**Junnin:** Nope, I'm not Singaporean. I'm just quite well-versed in cultures. I make sure that I try to incorporate a lot of stuff into my story so things are explained. Check my profile if you want my nationality.

Chapter 31 – Shadows of Fear and Doubt

Despite the rain pouring in, a loud explosion could be heard from a warehouse followed by metal tinkling on the floor. Soon, another explosion sounded off like a gunshot as clinking metal followed right after. Thunder crackled through the sky as another shot cracked inside.

"Damn, you're getting better," a young man scratched his head. "I thought you hated guns, Isane."

The tall silver haired senior smiled sheepishly. "Well, I have to improve my accuracy or my serves won't go in properly."

"Come on, guns are way different from tennis serves," the young man whined. "_Nee-san_, you're about to put _nii-sama_ to shame!"

Giggling softly, Isane sighed as she fired another shot to the paper's head. "Well, if only he practiced more – maybe he won't be embarrassed that this younger sister fires a gun better than him."

"Come on Ohtori," a loud voice came from outside. "There's a better way to work on your serves without making yourself into a lightning rod!"

Isane froze at the sound of the voice. _Oh no, is that who I think it is?_

Running inside, two figures emerged drenched as one shook his head fiercely while the other simply lowered his hood. A silver haired tall boy placed his umbrella aside while a capped boy threw his jacket against Ohtori's umbrella as he shoved his hand into his pocket.

"Thirty rounds each," Shishido slapped the money on the table as he was handed air pressured shot guns. "Here, Ohtori – this should help."

Ohtori gulped at the sight of the shot gun. "But Shishido-_senpai_, I've never used a gun in my life!"

"Well," Shishido rolled his eyes. "You're about to learn so start early. I'll show you the basics then try firing one by yourself."

Ohtori followed after his _senpai_ until he noticed the tall girl in the other booth. "Shishido-_senpai_, is that Uchiha-_senpai_?"

Shishido snorted with laughter. "What makes you think she can hold a shot gun?"

Three gunshots echoed promptly after Shishido's comment while a young man approached them. "Yep, that happens to be my sister."

"Oh, Sasuke-_san_," Ohtori recognized him from the Music Club. "I didn't know you came here. Why are you here?"

Sasuke pointed behind him. "Ask my insane sister who is firing bullets more than a police officer."

Shishido froze at Sasuke's words. "You mean Ohtori's right?"

Sighing inwardly, Sasuke pointed at the booth. "Yeah, since my brother's a cop – he gave Isane-_nee-sama_ a chance to start firing bullets too. Apparently, she's much better than him in it."

Shishido rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever it is – guys still fire guns better. It's all sheer dumb luck."

"Tell that to my sister," Sasuke smirked as he walked away.

Scoffing at Sasuke's tone, Shishido faced the target. "Alright – first thing's first: know where you're supposed to aim. Ohtori, you need to aim for the chest and the head. That's a sure-fire way to kill a person. Also, you can't miss otherwise you'll have to use up another bullet. In other words, lessen the amount of bullets but increase the amount of damage. Are you getting me?"

Ohtori nodded reluctantly as he positioned the gun on his shoulder. "Okay..."

"Alright," Shishido loaded the gun. "Now, widen your stance a bit and lean the gun against your shoulder. After that, aim properly and then fire."

Ohtori pulled the trigger but flinched, causing him to yelp and drop the gun. Shishido cursed loudly as the bullet ricocheted off the wall and onto the floor. The Silver pair stared at where the bullet had landed as someone peeked from behind the booth.

"Rule number one: don't flinch when you shoot," Isane handed the gun back to Ohtori. "You should be careful and keep a firm a grip, Ohtori-_kun_."

Shishido rolled his eyes. "What do you know? You can barely...!"

However, Isane proved him wrong as she inserted three bullets in three places: in between the eyes and the eyes itself. "Shishido-_kun_, were you about to say something?"

Shishido felt his jaw drop. "God, what the heck was that! That has to be a fluke!"

"Well," she sheepishly smiled. "I... I just practice a lot here."

Ohtori looked at where the bullets ended up. "I guess that's why you're called Hyotei Gakuen's Sniper. After all, the way you shoot is exact and fast!"

"Thanks," she humbly bowed. "But, I'm not as good as Itachi-_nii-sama_."

Shishido raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your younger brother just mention that you could make your brother look like a wuss?"

Isane shook her head, giggling lightly. "Well, not as exactly as you say it but – somehow within that context knowing him. Although, why are you trying to teach Ohtori how to use a gun?"

"Thought it could improve his service," Shishido scowled as he picked up another set of bullets. "We were playing until it stormed in so – Ohtori sticks out like a lightning rod in the courts."

Isane watched him take his stance. "You're too tense, Shishido-_kun_."

"I know what I'm doing, Uchiha," Shishido narrowed his eyes at the target.

Despite everything, he still missed the middle. "Damn, what the hell is wrong with me today!"

"Maybe you should," Isane offered shyly.

Shishido brushed her off. "It's alright – that's just a warm-up shot."

Isane kept quiet as Shishido tried in vain to shoot the middle again and again. Ohtori just watched the bullets leave Shishido's gun but his eyes focused more on the silver haired _senpai_.

"Umm," Ohtori played with his fingers. "Can you please teach me, Uchiha-_senpai_?"

Isane cheerfully took the offer. "Sure, why not?"

"Because a scowling dash specialist thinks that women suck with guns," a mischievous comment came from one of the other booths, revealing Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi on the other side.

Shishido glared at the silver haired Trickster. "I do not!"

"Well, you would've hit the target if you accepted her help, moron," Niou smirked as he pointed at the target. "You used up more bullets than Ohtori and Yagyuu put together."

Shishido grumbled as he faced the target while Niou glanced at Isane. "Hey, you think you can show me what you got, babe?"

Isane flushed ten shades of pink and red. "I... uh... ah..."

"Come on," Niou beckoned her to shoot right next his booth. "I'd like to learn from a master after all."

Gulping and moving near Niou, Isane took her stance but her shy demeanour dropped as her emerald eyes focused on the target. Ohtori tapped Shishido's shoulder, telling him to watch Isane. A deathly silence filled the corridor as Isane fired shot after another. Bullets cracked from her gun as they embedded themselves into the wall. After five shots, Isane reeled in back the paper and revealed her targets: the forehead, right in between the eyes, the throat and in the gut.

Shishido gaped while Niou clapped for her. "I'm impressed, that's something I don't see everyday. I mean – babe, you got stuff."

Yagyuu sighed into his hand. "Niou-_kun_, please refrain from flirting with girls especially in the most inappropriate of places."

"But Yagyuu, look at the holes she made," Niou took the paper and flashed it in the Gentleman's face. "Not many girls make holes in the certain death places."

Shishido snorted as he started firing again. "That was sheer dumb luck."

Noticing Isane's crestfallen face, Niou smirked as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Look, you want to hang around with us for awhile? Yagyuu's not the type to let a woman go alone and I don't think you should hang with morons," –referring to Ohtori and Shishido. "Especially with morons who don't want to admit they're wrong."

Shishido would have crushed his gun if gifted with strength but unfortunately, that wasn't what got his blood pressure up.

"Shishido-_senpai_," Ohtori tapped his _senpai_'s shoulder until he noticed a faint blush on the taller girl's face.

Shishido scowled as he started firing again. "Snide bastard, I'll kick his ass if he gets any closer to..."

_Gets any closer to what - your Isane? Didn't you reject her last year?_

Shishido froze a bit as that question echoed in his mind. He recalled all the chocolates he received and accepted them but none of them seemed to taste great. But then, Shishido could remember how exactly he had turned down Isane's chocolates last year.

_Flashback_

"Um," a second year Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "Shishido-_kun_, um..."

Shishido scowled to face her. "Spit it out already, Uchiha! What do you want? I have to go to tennis practice!"

Isane squeaked in fear as she handed Shishido a box of chocolates. "Um... I mean - Happy Valentines' Day, Shishido-_kun_."

Shishido stared incredulously at the silver haired female second year. "What the hell is this?"

Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "Umm, it's chocolate..."

When he opened it, Shishido shoved it back to her. "It looks like crap. I don't even eat chocolates."

_Flashback End_

Shishido mentally slapped himself. _How could I have been so insensitive! She made those with her own hands!_

"Anyway," –Shishido heard Niou say. "Are you free this Friday?"

The capped regular froze as he turned to watch Isane's expression. "Well," –however when she saw Shishido's face, Isane nodded immediately. "Yes, I have nothing to do that day."

Shishido gripped the gun even tighter, gaping at the girl. _No, Uchiha – I friggin' swear – don't go with this guy!_

"Great," Niou smirked with his usual drawl. "How's a little hangout in the mall sound to you?"

Isane blushed as Niou leaned closer, causing his Agarwood smell to weaken her knees. "Is it j-just y-y-you and m-m-me?"

"Yagyuu's got his own date," Niou snickered at the Gentleman. "I on the other hand – think you're one heck of a girl. So, we're set this Friday, babe?"

Shishido slapped himself mentally, staring at Isane and Niou. _I don't even call girls 'babe' when I talk to them!_

Isane nodded stiffly as Niou brushed a fringe of hair away from her face. "By the way, I like it when I can see your whole face."

Shishido started crushing the gun. _If it's Shizuru then fine because she has better taste but... Uchiha... okay, that's totally crossing the line! Uchiha is mine!_

_Is she yours really?_

Again, a voice in his head mocked him as Shishido stood frozen to his place as Niou made his move.

()()()()

"Come on, follow the beat," the teacher instructed as girls and guys danced after him. "One, two, three, and four..."

Mai however kept her mind focused on the text message that was sent to her. How did that person manage to get her number? Most of all, she mentioned Shizuru which allowed the _tensai_ to narrow it done a few people. Haruka and Rin definitely don't text like that. Rin's messages often end with _kuwee~_ and Haruka would usually sign H.H. at the end. Isane didn't usually charge her cell phone and she already has Hitomi's number.

"Nagisaki, you okay," Gakuto watched Mai's movements become more stiff. "You look like you saw a ghost."

Mai bit her lip. _Just who was that girl? How did she get my number?_

Gakuto noticed Mai sweating more than normal as she danced awkwardly to the rhythm. Sighing to himself, he pinched the sophomore causing the girl to yelp.

"What the hell is your problem," she glared at her _senpai_.

The magenta haired acrobat scoffed. "Ask that to the girl next to you!"

Mai whirled around to snap but only saw herself in the mirror. Noticing her dark eye bags, the _tensai_ sighed as she began counting the beat again.

"It can't be from our _senpai_ now," Mai mumbled to herself as she kicked high in the air. "So... who else could it be?"

With one cartwheel, Mai let out a groan. "So, who the hell can it be!"

The whole group became silent as Mai sheepishly laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I'm sure you're a bit stressed, Mai," the teacher chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "You're one of my best students and I'm sure you have the tennis team to think about. Why don't you call it a day?"

Mai shook her head vehemently. "Oh, I'm fine really."

Gakuto rolled his eyes. "Tell that to the girl who has sagging eye bags behind you."

Mai glared at him as she sighed, defeated. "Alright, but I'll come tomorrow."

Packing up her things, Mai left the room to change back into her clothes. The _tensai_ first threw water in her face to see the stress marks. At first, she pulled her eye bags down a bit while throwing another handful of water in her face. Instead of seeing herself however, she saw a dark blonde girl sneering at her.

_Mai, you know Naomi will never leave her mind._

Staring in horror, Mai punched the glass causing the image to vanish. The _tensai_ couldn't believe whom she saw; her body shivered while her amber eyes widened along with her quivering lips. Water splashed on the floor while Mai leaned against the wall, slumping down and trying to catch her breath. The _tensai_ dared not to look in the mirror again as she looked at her hand which managed to cut itself with her nails. Her mouth ran dry until a voice started calling her.

"Mai," a gentle voice shook her. "Mai, are you okay?"

Mai, completely shaken, swung her hand for a slap. "Don't come near me! Huh...Shizuru, is that you?"

Shizuru managed to catch her hand. "Mai, what happened?"

_Oh it's just Shizuru_, Mai chuckled in relief. "I thought you were a ghost."

"Yeah, you look like you saw one," Shizuru looked at the water trickling down the mirror. "Mai, what's that?"

The _tensai_ looked up, gasping in horror. "Shizuru, can we please leave?"

Shizuru nodded quickly as she helped Mai get out. The _tensai_ leaned against Shizuru as the captain glanced back at the foggy mirror forming the face of a wailing ghoul.

()()()()

Ayane on the other hand fussed around in the kitchen as she looked at the recipe how to make a Panna Cotta. Sighing with frustration, the tangerine haired vice captain pulled out five more cook books to show the _Panna Cotta_ recipe. There were too many variations and the problem was: which one would Atobe bother to poke or at least fork into his mouth?

_Stupid brat,_ Ayane snorted as she started pulling out the fruits. "What are his favourite fruits anyway!"

"You bought almost every kind to figure that out," a good natured reply came from upstairs. "I thought you wanted to be like your _nii-san_ already."

Ayane rolled her eyes, playfully whacking her eldest brother. "You're such a moron, _nii-san_. Why would I want to be you?"

"I heard you beat Sasabe up," he snickered while watching Ayane mix the ingredients. "How many guys are you going to beat up before you get yourself a boyfriend?"

Ayane smirked while pointing to herself proudly. "When there's someone decent and when pigs start flying!"

"I don't think that's ever possible," he face palmed. "So, who's it for, Yane-_chan_?"

Ayane snorted, gritting her teeth and stirring the mixture hard. "It's for Atobe Keigo, Sai_-nii_."

Sai hooted out with laughter. "Is this the same 'Atobe' who has five maids in each room?"

"Yes," Ayane twitched at the mention of Atobe; she resisted every urge to simply dump this on her brother's head.

"Is he the same one who left for Britain and never said goodbye," Sai folded his arms, smirking at his sister.

Ayane opened her mouth to say 'yes' but stopped when she realized what her brother said. "What do you mean 'the same one who left for Britain and never said goodbye'?"

Sai face palmed. "Didn't you have a friend you kept calling 'Kei-Kei' when you were younger?"

"No," Ayane stared at him aghast. "Why would I befriend that moron?"

Sai chuckled, folding his arms. "You really don't remember that you used to bully him when you were younger?"

"I wasn't a bully," Ayane twitched at her older brother. "What makes you say that?"

Sai flicked her nose. "Do you remember the time people kept calling you "orange"?"

Ayane snarled as she mashed the fruits. "How could I forget?"

"Do you remember the first guy who called you by your name," Sai smirked as he folded his arms.

Ayane started bending the metal spatula. "Yes..."

"What was his name," Sai leaned closer, smirking with glee.

Ayane put the spatula down slowly before grinning maniacally. "DIE, YOU ANNOYING PEST!"

The brother dodged Ayane's pounce but got punched and kicked anyway. "Ow," –he managed to block most of them. "Geez, you're not even a body builder like Ozuma yet you beat harder than a gorilla!"

"I heard my name," an auburn haired muscled male came out of the gym. "What did I do?"

Sai pointed accusingly at Ayane. "Our beloved sister hits harder than you!"

Ozuma shrugged. "I'm sure that Atobe kid is her punching bag when you're not around."

"Now, now," a calm voice came from the study. "Who did Ayane beat up this time?"

Sai whined at his younger brother, causing Ayane to laugh. "She did..."

The lean auburn haired male with tangerine streaks pushed up his glasses a bit. "Well, Ayane – act more like a lady will you? Just because Ozuma's as big as a gorilla doesn't mean you have to be like him and just because Sai-_nii_ is a martial artist doesn't mean you have every right to beat him up. Other boys also might not be able to take a hit from you. Do you remember the Student Behaviour Forms we received because you roughed up the entire wrestling club in Hyotei Gakuen for calling Kiyone-_chan_ a Pomeranian?"

Ayane pouted as she folded her arms. "Yes, Soujirou-_nii-san_ ..."

"Do you remember what mom said," Soujirou raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be a lady and therefore..."

"...Shouldn't get into fights and brawl like a boy despite you having brothers," Ayane rolled her eyes. "I'm not an old lady."

Soujirou smiled kindly. "Well, you were given a brain so, please use it."

"Ayane, you were known for your fists," Ozuma shrugged as he shoved his hand into his pocket. "Not only that, my friends think your watermelons could kill a man once you hug them."

Ayane kicked Ozuma which rebounded back on her. "My boobs are not big! Ow," –she glared at her older brother. "No fair, your legs are tree stumps!"

Ozuma pat her head with his large hand, ruffling it with a chuckle. "Well, you didn't body build so obviously – your kick would rebound, Yane."

Ayane snorted as she grabbed the spatula again. "I'm gonna make _Panna Cotta_. So, don't disturb me! Go do your boy thing! Get circumcised or something!"

"That's what we have Soujirou for," Sai slammed his hand on the thinner brother's back, causing the boy to cough.

Soujirou sighed to himself, face palming. _Why are my siblings mostly brutes?_

()()()()

Kiyone sighed as she began walking the dog around. Despite having a big house, Kiyone felt better when she went to the park to walk Aidan around. The afternoon air made it more comfortable for the sandy haired blonde to concentrate as the dog trotted around. Kiyone glanced at the few people who walked their dogs while noticing a few kids playing with a Frisbee. However, there were more couples with guys giving girls ice cones or the girls playing around with the guy's hair.

Somehow, Kiyone started stroking her dog's hair. _Somehow, I wish dogs could become human..._

Aidan stared at her with big eyes while she sighed. "Geez, that's the hard part."

"I didn't know you were an avid dog fan," a kind voice approached the smaller girl and found a dark haired woman looming above.

Kiyone looked up as Aidan suddenly started snarling. "Hi, I've never seen you around..."

She smiled while giggling. "Oh my, I forgot to introduce myself – My name is Kotetsu Naomi."

_Kotetsu Naomi,_ Kiyone racked her brains. _Where did I hear that name before?_

"Anyway," Naomi smiled as she offered the little girl her hand. "Would you like to walk with me?"

Kiyone, despite having a tingling in her back, stood up while tugging Aidan on the way. "Hey, come here boy!"

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," Kiyone sheepishly smiled. "He doesn't usually act like this..."

Naomi chuckled lightly. "Oh, it's alright. Sometimes dogs aren't receptive to people they don't know."

Kiyone nodded uneasily as she noticed Aidan, a usually very receptive dog, growling at Naomi.

_Animals can sometimes sense what we humans cannot._

Kiyone tapped her chin as she recalled Hitomi's words. How come this woman seemed so familiar? Kiyone followed after her as the dog continued barking incessantly. Naomi walked next to the girl as they found a bench to sit down on. Kiyone swung her legs lightly while the dog continued to snarl.

"So, you must be the Queen of Clovers," Naomi stared half heartedly towards the sky. "I've heard a lot of stories about you."

Kiyone swivelled her head towards the older girl. "Huh, like what?"

"How you'll be the one to succeed Kurenai-_chan_," Naomi leaned back, slyly chuckling in her mind. _You're such a naïve child..._

Kiyone smiled cheekily. "Wow, I didn't know news spread that fast but... that's all a lie..."

Naomi, quizzical, stared at the smaller sandy haired girl but gave her a motherly smile. "Nothing's impossible with the mind."

Now this baffled the younger as Naomi demonstrated. "The mind is a piece of paper that has no art. Our souls draw with thoughts that make things a lot easier for us humans to do."

Kiyone rubbed her eyes and gaped at her. "I don't get you, Deep-_chan_."

Naomi giggled softly at the nickname given to her until she remembered something. "Oh yes, this box – please give it to Kurenai-_chan_ when you see her around."

Shaking it, Kiyone tried to open it when the box glued itself was glued shut. "Hey, what's in this...?"

Before she could ask, Naomi had already vanished. Kiyone jumped up and began looking around as Aidan calmed down. Awhile ago, he wouldn't stop snarling but now the dog simply hung his tongue out and stared stupidly at his short sandy blonde master.

"Hey," a smooth voice caught her attention.

"Oh, Kenya-_san_ and Shiraishi-_san,_" Kiyone began looking over their shoulder. "Did you see someone pass by here?"

Kenya pursed his lips a bit. "How did that 'someone' look exactly?"

Kiyone started making wild hand gestures. "She looked like an hourglass with dark brown hair. She had sparkly silver eyes and fair skin! She said her name was Kotetsu Naomi..."

Shiraishi froze at the sound of the name. "Did she say anything to you?"

"Not much," noticing the shock on Shiraishi's face, Kiyone tapped his nose. "Hey, what's wrong with that?"

Kenya shuddered at the sound of her name. "Her name is never good news."

Shiraishi held on to Kiyone's shoulders tightly with his expression becoming serious. "Getsugan, promise me you won't talk to her ever again."

This baffled the younger girl more. "You're not my mother!"

"Just promise me," Shiraishi pleaded a bit. "Don't cross paths with her ever again."

At first, Kiyone stared at him all puzzled. "Why? She didn't seem so bad."

"Trust me," Shiraishi shook his head sadly. "How sure can you be that she didn't want to distort your mind?"

()()()()

Hitomi began running through all the books yet nothing came up. Equations were splashed over the walls of her bedroom and the roof had a few of its own. Notebooks piled up on her bed and papers ended up in shredders, on the table full of more scribbles or slipped under the girl's bed. The blonde raked her hair as leaned against her elbows; all the data on the former regulars were laid out in a line as she stared at them.

_Useless,_ Hitomi piled up the papers together and threw them away. _I feel so lost; I don't even know what to do._

While deep in thought, her phone began ringing which the blonde chose to ignore until a smooth voice came from it.

"Hey Yamaguchi_-san_, it's me Yanagi-_san_," Hitomi's ears perked up towards the answering machine. "I was wondering if you could meet up with me today at the café. Please call back ASAP. There are some things that I was able to find regarding Kotetsu Naomi and Homura Katsuki."

Hitomi lunged for the phone. "Yanagi-_san_, are you still there?"

Yanagi didn't show any surprise in his voice. "There was a ninety percent chance you were thinking too hard to hear the phone."

"Guilty as charged," Hitomi leaned against her chair. "So, what time?"

Yanagi paused for a moment. "How about around 3:00?"

Hitomi ran through her planner. "That sounds good, I don't have anything else to do except..."

"Research about Kotetsu Naomi in order to understand her motives was the thing you were about to say," Yanagi cut her off smoothly. "Am I right?"

Hitomi remained silent. "I guess..."

Yanagi noticed the heaviness in her voice. "I'm sorry..."

"Huh," Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for."

Yanagi bit his lip. "It must be hard digging up the past."

"It's the only way to set us free," Hitomi's voice trailed away. "We seniors are already free but the sophomores are victims of the past and if this continues – so will the freshmen."

Yanagi didn't say anything but noted a few things. "So, what do you plan on doing with them?"

Hitomi continued sifting through her notes as stats of the former players showed up. Like the boys' team, the team's recruitment was based on the virtue of power. Kotetsu Naomi easily took down anybody who came across her path with a 6-0 score. However, when Mai and Shizuru showed up – that's when it hit Hitomi.

"Something must have agitated Kotetsu-_buchou_ for her to think that way," Hitomi murmured to herself. "Yanagi-_kun_, please bring everything you have about Homura-_san_."

Yanagi on the other hand didn't need to be told twice. "I'm on my way to the coffee shop. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

()()()()

Haruka on the other hand looked through the accounting books and payroll charts of the company. With her eye bags sagging, Haruka plopped her head on the table while snoring safely away.

"Haruka-_bochama_, stop slacking for instance and finish those books," a sharp voice scolded her.

Haruka waved her hand. "He can go jump a cliff for all I care. Stupid old fart's the reason why Ino hates my guts."

"Ino is no longer any of your concern," –Haruka stared at the governess. "She is simply a small fragment of this family whereas you're going to be the heiress of the Hikifumi Corporation."

Haruka slung her hand behind her head. "What's the use of money when there's nothing to use it for?"

"Haruka-_bochama_, finish those records immediately," the governess shrieked at her causing the pink haired girl to sigh.

_Someone call me up already and save me from this madness,_ Haruka begrudgingly grabbed a pen.

Fair enough, her cell phone rang showing a very surprising number: Kuwahara Jackal.

"Hello," Haruka bit her lip to suppress her excitement. _OMG, what would he want from me?_

Jackal chuckled through the phone. "I was wondering if you're free right now."

Haruka jumped up from her seat. "I'm free, don't worry!"

"Okay," Jackal caught himself from being surprised by the sudden outburst. "There's a street court nearby and I was wondering if you'd like to play..."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Haruka ran up the stairs, ignoring the governess shrieks.

Jackal on the other hand could hear the shrieking in the background. "Who was that?"

"My sister is watching a horror movie," Haruka quickly dismissed her shrieks. "So, where are you?"

Jackal began looking around. "I'm near the train station that heads off to Kanagawa."

Haruka glanced at her watch. "I'll be there in twenty minutes flat!"

With this, Haruka killed the line and jumped out the window. She didn't waste any time sailing over the fences either in her house.

_I have to thank Rin-Rin_ _for that_, Haruka mentally noted to herself as she ran towards the tennis courts. Her tennis bag swung left and right while water splashed over Haruka's tennis shoes. People noticed a pink haired girl running towards the tennis courts until there she saw Ino, Jackal and Marui in one court.

_Do you hate me right now,_ Haruka gaped at the other girl who stood next to Jackal, smiling slyly. "Ino, I thought you were..."

"Mother knows that four walls won't stop me," Ino folded her arms with a smirk. "Shouldn't you be with," – she laced the next word with venom, "Daddy dearest?"

Haruka narrowed her eyes a bit. "Well, it doesn't mean I can't go out and have fun."

"I was the one who called her up," Jackal admitted mildly to the other girl. "I thought maybe you two could work together as a doubles pair."

Ino scoffed, flipping her strawberry blonde hair. "Me? Work with her? That happens only in her damn dreams!"

"Who said I wanted to work with you," Haruka whispered dangerously low.

Marui got in between the two girls. "Hey, don't kill each other just yet! Tell you what – why don't Jackal and Hikifumi-_chan_ work together?"

Both sisters gaped at him. "What did you say!"

Jackal face palmed, trying to disguise his red face. "Yes – will you stop volunteering me just like that!"

Marui shrugged. "Come on, I know you and Hikifumi-_chan_ can work together just fine. Ino-_tan_ and I can do pretty good too!"

"Don't call me that," Ino swat Marui's shoulder, earning an 'ow' from the red haired _tensai_.

Jackal turned to Haruka. "Are you okay with it?"

Haruka nodded, inwardly smirking. "Yep, I'm fine with that."

_Fine with beating Ino to a bloody pulp that is,_ Haruka devilishly thought to herself.

Taking her stance, Ino stood behind Marui while Haruka faced Marui at the net with Jackal at the back. The wind blew a bit which resulted in Ino's skirt flying up and also giving Jackal quite a sight of Haruka's underwear. The two girls yelped immediately with Ino completely beet red while Haruka twitched before slapping Jackal with her racquet.

"Pervert," Ino wailed before running towards the other end of the court.

Haruka tapped her racquet on her hand, smiling like a blue haired petite faced captain. "You guys didn't see anything did you?"

Jackal shook his head. _I didn't see anything... I hope..._

"Wrong answer," Haruka's chocolate brown eyes glittered angrily. "Ino, let's show them what we Hikifumi's do to perverts!"

For once, Ino put her differences aside and joined with her sister on one end of the court. "Heck yeah – for once, I'll agree with you!"

"Game start, Jackal-Marui pair versus Hikifumi-Hikifumi pair!"

Marui whistled to himself. "We're in for it now, Jackal. You just had to see Hikifumi-_chan_'s underwear."

"I didn't," Jackal shook his head defensively. "You saw Hikifumi Ino-_san_'s!"

Marui yelped as the ball served past him with a flaming Ino on the other end. "Marui Bunta, you're going to die right now!"

"HEEEELP," for once, Marui had never been so scared in his life.

()()()()

Rin on the other hand had a lot of training to do, considering she was flipping on two bars. Her hands tightly gripped the bars as she swung over and under. Sweat poured down her face as she carefully timed her transfer. With one hard swing, Rin managed to haul herself onto the next bar.

"Geez, is that it," a sneer came from down below.

Rin pouted as she continued to swing up and down while turning away. "I don't need your lectures, Gakuto!"

"Hey," the magenta haired acrobat shrugged. "I'm just saying. Instead of swinging around like a monkey, try learning how to do somersaults properly. You flip like a gorilla on the court; I think an elephant has more grace than you'll ever have."

Rin fumed up. "Look, coconut sherbet – just do your business and I'll be out of here, _kuwee_."

"Ewww," Gakuto scrunched his nose up in disgust. "You got that from Kikumaru didn't you! Man, he's an idiot! Why are you even hanging out with him?"

Rin landed on her feet, jabbing her finger at Gakuto. "Well, he's much more affable. He's not an arrogant shrill monkey like you and he's got a lot more humility than you, _kuwee_!"

Gakuto threw his hands up in annoyance while moving on to the floor mat. Rin on the other hand, inhaled sharply before grabbing hold on to the bars. After a few swings, Rin couldn't help but wonder why she kept fighting with someone like Gakuto. Was it just fun to fight with him? In fact, the black dragon could never understand what Gakuto's motives in pissing her off were. He kept showing up with that annoying smug look while taunting her to jump higher.

_How much higher does he want, _Rin fumed until she lost her concentration and let go off the bars. "Aaaah!"

She closed her eyes to brace herself but only heard two "oofs" coming from below her. Rin, rubbing her eyes, looked around and found everybody staring at her. "What happened?"

"_Nyah~_, that was a close call," a cheery voice came from below.

"Are you alright," a smooth voice caused Rin to freeze.

The black haired acrobat gaped at the people under her: Kajimoto Takahisa and Kikumaru Eiji just saved her from falling. "Kiku-_chan_, Kajimoto-_kun_, what are you doing here?"

Kajimoto helped her up. "I was just practicing flexibility. I don't know about Kikumaru-_san_ though..."

"I wanted to improve on my stamina, _nyah~_," Kikumaru gave her the 'v' sign. "How about you?"

Rin scratched her head sheepishly. "My balance has been giving out on me. Ask Kajimoto-_kun_, he knows the story."

Kajimoto shook his head. "Your balance is fine, it's just – maybe there's something bothering you."

Rin nearly hung her jaw loose at Kajimoto who managed to hit a bull's eye. "Hahaha, yeah... _kuwee~_."

Kajimoto smiled kindly at her, causing the black haired acrobat to blush. "Would you like me to spot you or anything?"

Kikumaru waved his hand vigorously. "I can partner up with you, _nyah~_!"

Rin's face beamed right away. "Really, you guys would?"

"Hey," a sharp voice called from the other end causing the black dragon to roll her eyes. "What's it with you two? Why do you wannabes keep showing up whenever she's in trouble!"

Kikumaru twitched his nose while jabbing his finger at Gakuto. "_Nyah_, you should be the one helping her! Aren't you two fellow Hyotei acrobats or something! Rin-_chan_'s just a lot nicer than you are!"

Gakuto shoved Kikumaru back. "Look, just back off!"

"You back off, _nyah~_," Kikumaru shoved Gakuto back also.

Kajimoto got in between the two acrobats, making his thick accent a lot lower. "I don't think this is a good place to fight it out. We're going to embarrass Shimohi-_san_ this way."

Gakuto and Kikumaru glared back at him. "You stay out of this!"

Rin, yanking her hair out, snuck away as she got up to try the bars again. Kajimoto on the other hand decided to watch her and leave the two red heads to yell at each other out. She swung up and down and even managed to control her centre of gravity as the black dragon twisted her body in the air. The Jyosei Shounan captain stared at how smooth her movements were – not to mention that her black ponytail flowed with the rhythm of her gymnastics.

_She's amazing; it's really like a Black Dragon as Nakayama-san mentioned_, Kajimoto watched Rin keep her eyes focused on the bars. Finally, the black haired acrobat landed in front of him, causing the captain to applaud. "That was amazing though..."

Rin tilted her head to the right. "What is it?"

"You should try looking less serious," Kajimoto pointed at the bars. "You have to ask yourself: why am I doing this stunt? Is it simply for tennis?"

Rin stared at the Jyosei Shounan captain quizzically until she thought it through. "You know... there is this one stunt I can't do properly and it's the only way to evolve Haru-_chan_'s level of play..."

Kajimoto assumed it was the Pearl Dragon she often spoke about. "Can you describe it to me?"

Rin began pointing at the bars. "I'm supposed to flip in the air from the baseline to take it out with a backhand – after that, Haru-_chan_ covers the back while I lunge for the front..."

"That doesn't seem hard," Kajimoto imagined it in his head.

Rin hung her head, taking a seat. "It's not that, _kuwee._ It's the part where she performs the Dragon's Retaliation. There's actually a third follow up to it and only one person could do it properly with her..."

"Who would that be," Kajimoto sat next to her.

Rin balled her hand into a fist with tears slipping out of her eyes. "The _senpai_ I replaced that day – Osakada Yuri..."

()()()()

Momo sighed while looking through her old things. At the back of her closet, the purple haired _Shinigami_ had kept all her memories of Rikkai Dai and Hyotei Gakuen. Medals collected dust and pictures filled up the box to the brim. Many of the pictures composed of her and her former teammates but most of them had Midoriyama in them. The _senpai_ became her first friend when she enrolled in Hyotei Gakuen three months before she started second year. Haruka then attached herself to Osakada while Isane and Ferero became one of the strongest doubles pair in the district.

_What did I do wrong,_ Momo curled her hand into a fist, taking the box and slamming it against the wall. "Where did all this come from?"

However, Momo heard a crinkling sound which made her open the box. In it, a frame lay inside quietly showing a picture of her and the new Regulars and the first Regulars of the Hyotei Gakuen team. Kotetsu Naomi stood in the middle with the trophy while holding on to a squirming Shizuru and a scowling Mai while Osakada glomped Haruka from behind and Ferero teasing Isane by pinching her cheeks. Momo on the other hand got a noogie from Midoriyama which prompted the girl to whine in front of the camera.

"Why do I have a feeling that she," –referring to Naomi, Momo tapped the broken glass on the frame where the crack had made the photo look like it had been torn apart. "She had a part in all of this? What made her destroy the team?"

Realizing nothing good would come out of pacing in her room; Momo went out to walk while tagging her cell phone along with her. Despite the cold winds, the _Shinigami_ continued walking while the red leaves swished past her. Sighing to herself, Momo then found turned a corner only to find Mai hugging herself and Shizuru sitting next to her, trying to calm down the shaken _tensai._

"Hey," Momo rushed over. "What happen? Who did this to her?"

Shizuru shook her head. "No – Mai saw something; I just don't know what..."

"Why," the red haired _tensai_ shivered. "Why is she still there?"

Momo shook the sophomore violently. "Alright, I need to sort out your thoughts. Who contacted you?"

Mai shakily showed Momo her cell phone which caused the violet haired _Shinigami_ to gape. "Oh no..."

_The match commences this Saturday. This game will be held in the Hyotei Gakuen Tennis courts in front of the entire student body and also – some other schools who may want to witness the defeat. Bring Shizuru with you, Mai. You're on our hit list as well. You can't run from me – Shizuru can never escape her grasp. –Anonymous_

_This number,_ Momo clucked her tongue while dialling quickly on her cell phone. "Yamaguchi Hitomi, pick up your phone right now... This is a life and..."

"This is a life and death situation that would require the Japanese National Police to handle it was what you were about to say," Hitomi answered more business-like on the other end. "Momo, you should stop saying a whole sentence so they'll actually understand what you're trying to say."

Momo nearly crushed her cell phone if not for Shizuru's tap on her shoulder on not to waste money over a phone call. "They're attacking, Hitomi. Gather everyone, this is no time for games or making poison to test. If you want, I'll even taste them for you to check if they're edible."

"Really," Hitomi asked with an amused voice. "What's the catch?"

Momo cracked her knuckles. "Hitomi, this is no time for games. My dorm in the next thirty minutes."

After thirty minutes, Shizuru had dialled up the other regulars to meet up in Momo's dorm room. Despite it being small, the team didn't find it uncomfortable and Rin had fun jumping on the female Sanada's bed much to the _Shinigami_'s dismay. Haruka on the other hand had to take a bath in Momo's bathroom but still fumed up every time someone mentioned "white" and "lacy".

"Let's get to the matter at hand," Shizuru had Mai hand the cell phone to her. "Someone's attacking us and we don't know who. All we know is that she was a former regular. Thing is – I haven't been in Hyotei long enough to know the other regulars since many of them were replaced."

"Hyotei Gakuen always had this first set and second set rule," Hitomi pulled out some notebooks. "Yanagi-_kun_ also managed to get some data for me about Homura-_san_'s relation with Kotetsu-_buchou_."

Kiyone bit her lip. "Why would she do all this? I mean – she didn't seem so bad awhile ago."

"Kiyone," Isane tried her best to explain it to the younger girl. "She may have only looked like a good person to you because she took advantage of your innocence. Now, you have to abandon that this Saturday. You might have to forget all the smiling and advice she has given you. Even I can't believe that Ferero-_senpai_ would do this but, it's for the team."

Shizuru's ears twitched at Kiyone's words. "Wait, you met her awhile ago?"

Kiyone waved her hand. "Yeah, Aidan wouldn't stop snarling at her. He looked like she had a gun in her hand or something."

"Dogs are usually more perceptive to emotion than anything else," Hitomi reasoned out. "By the way, where is our vice captain?"

Ayane came in huffing and puffing, slamming the door behind her. "I'm sorry – I had to run all the way here."

"It's alright," Momo yanked her arm down. "Just siddown. Anyway, what did she say to you?"

Kiyone tapped her chin. "You know – I can't remember."

The whole team sweat dropped; trust Kiyone not to pay attention to almost anything. "Great, we nearly had info," Haruka folded her arms. "Now what?"

Kiyone then pulled out a box. "Oh yeah, she told me to give this to you, _buchou_."

Shizuru eyed it suspiciously as she got a letter opener to slice it open. "Did she tell you what was in it?"

Kiyone shook her head until she looked up at Shizuru. "How did you know there was glue?"

"She's definitely not stupid," Momo snorted as she looked over Shizuru's shoulder. "So, what's the verdict?"

Shizuru opened the box, revealing a gold pin and a burnt shell bracelet. "Mai, this is war..."

The whole team stared at Shizuru who shut the box and threw it into the trash bin. "All of you, I need you to play as hard as you can this Saturday. Fight as if the game were your last."

"What's going on," Ayane shivered at Shizuru's burning red eyes. "You could probably melt a wall with one gaze, _buchou_."

Rin blinked at Shizuru. "I don't get it. What's going on,_ kuwee~_?"

Shizuru showed them the burnt shell bracelet. "This proves only one thing: she's out for blood."

"Nothing will stop her from claiming back the captaincy even if she's a high school student," Haruka tousled her pink hair. "But how will she do that?"

Shizuru bit her nail until she cast a glance at Kiyone. The girl then bent down and held the smaller girl's shoulders firmly. "Kiyone, I want you to promise me something."

The sandy haired girl raised an eyebrow. "You want me to develop rabies so when I bite people they die?"

Shizuru shook her head. "I want you to not listen to a word she says. Also, when I'm in trouble – don't help me."

Kiyone grabbed Shizuru's collar. "But," –her eyes welled up with tears. "I thought you trust us!"

Shizuru nodded firmly. "I do; she's very dangerous. You're not ready for her yet. Not now – you're a thousand years too early to even cross paths with her."

Ayane punched her fist. "Ha, I'll send her flying!"

Shizuru shook her head. "Ayane, don't get cocky. Kotetsu-_san_ is nothing you've ever faced. In physical battle yes, you may win. But – how far can you go?"

Ayane face palmed. "_Buchou_, you're talking in vague statements again!"

Momo nodded at the tangerine haired first year. "She's that strong... believe me..."

Ayane shook her head vehemently. "When I became vice captain, I accepted all the craps that came along with it! So, tell me what the hell is going on!"

The whole team fell into a silence. Momo snorted while facing away, Haruka bit her lip while Rin's expression became more crestfallen.

"You will see – come this Saturday," Hitomi drew aside the curtains to see it pouring harder than ever. "The war has just begun."

()()()()

Saturday rolled by like any other day as the regulars all met up in the tennis courts. Practice passed by like the usual until the wired gate opened.

"Oh my gosh," –one of the members chatted excitedly, "Aren't those the former regulars?"

Boys then surrounded the tennis courts while a group of high school students entered the grounds. Shizuru turned around to face them while many of the members watched the two captains face one another. Momo glared daggers at the former regulars while Kiyone hid behind Ayane, leaving Hitomi, Haruka and Rin to face the formers.

"It's been awhile, Shizuru-_chan_," a kind smile made its way to Naomi's face.

Shizuru strained a smile. "Ah, I guess it has."

Momo stared in shock as a girl came limping in. "Mi-Midoriyama-_senpai_, you..."

"Hey Momo-_hana_," Midoriyama shrugged while leaning on her crutches. "I don't think I'll play well today. Go easy on me okay?"

Hitomi watched a girl with low pigtails walk in. "Suzumiya-_senpai_, it's nice to see you..."

"Again after the last one year three months and twenty five days," Suzumiya kept her eyes closed. "Was that what you were about to say?"

Another girl blew up a bubblegum. "Maa~, how have you been Rin-_chan_?"

Rin whined a bit while hiding behind the Pearl Dragon. "Haru-_chan_, I can't believe it – it's Shou-_senpai_."

Haruka gaped at the other girl who tousled her light blonde hair. "Osakada-_senpai_, I didn't know..."

"Heeey~," she waved cheerfully. "Don't disappoint us okay, dahling? I'm sure we're going to have a fantastic time!"

Isane shivered a bit. "Ferero-_senpai_, it's great to see..."

"You should wear a smaller jersey," Lulu nodded as she analysed Isane. "I'm sure you're more than just a tangerine now."

Mai however only managed to stare at the girl who stood in front of her. "Ichigetsu-_senpai_ – you're supposed to be in Kakinoki...!"

"So, shall we see some carnage today," a bloodthirsty smile appeared on the girl's lips.

However, the members of the tennis club backed up when they saw Naomi face Shizuru. Their gazes didn't tear away from one another as Naomi laid out the rules.

"It's simple," –she pulled out a sheet, handing it to Shizuru. "To make it easier, I'll let you look at our line-up. However there will be a slight change of set up..."

They all turned to Naomi as she noted. "There will be three Doubles matches. Singles will remain the same. Would you like to see the line up?"

Shizuru gently pushed the paper back. "No thank you – we can manage on our own."

Shrugging, Naomi turned around as a sly smirk appeared on her face. _There's one thing I forgot to leave you though..._

The regulars faced Shizuru as the captain glanced at her mentor. "We can't let them win. Not this time – they've played around with our lives, scared the worlds out of us and tried to destroy our spirits. We're not going to let this match be theirs. We'll go with a different arrangement."

They nodded as Shizuru started the assignments. "Alright – Singles Three will go to Mai-_chan_ to sweep them down."

"What," Mai gaped at her best friend. "I'm gonna be a sweeper?"

Shizuru nodded as she pointed at Isane and Momo. "Doubles One will go to Momo-_senpai_ and Isane-_senpai_."

Ayane nearly choked on her water. "Wait, what about me?"

"We'll stun them in Doubles Two with the Diamond Pair," Shizuru cast a glance at Ayane and Kiyone. "Yamaguchi-_senpai_ will go take down Suzumiya for Singles Two."

Momo watched the older regulars laugh with the current senior members. "How do you know Suzumiya will take Singles Two anyway?"

"Because Kotetsu-_buchou_ has so much pride that she told me," Shizuru curled her hand into a fist. "The captain always shows up last. Also, Midoriyama-_senpai_ is a doubles player."

Mai bit her nails. "You're putting me with Ichigetsu? Are you out of your mind?"

"It's about time," Shizuru slung her jacket on her shoulder. "It's about time we let go of what has made us into what we are..."

"To pave our own path to the Nationals," Haruka stared at her curled up fist.

Momo glanced at the older members. "I still can't believe they found the people whom we replaced."

Kiyone clung onto Ayane. "_Buchou_, how strong were they?"

"I myself have no clue," Shizuru glanced at the seniors. "I think we'll have to rely on experience for this one."

Hitomi adjusted her glasses a bit, glancing through her notes with a sigh. "My data should be accurate enough to give us an idea how they would play their games."

"It better," Momo found Naomi giving out orders. "I can't even tell whether or not her weakness is still there."

Shizuru shook her head. "I'm not sure but somehow – it doesn't feel right. There's something that made her... snap..."

"Maybe it's because you're free from her control or some sort," Haruka noted the last time Momo slammed the sophomore to the wall.

"No, _kuwee~_," Rin shook her head. "It's something else. It's been long there..."

Soon, Naomi turned to face them with a curt smile. "So, shall we play?"

"Yeah," Shizuru's voice trailed away as she analysed Naomi's features.

The former captain looked calm as she and the other members headed for the courts. However, Shizuru noticed a slight flicker in the older captain's eyes as a small strand of hair fell in front of Naomi's face. Her eyes darkened while they scanned the court while the other members took their places on the bench. Rin gulped as she looked at the other girl standing next to Osakada Yuri.

"Haru-_chan_," she clung on to the pink haired counter puncher from behind. "Shou-_senpai_'s going to really wipe the floor with me, isn't she?"

Haruka narrowed her gaze. "Not as long as I'm around. The Shou-Osakada pair maybe one of the strongest in the district but that doesn't mean we can't surpass them."

Ayane and Kiyone began looking at their racquets and then at the former regulars. "Every time I look at them," Ayane bit her lip. "Why do I feel as if I'm going to die?"

"I know," Kiyone shivered as she put her jacket on. "The court suddenly just got a lot colder."

"You think everywhere is cold, doofus," Ayane rolled her eyes at the smaller player.

Kiyone pursed her lips. "Hey, no I don't!"

"It only gets warm when Shiraishi-_san_'s around," Ayane bounced her eyebrows a bit. "So, what did you guys do?"

Kiyone flushed red. "Geez, of all the times to talk about that...!"

Isane fixed her rubber shoes while Momo tied her hair. "Hey, what do you think Ferero-_senpai_ has up her sleeve this time?"

"I'm not worried about her," Momo nonchalantly tied the ribbon tightly around her violet hair. "It's Midoriyama who's the wildcard in this game. This won't be like any doubles game we've played."

Hitomi glanced at her data, wiping her glasses as she did so. "Suzumiya Ruriko-_senpai_, age: 15, playing style: counter puncher. Suzumiya Ruriko-_senpai_ is also the team manager in the Hyotei High School division and a regular. This allows her to recruit the formers that we have replaced during the Middle School years."

Momo pulled out the racquet that survived against Ishida Chie's hits. "I thought this racquet would only make one debut..."

Mai strode next to Shizuru. "Are you sure Ayane and Kiyone will survive? These guys look like they want our blood."

"Yes," Shizuru bit her lip. "It's good training for them."

Mai placed her hand on Shizuru's shoulder. "Listen – if we don't win then, its fine. I don't mind getting kicked around by Ichigetsu but what matter is we set ourselves free from the past. Win or lose, none of those matters anymore. If we lose then, it's just saying that there's something in our minds that's still holding us back. If we win then, it's a step forward for us."

"Alright, the match between the High School division and the Middle School division will now begin," Naomi announced as members of the tennis club along with some other students crowded at the bleachers. "Doubles Three players – step on the court."

Haruka inhaled sharply. "Alright, we're up, Rin."

Rin tugged her collar as she went to the net to face the formers: Osakada Yuri and Shou Unohana. "So, what do we do now, _kuwee_~?"

Unohana blew up a bubblegum. "Well, if it isn't the _Heilongjiang_ and the _Zhujiang_. I didn't know you guys would take Doubles Three."

Yuri tapped her shoulder. "I hope we can have a good game, dahling. It's been awhile since I last had a thrilling doubles match."

Haruka nodded stiffly as her former doubles partner wagged her finger. "Hey, don't be so stiff! Let's just have fun okay, dahling?"

Rin shuddered as Unohana rested her racquet on her shoulder. "Well, let's get this moving. I'm sure Ichigetsu and Kotetsu want their matches badly."

_I knew it,_ Haruka winced at Unohana's words. "What is this to you, some kind of game?"

"I don't know," Unohana shrugged. "Kotetsu Naomi always had a blood type B."

"Doubles Three will now begin: Hyotei Middle School's Hikifumi-Shimohi pair versus Hyotei High School's Osakada-Shou pair," Naomi glanced at the two pairs. "Game start, Osakada to serve!"

Yuri bounced the ball as Haruka stood at the receiving end. "It looks like I'm going have to trash you out early, dahling."

Watching the ball zoom past her, Haruka froze while Rin ran towards her doubles partner. "You okay, Haru-_chan_?"

Haruka slowly turned around and saw the ball imbed itself in the barbed fences. _How did it get that fast!_

"Fifteen – love," Naomi maintained her motherly smile.

_Finish them off, Osakada;_ she glanced at the dark strawberry blonde girl. _Show them no mercy..._

"That was the fastest serve I've ever seen," Isane rubbed her eyes. "I couldn't see anything at all."

Mai bit her lip. "That was all follow through – no effort whatsoever."

Yuri bowed down while twirling her racquet. "So, shall we have a go at it – dahling?"

Rin glanced at Haruka who had to change places with her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Haruka nodded weakly. "I've been better."

Yuri moved to the other side as she sent a serve towards the acrobat's left side. Rin jumped easily for it as Unohana sliced the ball over which forced Haruka to twist her wrist for a heavier slice. Unohana rallied it over to Rin who then drove a shot down towards Yuri's right side. Haruka took the baseline once more as Yuri slammed the ball towards one of the corners.

"This is how they used to play," Ayane gaped with her mouth hanging open. "Is this what they called National Calibre?"

Mai shook her head. "If you think they're scary then, you're not going to last minutes against Jerrard and Ryuuzaki. They're taking the Doubles world by storm too."

"Mouri and Tadashiko are equally powerful," Momo pointed out to the vice captain. "I know you're physically stronger than everyone else but heck, the mentality is what everyone bets on."

Isane bit her lip as another shot flashed past Rin. "This is totally one sided. Look at how fast Osakada-_san_'s shots are!"

Naomi smirked inwardly as Haruka and Rin missed another shot. _Yuri's style is the best for players like them. Speed and cunning has always been her battlefield. Unlike Haruka who analyses step by step, Yuri's style of play is too fast. Without anything to see, what is there to analyse?_

"Game, Osakada-Shou: one game to love!"

Haruka and Rin exchanged glances with one another. _How does she do that?_

"Osakada Yuri's style is very distinct because no one has ever seen it," Hitomi relayed to the other regulars. "Literally speaking, no one has ever seen it."

"That's because her shots are just that fast," Mai cringed at Rin crashing on the floor, promptly missing Unohana's shot. "Unless you're really good and have motion sight then, you're history."

Shizuru watched Rin miss the next shot. _This is complete annihilation_. _I never knew that they got this strong..._

"The Hyotei High School is known to be second to Rikkai Dai High School," Hitomi scanned her notes. "Homura Katsuki has been winning for Rikkai Dai and the rankings between the two schools are highly varied. Kotetsu Naomi has been leading them through the Kantou Regionals while Homura Katsuki is gearing up for the Nationals already."

Lulu lazily tossed a dice in the air. "Well, it seems like we're going to have a one-sided match this time."

"We don't know for sure yet," Nanako watched the ball slide over the net. "Hikifumi Haruka didn't create the Dragon Dance for nothing."

Ichigetsu smirked while tousling her dark blonde hair. "You shouldn't think so pessimistic all the time. It's bad for your health."

"I'm just being cautious," Nanako defended as she continued to watch the match.

Haruka stumbled as the next shot landed right on the line, "Forty – love!"

Yuri sighed, yawning as she did so. "Is this all you have to offer after a year? Dahling, I thought you were made of better stuff."

Haruka glanced at Rin who nodded with affirmation as both players both started glowing. "We are – it's just... we like fooling around a lot."

Yuri raised an eyebrow as the two lost the lustre in their eyes only to be surrounded by some fog like aura. "Oh, is this your Synchro dahling?"

"Here it comes," Unohana blew up another bubble. "They've been hiding that for quite awhile, ne, Yuri?"

Yuri snickered. _Show me then what that power is, dahling. I can't wait to see what it's like..._

-That's Chapter 31! Please review!


	32. Invisible Tennis and Dragon's Howl

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

**Me:** Thank you for all your reviews! You've all been very supportive! Though I appreciate alerts and favourites, I prefer if you send me a written review. It's much more encouraging Yes, Isane's brothers have the same names as the ones from Naruto but I do not use the exact characters – I'm simply borrowing their names since I thought it would be much more of a surprise that her brothers are named Sasuke and Itachi but if you want me to change it, that's fine too. Sorry for the very late update.

**LivesforTennis001:** Yes, they're from another anime but they're not the same people. I'm still trying to deliberate who's better for Isane. None of my fans are telling me who so, she's gonna stay hanging until I get a votation. I can always change the name but I chose Sasuke and Itachi to give it a little spark but I do not own the ones that was created in Naruto. These are my versions of Sasuke and Itachi – they are entirely different people.

Chapter 32 – Invisible Tennis and the Dragon's Howl

"Game, Shou-Osakada: two games to love!"

Haruka clucked her tongue in annoyance while watching Yuri swing left and right for a sprint. Unohana waited up front while Rin narrowed her eyes at the bubblegum blowing blonde. Watching the fog-like aura emit from both players, Yuri glanced at Unohana who nodded stiffly at her. Haruka fired a fast one causing Yuri to forehand it down the line. Unohana stared at Rin as the black haired acrobat bounced away with Haruka running up front. Cursing under her breath, Unohana volleyed it towards Haruka who sliced the ball under to create a whiplash.

"Fifteen – love," Yuri clucked her tongue as Naomi narrowed her eyes at Haruka's former doubles partner.

Unohana tapped Yuri on the shoulder. "Odd – you never told me Haruka had achieved Synchro with that monkey."

"That's because she didn't the last time I saw her," Yuri bit her thumb nail while analysing the two. "They're moving as if they're one person now so it would be hard to maintain our natural rhythm. We better up our rhythm if we want to keep up, dahling. After all, their Synchro is still immature."

"You've gotta be joking right," Unohana raised an eyebrow to Yuri.

The red haired female pointed out to her doubles partner. "Haruka is the one doing all the thinking therefore – they're only playing by Haruka's strategy. Rin's not the type to think after all."

"Hey, I do think," the black haired acrobat fumed but clamped her mouth shut, staring in horror. "Oops..."

Yuri smiled slowly. "Normally, these dahlings wouldn't even react to a single taunt but there you have it – Rin just did."

Unohana nodded, shuddering a bit. "Geez, Yuri – that's scary."

"I know," Yuri snickered with a devilish smile. "But we have to do that if we want to win."

_That was fast_, Hitomi stared in awe. _She knew it by simply seeing it once. Did she...?_

"After all," Yuri brushed her hair back. "You're playing on my Stadium, dahling."

Momo let her jaw hang. "You mean – she's been playing them...?"

"She wanted them to use the Synchro," Mai glanced at Yuri's smirk. "No wonder they weren't panicking. They just wanted them to crash and burn with their own Synchro."

Ayane and Kiyone held on to each other for dear life. "I can't believe this," the tangerine vice captain's lips began quivering.

Kiyone whimpered behind her doubles partner. "Shizuru-_buchou_, they're... that merciless?"

"Osakada-_senpai_ and Shou-_senpai_ are much kinder than the others in tennis," Shizuru sadly noted. "When you get out there, you have to abandon every connection you have with yourself."

Hitomi closed the book quietly. "That's why lying under our titles as queens – they've already dubbed us as demons."

Momo leaned against the fence. "Rikkai Dai is known for their innocence hence the angels despite having a monster like Inuzuka with them. Seigaku is more like ghouls – Souma Fuuka is in a class all by herself. Hyotei's known to be a mixture of whack job monsters. Joy, we have so much in common."

"You don't have to be so blunt about it," Mai face palmed. "Besides, we are not a mixture of whack job monsters!"

Momo shrugged nonchalantly. "Tell that to the Atobe-fan girls, also to very boyish girls and also to the very prima donna ones too."

The rally sped up as Rin sailed into the air for a hard smash which allowed Haruka to set up the Dragon's Retaliation. Yuri signalled Unohana to run to the left as Haruka sliced down for the Dragon's Retaliation. Seeing the ball spin on the right side, it bounced towards the left right towards Unohana.

"She knew which direction it was going," Rin gaped as Unohana smirked.

Her fishbone braid bounced around as she sliced it even lower. "Tsk, you're going to have a heyday."

Rin jumped for the ball which forced her to lob straight up and Yuri smash right down in between.

"Fifteen – all," Haruka and Rin stared at the mark the ball made.

Rin gulped while jumping behind Haruka. "_Mou~_, I never knew they could counter the Dragon's Retaliation so easily!"

"It's obvious that it's plausible," Haruka noted while watching Yuri and Unohana go for a high five. "Yuri-_senpai_ knows all my moves because she was my partner long time ago."

Unohana shrugged. "Well, I didn't expect Rin to conquer her lack of stamina in due time."

Yuri tousled her hair. "Well dahling, you girls certainly showed me a thing or two. But, Haruka – you were my first younger partner. I've partnered up with a lot of people long time ago. My real first partner was Unohana-_chan_ over here. Besides, who was the one who taught you how to double up with ALMOST anyone, Haruka dahling?"

Haruka gripped her racquet tightly. "Well, I learned most of it on my own."

"My, my," Yuri wagged her finger. "Tut, tut, you shouldn't be so defensive, dahling. It's going to add more wrinkles on your face."

Rin gulped at Haruka's burning face. "Haru-_chan_, what are we going to do now?"

"We're going to bring them down," Haruka faced away from Yuri's taunting face. "She's not the only doubles expert around here."

Unohana whistled as she blew up her bubblegum. "Well, what now – brown cow?"

Yuri shrugged while twirling her hair on her finger. "Hmm, I wanted to play around a little longer but Haru-_chan_'s not going to let me do that."

Naomi smirked as she watched Haruka take her place on the baseline. _So, what will you do now, Shizuru-chan? You were never good with people._

Shizuru glanced at the two girls who were discussing a new set of plans as Mai took a seat next to her. Isane nervously watched Haruka give instructions to the black haired acrobat while Momo folded her arms in disgust. Hitomi watched the match while scribbling down a new set of notes in her book as Rin nodded after hearing Haruka's plan.

"Are you sure you can do this," Haruka glanced warily at Rin. "I mean – why did you only tell me this now!"

Rin twiddled with her thumbs. "I wasn't sure if I could do it right. I only managed to do it because he helped me."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Alright – who is this he if I may ask?"

Rin flushed into a bright red colour. "I... um... let's just play shall we?"

"Rin," Haruka's tone remained firm and stern. "Tell me who...!"

Rin waved it off. "Ah ha-ha, it's nothing! I'll tell you who he is after this game ends~!"

Yuri whistled. "Oooh, our baby's found a prince!"

"More like a knight," Unohana popped her lemon flavoured bubblegum. "He's the knight that will cost her this match. Dragons and knights can never match up anyway."

Rin narrowed her eyes. "That's so not true, _kuwee_~!"

"Well, she's still such a callow child after all," Yuri tapped the bottom of her chin. "She wouldn't understand such sophisticated matters after all, dahling."

Haruka glared. "Quit the accent, it makes your lips look fat."

Rin kept quiet as Yuri waited at the other. "So, what are you waiting for? Start serving already, dahling."

Haruka tossed the ball in the air. _Rin, I hope what you told me was true._

_Flashback_

"What do you mean the 'third dragon'," Haruka stared at her doubles partner incredulously.

Rin jumped up and down. "Remember, the one you told me you wouldn't perform it as long as I'm your doubles partner when we were second year?"

Haruka shook her head as she placed her water jug into her locker. "That technique requires full Synchronization, Rin. That's something only Yuri-_senpai_ and I managed to accomplish. Nobody else..."

Rin stayed silent for awhile as she puffed up her cheeks. "I'll show you...!"

Haruka stared at Rin who was turning purple from holding her breath in her cheeks. "I'll show you that I can do the same! I'll show you that Osakada-_senpai_ is not the only one who can set up properly!"

_Flashback End_

_That's why I couldn't get anywhere,_ Haruka returned with a sharp forehand, glancing at Rin who started volleying. _I always believed that only Yuri-senpai could work with me but..._

_You know, to be the best doubles player – you have to know how to work with ANYONE, dahling. Human or animal, you have to know how to work with them. That's what it means to be a doubles expert. _

Haruka chuckled bitterly to herself as that sentence echoed in her head. She remembered the time Yuri had been replaced by Rin and all the times that when the black dragon failed to meet her expectations – the comparisons flew left and right. Haruka glanced at the ball as she saw Rin sail into the air.

_Wait isn't that, _Haruka stared in shock as the ball reflected off Unohana's racquet hard that it flew off with a spin. "How did she...?"

Rin watched Haruka stare at the shot as Yuri and Unohana found her landing on her feet while going for the front. "Haru-_chan_, take the shot out already!"

Haruka steeled herself as she made contact with the ball. With one flick of her wrist, she circled the racquet around the ball causing the ball to spin faster. The ball zoomed over the net and started spinning on the top of the net but exploded with enough spinning force to propel itself right past Unohana's ear.

"That was," Unohana turned to Yuri who nodded stiffly.

Haruka lowered her racquet after watching the ball fly. "Legend of the Dragons: the Dragon's Howl."

Isane gaped at Rin who cheerfully grinned. "I don't believe it; I thought only Osakada-_senpai_ could set up something like that!"

"A lot of people thought the same thing," Momo watched Rin give Haruka a high five. "That was what gave Haruka a problem. The first two legends are very easy to do since it doesn't require a set up but the third is supposedly the finishing move since it requires heavy set up."

Haruka stared at Rin. "How did you do that? That kind of spin is almost impossible to do unless..."

"You place a good enough force and weight on it," Rin gave her thumbs up. "Also, the force of the racquet must be hard enough to make the opponent create a spin to return it."

Haruka bit her lip as she smiled while the black acrobat gave her a cheeky grin. However, Haruka's face fell as she heard applause from the other side.

"Brava dahling," Yuri continued to clap. "You finally got to read the third part of the legend. I thought you were all jump and no think."

Rin twitched her nose. "I do use my brain!"

"Yeah, only during the last three minutes," Unohana waved her hand dismissively, throwing in another piece of gum into her mouth. "Honestly, if you figured the Dragon's Howl three weeks ago – you guys would've noticed that the three can be used in a consecutive timing in order to throw off the opponent and you could've scored with a driving backhand smash."

The Twin Dragons stared at her as Yuri twirled her hair a bit. "What? You never thought of that?"

Naomi chuckled lightly while running her hand through her hair. "It's not that they didn't think of that, Yuri. They were probably saving it for later which is most likely... never."

Haruka fumed at Naomi. "Damn it, will you shut up and just sit there!"

"Tsk, tsk," Yuri wagged her finger. "That's no way to address your senior, dahling."

Haruka shut herself up before anything else rolled out of her mouth while Rin could only cast a glare at Naomi who kept a patented smile. Rin on the other hand waved her first at Naomi.

"Just you wait," Rin snorted while facing the formers. "We're gonna break out our special move in no time!"

Haruka stared at the black dragon as if she had lost her mind. _We have a special move!_

Momo stared at the two of them before face palming. "_Buchou_, who started to tutor Rin in order to help her play doubles?"

"She has a warm feeling inside," Shizuru glanced at her eyes. "Rin-_senpai_ is actually – ready to show how serious she is about that 'special move' she mentioned."

Hitomi nodded as she showed Momo the numbers. "As you can see, one of the factors is named..."

Momo shoved the notebook down. "I want sentences not some freaky numbers and radicals!"

"Kajimoto Takahisa," Hitomi frowned a bit. "Stop interrupting and listen for once."

Isane glanced at the court. "Guys, I don't think Rin's fooling around anymore."

Rin's eyes glinted evilly as she grinned like a Cheshire cat in front of Unohana. "You know – you're doing pretty well despite hating Osakada-_senpai_ for I don't know... stealing your boyfriend?"

Unohana froze as Yuri gaped at the dark strawberry blonde girl. "Yunoki Kazuya was your boyfriend?!"

"Yeah," Unohana whirled around and jabbed her finger at the dark strawberry blonde haired doubles expert. "Yeah, he broke up with me for you – you Benedict Arnold...!"

Rin snickered while Haruka face palmed. "Rin, what was that?"

She grinned cheekily at Haruka. "If all else fails, the truth always makes a great comeback, _kuwee~_."

Haruka watched the glint in Rin's eyes. "You used... your Insight? But – I thought that was only prediction!"

"Nope," Rin wagged her finger while puffing her cheeks. "I tried my best to find another way to win. I mean – you know how Hoshimura Florence tells by looking at the colours your body emits?"

Haruka nodded slowly. "Yeah, what did you do?"

"Well," Rin tapped her chin lightly. "Shou-_senpai_'s style says a lot."

Haruka gaped at her. "You're finally using your head!"

"I always have," she puffed her cheeks up impishly again.

Naomi cast a sweet smile at the two. "Why are you two letting the underdogs talk you down?"

"She stole my boyfriend," Unohana seethed through her teeth. "You stupid man-eater...!"

Yuri tried to calm Unohana down. "Look, we'll talk about this later alright?"

As Haruka started her serve, the ball zoomed towards Unohana who returned it with much ease and Rin found an open spot between the two girls.

"Thirty – fifteen," Haruka and Rin gave each other a high five before getting ready for the next rally.

Ayane watched Unohana and Yuri get in each others' way. "Rin-_senpai_ used her Insight to wake up the doubts inside Unohana-_san_."

"In other words, psychic warfare," Momo chuckled as she watched Rin sail into the air. "I didn't know she had that in her."

"That was her last resort actually," Shizuru glanced at Rin's eyes. "She didn't want to play mental games. Rin's often the all-out attacker."

Yuri snickered as the next shot came in. "That's a bit too low for you, Rin. I didn't know you were cruel."

"You left me with no choice," Rin's spoke in a low tone.

Haruka felt her body shiver with Rin in front. _I never saw her so serious before; let alone use her Insight so early in the match._

"It's okay," a cheerful voice responded to Haruka's thoughts as a black haired acrobat faced her with a huge smile. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Haru-_chan_. Trust me okay?"

Yuri whistled as she watched Rin and Haruka take another position. _It seems like the roles have been switched. Although, what does this black dragon have that we don't?_

Rin watched Unohana dash for the front while watching Yuri bolt towards the left side. Haruka's serve flew back at her as she volleyed it towards Unohana who slammed the shot towards Haruka's right side. Naomi on the other hand, calmly placed her hands on her lap as she watched the two doubles pairs fight it out. Normally, she would be smiling but somehow – the former captain felt unease; her eyes darted after the ball as Haruka sliced it down with an astounding spin-off.

"Forty – fifteen," Naomi's eyes narrowed at the two as Haruka gave an uneasy high five to Rin.

Yuri gestured to Naomi for a time-out as the four players got off the court to wipe up. Haruka uneasily trailed behind Rin who walked with utmost confidence while snatching her bottle from her bag and downing a huge amount. Momo stared at her as the eerily yellow liquid went down her throat while Isane couldn't help but hold back whatever she ate for lunch.

"Rin," Haruka gaped at her. "What are you drinking?"

Kiyone managed to snatch it from Rin, resulting into a small catfight. "Eh, it smells like cough syrup..."

Rin tried to grab it back as Shizuru managed to get the drink from the smaller girl. "It's Bacchus..."

"Bacchus," Momo stared at Rin. "Is that why she's on overdrive?"

Haruka slapped the black haired acrobat's head. "So that's why you're serious today!"

"Owie," Rin whined while rubbing her head. "You didn't have to hit me so hard, _kuwee~_."

Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose. "Geez, you're always trying too hard in the weirdest directions!"

Shizuru glanced at the other side as Naomi began coaching them. "Guys, be prepared to pull out the real Synchronization. They have a Synchro of their own."

"Let's hope it's not as bad as it looks," Isane wistfully watched Unohana and Yuri exchange glances. "I mean – I haven't seen them tag team too much."

Haruka tapped her chin. "That's because Kotetsu-_buchou_ always paired me up with Yuri-_senpai_."

Rin glanced at Unohana who tapped Yuri's racquet against her own. "_Kuwee~_, they remind me of that pair from Jyosei Shounan."

"At least they talk to one another," Momo sniggered as the two began nodding. "Say," –she pointed behind Ayane. "Someone tell me why a purple haired mole diva classmate of mine is here."

Ayane froze as she turned around. "A-Atobe, what are you doing here?"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't informed that the former regulars were coming here. Did your captain authorize this?"

"Yes," Shizuru nodded stiffly. "Is there something wrong, Atobe-_senpai_?"

Atobe smirked as he placed his arm around Ayane. "What? _Ore-sama_ can't watch his queen kick another queen off her throne?"

Each girl had their own reaction as Ayane turned away with a flushed face.

Momo gaped at Ayane, dropping her racquet.

Kiyone rubbed her eyes but continued blinking.

Mai hung her jaw wide and slapped herself several times.

Isane closed Mai's mouth to avoid any random mosquito from flying in.

Hitomi dropped her notebook while frantically trying to catch the papers.

Rin promptly missed a volley but had Haruka make up for her.

After scoring, Haruka gaped at Ayane's predicament.

Shizuru blinked several times before sighing to her vice captain. "It's about time."

Ayane swat Atobe's hand away, whining at Shizuru. "But _buchouuu_, why is he here!"

"He probably wants to see your game, right Atobe-_senpai_," Shizuru cast a wary glance towards the icy eyed captain's direction.

Atobe froze at Shizuru's tone, snorting a bit. "Whatever Kurenai, _ore-sama_'s here only for Ayane's game."

"Ooh, you're on a first name basis now," Momo raised an eyebrow earning a punch to her palm from Ayane. "What did he do to you anyway?"

"Shut up," Ayane glared as she turned away from the female Sanada.

Atobe shrugged at Momo's question. "_Ore-sama_ simply had to win a game."

"You bet your pride," Kiyone choked on her laughter. "Kobayagi Ayane, you are definitely screwed."

Ayane kicked a random pebble on the ground. "You shut up, Getsugan Kiyone."

Overhearing some parts of the conversation, Haruka couldn't help but snicker as she returned Yuri's fast top spin with a counter spin of her own. Unohana volleyed towards her as Rin jumped for the ball to send it to Yuri's left side. The two started bumping into one another as Rin managed to score another shot while landing after an aerial backhand smash.

"Game, Shimohi-Hikifumi: one game to two!"

Atobe scoffed, turning to Shizuru. "When is Ayane's game?"

"Doubles Two," Shizuru kept her eyes focused on the other pair. _They're hiding something – but what?_

Unohana tossed the ball high as she watched it descend. "Time to show you something new..."

Her serve started pretty fast as Rin managed to volley it over. Yuri came up front with a fast volley causing Haruka to miss the shot.

"Fifteen – love," the Dragon pair couldn't even budge an inch.

_Where did it go,_ Haruka frantically looked around as the ball bounced behind her. "How did it get there?"

Yuri and Unohana did a high five as Rin gulped at where the shot landed. "I couldn't even see it, _kuwee~_!"

Mai bit her lip. "It flew by so fast that it became invisible. This is Osakada-_senpai_'s Singles Style: Invisible Tennis."

"Tch, Rin has motion sight and she didn't even catch it," Momo slammed her fist on the rail. "Wait a minute, how were you able to catch it?"

Mai glanced at Yuri. "I only managed to catch her swing but that's it. I only found it at the start but completely swung already."

Unohana tapped her chin. "I can't believe it; you caught them off guard with that shot."

"As long as I have my Invisible Tennis," Yuri smirked at the other two doubles players. "Haruka won't have any chance against me. Rin will get tired because her eyes will always try to follow the ball. As soon as the Black Dragon falls, so does the Pearl Dragon. You should've known that by now, dahling."

Rin glanced at Haruka who nodded at her. The pink haired Dragon stood up with her pupils dilating and her body emitting a fog-like aura. Rin soon had the same effect and they stood at their positions.

"Ohoho," Yuri rubbed her palms together. "It looks like our little dahlings are going to show us their Synchronization. Shall we use ours as well?"

Unohana's pupils dilated while Yuri started moving in sync with her. Unohana started with a fast serve as Rin lurched forward for a volley. Haruka sealed off Yuri while countering all of the girl's baseline shots. Rin sailed into the air for a backhand while Haruka prepared the Dragon's Tail to whiplash back at Unohana. Yuri, taking a few steps backwards, drove in a shot towards Rin's left side but the Black Dragon managed to slide over and return it. Both sides moved with complete unison as each of their shots were countered.

"_Ore-sama_ thinks that Osakada and Shou aren't going to make it," Atobe folded his arms. "Honestly, what makes them think they can send a makeshift pair against the Twin Dragons?"

Ayane gaped at Atobe. "For once, what do you know about doubles and how do you know they're a makeshift?"

"If you were my batch, Ayane," Atobe smirked while using his Insight. "You would've known that these two have never played doubles with one another in an official match."

The vice captain quickly turned to Shizuru. "Is it true! I mean – if so, how did they activate Synchro?"

Mai watched Haruka take another point of Unohana. "All they need to do is to induce their body to think they're in a desperate situation. After that, the magic works itself and there you have it – Synchro."

"But I thought you need to have a high emotional connection to do it," Ayane began waving her arms high in the air. "How the hell did they do that!"

Kiyone tapped Mai's shoulder. "Hey, is it just me or are their movements getting choppy?"

"That's because they don't have that strong a bond compared to Haruka and Rin," Hitomi explained it to the smaller girl. "While Yuri does have an ability to connect on higher emotional levels, Unohana has a psychological blocker in her head that prevents her from complete synchronization. Because of this, Haruka and Rin are going to take the lead."

Rin sailed into the air, taking another point from Yuri and Unohana.

"Game, Shimohi-Hikifumi: two games all!"

Naomi bit her lower lip, overhearing Atobe's words. _I didn't know they could go this far with their Synchro. Although, you are right with one thing, Atobe – they've never played doubles together in an official match before._ _Then again, this could work to our advantage._

Haruka gave a high five to Rin as the black haired acrobat started her service. Yuri slammed the ball towards Haruka's left side as Rin moved to the front for another set up. With a fast shot, Rin forced Unohana to return back with a hard top spin which allowed Haruka to launch the Dragon's Howl again.

"Fifteen – love," Yuri whistled at where the ball landed.

"Not bad," Unohana tossed her braid aside. "It looks like we'll have to pull up our game a bit, right – Yuri?"

Yuri dangled her hand a bit. "Of course dahling, I don't want to lose to our juniors."

Rolling her eyes, Unohana readied herself while watching the two dragons emotionlessly saunter past each other. She spun her racquet while waiting for the Black Dragon's serve, feeling the beads of sweat trickle down her cheeks. The intense yet emotionless gaze from the other side caused her to dig into her lower lip, tasting a light metallic taste. Yuri's legs slightly wobbled from all the running but the older tennis player knew that she had to keep playing. However, Yuri glanced at her sweaty hands before returning the next shot. Unohana jumped for a backhand slice but didn't expect Haruka to leap forward for the ball.

"You didn't tell me that Haruka could do acrobatics," Unohana flicked her head towards Yuri's direction. "You said she's more control and stamina!"

Yuri then noticed Rin taking a position behind. _Don't tell me; they've learned how to...?_

Kiyone stared innocently at Hitomi. "You mean they can copy each other now?"

"Yes, because of their deep emotional connection," Hitomi began scribbling on the notebook before turning on her VGA camera. "Haruka and Rin have learned to communicate with their minds and see with their hearts. That's something only a doubles player can understand."

Kiyone hung her head, curling her hand into a fist. _Why can't I do that yet then? I've been playing doubles for as long as I remember._

Shizuru couldn't help but maintain her gaze at Naomi who simply smiled from her position. The crimson eyed captain watched the gray eyed captain carefully analyse the two as they released everything from their Synchro. However, Shizuru noticed Naomi didn't seem the least bit unnerved with what Yuri and Unohana were doing. The captain she remembered often showed a competitive side but for some strange reason, Naomi let everything slide.

"I noticed it too," Mai placed a hand on Shizuru's shoulder. "Normally, she would be giving hand gestures but right now – she's doing nothing but warming up the referee's chair."

"Fifteen – all," the whole crowd gasped as the ball zoomed past Haruka.

Kiyone gulped while hiding behind Isane. "It's the Invisible Tennis."

"I think," Yuri smiled mischievously. "It's about time that we put an end to your precious Synchro style. Punishment of the Jade Emperor, was it, dahlings?"

Haruka, breathing heavily, shook her head in disbelief. _How the heck did she stand up against our Synchro! Honestly, people wouldn't even withstand a few minutes against the Synchro!_

Yuri twirled her racquet around. "Alright, I think we're done playing around with you dahlings. Unohana, I think we should stun them. Hmm, what do you think – dearie?"

"I'd say kick 'em hard and good," Unohana cracked her knuckles. "Ladies, it's show time!"

Haruka lowered her stance. "Get ready Rin, this might not turn out pretty!"

Rin nodded while taking out a fairly weak serve to throw them off. However, Yuri slammed the ball hard enough that it zipped in between the pairs' feet.

"Fifteen – thirty," Yuri pompously tousled her hair while Unohana stuck her tongue out.

Naomi folded her arms. _This is where the terror begins..._

Lulu whistled while lazily leaning on the rail. "Boy, Yuri-_tan_ and Unohana-_chan_ are going all out in this."

"Duh, their pride is on the line," Nanako rolled her eyes at the former vice captain. "Honestly, I just want their game done and over with so we can get ours done too."

Lulu wagged her finger at Nanako. "Tut, tut, you shouldn't be so impatient, Nana. After all, you might kill your dear peach a little too quickly."

Nanako curled her hand into a fist, watching Yuri and Unohana dominate over the Twin Dragons. The ball flew by so fast that they could only see the net ripple or hear the fence behind them tinkle a bit. Haruka missed a few times, seeing the ball fly straight towards Rin's racquet which made a lob and allowed Unohana to smash.

"Game, Shou-Osakada: three games to two!"

Naomi clucked her tongue, watching the game disbelievingly. _To think I thought these two were the best of Hyotei's doubles team._

Dashing to one side, Haruka managed to barely scrape the ball while Rin fell over as the ball slammed into the hedges again.

"Fifteen – love," Haruka winced at the speed of the shot while the other pair simply smirked.

Yuri glanced at the marks on the court. "You girls are getting nowhere as long as we got the Invisible Tennis. Too bad for you dahlings – if only your eyes were fast enough."

_If only your eyes are fast enough,_ the words echoed in Haruka's mind. "That's it!"

Yuri, startled by Haruka's sudden outburst, stared at her incredulously. "There's no way your little plan is going to work."

However, the pink haired dragon stuck her tongue. "Let's see that, Yuri-_senpai_."

_Oooh, she's getting cheeky now,_ Unohana blew up her lemon flavoured bubblegum. "Alright, show me what you guys are going to do."

With Unohana starting the service, the rally started off fairly normal until Yuri couldn't attack the ball. Haruka and Rin targeted shots towards Unohana causing the dark strawberry blonde girl to stumble a few times. Yuri smirked while nodding at Unohana who then whipped the ball with a different speed. Instead of flying quickly, the ball limply dropped on their side.

"Thirty – love," Haruka watched the ball roll back at them.

Yuri wagged her finger. "Tut, tut, tut, dahlings – you should do more research. What makes you think I created the Invisible Tennis by myself?"

Unohana stretched her arms. "Boy hitting in timeout sucks. Honestly, how do you keep doing that?"

Rin gulped while biting her nails. "You mean – you two...?"

"That's right," Yuri smiled pompously at the both of them. "Rule number 1 in Doubles: Know your partner well enough to copy them!"

Ayane let out a small 'eep'. "So that means – they've been switching around all this time!"

"They couldn't have switched their identities," Atobe noted while watching the two girls lose another point. "So, the seniors had learned how to copy one another due to mutual rivalry. If you can't beat them, join them. That's how they did things while Kotetsu was still captain."

Shizuru curled her hand into a fist. "Unless Hikifumi-_senpai_ and Shimohi-_senpai_ can figure out a way how to mimic each other's styles then, there's no way they're going to get past these two."

Rin jumped up for a smash until Unohana repelled it with a backhand. Haruka sliced it down while Yuri slammed the ball hard enough for the ball to zoom past Rin however, the ball flew back at Unohana only to have it slow down for a point.

"Hey," Shishido appeared behind Kiyone. "Who let them in here?"

Mai scoffed at the dash specialist. "Why are you so concerned?"

"Hey, I have a right to be concerned for my friend," Shishido snapped moodily. "What bit you – a fly with the moody disease?"

Momo stood in between the two fuming speed demons. "Hey guys, easy on the insults! Unless you keep yakking, I'm gonna box your teeth in!"

Shishido grumbled while turning away from the dark eyed Sanada. "Hmph, prissy moody Sanada."

Meanwhile, the match prolonged as Rin fell short on one shot but Haruka retaliated back. Yuri continued hitting slow shots, forcing Rin to lunge forward each time. Haruka slid over to return the spin shots that slowed down the moment they crossed the net. Unohana smirked as Yuri continued hitting fast and slow shots causing Rin to increase her breathing each time.

_Oh no,_ Haruka grabbed another shot. "Rin, don't go after the ball!"

This caused the black dragon to stare at her quizzically. "Wait, why?"

Yuri clucked her tongue. "It looks like she figured it out, dahling."

"Haruka-_chan_ isn't that stupid, Yuri," Unohana furrowed her brows at the doubles expert. "She just has a few minor setbacks, that's all."

Rin noticed Haruka's face burning with annoyance. "Haru-_chan_, calm down! Yelling at them won't get you anywhere, _kuwee~_!"

"I'm not getting mad," Haruka breathed out finality, stopping her hands from trembling. "I'm just containing the excitement to beat them to a pulp."

Yuri whistled as Haruka got ready to return the point. "So, what are you going to...?"

"What makes you think a legend stops at three movements," Haruka's expression became more sinister. "A legend doesn't end – it lives on forever..."

Rin cheekily smiled while moving next to Haruka. "Dragons don't die either. They get stronger every time."

"A knight cannot always prevail over the dragon," Haruka's pupils slowly dilated while Rin lost her hyperactivity.

Soon, a misty white aura covered them while showing a link between the two players. The high school division of Hyotei stared as the middle school students started whispering excitedly to one another. Rin and Haruka gave each other a high five as they both retreated to their positions, revealing a different formation. Yuri blinked several times before checking the positions of the two players while Unohana stared for a very long time.

"Hey Yuri," Unohana glanced at the light blonde haired girl. "What makes you think we're gonna win now?"

Yuri snickered as she watched the two girls start breathing in synchronized motion. "Well, I can't say that we'll win easily but there is still a possibility."

"Suzumiya," Naomi glanced at Ruriko who inputted the data into her calculator. "What's our win rate?"

Ruriko tossed back her low pigtails. "The win rate is at 95.76 percent. They have no chance against us."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," a voice smoothly came from the middle school side. "But, your data currently obsolete due to that coming from last year's recording."

Ruriko swivelled her head towards Hitomi's direction, maintaining her eyes closed however. "What are you implying then?"

"My point is," Hitomi threw back her blonde curls. "Your data may prove to be completely useless. Rin and Haruka have achieved higher heights even after all of you left."

Unohana snorted while blowing up her bubblegum. "That flying monkey isn't going to get...!"

Without further ado, the ball exploded at Unohana's feet creating a heavy spin when it flew away.

"Forty – fifteen," Yuri exchanged glances with Unohana.

_How did they do that?_

Yuri looked at the marks that were created on the court while looking at the two girls. The two dragons were smiling and acting normally as if they weren't even on Synchro despite the white mist. Rin cheerfully began giggling while Haruka ruffled the black acrobat's hair only to get glomped by the same girl. The light blonde haired girl glanced at her racquet and then at Naomi. She felt a wry smile appear on her lips as Naomi's grip on the referee's chair tightened. The older doubles expert then glanced at Shizuru and the middle school girls laughing together while on the other end – they were simply lying around. With this, Yuri came down to one conclusion.

_It's not that you weren't skilled enough – but it's because you weren't good enough._

Unohana noticed the wry smile. "Yuri, I guess our era's over."

"I'm glad to know," Yuri chuckled bitterly before facing the two girls. "I'm glad to know that my baby has finally overcome the last obstacle."

Haruka pointed her racquet at the both of them. "Hey, it's only been four games and you guys are backing down already? What's the matter – you guys getting old?"

Rin jumped behind Haruka. "Come on, what are you two waiting for?"

Yuri chuckled darkly while turning to Unohana. "It's time to use **that**."

"What," Haruka's face fell. "You mean...?"

Unohana lowered her body like Rin's while watching the black haired acrobat swing left and right. Yuri watched Haruka's movements carefully as Unohana started her service, causing the pink haired dragon to lunge for the ball. Rin spun for a somersault for a corner backhand which was returned by Unohana's jumping to that side. However, Rin only had a huge grin to respond to Unohana's challenge.

"Rin is the type who wouldn't back down when her forte is challenged," Hitomi smiled while writing it down. "By the way, Shizuru-_buchou_ – you're not going to use the Flash Step are you?"

Shizuru glanced sadly at Hitomi. "I might have too. Considering how strong Kotetsu-_buchou _is then, there might be more than just my leg..."

"Shizuru," Mai noticed the flickering in Shizuru's eyes. _Wow, even she's afraid – normally, it's c'est la vie. _

The brunette captain faced the red haired _tensai_ who pat her shoulder with a confident smile. "Listen; don't let her get to you. Just remember who you are."

Shizuru faintly smiled at Mai before laughing softly. "Thanks... for backing me up..."

"Do me a favour and just kick her butt," Mai waved it off. "I mean – show her that it wasn't her who made this team a crazy family."

Momo cracked a piece of _Strepsils_ in her mouth, smirking sinisterly. "Beat that bitch to where she should be. Those swords shouldn't be anything to you."

"Don't let her get to you," Isane smiled reassuringly. "We're always behind you."

Ayane cheered from the bleachers. "Yeah, go Rin and Haruka-_senpai_!"

Kiyone jumped onto the rail. "Yay Yay Yay show 'em what you got, dragon-_nee_-_chan_!"

Haruka snickered at the smaller sandy blonde haired girl. "You got it!"

Rin somersaulted into the air giving them a cheeky grin. "Alright, one butt-kicking sandwich coming right up!"

Isane leaned against the fence while Shishido managed to sneak a glance. He hadn't noticed until now how bright her green eyes were whenever she saw something exciting. However, Shishido rubbed his hands together while assessing the difference between them.

_Ah yes, he was not blessed with height._

Kiyone, the shortest of the regulars, stood evenly at his shoulders already while Ayane a first year student nearly caught up to him since she was only an inch away. Hitomi stood as Oshitari's height along with Momo who stood equally with Atobe and Shizuru. Kabaji towered over the rest and Isane and Ohtori were the same height leaving him somewhere in between Rin and Kiyone.

_For the love of God,_ Shishido mentally slapped himself. "Why am I so short?"

Hiyoshi snickered at his _senpai_. "Maybe that's because you chug more soda than you do milk. Or you're probably stepped on all the time, your bones stopped growing."

Shishido glared at the _Enbu_ ace. "Shut up, Hiyoshi."

Gakuto shrugged. "Well, I don't think Isa-_chan_'s the one for height anyway."

"I think she's more for bad boys," Oshitari off-handedly remarked. "You saw her yourself."

Shishido gripped the fence hard until a shot exploded right past him. "What in the world-?"

Everyone directed their attention to the tennis court as Rin started shivering while dropping her racquet. Haruka walked over to Rin, trying to look over the black haired acrobat's shoulder. Unohana on the other hand remained unmoved while looking at her racquet. Yuri turned to Unohana who shrugged.

"Game, Osakada-Shou: four games to two!"

"Fatigue got to her," Unohana blew up another bubble. "Ewww, I have to change my gum now."

Shizuru glanced at Naomi and motioned for a timeout however, the former captain didn't grant it. "As long as we seniors start the game," –she smiled darkly and slowly. "Only we can motion for a timeout."

Unohana crunched her face in disgust. "Naomi, I need to change gum!"

Nanako glanced at Momo who could sense the anger coming from the _Shinigami_. _I'm sorry, Momo-hana. Although I know what's going on, I can't help you._

Seeing that Naomi agreed to Unohana's request, Haruka managed to haul the shivering black haired acrobat to the chair. "Rin, Rin, snap out of it!"

"No," Rin trembled more violently than before. "I... I can't move... Haru-_chan... _Where are you?"

Momo shoved Haruka aside. "Move aside," –she prepared for a backhand. "My God, pull yourself together!"

Before Momo could backhand her, Shizuru caught her arm. "Momo-_senpai_, violence will not solve this. Back down please."

Scoffing with a snort, Momo reluctantly allowed Shizuru to push away her arm while the captain gently shook Rin. "Rin-_senpai_, please wake up. You have to snap out of it."

Rin slapped the captain's hand away. "Stay away from me!"

"God, she's traumatized," Momo grabbed Rin's collar and began shaking her. "Shimohi Rin, answer me: what do you hear right now?"

Rin started blabbering. "Wait, we're not even in the forest! Where are the crickets coming from?"

"What the hell," Momo shoved Rin back on her chair. "What crickets?"

Haruka bit her lip. "It's Shou-_senpai_'s Funeral by a Thousand Crickets... I never knew that Unohana-_senpai_ had this deep obsession with bugs..."

()()()()()0000()()()()

"You're really evil, Unohana," Nanako watched Momo try to shake Rin out of her daze. "You wouldn't use that technique unless you were pushed into a corner."

Unohana huffed indignantly as she threw a piece of lemon gum into her mouth. "I was pushed into a corner. That gives me every right to use the technique! No way am I going to let some brats outdo me!"

"Lemme guess," Lulu drawled lazily. "You did that because you do care for Rin-Rin."

Unohana shoved Lulu off the rail. "Shut up before the tennis ball breaks your teeth."

Yuri face palmed. "You're sounding like Momo."

"Ignorant lazy twit doesn't know when to shut up," Unohana snorted while Ichigetsu flashed a maniacal smile. "Stop giving me that smile, Konan. You look like so bitch who's high on drugs."

Konan looked at the line-up. "I can't wait to face Nagisaki. That lady's got me running high~!"

"Remind me again why we brought her," Unohana glared at Naomi who sat down calmly on the chair.

Naomi glanced at the Middle School team. "Now, now, Unohana – rest assured, it's all taken care of. It doesn't matter whether you two win or lose."

Quizzical, Yuri swivelled her head towards Naomi. "You're really going to crush her aren't you dearest?"

"She started being less useful the moment people started listening to her despite that though, she was quite the sweet thing," Naomi blew against her nails, looking at them. "After all, admiration is the farthest from understanding."

Yuri glanced at Unohana who huffed indignantly while turning away from Naomi. "You don't even know what you're doing here, don't you dahling?"

"I do," Unohana snapped moodily while facing away. "We're here to make them eat their socks and go home!"

Yuri, quizzical, stayed behind Unohana until the dark strawberry blonde girl let out a sad sigh. "Okay," –Unohana dropped her hands in resignation. "I really don't know what this is for."

Glancing at her racquet, Yuri believed in another way of tennis. She couldn't believe that Unohana would resort to the Funeral of a Thousand Crickets. Compared to most Doubles players, Yuri noted the mental play that both she and Unohana took pride in. While Unohana trashed them with mind-boggling techniques, Yuri could make the most complex strategies out of something very simple. However, the light blonde girl couldn't believe that destroying Haruka made her any better.

_Misery loves company after all,_ Yuri sniggered while glancing at Naomi who discussed things with Lulu. _She didn't want to be the bad guy alone, now did she?_

"So," a smooth voice cut into her thoughts. "How will you tell Haruka now?"

Yuri spun around to find Nanako leaning against her crutches. "You're playing despite that?"

"I'll be hopping around," Nanako remarked cheerfully. "I mean – I'm not completely useless!"

Shaking her head in disbelief, Yuri managed to sneak a look at the other side as Haruka and Shizuru tried the 'gentler' way of waking up the black dragon. Momo on the other hand got ready to swat her with her tennis racquet while Hitomi tried figuring out a way how to break the hypnosis over Rin. Ayane and Kiyone on the other hand were preparing for their match while Isane tried to calm down the angry _Shinigami_. Mai however explained the effects of the hypnosis to Hitomi allowing the data girl to finally shake Rin out of her trauma.

"Wow, it took them five minutes," Unohana glanced at her watch. "Rin's gotten a lot stronger."

Naomi clucked her tongue. "I expected her to forfeit."

"Rin's stronger than that," Unohana nodded proudly. "She wouldn't let some low ranking hit take her out easy."

Lulu shrugged while looking at Nanako. "Say, what about you? You're gonna go full-out right?"

Nanako sighed while seeing Momo shake Rin silly. "I might have to... don't try to go against her. Seal off, Uchiha; Momo's mine."

()()()()()0000()()()()()

Rin hugged her body close. "I never knew that Shou-_senpai_ would use her Funeral technique."

"There has to be some way to beat it," Momo punched the wall. "The question is: how do we prevent it?"

Mai snapped her fingers all of a sudden. "If you can't beat it then, prevent it! I get it now!"

They all stared at the red haired _tensai_ who jumped up from her seat. "If I remember right, she performed this by using the same play style as Rin-_senpai_ right?"

Hitomi pushed up her glasses a bit. "Yes, in fact – there was a lot of sliding."

"You noticed that all her shots forced Rin to either step back or jump away," Mai smiled victoriously.

Kiyone jumped in realization. "The ball makes a vacuum and because she keeps sealing off Rin-_senpai_..."

"Exactly," Mai nodded vigorously as she drew it out on the sand. "By creating squeaking sounds every time she slides, it makes the person believe that there are crickets. However, that's only part one because the next part would be making the person go blind by using the wind burst and also using the vacuum to temporarily knock them around. But, if it's used repeatedly – that means it could render a person completely senseless and agitated."

Rin popped up with a theory. "If she's making screeching sounds, doesn't that mean she's digging her feet into the ground, _kuwee~_?"

Mai grinned while Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "What do you think Rin?"

"That means she wears herself out faster," Rin brightened up immediately. "But how do we stop her then?"

Haruka clicked with an idea. "We make her run."

Everyone stared at Haruka as the doubles expert pointed out. "If she runs around, she won't have time to plant herself deep enough. Our shots have to be faster in order to make her lose her chance of digging her feet into the ground. Volleying can be another option; her Funeral technique only works if she's at the baseline. Other than that, it's nothing."

Isane pointed at the court. "Here they come, be careful out there okay?"

Ayane glanced at them with concern. "Are you sure you guys will be alright?"

Rin nodded giving the whole team a thumbs up. "Sure we will, it's no big problem, _kuwee~_!"

Haruka and Rin returned to the court, waiting for Yuri and Unohana to make their next move. As the Pearl Dragon prepared her service, Yuri and Unohana eyed Rin carefully as the mist-like aura began surrounding the two doubles players again. The dark strawberry blonde girl clucked her tongue while hitting it towards the corner. Rin jumped for the shot, forcing Yuri to move up front. Seeing the light blonde girl coming up front, Haruka fired a short shot far beyond Yuri's reach which dragged Unohana to the front.

"I don't get it," Lulu glanced at Nanako. "Why did the two set them up for a double poach?"

Nanako watched the two attack until her eyes widened with horror. "They've sealed Unohana."

"What," Ichigetsu Konan twitched at Nanako. "Mind explaining to me how?"

Nanako rolled her eyes. "See that they're only attacking Unohana? As long as Unohana is forced to react to every shot, she won't have time to set up."

"She could have let Yuri take the shots," Lulu lazily drawled. "Why is it that she can't then?"

Ruriko shook her head. "It's not that she can't; it's that she doesn't want. Unohana's pride is the front line. She only started playing baseline recently in order to master the new formation but that's it. Other than that, Unohana has always been a frontline counterpuncher."

Sighing to herself, Ruriko found the other two seniors huffing and puffing by while they ran up to her. "Chihiro, Tsunami – where have you two been?"

Tsunami pouted impishly. "It's Chihiro's fault we're late! She got on the wrong bus and I had to get her off it!"

From the other side, Hitomi opened her notebook. "Aragaki Chihiro – she's one of the strongest members of the team in terms of physical strength. Chihiro-_senpai_ however detests running thus has Tsunami-_senpai_ doing it for her. Kirijo Tsunami on the other hand is the former captain of the track and field team and has broken the record for the fastest lap in the ladies' division here in Japan."

"In other words," Momo scoffed while face palming. "They're an older version of Ayane and Kiyone."

Shizuru softly laughed. "I guess our _senpai_ are not as mature as we thought they were."

Mai giggled while casting a glance at them. "You can say that again."

Resisting the urge to throw a withering glare, Naomi maintained her smile throughout her time on the referee's chair. Yuri and Unohana had sweat falling all over their faces while Haruka and Rin looked like they were having fun despite watering the court enough for a garden. Rin's black ponytail fell all over her face while she tried to blow it away while repelling all of Unohana's shots. Haruka stayed at the back while watching the rally between Rin and Unohana. Taking a look at her watch, Haruka nearly gaped at how long they've been playing.

_Rin hasn't dropped yet,_ Haruka exchanged glances until the ball flew towards her. Seeing an abrupt spin, the Pearl Dragon nullified it with the Dragon's Tail forcing Unohana to run after the ball again. Yuri on the other hand tried to seal Rin who continued jumping around. Soon, Haruka found a space in between the two players and took the shot.

"Fifteen – love," Haruka and Rin gave each other a high five as they passed one another.

Yuri missed another shot as Rin sent a top spin volley towards her, "Thirty – love!"

Unohana ran for another shot, being unable to plant herself properly thus making pretty weak shots. "Net, forty – love!"

Lulu let out a small 'tsk'. "I guess this is why Haruka and Rin replaced both Osakada Yuri and Shou Unohana."

"These two will become a very strong doubles pair," Nanako leaned against the fence. "They have something that most don't have..."

Chihiro glanced at Nanako. "Oh, what would that be?"

"It's right there," Nanako pointed at the laughing and smiling Dragon pair. "It's their ability to connect on a higher emotional plane. There's something there that maybe even I won't be able to understand. After all, the catalyst here is their desire to win, to have the past be left behind them..."

Chihiro gaped while yanking her long black dreadlocks. "Honestly, you always speak in weird riddles..."

"Yeah," Nanako chuckled lightly. _It's also the best way to transmit a message after all..._

Momo overheard Nanako's words and turned to Isane. "Isa-_chan_, can you come with me to the bathroom first? I think I left my face towel there."

Quizzical, Isane shrugged as she followed after the purple haired _Shinigami_. "Uh, okay..."

Before she left, Momo slipped past Oshitari. "Listen, I need a favour from you."

Oshitari raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, what would that be?"

"Train Shizuru, warm her up a bit," Momo pointed at her captain who was watching intently. "You know how to seal your heart away right?"

Oshitari's poker face didn't change despite the remark. "How did you know that?"

"Shizuru told me all about your character," Momo snickered at him. "You can't expect me not to figure that out. Besides, your physique is too small for you to hit something like Kabaji. You're more the thinker type considering you're a bit stockier than Atobe. For being stockier, people tend to think more since they can't outrun their opponent."

Oshitari chuckled a bit. "If you keep doing that, people would think you're a stalker."

"Who said I would make it conspicuous," Momo glared. "God, you're so weird."

Oshitari watched her grumble and walk away while glancing back to see who took the point. _So far, the Dragon Pair is recovering from the Funeral. They're taking quite a lead._

"Shizuru-_chan_," Oshitari tapped his _kohai_ on the shoulder. "There's still an open court, would you like to warm up?"

Shizuru, quizzical, coughed out her reply as Mai shoved her.

"You better go," –the _tensai_ motioned to look at Naomi. "The _Espada _is out for your blood."

Nodding, Shizuru went with Oshitari while Ohtori and Shishido were signalled by Atobe to go and help her prepare. The icy eyed captain however turned to Ayane who practiced her swings, sneaking a peek at Chihiro also. He looked at the skull tattoo on Chihiro's arm and the multiple rings on her ear while also noticing how big her arms were. If his estimations were right, Atobe thought her arm would probably be as big as Kiyone's thighs put together.

"Didn't Aragaki-_senpai_ get involved with a gangster group before," Gakuto checked Taki's notes about the other seniors.

Taki nodded while showing Gakuto her records. "Aragaki-_senpai_ was more rebellious than her older brother if I remember right. He was the straight-A plus student while she couldn't even get an A flat. Aragaki-_senpai_ struggled more than anyone else – question is: how was she able to maintain her standing as a regular?"

"It was because she was just that strong," Mai folded her arms, sighing. "Due to Atobe's rule, she took out anybody who opposed her position. If you can't beat her then, you're hopeless against the others. However, there were a few who surpassed her."

Taki recalled Chihiro being sent to the principal's office for beating up a second year. "Wait, wasn't that...?"

"Yes, that day was also Momo's first debut as a Hyotei Regular," Hitomi checked through her data of Aragaki Chihiro. "Momo had already seen how to counter her movements and took her down with ease. She didn't even swing as hard as Aragaki-_senpai_."

"Obviously Sanada would win," Atobe snorted at the three of them. "It's already in her name."

Mai rolled her eyes at Atobe. "Just because she shares the other guy's name doesn't mean she's as good as him."

"You're saying Sanada is better than her," Atobe raised an eyebrow at her.

Mai twitched at Atobe. "What I'm trying to say is that she's not limited to Sanada's abilities. Momo-_senpai_ is very different from Sanada-_senpai_."

()()()()0000()()()()

Shizuru and Oshitari stood at both sides of the court while practicing a rally. The _kansai_ prodigy had her running all over the place but made sure that it wouldn't tire her out badly. Shizuru flashed only a few times and even sliced the ball, forcing him to move forward. Shizuru, noticing that he was close to the net, smashed the drop he sent her.

"Well, skill-wise you're fine," Oshitari wiped the sweat from face. "You're moving better despite you not using the Flash Step."

Shizuru smiled while massaging her knee a bit. "The doctor advised that if I can avoid using it then do so. I just want to play tennis, that's all."

"However," Oshitari changed back to his poker face. "You have to remember that skill-wise: you're better than Naomi. But what about when she attacks your emotions?"

Shizuru silently hung her head. "Oshitari-_senpai_," –she curled her hand into a fist. "Can you please keep a secret?"

Oshitari walked towards her while the girl warily looked around. "Shizuru, please tell me you're straight."

"Of course I am," Shizuru nearly face palmed if not for the serious atmosphere. "Truthfully, I'm scared..."

Oshitari stared at her incredulously. "Shizuru, that doesn't have to be a secret."

"It does for me," Shizuru grabbed his regular's jacket tightly. "If I get scared, the whole team will crash along with me... I don't want that..."

Oshitari pat her lovingly on the head. "I don't think they'll crash and burn that easily."

"No," Shizuru shook her head. "Do you remember what Mark Anthony said in your book report during the funeral of Caesar?"

Oshitari breathed out in a sigh. "You are not stones, you are not wood but men. Hearing a word from the will of Caesar shall inflame you... If I remember right..."

"Exactly," Shizuru nearly slumped to the floor. "I can't show any weakness otherwise – they'll crumble too because if what Momo-_senpai_ is saying is true, she would use any means necessary to break the team into smaller units. It will be so long before they finally snap."

Oshitari hugged her while giving her an affectionate ruffle. "That's if they're alone. They'll do just fine if they're together..."

Shizuru smiled weakly while giggling softly. "Thank you, _senpai_."

Oshitari smirked while looking at the marks created on the tennis court. "By the way, have you heard anything from Seigaku?"

"Huh," Shizuru stared quizzically at the _kansai_ prodigy. "What do you mean?"

Oshitari glanced at her cellphone. "No call from any of the Seigaku members?"

"Why would they call me," Shizuru tilted her head to the side.

Oshitari placed some of the tennis balls into the box. "Well, you did kiss their captain."

Blushing furiously, Shizuru hung her head. "W-Well, th-that doesn't really..."

Chuckling, Oshitari ruffled her hair. "I'm sure it does. Tezuka did have a different look on his face when he started playing against Atobe the other day."

"Why would he," Shizuru laughed lightly. "He doesn't need to concern himself with someone like me."

Oshitari's expression became a little more serious. "You can't keep running away from the fight. There are two people left hanging. Keep them too long and you won't get any."

Shizuru sighed while running her hand through her hair. "It's just... he's really...unreachable."

"He's not as much as you think he is," Oshitari looked at his watch. "I wonder what happened to Haruka and Rin though."

"We better head back then," Shizuru packed her racquet and started running immediately along with Oshitari throwing his racquet in.

()()()()0000()()()()

"Game, Shimohi-Hikifumi: four games all!"

Rin and Haruka gave each other a high five while Yuri and Unohana were panting one after the other. Watching the two Dragons, Yuri smiled inwardly at herself as Rin and Haruka started planning things out but with different expressions. Haruka began pointing things out while Rin began flailing her arms with a cheeky grin causing Haruka to frown a bit and nearly whack the black haired acrobat's head upside down. However, the two continued laughing and smiling.

_The true essence of being great,_ Yuri sighed to herself with a rueful smile. _It's within one's self to know what one wants. If she desires it, it could be hers forever..._

"You can actually see a doubles version of _Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami_," Unohana blew up another bubblegum. "You know – maybe that's why we couldn't beat them."

Yuri shrugged, keeping her façade. "It could be, dahling. But that doesn't really matter anymore, dearest. What matters is that we go home with the gold today."

"Naomi said we don't need to win," Unohana tapped the floor with her racquet. "So why do I feel this murderous intent glaring holes into my back?"

Yuri found Naomi's smile getting wider, brushing it off. "Stop smiling like that, dahling. You know your aging will backfire on you, dearest."

Naomi's smiling look however let out a steely response. _You will not lose to these brats. Tennis is a battlefield, remember that._

Yuri sighed while fanning herself a bit. "It looks like we're going to have to kick this match into Accelerando."

Haruka's eyes slightly widened. "Here it comes, Rin! Get ready!"

Rin lowered her stance while watching the serve fly in her direction. With a long jump, the Black Dragon hit it towards the _Maestro_ who then sped up the rally with a short return. Haruka attacked at the front lines while the both of them started moving in their rhythm. Yuri and Unohana soon started making their own rhythm causing the Dragons to force their way in.

_The rhythm's getting faster_, Haruka bit her lip while returning a backhand shot. "Rin, set up!"

Rin fired a fast shot causing Unohana to instinctively react to create a spinning shot. Seeing the shot, Haruka fired the Dragon's Howl causing the two seniors to fall back.

"Love – fifteen," Yuri clucked her tongue. _So, they caught up after a short time. I'm glad..._

"Fifteen – all," Unohana scored a lucky backhand towards Rin's right side.

Soon, another rally ensued as Yuri jumped for a smash while Haruka moved far enough to return the smash normally. Rin on the other hand focused on taking down Unohana's Funeral Technique, seeing that it would render both she and Haruka defenceless. Yuri dashed to one side as she forehanded towards Haruka's left side and had Unohana follow up her attack.

"They really want to kill each other out there," Lulu twirled her finger in her hair. "I can't believe they're getting so worked up."

Nanako sighed, face palming. "You would if Isane suddenly bested you."

"Fifteen – thirty," Rin sailed up into the air for an aerial smash.

Hiyoshi stared aimlessly at the two players. "_Gekokujo..._"

"You won't need to overthrow them, Hiyoshi," Atobe rolled his eyes at the _Enbu _ace.

Oshitari recalled Sakaki's words. "He might need lessons from them though if you remember what Sakaki-_kantoku_ said."

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: five games to four!"

Gakuto gripped the bleachers. "Hey, dragon girl – get your butt in gear! One more game's all you need!"

Rin glared at Gakuto, twitching. "I am, you stupid coconut raspberry sherbet, _kuwee_~!"

Haruka watched Yuri and Unohana take another breather for a moment as they got into the next round. However, a glance from Naomi caused Ichigetsu to leave for a warm-up.

"Mai," a soft voice caused the red haired _tensai_ to turn around. "You warmed up?"

Mai cracked her neck while jumping a bit. "Yeah, I'm ready. You ready?"

Shizuru nodded as she watched Ichigetsu give Naomi a battle hungry smirk before leaving to warm-up. Atobe glanced at his watch before tapping Ayane's shoulder.

"What," Ayane glared at him.

Atobe smirked. "_Ore-sama_ will train you."

Ayane felt a boulder hit her face. "Wait, what do you know about power training?"

"You'll see," Atobe grabbed her wrist. "Kurenai, I'm taking Kobayagi with me for awhile."

"Have her back before Doubles Two," Shizuru watched Atobe drag off a sputtering vice captain.

Soon, Haruka and Rin continued emitting the mist-like aura as they started moving in synchronized motion. Yuri slammed the ball to the right corner until Haruka covered Rin right away. Unohana lurched forward to block the next attack however, Rin volleyed it towards the corner thus throwing the two off guard.

"Fifteen – love," Rin and Haruka smirked at the seniors.

()()()()0000()()()()

Ayane and Atobe however were at the courts behind the schoolyard. The tangerine haired vice captain dragged her tennis bag with her while staring at the purple haired Hyotei captain who had not said a word ever since he had dragged her away from the team.

"Why are we even here," Ayane slammed her bag on the bench.

Atobe took out his racquet. "Can you beat them?"

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Of course I can, you pompous brat!"

In response however to the insult, Atobe turned around while pointing his racquet at her.

"_Ore-sama_ will show you that even strength is not good enough to take down an opponent."

-That's chapter 32! Sorry for the late update! Please review! I really need the comments! :D


	33. Demon Versus Demigod's Angel

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 33 – Demon versus Demigod's Angel

Mai, fixing her hair and racquet strings, glanced at the scoreboard as Konan started tying up her hair.

_I can't believe it,_ Mai smiled inwardly to herself. _They actually did it...!_

Rin and Haruka sat on the bench panting heavily while Hitomi handed them each a bottle of water. "You guys were great out there. That's quite a new level of Synchro."

"We wanted to hide it," Haruka smirked while taking the bottle gratefully. "But, I guess we shouldn't have."

Rin whined while stretching her legs. "My body aches..."

"No duh," Haruka shook her head disapprovingly. "I mean – they did work us to the ground even if it was for a short while."

"Game and match, Hikifumi-Shimohi: six games to four!"

Shizuru returned with Oshitari while looking at the score. "Congrats, you guys won."

"Heh," Haruka sniggered while washing herself down. "It was hell out there..."

Kiyone nodded vigorously while looking at the wet court. "You guys made plants grow out there!"

"If we could grow trees with sweat," Haruka snickered while leaning back as she dumped a towel on her face. "Global Warming would have ended two years ago."

Rin groaned while leaning against Haruka's shoulder. "I'm poofed..."

Shizuru smiling sheepishly then changed into a serious expression when Mai got on the court with Konan licking her chops. The senior's eyes followed Mai's every movement while stepping onto the court, checking out a few things here and there.

"Don't lengthen the battle, Konan," Naomi curtly noted to the silver haired girl. "Mai-_chan_'s not the one you should take lightly."

Konan grinned, licking her chops. "I battle the way I want, Kotetsu. You stay out of this!"

Unlike most of the members, Konan could scare anyone into forfeiting. Her fox-like crimson eyes gleamed while her silver hair streaked with red lines fell at chin length, revealing a more ferocious look. Konan had two piercings under her lip while seven silver ear-cuffs hung loosely on each of her ear lobes. Twirling her racquet, Konan grinned wolfishly while staring Mai down.

"Its go time," Konan snickered causing Mai to slightly shudder.

Naomi glanced at both sides. "Singles Two will now begin: Hyotei High School's Ichigetsu Konan versus Hyotei Middle School's Nagisaki Mai. Game start, Ichigetsu to serve!"

Konan bounced the ball, watching Mai swing left and right. She glanced at Naomi who folded her arms while watching the match between the two of them. Sniggering to herself, the silver haired girl tossed the ball and slammed it towards Mai who reacted with a fast forehand. Konan slid over and sent it on a straight line shot towards her again. Mai managed to run it down but Konan sent it to the corner while forcing the _tensai_ to run to the other end.

"Ichigetsu always liked prolonging battles," Gakuto leaned against the fence. "She was like: Let's see some carnage or something..."

Konan sniggered while watching Mai narrow her eyes at her. She dashed to one side bringing Mai in for a volley which then she countered with a baseline.

"Come on," Konan continued hitting left and right. "What's the matter with you, can't keep up!"

Mai, holding her nerves together, sliced the ball which sent in spiralling into the air. Konan raised her eyebrow until the ball bounced right next to her.

"Love – fifteen," Konan eyed the ball carefully.

Mai laid her racquet on her shoulder. "Are you alright? I thought you saw it before."

"Ha-ha," Konan chuckled darkly. "That was quite a technique... you sliced it up straight in the air to make a solid spin. That was your first technique wasn't it?"

Mai narrowed her eyes while Konan gave her a maniacal grin. "Well, my turn to show some stuff huh? But," –she shrugged while turning to the baseline. "That's gonna take out all the fun."

Naomi resisted the urge to face palm. "Konan, take her seriously for the love of God! You're not going to get anywhere!"

"Shut the hell up," Konan cast a withering glare at the captain, causing the _Espada_ to slouch a bit. "I don't need some goody-goody faced princess to tell me what the hell I need to do!"

Mai winced at the tone. "If I were her captain, I'm sure I would've thrown her out the window by now."

Shizuru's gaze darkened while Kiyone hid behind Haruka. "Haruka-_nee_, why does Shizuru-_buchou_ look like she's going to tear Ichigetsu-_san_ apart?"

Haruka glanced at Shizuru whose crimson orbs burned with something else. Not with the seriousness of facing Naomi, not even excitement and Haruka recalled everything she knew about her sophomore captain. The brunette's fist curled up tighter considerably while her stance and gaze hardened.

_It's like,_ Haruka hugged her body. _It's like the whole court's temperature dropped a few degrees..._

Rin gulped while hiding behind Hitomi. "Hitomi-_chan_, Shizuru's ready to reveal her fangs or some sort..."

Naomi noticed her protégé burning up a bit on one side. _Hmm, I've never seen you this angry before..._

Mai, breathing heavily, returned to the baseline while waiting for Konan's shot. Her amber eyes centred themselves on the court, seeing possible points of attack as well trying to find where Konan would move. Jumping a few times, the red haired _tensai_ watched the ball leave Konan's racquet and dashed for it. With a light shot, she quickly moved towards the net whereas Konan decided to bash the shot straight at Mai and sent the _tensai_ backwards.

"Mai," Rin jumped out of her chair but froze when Shizuru stuck her hand in front of her. "_Buchou_, what gives?"

()()()()0000()()()()

"Argh," Ayane fell on the ground as she narrowly missed the ball. "What the hell is wrong with you, Atobe Keigo!"

Atobe watched Ayane slam her fist into the ground as she tried to get up after missing the last Jack Knife he had fired. His arm hung loosely while his icy eyes followed her every movement but somehow, he couldn't help but look at what cushioned her fall first.

_Get a grip, ore-sama is not like that,_ Atobe mentally slapped himself.

**What's the matter, can't handle a little sweat,** a devilish voice cackled deep in his mind.

Atobe, biting his lip, growled inwardly at himself. _Do you mind keeping your mouth shut?_

**Well then, you should've sided with the Angel now shouldn't you,** it continued to taunt him. **Look at her; she's a real piece of work.**

Atobe rolled his eyes inwardly. "_Ore-sama_ would like to have his mind back."

Ayane stared at him awkwardly. "What the hell? You've been talking to yourself all day, Atobe! What's wrong with you?"

"_Ore-sama's _just occupied with something," Atobe raked his fingers through his hair. "Well, don't just sit there Ayane – we're not yet done."

Ayane struggled to get up as she faced him down again. Sweat poured down her face while her grip tightened on her racquet whereas Atobe simply glanced at her and let out slight cough. His icy blue eyes met her burning emerald green ones as Ayane readied herself for another serve.

"Give me your best shot, Atobe," Ayane gripped her racquet tightly, glaring him down despite her shorter stature.

Watching the first year from the other end, Atobe couldn't help but smirk. He loved seeing her so riled but every time those "assets" had a little movement, Atobe bit his lip to calm himself down.

_No wonder the boys kept referring to her as a "watermelon"._

"Will you stop staring at me," a sharp voice caused Atobe to snap away from his thoughts and narrowly dodge the tennis ball that zipped past his face.

Atobe found Ayane, flushing madly and gripping her racquet tightly. "_Ore-sama_ was just wondering how strong Aragaki -_san_ would actually be."

Ayane stared at him for a moment as Atobe showed her a few cracks on the wall. "Do you see these cracks? This is exactly the same place Kabaji crashed when Aragaki-_san_ played him."

()()()()0000()()()()

Momo doused herself with water, standing next to the silver haired tall regular. "Tell me Isane: how do you think we're gonna beat Midoriyama and Ferero?"

Isane glanced at her hands before washing her face again. "Honestly Momo, I don't know..."

_Unlike the others,_ Momo bit her lip, thinking sourly. _Ferero was probably the sanest one despite her erotic mind._

"I never knew that Kotetsu-_san_ would try to destroy her own protégé," Isane glanced at the picture in her wallet. "It doesn't make any sense."

Momo scoffed while drying her hair. "Anything Kotetsu does doesn't make any sense. What makes you think she'll start now?"

Isane sighed while leaning against the sink, staring into the afternoon sky. "Honestly, I don't think we're gonna win despite how well we get together."

"We're playing against two doubles experts asides from Osakada," Momo spun her racquet around on the floor. "Osakada's a moron compared to Midoriyama."

Isane stared aghast at Momo. "Momo, we shouldn't say that about our _senpai_!"

"They're not our _senpai_ anymore, Isane," Momo's dark eyes glared down at the ground while the purple haired _Shinigami_ curled her hand into a fist. "They're nothing more but mere shadows of the past."

"Exactly, which gives you more reason to beat them," a firm tone came from the other side.

When Momo looked up, she found Shishido and Ohtori standing in front of them. "What are you two doing here?"

"Simply put," Shishido caught his racquet from balancing. "We're gonna help you guys."

Isane's eyes widened as a faint blush tinted her cheeks. "Ummm, r-really, y-you g-g-guys are g-gonna help?"

Ohtori smiled while scratching his head. "That's if – you guys don't mind... playing against us..."

Momo pat Ohtori on the back. "Alright, Chou-_chan –_ give it your best shot. I don't expect less from the Silver Pair."

Shishido smirked while walking towards and empty court. "You shouldn't have in the beginning, Sanada."

()()()()0000()()()()

"Game, Nagisaki: two games to love!"

Mai took a breather whereas Konan snickered at where the ball had landed.

"Well, well, well," Konan's crimson eyes glittered gleefully while she glanced at the marks created by Mai's attacks. "You're goin' all out offensive t'day now are ya? It's kinda rare for a prodigy like ya to get so riled up, ne? Then again," – a maniacal grin appeared on her face. "It's so nice – that rosy red that makes your hair the way it is."

Mai narrowed her eyes as Konan raised her racquet. "Shall I paint you in that lovely red, little girl?"

Despite the threat, Mai remained silent and lowered her stance. She cautiously watched Konan's right foot as the silver haired former regular launched the ball high into the air. The _tensai_ placed her racquet in front of her as the ball came crashing down but bouncing away from where she stood and instead, pummelled her into the ground.

"Mai," Rin stood up while Shizuru's glare hardened.

Recovering from the hit, Mai felt something thick dripping down and found blood trickling from her lip. _Wow, her shots are still as hard as ever..._

"I don't understand," Konan grinned. "You could take hits from that _Shinigami_ but not from me! I wonder why..."

Mai dusted her skirt while wiping the blood from her lip. _Alright, the power from her serve comes from her high launch and full-body throw. The spin comes from the slice that she does at the last minute but the question is – how does she maintain all that power?_

However, Mai found herself victim to her serve again as it slammed into her jaw.

"Hahahahaha," Konan gleefully began twirling her racquet around, licking her lips. "What the hell was that, Nagisaki? Is that all you got!"

Haruka turned to Shizuru. "_Buchou_, are you going to let...?"

However, Haruka stopped midway when Shizuru's eyes started glittering differently. If her face showed no expression, Momo always told them to look at Shizuru's eyes.

"Ichigetsu's gonna die if Shizuru goes in, _kuwee~_," Rin pulled Haruka back, shivering while pointing to the silver haired regular. "I've never seen Ichigetsu so violent, _kukuwee~_!"

Shizuru felt her blood boil while trying to figure out a method for Mai to come out in one piece. Glancing at Ichigetsu, the brunette recalled all the past matches they had when she and Mai had first entered the team. Ichigetsu hadn't made her debut due to Momo's overthrow but Shizuru took note of all the rumours that were floating around the former regular.

_Her desire for blood and battle is legendary. I heard she can outdo Inuzuka any day..._

Shizuru bit her lip, trying to remember anything else mentioned back then. _There wasn't much really..._

"Thirty – love," Mai stumbled back but managed to hold her stance.

Konan scoffed while throwing tapping her racquet on her shoulder. "Man, you're a total pain in the ass."

Mai glared back at her, trying to regain her composure. Konan on the other hand, simply blew against her nails with a yawn. Everyone stared in awe as Konan easily broke through Mai's defences while the _tensai_ had no other choice but to allow the ball to pass her. Rubbing her wrist, Mai could barely feel any movement coming from it. She managed to flick it up but with a slight wince.

"Are you gonna hold back still," a snigger caused Mai to whip around and face her opponent.

Konan licked her racquet while grinning maniacally. "So, you're supposed to be the genius yet you can't even beat me? Maybe Kurenai would have been a better match then!"

Mai gripped her racquet tighter, glaring at the senior at the other side. "Really, let's see about that."

Naomi leaned back against the chair, playing with a small strand of hair. _So, she's finally snapped. What's this true potential of a genius everyone keeps talking about?_

Taking a fast serve, Mai repelled it with a volley forcing Konan to come up front. However, the _tensai_ danced around with a new rhythm which forced Konan to follow her movements. Mai's amber eyes followed Konan quickly as she increased the rhythm while sometimes bringing the dance to a sudden halt.

"Hohoho, what's this," Konan slammed the ball towards Mai's left side. "This is something new! Come on, keep at it!"

Mai clucked her tongue while volleying it over to the line while Konan managed to backhand it deep into her side. Running the shot down, the red haired _tensai_ watched Konan attack the ball voraciously while moving with insane speed. Mai watched Konan's form as the ball flew from her racquet.

_Wait a minute,_ Mai stared aghast. _She's not even using her whole arm...!_

Konan chuckled while slamming it back Mai. "_Hora, hora, hora,_ come on! Ya can hit better than that, ya freakin' pansy!"

"Boy, she's out for Mai's neck," Haruka shivered while turning to Hitomi. "By the way, why did Mai look like a ghost came out from Konan's mouth?"

Hitomi pointed at Konan's arms. "You notice that she's being a bit sluggish for a former Regular?"

Rin piped up from behind the pink dragon. "She's lazy and sick?"

Hitomi shook her head and pointed to the jacket Konan was wearing. "Ichigetsu Konan is known to hold back on her opponents just to prolong the match. She hates short matches and is easily excited by stronger opponents."

"Under those sleeves," Kiyone gulped while hiding behind Haruka. "Are those weights?"

Rin tugged her collar while looking at Shizuru who had not moved from her spot. _Oh boy, I've never seen her so angry in my life. The last time I saw that face was during the game between her and Hoshimura Florence. It's like – Death came to stare us back in the face._

Konan noticed Shizuru's expression. "Hehehe, that's a face I like," –she spun the ball towards Shizuru. "Bring it on, you little corpse!"

Shizuru prepared herself to catch it but Mai cart wheeled towards her and deflected the shot for a cord volley.

"Thirty – fifteen," Konan whistled while licking her chops.

"Interesting show you put up," Konan grinned while waiting for a reaction from the two girls. "So, what's next for you two?"

However, Mai didn't respond only to reveal a dark gaze followed by Shizuru's corpse-like glare.

Lulu chuckled while lazily playing with her racquet. "Well, well, well, it looks like the Phantasm Pair's still alive. They make a cute pair – I just wonder who's the nine and who's six."

Nanako whacked Lulu upside down. "Why do you keep trying to pair them up anyway?"

Unohana snickered while leaning against the rail. "You have to admit though; they are a cute pair."

Nanako resisted the urge to drug them both. "I should've just brought more morphine to knock you guys out."

"That's only a sedative dahling," Yuri rolled her eyes while patting Nanako on the back. "You know – you don't have to be so straight."

Nanako shoved Yuri's hand away in disgust. "Come on, you're supposed to be a better example than that."

"I'm kidding dahling," Yuri chuckled sheepishly. "Besides, you were the first."

"I was drugged," Nanako glared, snapping defensively. "Besides, what kind of idiot would scar their own _kohai_?"

Yuri folded her arms. "Hmmm, let's see – I know, you?"

"Shut up," Nanako threw her arms in the air in total disgust.

"Thirty – all," Mai smashed the ball straight down on Konan's court.

Sighing while rubbing her temples, Naomi signalled. "Time out, seniors gather up!"

Shizuru called for the others while Naomi had the former regulars surrounding her.

"God, you're getting wasted out there," Naomi pinched the bridge of her nose. "What in the world are you doing? Shou, Osakada, I thought you had it all sewn up!"

Unohana shrugged while blowing up a bubble. "We did. We just didn't expect them to do whatever they did awhile ago."

Naomi winced at Konan. "What are you trying to accomplish out there? You're letting Nagisaki toss you around like a ping pong ball!"

"Shut up ya whiny skank," Konan grabbed Naomi by her collar. "Ya can't fuckin' control me, ya whiny little bitch. Why don't ya go then kiss up to your sweet little corpse _princesssa_?"

Nanako split the two apart. "Guys, this isn't helping! We have to work together! This is something we can't afford to keep playing around in. Naomi, for the love of God – pull yourself together!"

Naomi, breathing heavily, threw a withering glance towards the middle school players. "Keep your composures, all of you and don't let them win."

Watching Naomi walk away, Nanako hung her head while bitterly smiling. _It is not us I'm worried about – it's you, Naomi. How long will you hold against the pressure?_

On the other hand, Mai wiped herself up while Shizuru handed her a bottle of juice. "Guys, is it just me or...?"

"There's a 99.9 percent chance that the girls can no longer handle what Kotetsu expects from them," Hitomi sighed while writing down the figures. "This whole match shouldn't have started in the first place. After all, like what Momo once said: They are nothing but shadows of the past."

Shizuru folded her arms while leaning against the wall. "But we can't ignore that they were the ones who moulded us into who we are today. They made us fight for what we believed in because deep down – we knew that they were wrong. This game isn't just a match but it's a test to see if we can justify and defend what we believe in."

"Shizuru's right," Haruka glanced at the other side. "Yuri-_senpai_ didn't seem pressured at all. In fact, she seemed happy that Rin and I won."

Kiyone swung her legs while sitting on the chair. "You know – maybe deep down, Kotetsu-_san_ may not be so bad."

"Yeah," Shizuru's voice trailed away. "But now that I look at her, something inside her just... snapped..."

Mai picked up her racquet. "Well, whatever it is – we can't stop here. I might win or might lose but it doesn't matter to us. We stay true to ourselves and to everyone."

()()()()0000()()()()

Slumping against the wall, Ayane gasped for air while looking at the court. She stared at the marks made by her and on her side were Atobe's shots. The tangerine haired vice-captain wiped the sweat off her face while contemplating on how fast Atobe's shots sped by. Her hand continued to tremble when she tried to pick up her racquet and staring at the court caused her to hyperventilate. While hugging her body, Ayane felt a soft cloth drop on her shoulders and found Atobe standing behind her.

"You improved today," Atobe smirked while taking a seat next to her. "You're truly extraordinary for a banshee, Kobayagi."

Ayane snorted while closing her eyes. "I would've beat you up for that comment if I weren't so tired, mole diva."

Glancing at Ayane, Atobe then noticed that the girl slowly leaned over in another direction. _I guess the training took a lot out of her._

Poking her a bit, Atobe then smiled to himself while tugging Ayane slightly to bring the girl's head against his shoulder. While the vice-captain knocked out on his shoulder, Atobe leaned a bit against her but growled the moment his phone began vibrating in his pocket especially when he found out that the caller was someone his phone didn't recognize.

"Atobe Keigo," his voice restrained the volume as much as possible. _How dare this commoner interrupt ore-sama's time with Ayane!_

"Seems to me you're making your move a wee too late, Atobe," a sly voice came from one end.

Atobe rolled his eyes. "_Ore-sama_ is not that stupid, Niou. _Ore-sama_ can tell Sanada to double your training menu next week."

"Nope, I'm not him," the voice cheekily replied. "Guess again, Atobe."

_Who else would have business with ore-sama_, Atobe sighed until realization hit him like a lightning bolt. "Marui Bunta, am I right?"

"Yep, the one and only," –Atobe could've sworn he heard a bubble pop in the background. "Sanada-_fukubuchou_ told me that you wanted to tell me to stay away from Ayane-_chan_."

_How dare he call her 'Ayane-_chan', Atobe restrained his yell when he noticed Ayane stirring, causing him to hold her a bit closer. "_Ore-sama_ hates people touching **his**," –he seethed through the phone, "queen. You're from Rikkai Dai, go find someone from there."

"Well, hate to burst your bubble, Your Highness," a dark chuckle came from the other end. "But that isn't going to happen."

Atobe scoffed while restraining the volume of his voice. "You cannot beat _ore-sama_ in Singles. You're a Doubles player."

"A true genius knows how to play in both situations," –Atobe could imagine Marui's huge smirk. "Let's do it this way – if you can make Hyotei meet Rikkai Dai for a little practice session, I'll ask _fukubuchou_ to place me in Singles so we can see who really deserves her."

_Ore-sama would never lose to a Doubles player like you;_ Atobe smirked while checking his watch. "The match would be in one month, Marui. Be prepared; _ore-sama no bigi ni yoina_."

"Yeah, yeah," Marui nonchalantly shrugged it off. "Save it until you're sure you can beat me, Your Highness."

After the line went dead, Atobe smirked while glancing at Ayane who hadn't been disturbed by the whole conversation. She slightly leaned in but that's the last thing Ayane did before completely dozing off. A small smile made its way to Atobe's face while he moved a strand of hair away from her face.

_I could only hold time for so long..._

()()()()0000()()()()

"Not too shabby," Shishido balanced his racquet on his finger. "Sanada makes up for Uchiha's fear of the net."

Isane bit her lip. "I'm not afraid of the net! I just... well, prefer staying her at the baseline is all!"

"But if you're going to be a doubles partner," Shishido pointed his racquet straight at Isane. "You'll have to do both. At one moment, Sanada will get stuck in the back – what will you do then, Uchiha?"

Isane stared at the ground for a moment until her body started glowing a bit. In Shishido's and Ohtori's eyes however, the silver haired regular started changing form. From the lanky and short haired female regular, Shishido stared at the object of his jealousy.

"Well, let's get this game moving shall we," Niou smirked back at Shishido.

Momo gaped at the silver haired Rikkai Dai Regular. _God, what did that insane man do to her?_

Shishido dashed for the next serve "Niou" sent at him while Ohtori covered the front. Momo on the other hand smashed the ball straight at Ohtori who deflected it with a volley. As it zoomed past Momo, the silver haired male positioned himself for one of his own famous techniques.

"Laser Beam," Niou smirked as the ball zoomed right in between Shishido's feet.

Shishido stared in shock as he glanced back at Isane. "How did...?"

"It's an unspoken rule in Rikkai Dai," Niou absentmindedly brushed his hair back. "We cannot hold back on our opponent no matter what the occasion, _puri~_."

Momo wanted to slap herself. _She can practically copy this guy's mannerisms, how the heck did she do that!_

Shishido gripped his racquet tighter while staring at the face of Isane's somewhat "object of affection". His eyes steeled themselves while lowering himself in front of the net as Ohtori started the serve. Deep in his mind, the capped regular could feel the desire to murder Niou and resurrect him just to do it again.

_I hate that jackass' guts,_ Shishido glared at the Rikkai Dai regular. _I'm going to crush him so hard that...!_

"Shishido-_senpai_," a sheepish voice snapped Shishido out of his murderous thoughts. "I think you scared Uchiha-_senpai_..."

Shishido noticed Isane shivering a bit after dropping her image of Niou. Her face paled and her racquet rattled on the floor causing Momo to catch the lanky silver haired regular before anything else.

"What the hell is wrong with you," Momo glared daggers at Shishido.

Shishido averted his gaze from Momo while trying to calm himself down. Seeing Niou made his blood boil and having Isane go out with him seemed to push him to the limit. Naturally, he wouldn't care but seeing Isane laugh with the Rikkai Dai trickster caused him to shudder and imagine himself with a knife while walking towards the Rikkai Dai campus. The capped regular racked his brains for ideas on how to keep Niou away but he boiled down to one conclusion.

_Niou was just too smart for him._

_He even taught Isane the Laser Beam,_ Shishido bit his fingernail while watching Momo calm down a frightened Isane. "Sorry, I was just thinking of something."

"Yeah, more like how to kill a certain trickster am I right," Momo raised an eyebrow towards him.

_I hate you, Sanada,_ Shishido grumbled to himself. "Of course not, so hurry up! You guys are Doubles One! I bet Singles Three is happening right now!"

Momo shrugged while finally getting Isane all calmed down. "Oh well, suit yourself. Let's have Isane change back into Niou, shall we?"

Shishido grumbled inwardly as he knew how spot on Momo was. The capped regular felt his nails cut into his palm while noticing how pale his knuckles were. Tossing the ball high into the air, Shishido served towards Isane who changed her position again and shot the Laser Beam right in between the Silver Pair.

"One thing's for sure," Shishido snorted while picking up the ball. "As long as you use that thing in the right time, the pair won't be able to counter the attack properly."

Isane smiled and bowed. "Thanks for helping us, Shishido-_kun_."

"Don't mention it, Uchiha," Shishido snorted while facing away to hide the tint of red on his face.

Momo grinned evilly. "He's just jealous because there's a certain **someone** who's now taking you away from him."

"Sh-Shut up, S-Sanada," Shishido threw a punch but Momo caught it anyway.

Seeing how far Ohtori and Isane were ahead of him, Momo changed into her serious expression. "Hey, if you really want to lose her to Niou – then, don't do anything. Besides, I'm sure she's better off with someone who could make her come out of her shell."

Shishido bit his lip. "Do you know what he's known for?"

"A bad boy I know," Momo rolled her eyes. "I've been Rikkai Dai and I've known that moron ever since I was grade school."

Shishido seethed through his teeth. "That's not all!"

"I know – he has this tendency to lead girls on," Momo sighed while shoving Shishido's fist roughly. "But, that's for Isane to decide. I'm sure once he finds someone – he's gonna cross the fires of hell forward and back for her. Niou's not an idiot, Shishido. You yourself should know that."

Shishido remained silent as Momo began to walk away. "Sanada... what would you do?"

The _Shinigami_ stared at him quizzically. "What do you mean 'what would I do'? If I were you, I'd try to take Isane back – that's what. Most of all, I'd start right now."

()()()()0000()()()()

"Game, Nagisaki: four games to love!"

_She's biding her time again,_ Mai bit her lip. "If you keep toying around, I might as well just beat you and be done with it."

Konan snickered while sneering maniacally, rolling up her sleeves as she did so. "Ya think that's the limit? Screw that!"

"Holy cow," Haruka gaped at Konan's arm. "Those are...!"

Hitomi's expression changed into a more business-like one. "Those are made of solid gold. There's another player who has adapted that method but not from our group."

Shizuru winced while holding a serious expression. "As long as those things are on her arm, Konan's power decreases significantly by at least half her normal strength. But with the increased amount, she's playing only at ten percent of her strength."

Kiyone gulped while hiding behind the brunette captain. "You're not joking, _buchou_?"

"I wish I was," Shizuru felt her whole hand shaking. _I still remember that day..._

Mai noticed the look on Shizuru's face. _You're not the only one, Shizuru. I remember the day clearly too..._

"What's the matter," a sniggering voice called out. "Weren't ya a conceited little bitch before?"

Mai's amber eyes steeled themselves, her voice lacing itself with venom. "What did you say?"

"Ya weren't much fun when I last played against ya," Konan drawled while tapping her chin. "Ya bragging won't get ya squat!"

Mai gripped her racquet tighter. "You have no right to tell me what I'm not!"

"Hahaha, let's see about that," Konan grinned while tossing her racquet in the air, catching it by the handle.

Leaning forward a bit, Mai watched Konan toss the ball into the air. _Alright, surprise me._

The ball zoomed towards Mai with abominable speed, causing the _tensai_ to lose her grip on the racquet. "What the...?"

"Still think you're the greatest," Konan spun the racquet on the floor, leaning on it like a golf club. "I think not."

Feeling her body tremble, Mai glanced at how far her racquet flew while trying to feel out her wrist. _Running towards the shot and deflecting it is the best bet. The problem is – how well can my wrist hold?_

"I'm sure your body still remembers that day," Konan snickered. "What the mind forgets the body will remember. I should know," – she pointed her racquet menacingly at Shizuru. "I remember what that little corpse did to me that day!"

Haruka turned to her captain. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Hitomi bit her lip while glancing at the current captain. "It happened when Shizuru and Mai first entered the club."

Mai closed her eyes, sighing bitterly. "Yeah, I remember all that..."

_Flashback_

_Hyotei Gakuen – One Year Ago_

"Oi, Shizu," a red haired girl jumped behind a brunette, startling the slightly taller girl. "You're going for the tennis team right?"

Shizuru twiddled with her thumbs. "I-I-I'm not q-quite s-sure, Mai..."

"Come on," Mai slapped the girl's back, causing Shizuru to cough. "We have to show them that we're the best there is! I've seen you play!"

Shizuru shook her head vigorously. "A-A-Actually, I-I-I w-w-wanted t-t-t to write for the Newspaper Club."

"For the love of God," Mai swat the timid girl's head, causing the brunette to slightly wince. "Come on, let's do something dynamic! Let's take the tennis world by storm!"

Before the brunette could say anything, Mai dragged her to the tennis courts.

_Flashback End_

"That time was also the same time Ichigetsu had held her position as a regular for the last five months," Hitomi checked the records of the members. "That was the same time... Momo had made her debut as a Hyotei Regular. Three of you alone shook the foundation of the team..."

Haruka nodded, biting her lip. "Wait a minute, you're telling me that Mai faced her long time ago?"

Kiyone looked up to the bespectacled blonde Mastermind. "Then what happened?"

Hitomi shivered at the thought. "It's something that many shouldn't have seen..."

_Flashback_

_Hyotei Gakuen – That Same Day_

"Damn it," a silver red streaked haired regular hissed. "How the damn did ya get past me that easy? That was fun though..."

A first year Nagisaki Mai controlled her breathing while raising her racquet to her face. "Of course, tennis is meant to be a fun sport," –she grinned at Shizuru. "Right, Shizu?"

Shizuru nodded while twiddling with her thumbs. "Y-yeah..."

Smirking, Mai pointed her racquet at the fallen silver red streaked haired regular. "After all, a _tensai_ always wins against brute force."

Gripping the ground angrily, the senior lunged over the net while grabbing Mai's neck. "You little brat, I'll show you...!"

Trying to wriggle free, Mai couldn't pry off her fingers but was let go when Naomi walked up to the senior.

"Now Konan," Naomi smiled her 'motherly' smile. "I don't think we're supposed to treat children like that right?"

Konan scoffed. "Don't give a shit; let me squeeze the life out of her!"

"I'm saying this for your own safety," Naomi smiled while beckoning to the brunette who stood behind Mai.

Konan threw Mai aside but Shizuru managed to catch the girl. "Hmph, screw that! I don't give a damn whether or not this kid managed to beat me."

Naomi sighed while shaking her head. _I don't think it's Nagisaki-chan you have to fear..._

A few moments later, the red haired first year came out of the locker room when some of the first years tugged her shirt. "Nagisaki-_chan_, take a look at what your friend did!"

_Shizuru, what could she have done? _Mai waved it off. "Honestly, she's not capable of killing anyone."

"Trust us," the first years chorused frantically. "Please come with us!"

"What's going on here," a kind voice caused the first years to jump and run.

"Kotetsu-_buchou_," one of them tugged her regular's jacket. "There's something you need to see!"

Soon, a second year Isane ran with Vice Captain Ferero Lulu. "You might want to see this," the normally lazy vice captain's expression became serious.

Ruriko came running to her as well, trying to calm a hysteric Hitomi. "Kotetsu-_buchou_, there's a ninety percent chance that what I saw awhile ago was something that I shouldn't have seen."

Seeing how crazy the situation got, Naomi went to the courts but found herself gaping and staring. "Okay, what... the..."

On the floor, Konan lay sprawled out while Shizuru stood emotionlessly at the other side. Tennis ball marks were all over the court and skid marks led to where Konan laid. What caught the captain's attention was how Konan managed to get bruised up and beaten by a first year girl. Naomi gaped; leaving the first years to cower behind her while Mai couldn't believe what took place. The red haired first year pushed past Naomi while grabbing Shizuru's arm.

"Hey," Mai shook her arm vigorously. "What gives...?"

"_Gomenasai,_" Shizuru softly whispered.

Mai stared at her quizzically. "I'm sorry? For what and most of all, what did you do?"

However, Shizuru glanced back at Mai with tears and corpse-like eyes. "_Gomenasai..._"

_Flashback End_

"Shizuru's corpse-like personality hid under that stuttering innocent girl we all came to know," Hitomi closed her notebook. "After running a background check, that personality of hers came to life due to another incident. Many of them happened due to a loved one getting hurt."

Rin gulped while hiding behind Haruka. "She's a time bomb, _kuwee~_?"

"No," Haruka bit her thumbnail. "That 'thing' we always saw back then was just something to cover up the brutality she was really capable of. Mai happened only to be the catalyst to set that 'thing' loose. As long as no one tries to hurt Mai, it doesn't release itself."

Hitomi noted with relief. "However, Momo managed to purge it during the match between us and Jyosei Shounan so the chances of Shizuru having a personality shift again are down to ten percent."

"But what's this got to do with Mai," Haruka raised an eyebrow.

Hitomi pointed at the court. "The farther Mai pushes Ichigetsu into a corner – the more violent Ichigetsu gets. The more violent, the higher the risk of Mai getting hurt and..."

"Shizuru-_buchou_ becoming a monster," Kiyone gulped while hugging Shizuru even tighter.

"I won't become like that," Shizuru smiled while patting Kiyone's head gently. "I'm done playing like that."

Haruka smirked while whacking Shizuru, causing the brunette to wince slightly. "Yeah or we might have to take you to a hypnotist."

Mai turned to Shizuru, giving her a thumbs up. _You cool?_

Shizuru nodded while taking a seat. _It's all yours, Mai._

Konan glared at Mai. "You two are so damn strange. Even if I live to be a hundred fifty, I'm never gonna understand you two."

"That's because you're too busy making disgusting comments is why," Mai moved into the court. "You were a bit slow on that area anyway."

Konan fired another shot without warning but Mai deflected it thus sending the shot with the same amount of power towards the older silver haired regular. Dashing towards it, Konan exploded the shot but Mai gave it a slice which forced the senior to come forward. Konan forced herself to get the ball over the net while Mai slammed it over. However, Konan snickered when she appeared right where the _tensai_ had fired the shot which gained her the point.

"Thirty – love," Konan licked the side of her racquet, pointing it at Mai.

"You're going down," a maniacal grin played itself on the girl's face.

Mai bit her lip while another serve zoomed towards her, knocking her racquet out of her hand.

"Forty – love," Mai sauntered over to pick up her racquet.

Naomi leaned back against the referee's chair, relaxing a bit. _Finally, it's about time – Konan. Finish her off..._

"See ya later," Konan fired a fast serve which bounced towards Mai's face thus, butting her to the ground.

"Game, Ichigetsu: one game to four!"

Hitomi wrote down on her notebook. "With her gold band off, Ichigetsu now has increased her chances of winning from twenty percent to eighty percent."

"Darn, got any idea," Haruka turned to Hitomi who sighed when she shut her book.

"Only time can tell," Hitomi ruefully looked at the match as Konan deflected Mai's shot and sent the dancer spiralling to the floor. "Mai, be careful!"

_Well, it's time to bring out __**that**__, _Mai shook herself out of the daze. "Yeah, sorry – didn't see that one coming."

Walking towards the baseline, Mai began her serve with Konan exploding the shot again. The red haired _tensai_ sprinted off while sliding over to neutralize its power. Feeling the strain on her wrist, Mai spun around which placed her body weight on her shot. The ball zoomed towards Konan who returned it with one swipe. Mai ran down the shot, cursing inwardly when she saw the shot lob over. Grinning, Konan jumped into the air and brought it down which exploded past Mai.

"Love – fifteen," Mai winced at her wrist while gripping it tightly.

Konan rested her racquet on her shoulder. "Well what now, _tensai_? You got any moves left?"

"You're using a tight tension on your racquet and not only that, your weight training causes you to double your power," Mai glanced at the racquet Konan used. "My best guess is that your racquet won't last the next four games if you keep attacking me with that kind of power. I don't think you're very good in compensation either."

Konan bared her teeth. "What did you say?"

Mai bounced the ball, watching her carefully. "Let me show you instead..."

Konan grinned wildly. "Well, show me what you got then, Nagisaki Mai!"

Mai served the _Sazanka Serve_, causing Konan to volley it over and bring Mai to lob it straight into the air. Searching for it, Konan squinted as the sun went into her eyes which allowed the ball to drop right next to her. Turning around slowly, Konan found the ball rolling lightly next to her foot. Instead of shock, a beastly smile made its way to her face.

"So that's the genius you've been hiding," Konan licked her lips while raising her racquet. "It's about time!"

Gripping her body tightly, Mai bit her lips as she stopped herself from sinking to her knees.

_I can't feel my body anymore,_ Mai shivered a bit. The _tensai_ couldn't bring herself to look Konan straight in the eyes while the silver haired senior's crimson eyes gleamed with battle-hunger. While trying to calm herself down, Mai noticed the court swirling around while her body throbbed badly to get her off the court. She tried to stand up but ended up shrinking again.

_Her aura's too powerful to handle,_ Naomi sniggered inwardly. _Konan's known for her intimidating presence to the point her opponent can't stand anymore._

Nanako glanced at Shizuru whose expression started to contort with concern. _No matter how strong you are, Konan's presence alone could paralyse you with fear. She's also known as – Hyotei's Demon._

"You thought that Kirihara-_kun_ was the only one who could hit Devil Mode," Konan licked her lips while revealing her bloodshot eyes. "It's my turn now! Where do you think that brat got it?"

Mai hissed through her teeth. "You didn't invent the Devil Mode!"

"I know," Konan cracked her knuckles. "But, if Hitomi told you my history – you should know!"

Mai smirked, cracking her knuckles. "Just because you have some history with Kirihara-_san_ doesn't mean you gave him the Devil Mode!"

"Hmph, you just figure it out," Konan took off her cuff links one by one. "But then again – I will show you what I mean when people call me a 'Demon'."

Mai lowered her stance. _I guess her devil mode will extend her power by at least three fold. In ten minutes time, that Devil Mode will cause her plan to backfire._

"You seem confident," Konan rested her racquet on her shoulders. "Don't you care that I'm gonna paint you in a lovely red, little girl," –she licked her chops. "After all, this would only take ten minutes."

Biting her lip, the amber eyes _tensai_ gripped her racquet tightly as she watched Konan's bloodshot eyes scan her carefully. "I think the correct statement would be that you only have ten minutes left."

Konan drew back while Mai calmly explained. "While you're in the Devil Mode, you slowly lose to the monster inside you. The Devil Mode brings out your darkest emotions and turns those into a vicious force by making the body think that it's in danger. The Devil Mode may enhance you physically but how long will your brain hold?"

Konan growled as she tossed the ball into the air. "Shut up, you whiny brat!"

Mai returned the ball with a volley while Konan charged to the net with a hard smash. Mai uncoiled as the ball lobbed into the air, forcing Konan to run back. The impact took a chunk out of Mai's wrist as the ball left her racquet, leaving Konan to make it more destructive than before. Mai danced to control the rhythm as Konan forced herself to play by her own style. Konan dashed to the other side, feeling her body stretch out. Sweat poured down both players faces as they kept the ball zooming back and forth.

_I can't believe it,_ Naomi inwardly hid her shudder. _Nagisaki is... evolving still! I thought I stunted her growth!_

"You're going down, brat," Konan exploded her shot towards Mai. "You're just that little wimp from yesterday!"

Mai could feel her calves hurting but she managed to spin and crack at the baseline. Remaining silent after Konan's comment, Mai followed Konan's movements for the next shot but the ball spun away thus colliding into Mai's stomach and sent her tumbling backwards.

"Fifteen – all," Konan noticed the ball roll towards the net.

_Keh, she managed to make it reach the net,_ Konan spat while turning around. "I'm gonna crush you so bad – you'll bleed to death, brat!"

Shots came from Konan, sending Mai's racquet flying or sending the _tensai_ herself rolling.

"Game, Ichigetsu: two games to four!"

Hitomi tilted her glasses, holding her breath. "Here she comes... The Demon's Counterattack..."

Konan brought down another smash on Mai's court, "Love – fifteen!"

Mai managed to narrowly dodge another shot that slid past her eye, "Love – thirty!"

"This is becoming so one sided," Kiyone shivered behind Haruka. "What are we going to do?"

Shizuru hung her head. "We can't do anything; the only thing we can do now is wait for the ten minutes to elapse."

"Game, Ichigetsu: three games to four!"

Rin whined as she hid behind Haruka also. "_Kuwee~_, she's catching up so fast!"

Mai wiped the sweat from her face. _Prolonging it is the best way to finish her off but how to deflect a fast shot is the problem. Instinctively, the body would flick only the wrist to attack the fast shot but that's not gonna be enough. I'll smash my wrist that way. _

"If you can't hit her with strength, use her own strength against her," a voice snapped Mai out of her thoughts.

_Hey, _Mai snickered to herself. "I like it when you speak in riddles."

Konan scoffed as she tossed back her hair. "What's the matter now? Gettin' cold feet, brat?"

"No," Mai smiled sardonically at Konan. "I'm just planning how I should torture you."

Haruka twitched a bit. "Do all _tensai_ think that way?"

"Is Yukimura-_san_ a _tensai_," Hitomi raised an eyebrow at the pink haired girl.

Rin shrunk behind Haruka. "N-no he isn't one, _kuwee_?"

"Hence, your proposition is false," Hitomi pointed out to the Dragon Pair. "Not all _tensai_ are sardonic. They just don't have a life, that's all."

Sighing to herself, Kiyone then found Atobe hauling Ayane over. "Wow, you actually managed to carry her?"

"She's not that heavy," Atobe raised an eyebrow to the sandy blonde girl but stared at her quizzically as she walked up to him. "What do you want now?"

Kiyone stuck her tongue out before glaring at him. "You better take care of her!"

Atobe glanced at an unconscious Ayane while smirking. "_Ore-sama_ never had any intention of harming her."

"You better be true to your word, Atobe," Kiyone seethed through her teeth.

Shizuru glanced at Atobe but the older captain knew exactly what the junior thought.

"_Ore-sama_ not an idiot, Kurenai," Atobe returned the intensity of her gaze. "Let it never be mentioned that _ore-sama_ harmed a girl."

The conversation however cut short when they heard a call and a loud wail from the court. The players could only stare in horror as Mai flew to the wired fences of the bleachers and stuck there while Konan licked her racquet. Atobe couldn't hide his disgust well enough, Kiyone and Rin shivered while they shrank behind Haruka who barely managed to stop herself from trembling, Shizuru's eyes started to burn differently while Hitomi's trembling hand prevented her from taking good data.

"M-M-Mai-_chan_," Gakuto managed to let out a stutter.

Hiyoshi only managed to rub his eyes; no one had sent Mai towards the bleachers before. "She's a monster..."

"You don't have to say that twice," Taki dropped his jaw as Mai's racquet clattered on the floor.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER," Konan cackled while swinging her racquet around. "C'MON, C'MON – GET OFF YOUR ASS AND FIGHT ME!"

Mai slipped uneasily off the bleachers and landed face first into the ground. Ignoring her fear, Kiyone ran past Haruka until Shizuru grabbed the collar of Kiyone's jacket. "Wait, don't move."

Horrified, Kiyone continuously began to tug until Mai started clambering to her feet.

"If I were a moron," Mai snickered while wiping the dirt off her face. "I would've thought your brother was Gazille!" (A/N: Gazille/Gajeel is from Fairy Tail. He's an Iron Dragon Slayer.)

Konan coughed with a snort. "Hmph, you're nothing but a piece of trash I need to throw! I'm gonna finish you off big time!"

Mai returned her cough with a sardonic smile. "I hope you make out of this alive. It's not just me you're gonna deal with."

Konan threw her head up, laughing. "That's shit, what makes you think I'm scared of your corpse of a captain?"

"Shizuru's actually more benevolent than me, bitch," an annoyed voice came from the bleachers and found Momo cracking her knuckles. "I think the wall's about to have your print on it."

Konan grinned at Momo. "Bring it on, _Shinigami_!"

"Ignore her, Momo-_senpai_," Mai readied herself for Konan's service. "I've already seen her weakness."

Konan's crimson eyes gleamed hungrily. "Oh, you did now? Bring it on then!"

Isane gulped while hiding behind Momo. "Are you sure it was a good idea to threaten her?"

"If she gets a bleeding nose, I'm happy," Momo smiled evilly. "Besides, I'm the _Shinigami_. No human or demon can defeat Death."

Konan chortled while serving hard. "Well, let's see how well your little Spade can hold up!"

Hiyoshi couldn't help but wince as the _tensai_ placed effort in returning the shots by deflecting. He noticed the sweat pouring down her face when the _Enbu _ace then found his captain dialling a few numbers on his cellphone.

"Hello," Atobe's lips formed a big smile. "It's Atobe. Nagisaki's getting her butt kicked around, Yukimura."

Hiyoshi gulped as he heard his captain's tone of saying his sentence especially the word 'Yukimura'. When he turned to the court, Mai suddenly started moving faster than ever and taking one point easily from Konan causing the silver haired girl to fall back.

"Love – fifteen," Konan growled when she noticed the _tensai_'s eyes become a dull yellow colour.

"What the hell is that? Hey, say something – will you!"

Naomi squinted her eyes while leaning forward from her chair. _Interesting... is she using her Muga no Kyouchi now?_

Mai gripped her racquet tightly as her voice became a low feral snarl. "I will not lose to you, especially not what after Yukimura-_kun_ has told me!"

Momo face palmed. "Oh my goodness, she's using him as a reason again."

"We can only be thankful that Atobe made that call," Hitomi turned to Atobe. "However, there was a ninety nine percent chance he wanted to do that to piss Mai off."

Atobe smirked at the data gathering manager. "_Ore-sama_ is very well aware that Nagisaki has feelings for that devil in disguise."

Kiyone chuckled while raising a 'v' into the air. "Yeah, I bet when she finds out that this girl plans to beat Yukimura into a pulp!"

"WHAT," Mai glared venomously at Konan who then started to stare in shock. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR HIM, YOU GOT IT! SENIOR OR NOT, NO ONE TOUCHES MY FRIENDS!"

Momo rolled her eyes while Shizuru giggled softly at the _Shinigami_'s comment. "More like love interest if you ask me."

Mai let out an icy glare as she started attacking all sides of the court. Konan started struggling as she started letting out a beastly growl, letting Mai smirk at her.

"Well, you're time is almost up," Mai grinned as she watched Konan fall over. "After your Devil Mode starts, it causes your mental state to rapidly deteriorate. Unlike you, Kirihara-_kun_ only achieved it when he was in first year. You however have been relying it every time you play."

Konan felt her leg stop as she started falling to the ground. Mai, heavily breathing, tried her best to keep up with her shots as she started throwing them all over the place.

_I have no other choice,_ Mai winced as the ball managed to draw her forward. _The best way is to..._

However, her trail of thoughts was cut off as Konan grinned evilly in front of her by the net.

"Hyeehahahahaha," Konan slammed the ball into Mai's racquet causing the girl to dig into the soles of her shoes. "Is that all you have?"

The _tensai_ managed to deflect it as the ball zoomed past Konan.

"Love – thirty," Mai's eyes steeled themselves against Konan's beastly ones.

"I'm not down for the count yet," Konan howled as she stole a point from Mai.

Mai dashed to the other side for a strong forehand as the ball zoomed past Konan again. _Just two more games! I can... huh?_

Konan all of a sudden started blubbering as her eyes stared into the sky. Walking over slowly, Mai went over to tap her until Konan cracked her neck.

"Just kidding," Konan smiled psychotically.

_This girl's a monster,_ Hitomi nearly dropped her pencil if not for her fast reflexes. _All her data is completely messed up._

Ruriko noticed the astounded look on the blonde girl's face. "Nanako, how long do you think that girl will last?"

"Nagisaki won't last long if she prolongs the game," Nanako turned to the dark blonde data master. "Any chance she'll make it out without broken bones?"

Ruriko slightly revealed her eyes. "Her chances are slim to none but _tensai_ do have the ability to alter probabilities."

Lulu tilted her head a bit. "Did you know that Mai seemed more to handle the whip than the handcuffs?"

"Why must you associate everything with something," Nanako twitched while fighting down the blush that crawled up her face.

"She meant that Mai's better off on the offense than defense, dahling," Yuri drawled while leaning against Unohana. "Besides, I think you're more green than her. You violently react to it each time."

Nanako flared up, glaring at the light blonde girl. "S-Shut up, it's just that she would choose such indecent things to say!"

"Game, Ichigetsu: five games to four!"

Kiyone gulped while turning to Shizuru. "Was she always like this?"

"Not that I know of," Shizuru noted while looking at the court. "But Mai does have a point; how can she last long with that kind of mentality? It might as well erode her true personality unless; it was never there to begin with."

_That's it,_ the _tensai's_ face brightened up when she heard Shizuru's theory. "That's because whatever she showed back to us and to the team then was never real. That's because the Devil Mode has always been her true personality."

Kiyone stared at the _tensai_ "You have to be joking!"

"When I played her," Mai shuddered slightly at the memory. "She held back at the first few games until she started turning all weird and all. Though her skin is not supposed to be blood red with her hair turning white but, that's the only explanation I have unless you have a better theory to why she hasn't been reduced to a catatonic blubbering organism."

Glancing at the silver red streaked haired senior, Mai bit her lip. _Actually, that theory does make a point. That's the only explanation to why she can play like a monster._

"Well, what do you know," Konan licked her lips. "The dancer and the corpse finally figured it out!"

Naomi sighed while shaking her head. _Of course both of them would see that, I didn't accept them into the team without reason._

Lulu whistled while shrugging her shoulders. "Well, they sure figured it out quickly."

Chihiro sniggered while glancing at the sleeping vice captain. "Even if that monster loses, I'll beat the crap out of their powerhouse with no problem."

Tsunami swung her legs while stretching a bit. "Hmph, they have a pipsqueak now. But doesn't mean she's faster than me."

Kiyone glared while snapping her jaws. "Why I oughta give them rabies...!"

"You can bite her later," Haruka held back Kiyone; why of all times did Atobe knock her out? "I'm sure you need to save your fangs for later."

Kiyone snorted while Shizuru pat her head gently. "Don't worry; you'll have your chance."

Naomi smirked while leaning back. _Well, you're training her pretty well. Hope she lasts against Tsunami otherwise – all your hardwork would be going down the drain._

Mai inhaled deeply while feeling her legs get lighter. _Alright, outrun her. If I can't out power her, I'll have to hit a shot she can never return._

Serving the _Sazanka Serve,_ Mai found Konan dashing for the ball and smashing it down which forced the _tensai_ to move forward to uncoil. With a lob, Konan jumped high into the air for a smash when Mai stood all the way at the baseline.

"I'm comin' for ya, bitch," Konan screamed while hanging her tongue loosely like a snake. "Ya better hope ya damn body can take it before I crucify ya like a corpse!"

Mai all of a sudden smirked as she faced Konan. _You can't beat her physically then, break her down mentally. Return... return every shot..._

Soon, the shot kept sailing over to Konan's side as the demon-like girl started to panic. "Why won't you just lie down and die already!"

Realization then struck Naomi as she saw Mai smirking at her. "Konan, don't return the shot anymore! You're going to...!"

"Aaargh," Konan stumbled over and crashed into the net.

"Fifteen – love," Mai breathed in sharply as Konan clambered up to her feet.

_How does Yukimura-kun do that,_ Mai shook her head out of the daze. _Deflecting this girl's shot is like trying to stop a sumo wrestler from sitting on your hand._

Konan wobbly stood up and waited for the next shot. "_Hora, hora,_ bring it on!"

Mai shrugged while tossing it in the air. "Okay, you insist."

As the serve flew over, Konan waved her racquet around as much as she could but never realized that the ball simply rolled to her feet.

"Thirty – love," Naomi curled her hand into a fist as she begrudgingly let out the score. _How did she do that! Only Seigaku's Souma Fuuka and Rikkai Dai's Yukimura Seiichi can do that!_

"It can be easily performed if you're that good," Shizuru smiled as Mai served fast each time. "Additionally, Ichigetsu-_san_'s state of mind isn't exactly all there."

Konan slammed her racquet on the floor. "Damn it, why the hell can't see anything!"

"Game, Nagisaki: five games all!"

Mai sighed as she handed the ball to Konan. "Alright, here you go. Good luck though."

Konan snatched it from her as she tried to serve.

"Fault," the ball dropped on the ground.

Mai relaxed her stance as she recalled her time with Yukimura. "It's not going to get over."

_Flashback_

"Yukimura-_kun_," Mai sat next to him. "Can I ask you a favour?"

The blue haired demigod stared quizzically at the red haired _tensai_. "What is it, Mai-_chan_?"

Mai smiled cheekily. "I hope you don't mind playing a small round with me."

Yukimura chuckled lightly. "It's not bad for me. One game only though; the doctors might throw a fit."

The game didn't last very long as Mai collapsed after the third point.

"Wow," Mai managed to gather her breath. "How did you do that?"

Yukimura helped her up while shaking his head. "I can't tell you my secret though."

"Aww," Mai made a puppy face. "Please, I won't tell anyone."

Yukimura sighed as he pat her on the head. "In a battle, what do you do?"

Mai raised an eyebrow; what was that for? "No duh, defend the frontlines."

"Tennis is a battle you can't lose," Yukimura's expression became more serious. "That's why – no one should get past you. You are undefeatable; as Hyotei's Queen of Spades."

Mai sat down, tapping her chin. "Wow, if you put it that way – yeah. Thanks Yukimura-_kun_."

"Anytime," Yukimura smiled while he ruffled her hair. "You should come back here sometime; I enjoy our talks together."

_Flashback End_

_I can't let him down now;_ Mai steeled herself for another serve attempt, thinking about his words. _He worked hard with me; I will not let Seiichi's work go to waste._

"Game, Nagisaki: six games to five!"

Naomi stared in shock but hid the horror pretty well. _I don't believe it; she pulled it off! Impossible, that girl doesn't have enough talent to pull it off!_

"Yukimura must've given her details," Momo watched Mai start her service. "The look in her eyes is somewhat similar to his now."

Isane glanced at Momo. "Honestly, did you think she can do that?"

"With proper tutelage, I don't see why not," Momo snickered a bit when Konan got smacked in the head. "Now I know why Naomi split them up..."

Hitomi bit her lip. "She didn't want to recognize the possibility of Mai of being able to overthrow her."

"Not only that," Haruka glanced at Shizuru and Mai. "To stunt their growths, she rocked the foundation that made them so strong: trust."

Rin whimpered behind the Pearl Dragon. "Without trust, there is no strength, _kuwee~_."

"Without trust," Isane hung her head. "There is no chance for freedom..."

Hearing their words, Shizuru gripped her tennis skirt as she heard someone fall on the floor.

"Game and match, Nagisaki: seven games to five!"

()()()()0000()()()()

**Me: **I'm sorry for the late update! No one's really reviewing anymore so I kinda slowed down. Not only that, I've been reading Fairy Tail but I'm not going to desert this fanfic just yet! Also, "What Makes One A Monster" is coming soon! As soon as this is finished, that one will be making its debut! Stay tuned for the next chapter – doubles two is coming up!

**Kiyone: **You can't miss our fight!

**Ayane: **Zzzz...

**Haruka: **Atobe did a number on her didn't he?

**Momo:** That man always overdoes things. *face palms*

**Isane: **How do we wake her up now?

**Rin:** *jumping up and down* I know, I know!

**Kiyone: ***grinning evilly* Yeah... *takes a deep breath* ATOBE'S GONNA KISS YOU!

**Ayane:** Zzzz...

**Mai:** *shaking her head* You have any way to wake her up, Shizu?

**Shizuru:** I don't think a tank from World War Two will wake her up.

**Me: **Don't worry, the Diamond Pair won't forfeit! We'll wake her up! By the way don't forget to...

**Hyotei Regulars: **Please review!


	34. The Truth

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 34 – The Truth

"Mai, you're growing," Rin excitedly jumped on her, pinching her cheeks. "Aww, you're so cute~, _kuwee_~!"

Haruka sighed, trying to pull Rin off. "Rin, don't jump her like that!"

Mai staggered a bit, chuckling lightly. "Ah, yeah... _Senpai_, please let me go. I don't think I can support your weight."

Shizuru walked towards Mai, slinging her arm over her shoulder. "Would you like to skip Rikkai Dai this round?"

"Nah," Mai shook her head, grinning. "I don't think I would want to miss that game for the world. I think I should be asking you that though. Kotetsu's not going to let us out unless she has your blood."

Shizuru noticed Naomi sweating more than normal as helped Mai to the bench. The brunette glanced at her hand until she heard Kiyone screaming and found Ayane being shaken by Momo.

"Come on," Momo twitched a bit. "You might want to wake up unless you're thinking of forfeiting."

Ayane groaned while slumping down on the purple haired _Shinigami_. "Five more minutes..."

Kiyone slumped down while starting to bawl. "Yane-Yane's never gonna wake up~!"

"Simple," Atobe smirked while he leaned over. "Watch and learn, Getsugan."

Kiyone sniffed while wiping away her tears as the purple haired captain pressed his lips against Ayane's. Everyone held their breath as Ayane's eyes fluttered open only to stare in horror with Atobe only a few centimetres away from her face. Blushing madly, Ayane quickly changed from embarrassed to "raise hell" mode.

"ATOBE KEIGO," Ayane grabbed him by the collar. "You inane human being, I'm going to throw you against a glass wall and then at a cement wall until you can't remember your name!"

Atobe shrugged while turning to the female team. "There, problem solved."

Shishido stared at him aghast. "He's really asking for it."

"Well, can't blame him," Oshitari shrugged. "Shizuru-_chan_ did mention that even a tank from World War II couldn't wake her up."

Ayane glared until a snort came from the other side.

"Bitch, get your ass on the damn court," a sharp voice caused Ayane to whirl around as she found a tattooed regular with muscular arms pointing her racquet towards her.

Ayane glared at the tattooed girl who simply tossed away her scarlet red hair. Unlike Mai whose hair stayed neat in a half ponytail, Chihiro could be mistaken for a heavy metal rock star. Her red hair spiked upward while leaving tendrils at the side of her face. Metal skull hair pins hung loosely on her strands while several silver pins stuck out from above her lip and below. If they thought Konan looked bad, Chihiro simply dethroned her by showing her altered fangs.

"I thought Konan's the monster," Haruka shuddered as Chihiro spun her racquet on the floor. "But, Aragaki Chihiro's even worse!"

Kiyone tilted her head towards Ayane. "Ne, ne, how did a lady-like girl like Wave-_san_ become partners with her?"

Ayane shrugged while smirking. "I bet you she was threatened."

"As if that monkey can take something from me," Chihiro glared while brushing her short hair back. "She can never take stuff from me; I'm just too strong for her. Besides, what's that little runt of yours gonna do to me anyway?"

Kiyone tilted her head while Tsunami scoffed at the smaller girl. "Well, it will take time for her to get it. After all, she's still a child."

Pouting, Kiyone folded her arms while she turned to Ayane. "Hey, Yane...?"

Ayane glanced at the smaller girl. "What is it?"

Pointing at the two other players across them, Kiyone grinned. "Are you gonna let loose today?"

Seeing her point, Ayane gripped her racquet tightly and nodded with conviction. "You better be careful, okay?"

Kiyone grinned while jumping towards the service court. "Okay, here we go – we're gonna beat you, Rocker-_tachi_!"

"Shut up, you little brat," Chihiro lunged towards her, grabbing Kiyone's collar and lifting up the smaller girl. "You better know whom to respect, brat."

Kiyone however giggled while pointing behind her. "You know – if you hurt me, Yane-Yane's gonna be angry~."

Chihiro looked past Kiyone's hanging body and found Ayane glaring at her. "What – you wanna come and get me!"

Ayane narrowed her eyes until she smirked at the senior. "Well, if you're like that – bring it on, punk!"

"Why you little," Chihiro snorted while looking at Kiyone, swinging around and chanting.

"Yane's gonna kill you, Yane's gonna kill you," Kiyone grinned childishly while swinging from Chihiro's grip. "Weee, this is fun~!"

Haruka slapped her forehead. "She's scared of Konan but not of Chihiro!"

Hitomi glanced through her notes. "Chihiro's physically intimidating but mental damage is a lot worse from physical aspect. Consider Konan's mannerisms, Kiyone hid behind you am I right?"

Haruka nodded while Hitomi pointed out to the Pearl Dragon. "Kiyone's empathically sensitive as well – because she is used to Ayane's wild demeanour and big stature, Kiyone doesn't feel intimidation. However, her fear for Konan came from the fact that she wanted to spray Mai's blood all over the court. It's not the sight that scared her but the intent."

Mai coughed a bit. "Kiyone can deal with bigger people due to small stature – to her, seeing someone bigger than her is normal. It's when they start baring fangs then she feels the intent."

"But, Chihiro displayed a huge set of fangs," Haruka twitched and shuddered at the memory. "How do you explain that?"

Momo leaned against the wall. "I don't think you get what Mai's saying."

"You mean," Rin tapped her chin. "Ooh, ooh, when she smiles?"

Haruka shook her head. "This is where intent makes its appearance I presume?"

"Somehow, Konan did remind me of Sunamyou-_san_ from Yuugetsu Chuu," Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "I mean – it's kinda... scary..."

_Kirijo is known to be one of the fastest if I remember right, _Mai's eyes watched the two doubles pairs interact with one another. "I don't think it's the rocker we have to worry about."

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. "Kirijo Tsunami – she doesn't have any special attacks of whatsoever compared to us who each have their own special ability."

Momo analysed her structure. "Her legs – if you look at it... they're not built for tennis."

"How sure are you," Rin pointed out. "She's got a racquet you see?"

Momo twitched while rolling her eyes. "Just because they hold a racquet and can hit a ball over doesn't mean they're built for it. Mai's stockier than her; you notice that her legs are the thickness of an aerosol can? That proves one thing – she's a net player."

"Also being a net player proves that she cannot plant herself properly and," Hitomi showed them a chart of her stats. "If you compare Mai who is also almost the same speed calibre, you'll notice that Mai has a higher accuracy rate..."

Isane exchanged glances with Mai and Tsunami. "In other words, Ayane's powerful enough to send her flying."

"Let's not get too carried away," Momo folded her arms. "Ayane may be strong but don't forget – this is a doubles match."

Haruka bit her nail. "However, there's a catch."

"Yeah, it might as well be that Chihiro's not going to be fast enough considering that her leg is a tree log," Momo smirked at the Pearl Dragon. "By the way Haruka – you might want to take off that weight."

Hitomi rolled up Haruka's sleeves. "You've been wearing that power wrist for the last three weeks, haven't you? Your arm strength has increased by three percent and your flexibility has lowered by a fraction. You're concentrating too much on your upper body."

Haruka sheepishly smiled. "W-Well, I had to improve myself somehow. A Dragon Dance is an art that will never stop evolving..."

Rin jumped on Haruka's shoulders, showing a 'v' sign. "Yeah, she's right – _kuwee_~! Thanks to Haruka," –Rin revealed her power anklets. "I've been improving in stamina now!"

_Haruka,_ Momo smirked while watching the pink haired half of the Dragon Pair ruffle Rin's hair. _It seems to me you guys are getting somewhere. What am I still lacking? Haven't I done anything right?_

"Doubles Two will now begin: Hyotei High School's Aragaki-Kirijo pair versus Hyotei Middle School's Kobayagi-Getsugan pair! Game start, Kobayagi to serve!"

Ayane gripped the ball tightly, steadying her breathing while checking the field. Chihiro stood at the receiving end while Tsunami beadily analysed the smaller girl. As the vice captain tossed it in the air, Ayane recalled something that Atobe said.

_Power isn't everything, Ayane. Sometimes, skill comes in handy as well._

_For once,_ Ayane smirked while seeing the ball come down. "I'll take your advice, Atobe!"

The ball limply tripped over the net forcing Chihiro to run it down and miss.

"Fifteen – love," the two found themselves facing a smirking Ayane and a cheerful Kiyone.

"Yay, nice shot, Yane-_chan_," Kiyone grinned while moving to the other side. "Whatcha gonna do now?"

Ayane ruffled the girl's hair. "You're gonna have to do everything I say, got it?"

Kiyone stared at her wide eyed, waving her arms in the air. "But, Yane-_chaaaaaan~..._!"

"No buts," Ayane whacked the upside of the smaller girl's head. "We have to get stronger and for now, we'll have to change strategy. You got it?"

At first, Kiyone pouted until she gave her a childish grin. "You bet! We'll get stronger, Yane-_chan_! I know you're the strongest vice captain there is! Together we'll get stronger – you and me together!"

Ayane cheekily smiled while turning to face the seniors. "Look, a little advice before we pummel you to the ground..."

Chihiro raised an eyebrow as Ayane raised her racquet towards her. "If you think you're the best then, that's where you're so damn wrong! We're gonna kick your ass because – we're the one and only DIAMOND PAIR! So, if you don't get what the hell I just said – I might as well show you!"

Chihiro bared her fangs. "You're going down, whiny. You should be taught how to respect your seniors!"

Tsunami stuck her tongue out. "Let's see about that, hotshot."

Ayane bounced the ball, watching Tsunami's movement as she did so. Kiyone on the other hand tilted her head while Chihiro started snarling at her. As Ayane tossed it into the air, Kiyone suddenly brightened up.

"Yane-Yane, don't you think Rocker-_san_ looks like a heavy metal zombie," Kiyone began jumping up and down.

Ayane cracked into laughter while catching the ball. "Kiyone, don't make comments like that!"

Kiyone pursed her lips, pouting impishly. "But Yaaaaaaaneeee~, they're not worth remembering~!"

Momo face palmed while watching the match. "At least Rin was a bit more mature."

"She has to be," Isane sheepishly noted. "I mean – Kiyone- is two years her junior."

Rin hung upside down from the chair. "Hey, look at all the blood go into my head _kuwee~_!"

Isane blinked while Momo chuckled. "Well, perhaps – you stand corrected."

Haruka yanked Rin's arms. "Rin, you're going to get a headache that way! Also, Momo stop trying to compare their maturity!"

"Not my fault that Kiyone has a good excuse," Momo shrugged while smirking. "Besides, having immature people on the team sometimes is a good thing."

Haruka sighed defeated while hauling Rin up. "I guess you're right."

Chihiro slammed the ball towards Kiyone who dodged it quite easily, giving Ayane the chance to explode it towards the older Amazon. Tsunami dashed right in front of Kiyone causing the smaller girl to nearly stumble but left Chihiro wide open for a volley from the tangerine haired vice captain.

"Thirty – love," Kiyone jumped onto Ayane's back.

"Yay~, we're getting them, Yane-_chan_," Kiyone punched the air.

Momo leaned back while folding her arms. "Honestly, I didn't expect Ayane to progress this fast. Considering how proud she is of her own power, it was hard making her accept someone's help."

"Arn~, of course she would accept _ore-sama_'s help," Atobe flipped his hair. "After all, she needs all the help she can get."

However, Atobe's haughty smirk concealed the beads of sweat that trickled past his cheeks.

_Aragaki's more dangerous than what people say,_ Atobe folded his arms, watching the ball fly past. _Ayane better be prepared for what may come and destroy her. Getsugan's holding her end with Kirijo but Aragaki's a monster. If Godzilla was real and a human then, she would be his wife._

The ball cracked against Ayane's racquet, pushing the first year back but Kiyone pushed it with her own body weight, sending it right over the net. However, Tsunami quickly fired it towards Kiyone's head which knocked the girl down for a tumble.

"Thirty – fifteen," Tsunami and Chihiro gave each other a high five.

Kiyone rubbed her head, slightly whimpering. "Owie~, they gave me a good knock on the head..."

A moment of dreadful silence filled the court as Chihiro chuckled. "Tennis isn't a game for you babies anyway..."

"You," a dark voice came from the other side.

They turned to find Ayane's emerald eyes blazing angrily. The wind blew harshly against them and somehow, everyone present started to feel chilly. Adjusting her strings angrily, Ayane raised her head to face them while gripping hard into her racquet. Blood slowly trickled from her palm, slowly coating her purple coloured grip.

"You are going to pay," Ayane's eyes narrowed coldly as she positioned herself for a service. "Kiyone, stay where you are..."

Kiyone stared in shock while sitting on the sidelines. "Okay, I'll wait for you to beat them up, Yane~!"

As the ball cracked off, Ayane slammed it towards Chihiro who exploded it right back at her.

"Get off the court, monkey," Chihiro grinned maniacally at the speed demon next to her. "This tramp's mine!"

Tsunami sighed as she moved to the side. "Suit yourself; Naomi's going to hurt you if we lose."

The ball exploded between the two players and even bent the strings back of both racquets. Nevertheless, neither one pulled back any punches as sweat poured down their faces and their footwork started getting slower after ten minutes. Sliding across the court, Ayane planted a backhand towards the left corner which forced Chihiro to jump and miss it by a few inches.

"Forty – fifteen," Chihiro growled as Ayane raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all you got," Ayane snorted as she fixed her racquet strings. "I mean – even Kiyone hits harder than you."

Chihiro wiped the dirt from her elbow while giving her the dirty finger. "Shut up, you bitchy watermelon! I can bet your ass that I will wipe the floor with your face!"

A pregnant pause caused everyone to turn towards Ayane, waiting for a snappier comeback however – the vice captain said nothing.

"Only stupid people like you say that is because they don't know how to defend their claim with their racquet," Ayane chuckled causing Chihiro to glare even harder at her.

Oshitari raised an eyebrow at Atobe. "You did a lot of reconfiguring there."

"_Ore-sama_ only made her more flexible in terms of Doubles Play," Atobe folded his arms. "_Ore-sama _did not want her staining Hyotei's name to a moron after all."

Oshitari coughed out a chuckle. "Oh, is it like that now? What kind of person tells a rival to tell his teammate to back off?"

Atobe hardened his glare at the _kansai_ prodigy. "Oshitari, shut up."

"You can't deny it," Oshitari maintained a poker face. "The only thing you didn't do was tell Kobayagi the truth about that lonesome crack in the wall."

Atobe flipped his hair back. "She doesn't need to know."

"What," Oshitari cut smoothly. "She doesn't need to know that the person that was thrown was not Kabaji but you?"

Atobe snapped his mouth shut, realizing where this was going as Oshitari's volume slowly increased. Ayane and Chihiro continuously exchanged heavy shots until the other one limply dropped over the net, forcing Chihiro to jump forward.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: one game to love!"

_I can't believe this_; Naomi bit her lip as Ayane passed the ball back to Chihiro. Her hands began sweating while her eyes glanced at the players of the middle school division. Rin and Haruka brought down the Osakada-Shou pair without really using their Synchro while Mai doubled her speed when Konan was already known to be a beast in almost every aspect: speed, strength and even lust for blood. Despite never meeting the new pair that Shizuru had scouted, Naomi scoffed inwardly; Chihiro had Ayane moving all over the place.

_Kobayagi won't be able to win as soon as Chihiro's weights fall off._

Chihiro revealed her fangs as she fired another backhand. "Isn't this a doubles play, bitch?"

"Sorry," Ayane managed to run down the shot. "If it's something I have pride in, it's my ability to make sure no shot gets past me!"

Soon, a volley slid inside which caused Ayane to back up.

"Love – fifteen," Chihiro grinned as she rested her racquet on her shoulder.

Tsunami shook her head. "Chihiro, you shouldn't be so hard on the poor girl."

"That shitless watermelon's going down," Chihiro slammed her racquet on to her palm. "Stupid bitch has no right to take my title as the Strongest Woman in Hyotei!"

Tsunami chuckled darkly. "Well, it looks like your strength can't do everything, gorilla."

"Shut up, monkey," Chihiro snarled as she took the baseline. "Where's the brat?"

Kiyone stood up to receive. "Yane, don't worry about me okay?"

"If that girl clobbers you again," Ayane smirked at the older doubles players. "Then, she's going to be earning the title 'Panda' once we're done with them!"

()()()()()00000000000000()()()()

On the other hand, Shishido stared aghast at what Oshitari had said. "Atobe said that it was Kabaji who played against Aragaki!"

"Yes," Oshitari raised an eyebrow at their captain. "Do explain to us why you told us that."

Atobe glared at Oshitari before facing the shocked gazes of his teammates, curling his hands into fists. "It all started when _ore-sama _declared himself King of Hyotei."

"No duh not everyone would accept that," Shishido face palmed. "Seniors are not the type to accept that."

Atobe bit his lip. "At that time, Aragaki was a sophomore along with Kotetsu and the others. Unlike many of the seniors, this girl hated _ore-sama_ no matter what he did. He even tried being nice to her!"

"Well, Aragaki always did have a screw loose," Gakuto shivered at her image. "And then what happened?"

Atobe lowered his voice while watching Ayane and Kiyone play. "_Ore-sama _was lured to the tennis court under the orders of his _senpai_. That's when she found _ore-sama_. Kabaji and I swore to one another to not let anyone know. However, a story came out that she had attacked Kabaji. _Ore-sama_ doesn't even know where that came from."

"You can blame me for that then," a business-like voice came from the other side.

Oshitari turned to Hitomi who continued scribbling and watching the match with her video camera. "You made that story?"

"Not just me but, Suzumiya-_senpai_ as well," Hitomi tilted her glasses while taking a swig of her evil concoction. "As much as possible, Suzumiya-_senpai_ refused to have Aragaki get kicked off the team because Kotetsu-_buchou_ needed a powerhouse to overthrow the current captain of Hyotei at that time."

Shishido winced at the mention of the word 'powerhouse'. "They weren't kidding when they called her the Strongest Female Powerhouse in Hyotei History."

"Nobody could match her power at that time," Hitomi leaned against the wall. "However, another person showed up in the middle of the season as a transfer student."

Staring with a puzzled look, Hiyoshi looked amongst the girls when it finally hit him. "Sanada-_senpai_ was the one who..."

"Momo had taken out two of Hyotei's most powerful powerhouses with the _OtoAobaSuiNadareTetsu_ combination," Hitomi sighed while passing a glance to the Shinigami. "I just never understood how she did that without destroying herself. At that same time, Kotetsu had decided to take Momo in order to make her the next captain when she graduates from Middle School. However, there was one problem between the two..."

Atobe chuckled. "Sanada's head wouldn't wash now would it?"

"Exactly," Hitomi hung her head. "Momo then was labelled as a threat against Kotetsu so, in order to rid her from the regulars – Kotetsu held a ranking match thrice a month to see if there was anyone who could take down Momo. Amongst us seniors right now, Momo was deemed the strongest and the most outstanding player. Many of us had flaws; Momo on the other hand easily found the weaknesses of our _senpai-tachi_ and exploited them until they couldn't fight back. Her victory was short lived however, especially when Naomi finally became a senior."

Ohtori's eyes widened. "Shizuru... she..."

"Momo was too strong and wild for Kotetsu to control hence she sought for someone more naïve and kind but had the same level of untapped power," Hitomi chuckled bitterly. "Lo and behold, her prayers were answered in the form of Shizuru. Because Momo learned how to fight for what she believed in, Kotetsu diverted all her attention to Shizuru by acting as the caring and doting _senpai_ while a few knew of her true motives to why she had devoted all her time to Shizuru."

Oshitari soon began puzzling an entire scenario together. "So, Midoriyama knew about it and that's why..."

"It seems great minds think alike, Oshitari," Hitomi bit her lip. "Naomi personally set Midoriyama against Inuzuka because she knew that Rikkai's Wild Dog would be able to trash Midoriyama in order to silence her. Osakada knew as well hence her strong attachment to Haruka. Rin and Mai had no sort of protection from the _senpai_ but they were going through two clubs so they weren't heavily exposed to Naomi's dark intentions."

Gakuto snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that was almost the same time when Hyotei won their first gymnast gold medal from the Olympics and the first place position in Japan's Street Dance contest!"

The Mastermind didn't say anymore while she continued to watch the match. _This proves why Momo and Shizuru are close to one another; they were victims of Naomi's puppetry. Everyone here was just a pawn to increase their powers and see which one would destroy the other. Whoever won was the one Naomi would take in._

Haruka turned her attention to the two smaller girls. "Hitomi, did you ever get an exact force measurement from Aragaki-_san_?"

"Her power levels rival that of a football player," Hitomi checked her figures. "Not only that, she started wearing weights so if we get the amount of time – say around five months with those on and training with it every five hours – I'd say her power's more than just a football player's level of power."

Haruka bit her lip. "Do I even want to know how strong she really is?"

"It may be something Ayane may not be equipped to handle," Hitomi closed her notebook. "But, that's because I haven't factored in Atobe's training scheme yet."

Rin jumped on Haruka. "_Kuwee~,_ can she be as strong as a car?"

"If it's a Volkswagen running at 10 km/hr down a hill then, that's pretty close to what she's capable of."

Shizuru watched Kiyone throw her entire body forward whereas Ayane played both sides: baseline and frontlines. Though Ayane never liked being by the net, the vice captain started making up for Kiyone's weakness in having a small range for attacking the ball. Kiyone however managed to take shots from the baseline with a few weighted shots. The captain couldn't stop her back from tingling; Chihiro simply flung the shots aside whereas Kiyone and Ayane were giving it their all.

"Aragaki isn't giving her full power, Shizuru," Mai watched the ball fly forward and backward. "Ayane and Kiyone are playing a battle with restraint. Kirijo isn't moving as fast as she should either."

Tsunami dashed to one side. "Hey, what's wrong with you two? Are you guys getting cold feet already?"

Kiyone caught up with Tsunami. "Don't worry about us, Yane-_chan_ and I are doing just fine!"

Watching both pairs exchange shots, Rin bit her nails. "Haruka, do you really think?"

"There's a big possibility that they're just giving way to Naomi," _Zhujiang/Yuejiang _bit her thumb nail while watching Kiyone jump from side to side. "If I'm reading their movements right, that means they're preparing for a Synchro."

Rin waved her hands frantically in the air. "But, can't they activated it by will power, _kuwee~_?"

"That's for Ayane and Kiyone," Haruka pointed out to the black haired acrobat. "I'm not sure about these two because they're playing pretty well despite no signal exchange."

Momo watched their movement, seeing Tsunami pivot from left to right. "They're using their feet as signals."

Hitomi nodded while explaining to Rin. "The heaviness of their step plays as signals whether or not to finish the match. Aragaki stomps to warn Kirijo for a finishing shot whereas Kirijo will jump to finish. To us, it doesn't look like signals because we don't feel it unlike them. They use that to prevent exhaustion and also to disguise their tactics."

Hiyoshi folded his arms. "Isn't stomping a stupid way to lose footing?"

"Stomping can do two things for a person on the court," Hitomi pointed out to the _Enbu_ tennis player. "One: it could shock the opponent allowing a straight shot in between their feet and two: it also warns the partner up front that a strong shot will come from the back."

"It looks more like to warn people that there's an elephant stampede coming in," Hiyoshi snorted as he leaned against the fence. "That's a stupid way of _Gekokujo..._"

Seeing the ball explode back and forth, Lulu whistled as she slung her arm on Nanako. "It looks like we might have to take down the next pair. Shall we warm up together, Nana-_chan_?"

Nanako remained focused on the match, brushing away the lazy vice captain's arm absentmindedly. "Yeah, we should..."

Seeing the other two seniors leave, Momo tapped the younger captain's shoulder which allowed her to go after them. The _Shinigami_ grabbed Isane's arm, dragging the poor Sniper with her while heading towards the courts that the two former regulars went for.

"Wait," Isane hid behind a tree while Momo ducked among the bushes. "Why are we even following them?"

Momo's eyes steadily focused on the unsuspecting former regulars. "There's something off about this match. I intend to find out what."

Isane hid behind the tree as Momo crept up to another bush. The two seniors watched the formers finally find a court in which they threw down their things for a warm up.

"So, what do you think about her plan," Lulu pulled out her racquet, smiling affectionately at it. "I mean – don't you think they all look so ravishing with the way they are now?"

Nanako glared hard into the vice captain. "Lulu, there are some people who don't need four eyes to see what you really are. These girls have already broken free; let them fly and Naomi should just accept that. I don't get what you two are trying to do. Aren't you afraid of crushing Isane's spirit in tennis? There are some who end up that way..."

Lulu chuckled while smiling darkly at the Doubles Genius. "Hohoho, it seems Momo really knew how to press your buttons now, did she?"

"How all of you people became dysfunctional – I have no idea," Nanako adjusted the strings on her racquet. "You became some psycho rapist and then, Chihiro became a gangster, Tsunami probably is the more Victorian Woman type person, Yuri's a _fashionista_ person, Naomi's some power obsessed freak, Unohana's some candy eating freak and Ruriko's plain creepy with her data. Let alone, how did I end up heaped with you guys?"

"Don't forget that you were the worst among us all," Lulu moved to the other side of the court. "I'm not that bent – it's just, I wonder how that girl's going to get a boyfriend with the way she is."

"Lulu, focus," Nanako prevented another vein from popping. _Am I the only one sane around here?_

The vice captain tossed back her lavender coloured hair with a slow smile. "Well, simply put – it's nice messing with people's minds."

"I just don't know how Isane managed to escape the insanity," Nanako rolled her eyes while fixing her gear. "So, do we have one rally round before the match?"

Lulu chuckled darkly as her smile became more insane. "Sure, why not?"

Isane, shivering a bit, hid behind the dark violet haired _Shinigami_. "Momo, she never..."

"This is who they truly are, Isane. That's why," Momo bit her lip. "It was always so hard to get really close unless you want to get burned in the end."

Lulu tossed the ball up into the air. "So, do we fake it or do we go all out?"

"Whether we go full out or not," Nanako lowered her stance while trying to shake off the paralysed feeling in her leg. "I'm sure Isane and Momo would have learned a few things from us. Momo isn't stupid and Isane certainly isn't either."

Firing her serve, Lulu giggled to herself. _Well, be prepared Isa-chan – the outcome of this battle doesn't mainly rely on who can surpass in skill._

()()()()0000000000000000000()()()()

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: three games to love!"

Ayane tossed her head back while eyeing the two seniors who didn't even bother heaving. Chihiro's eyes remained focused on her while Tsunami didn't look the least bit disturbed that Kiyone started outrunning her. She bit her lip while trying to ignore the sweat pouring down her face and the pair of icy blue eyes that glared holes into Chihiro.

_Is that anger coming from Atobe?_

Ayane glanced at the sidelines to see Atobe tightly gripping the steel fence. The King didn't even bother flickering or flinching at the sight of Chihiro's evil grin as the two seniors cracked their necks and began to stretch. However, Ayane couldn't help but bite her nails as Chihiro began to snigger at her.

"You saw that crack on the wall, right," Chihiro grinned at the vice captain. "What do you know?"

Ayane tightened her grip on her racquet. "You threw Kabaji-_senpai_ against the wall..."

"Technically, that's the truth," Chihiro sniggered while spinning her racquet on the floor. "But, do you know the whole story? I bet that arrogant asshole didn't bother telling you did he? I bet he was scared to lose the respect of his dear watermelon to try something."

Ayane venomously spat. "You mean – you were targeting him all this time!"

"I had thoughts on whether or not to smash his ribs in," Chihiro's evil grin got wider while she noted Ayane's flaring temper. "Stupid brat wouldn't stop talking – wanted him to shut his whiny little trap so he could just stay in one place and die! But, his good friend decided to try and catch him and so they both crashed into the wall!"

Atobe narrowed his eyes until he heard a low venomous hiss.

"Bullshit..."

Chihiro, quizzical, stared at Ayane who raised her head with glimmering green eyes. "What are you going to do to me now?"

Ayane bared her teeth with her threat, barely escaping through her clenched mouth. "You know what I smell? It's called 'bullshit'."

Chihiro folded her arms. "What, you don't take the street's word for it?"

"Not that I don't but," Ayane stared down at her with her anger flickering. "No one beats the junk out of him but me! That's my job! No one beats up Atobe Keigo except me! You got it, tramp!"

Atobe stared at the two while twitching. _How could Ayane think like that in a time like this?_

"This is new," Oshitari chuckled good-naturedly. "It's to see which woman could rough up Atobe more."

Atobe resisted the urge to punch the _kansai_ genius. "Oshitari, shut up."

"With pleasure," was his humorous reply.

Shishido leaned against the fence. "These guys are going to chew them out with the way this is going. Are you sure you trained Ayane well enough?"

"She's improved over the month, Shishido," Atobe waved his hand to dismiss Shishido's comment. "Ayane's not someone you should mess with."

_Yes, take it from experience. Ore-sama had already suffered a punch from her before._

Shizuru folded her arms while trying to stop herself for reprimanding Ayane for the profanities. However, the thought of the former regulars challenging them still kept her mind wandering away. Though Naomi's chiding would have made anyone think she was serious, Shizuru couldn't ignore the tingling feeling at the back of her mind as Naomi continued to smile in front of her. The seniors didn't seem to bang up about their losses and some were even happy. Yuri and Unohana giggled normally but Nanako and Lulu had already gone to warm up. Ruriko continued taking data while these two were being pummelled by their best pair who were only first year students. Nothing added up; no matter what way she looked at it, Shizuru could only groan in annoyance.

_Has it finally occurred to you why we're here, Shizuru,_ Naomi chuckled darkly to herself.

Shizuru gripped her tennis skirt while staring straight at the floor. The tension took a toll on her and luckily, Ayane held her end of the match. Kiyone quickly outran her counterpart but the other didn't seem to even mind. Racking her brains for a reason, Shizuru resisted the urge to pull her hair. Why were they here? What did they want?

()()()()00000000000000()()()()

"You know," Lulu drank a bottle of water then splashing it on her face after. "Naomi doesn't really care about winning this. She just wants that one thing..."

Nanako buckled her knees together. "Yeah if this keeps going – _Kantou_ won't have the Hyotei Team in their line-up. The team may even cease to exist."

Lulu leaned against the wall with a small drawl. "Heh, I guess you're right..."

The two remained silent for awhile, seeing that they were done practicing and warming up. Lulu chuckled inwardly to herself as she imagined two possible outcomes: one is Naomi's destruction and the other one was Shizuru's. Pulling out two fruits from the bag, she showed to Nanako.

"Which would break first," she smiled slowly. "Is it the apple or the mango?"

Nanako stared at her quizzically. "Before I answer, where the hell did you get those?"

"I bought some for lunch," Lulu handed the mango to her. "Want some?"

Nanako face palmed. "There's this question you wanted me to answer – I would say the mango, why?"

Lulu tossed them both up in the air. "In truth and fairness, you're right – the mango would smash first."

Nanako folded her arms. "Where's the logic in that?"

"The apple, though it's perfect on the outside," Lulu cut a hole in it, revealing rotten spots inside. "It's rotten to the core. The mango however though not as pretty as the apple – has a soft inside and when you drop it..."

As the two fruits dropped on the floor, Nanako found the mango splattered against her rubber shoes.

"So, the apple is Naomi and Shizuru's the mango," Nanako raised an eyebrow.

Lulu chuckled darkly. "Quick to catch now are we? Yes, you're right. Naomi displays herself perfectly and makes sure that all her "rotten spots" are covered so that she could get away. Shizuru on the other hand is so sweet and kind for her own good that it's going to get her squashed by Naomi today."

"That's not true," a timid voice came from behind, causing the two seniors to find Isane and Momo behind them.

Lulu leaned back lazily. "Really, explain to me then why Shizuru looked so terrified."

"What makes you think she was," Momo calmly retaliated. "It's normal for a human to feel fear."

Lulu grinned evilly. "Does that exempt you, Momo? Frankly, I know you're scared to confront your past especially when it involves my dear Nana-_chan_."

Momo twitched a bit. _What in the world is wrong with this woman?_

"What we're trying to say is," Nanako bluntly stated while folding her arms. "Shizuru is dead against Naomi."

Isane shook her head. "That's not true!"

Nanako pointed out to the tall regular. "With your lips quivering and your thumb pressing near it, it's a sign you're doubtful of your claim. Not only that, do you know how it feels like to feel the wrath of a thousand blades piercing through your soul after each hit and drilling itself in as you move on?"

Isane gulped while turning to Momo. "H-How did she...?"

"She's the person who encouraged me to enhance my skills, Isane," Momo kept a stolid face. "She's the one who told me to pay attention to details that are so miniscule that it would make such a great impact on your opponent. I only managed to go for physical attributes however."

Nanako, seeing Momo's hard gaze, laughed good-naturedly. "Don't worry; you guys don't have to be on guard. Momo, I know you're not aware of this but that game against Rikkai was completely rigged."

"They took steroids," Momo gave her a droll stare. "So that's why Inuzuka made her fang reach me..."

Nanako ruffled the _Shinigami_'s hair. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humour. But no – I knew something that I shouldn't have and Naomi had to shut me up."

"The complete personality change was a bonus," Lulu drawled lazily. "Nao-_chan_ didn't want anyone interfering with her plans of making her glory days last."

Momo narrowed her eyes while Isane drew back. "So that means...?"

"Shizuru was just some clueless little brat who didn't know anything about her supposedly 'doting' _senpai_," Nanako folded her arms, nodding seriously. "Honestly, I wasn't fond of the girl. She was too polite – had no backbone, she always had to rely on the red head. If I were to choose, I would have chosen the cat girl."

Momo chuckled. "You mean – Mai?"

"Exactly, Mai's more dynamic than that little princess of hers," Nanako slightly spat, earning a glare from Momo. "But, Naomi needed someone easy to brainwash because..."

Isane gulped while turning to Momo. "Momo-_chan_ was too strong for her."

"Back then, among the first years – you," –referring the purple haired _Shinigami_. "You were the most feared; Naomi tried to win you over because you scared everyone to their place. You had that perfect blend of skill and determination but there was one problem: you were so hard headed you wouldn't listen to her. So, she drafted me to get you..."

Momo withheld her anger as much as she could. "You... you were about to turn me into a brainless puppet?"

"After a week," Nanako sighed while averting her gaze from Momo. "I was so disgusted that I decided to train you myself so I could tell you everything before graduating into high school and saving the next generation from turning into another Kotetsu regime. However, Naomi had Suzumiya Ruriko to scout in other schools. Hence, this is when it came to her attention that Hyotei elementary had two wildcards."

Lulu continued on, spinning her racquet on the ground. "She watched them both everyday to see which one was easier to test. In the end, Mai became even wilder and more hard headed than Momo and she took Shizuru instead. No offense but, Mai could easily surpass her."

Nanako rolled her eyes. "Let's not deny the fact that yes, Shizuru has latent abilities as a tennis player but what made her wanted was not the same blend of skill and determination you," –referring to Momo, "had. But rather – she's easily fooled by people who gave her a lot of love, exactly what Naomi did."

Momo sighed while shaking her head. "This is a lot... why did you withhold all this?"

"It's because if I said anything," Nanako sighed defeated. "I would have destroyed the people who would have defeated Naomi."

Isane stared at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Momo, you have the power, skill and determination to destroy any psychological grip she has on your _k ouhai_," Nanako smiled at the purple haired _Shinigami_. "Isane was the gentle hearted one who could balance your ruthless personality. You two would've made a great captain and vice captain. Haruka and Rin, if given enough time – would surpass the best Doubles pair in the world. Hitomi could make even the most deceitful players show their true colours. As for the other two, Mai can destroy anyone if motivated enough. Shizuru on the other hand... her skills and grace are still untapped. What you probably see now is how Naomi tried to hold her back. That's another reason why she's here – seeing that Shizuru's become too strong for her, she's going to break her down."

The two seniors kept quiet as Nanako and Lulu stood up. "We're going to tell Naomi that we forfeit the match to you guys."

"No," Momo stood her ground. "We're going to play. We have to look like we don't know what's going on so she won't know what hit her."

Nanako chuckled; Momo stared at her with such fierce eyes that could put Naomi to shame. "Alright, if it's a game you guys want – it's a game you will get."

Lulu shrugged while dragging her stuff behind her. "Ne, Nanako-_chan_ – how are we going to take her down?"

"As long as we have the number advantage," Nanako smiled darkly. "I don't think Naomi's going to stand a chance."

()()()()00000000000000()()()()

Naomi sat on the referee's chair with her usual benevolent smile while the younger captain's eyes became sharper. She watched the first years fight against the seniors as the ball flew past the net towards their side. Seeing that Chihiro had thrown away her weights, the vice captain had been blown away towards the wall several times.

"Game, Aragaki-Kirijo: three games all!"

_It has only taken them twenty minutes,_ Naomi chuckled inwardly as she watched Ayane and Kiyone huddle up for a new plan. _No matter what these children come up with, it's not going to work._

However, Naomi found another formation with Kiyone behind Ayane. _Oh, what's this new formation?_

"Yane-_chan_," Kiyone hid behind the taller girl. "What are we doing?"

Ayane's eyes focused on Tsunami and Chihiro. "I want you to spring left and right as fast as you can."

Kiyone stared at her quizzically but giggled anyway. "Yay~, time to put all my infiltration training into good use!"

"Infiltration training, huh," Ayane stared at the smaller girl as she started jumping around. "Wait, what the heck did you do?"

Kiyone grinned cheekily. "I decided to use the vents in Hyotei to get what I want! Mole diva always has the best veggie chips in his club room~!"

Atobe glared at the smaller girl. _So that's where all our snacks went..._

"Really," Ayane folded her arms, tapping her chin for awhile. "Next time you go infiltrating and filching his snack storage – steal me some dark chocolate, will you?"

Kiyone punched her fist into the air. "Okay, how many?"

"A lot of dark chocolate," Ayane grinned evilly, aware that Atobe heard her. _He knows I have no volume control after all._

Chihiro scoffed while throwing her racquet into the air. "Do you know chocolate makes you fat?"

"Did you know dark chocolate's good for the heart," Ayane raised an eyebrow at the senior.

Kiyone tilted her head to the left. "Meh, what are we going to do now, Yane~? They caught up to us!"

Biting her lip, Ayane glanced at the seniors while trying to take note of their movement.

_Kirijo-san is the fastest among the two of them that's for sure. It's just that, how are we going to get past them if Chihiro blows us both away?_

"_Aragaki never liked running, Ayane," _a smooth voice spoke into her mind. "_You have to remember that because Kirijo will be taking most of the shots, she's most likely get tired faster. You seek their weakness, Ayane. Do not challenge them with your pride – challenge them with wit and strategy."_

The vice captain turned to the bleachers where Atobe stood. While the purple haired captain smirked at her, she grinned at the other two _senpai_.

"Alright, prepare for war tactics," Ayane raised her racquet to her face. "You're going down!"

Chihiro grinned manically. "Well, time to crush your arrogant little heart, bitch."

Tsunami wagged her finger at the two freshmen. "Alright, you have to go to bed now, little ones."

Shishido bit his lip, turning to Gakuto. "You're telling me that, Kirijo hasn't used her full speed yet?"

"She's the one who always helped me with my stamina training, Shishido," Gakuto nodded weakly. "After all, before she became a runner – she was an acrobat too..."

Shishido turned to Oshitari who narrowed his eyes at the girls on the court. "Aragaki may have been deemed dangerous but Kirijo is worse."

Taki gulped while looking at the court, trembling slightly. "She's whom we call..."

_Flying Tsunami_, Atobe bit his lip while watching Ayane. Kirijo Tsunami is not only known for speed but for flexibility as well. In the former female Hyotei team, there were two eagles that soared in the sky while the others attacked from below. Naomi being the general of the army of course, leaving Osakada Yuri as the maestro or the conductor of emotion and Lulu as the interrogator. The eagles functioned as spies while the rest attacked when the team couldn't realize it. This game is more on wit, not skill anymore.

As soon as the serve cracked off, Tsunami leapt forward for Kiyone's short serve as Ayane got ready to attack. Giving Kiyone a look, they started emitting a white aura that caused their eyes to dull thus allowing them to move without any difficulty.

Chihiro slammed the ball towards Ayane. "Shit, they're on Synchro!"

Kiyone wordlessly volleyed it over while Ayane dodged Chihiro's shot to seal off Tsunami.

"They're moving faster than the last time," Tsunami stared in horror as Ayane jumped up for a smash coming down.

_So, this is the power of Synchro. I'm surprised though, how a bunch of brats could figure it out._

Another shot exploded from Chihiro but had it countered by Ayane and Kiyone swinging their racquets together.

"Their level of Synchro is more on support than offence," Haruka watched Kiyone combine her strength with Ayane's again. "As long as the two of them are together, they're going to become the ultimate pair. Kiyone may not be a counterpuncher like Shishido but her control makes up for it. Ayane's what everyone can simply say is a wall. Her strength makes up for her agility."

Rin watched Ayane and Kiyone move with the same rhythm. "There's something missing..."

"It's not their connection," Haruka shook her head. "Rin, that's why our Synchro is still one level above theirs."

Hitomi tilted her eyeglasses. "They do not have the experience that both of you have. They can only connect with each other."

"Whereas Haruka and Rin learned how to connect with all on a higher emotional plane did they not," Ruriko smirked while tousling her hair back. "But don't worry, Ayane and Kiyone are getting there."

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: five games to three!"

"Tsk," Chihiro spat while wiping the sweat from her face. "How did these two brats get that kind of power so fast?"

Tsunami rolled her eyes. "Chihiro, the answer's right there – that's because they know each other very well enough to connect."

Chihiro hissed while tying up her hair. "But, activating that power by will is downright impossible!"

"It's plausible," Tsunami shook her head disdainfully. "We're just not at that level yet. Maybe it's because you're such a brute."

Chihiro glared at her doubles partner. "You're the prissy little princess!"

"Heavy Metal Gorilla," Tsunami folded her arms with her nose in the air.

Naomi rubbed her temple while staring at the two doubles pair. _God, when will they ever stop yelling at each other?_

Shizuru glanced at Ayane and Kiyone before checking out the score.

"They're doing pretty well," Mai sat next to her. "I mean – these are the most troublesome seniors in Hyotei's history."

Shizuru, nodding stiffly, turned to Naomi who looked a little more uneasy than the last match. Naomi kept her grey eyes focused on Ayane and Kiyone for a moment before she let out a small chuckle.

_If our doubles pair loses, at least – this will give me a chance to crush that seed._

()()()()()00000000000000000()()()()()

"Let's play a game now," Momo stood at the other end of the court. "I want to know something. But, it's just you and me – Midoriyama-_senpai_."

Nanako raised her eyebrow. "Now, why do you want that?"

"There's something that I need to show Isane," Momo monotonously raised her racquet. "It's something I need to clear up before anything else."

Nanako nodded before taking one side. "Lulu, I'll leave the officiating to you."

Momo glanced to the taller silver haired regular. "Isane, you're the line judge."

Moving towards the line, the silver haired regular watched the _Shinigami_ take her position as Nanako readied herself at the other end. Biting her lip, Momo fired a serve heading towards Nanako's right side which the Doubles Genius easily returned and sent it towards the left side. The _Shinigami_ ran down the shot while taking notice of Nanako's left ear.

"Burst like sound," Momo narrowed her eyes at her opponent. "_Oto_!"

Nanako tilted her head while bringing down her racquet for a backhand. "The _Oto_ is a technique used to disillusion opponents with a vacuum however, the range is limited. If the shot is timed properly, the Jack Knife is a perfect counter move for it!"

Seeing it fly towards her, Momo got it back with a forehand while staring her down. "Smash like an avalanche, _Nadare_!"

Multiple balls flew at Nanako while the girl simply looked down. "You can never create but only fool the person into believing that there are many."

Lulu yawned while watching Nanako return the _Nadare_ with a drop shot, forcing Momo to come forward.

"Float like the leaves, _Aoba,_" Momo slipped the ball over, bringing Nanako for a lob.

Isane stared at the height of the ball. "It's a chance ball!"

Momo jumped while staring down at Nanako. "Uncontainable like water, _Sui_!"

The smash burst forward forcing Nanako to move back and return it with a forehand to nullify the power. However, Momo lunged forward for a volley which gained her the point.

"Fifteen – love," Lulu called out while watching Momo take a small breather.

Nanako looked at her racquet. "If you're truly trying to differentiate yourself from Sanada then, you've made very little progress."

Momo stared at her incredulously as the Doubles Genius showed her the racquet strings. "Burst like sound, _Oto_ is another way of saying "Swift like the wind, _Fuu_". The _Sui_ and the _Ka_ are almost similar except that they are counterparts of one another. The _Aoba_ and the _Rin_ are the same, seeing that it nullifies anything and the _Nadare_ is the only original move in your arsenal if you don't consider Tachibana's _Abare no Dama_ and Akazawa's Akazawa Magic Shot."

Momo bit her lip while hanging her head low and falling to her knees. Seeing the marks on the court, the _Shinigami_ curled her hand into a fist while trying to sort out her thoughts. _What am I supposed to do? What am I doing wrong? Is there something right under my nose...?_

Nanako glanced at the marks on the floor. "However... you've surpassed him long time ago."

The _Shinigami_ stared in awe as the Doubles Genius walked over to her. "Momo, you've been trying to get past a barrier that has long been behind you. The day you transferred from Rikkai Dai to Hyotei was already the start of your surpassing of Sanada-_san_. Not only that, you became a regular on your first week here. Though it was unacceptable to some, you beat them with the virtue of power, skill and ethics. That was something that set you apart from him already. Seeing his former matches, Sanada proved to be ruthless to his opponents but... Momo, you have shown something that allowed your powers to expand infinitely."

Isane watched Nanako stretch her hand towards Momo. "You had the willingness to accept defeat and use it as a stepping stone. His head became caught up in being emperor thus throwing out whatever chances he had of being stronger because he could not rely on other people. You opened your heart, you gave yourself to the team... and that's what makes you different. Sure, your tennis techniques are almost the same but... it's in the way you use it that sets you apart from him."

Tears slowly dripped from the purple haired _Shinigami_'s eyes. "I...I never expected this..."

"I know you've been holding it in," Nanako sat next to her. "But you can't keep it piled up inside you forever. Not everyone is like me; Naomi doesn't even care if Shizuru loses her ability to walk. But, you have to understand that someday – someone will eventually reach you and sometimes, they won't even try attacking."

Momo chuckled darkly while raising her head to Nanako. "Really now, sometimes – even the greatest defense falls to a stronger offence."

"Though there may be some truth to that," Nanako ruffled Momo's hair. "But there's one thing that they both lose to in the end..."

Momo raised an eyebrow as Nanako smiled.

"It's the mind that always wins in the end."

Isane took a seat next to Lulu. "Lulu-_senpai_, why...? Why did this all have to happen?"

"It's probably a growing experience for all of us," Lulu looked up into the sky, lazily drawling. "One day, the world will be run by those who seek the sky."

Isane, quizzical, soon found Momo being embraced by Nanako. "So, how are we going to break it into the team?"

"We can't just do it is the problem," Nanako ruffled Momo's hair, earning her a small smirk. "What we can do is warn them of the impending dangers ahead."

Lulu dropped her laziness almost instantly. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

()()()()()00000000000000()()()()

"Game, Aragaki-Tsunami: five games to six!"

Ayane, feeling heavy palpitations, closed her eyes to calm herself down as Chihiro managed to gain the last two sets from them. While Kiyone started slumping on the ground, Tsunami could barely keep her head up as the two powerhouses managed to glare at one another. The tennis ball suffered heavy shots and the racquets looked like they were going to fall apart. Chihiro's arms dropped limply on her side while she grinned maniacally at Ayane.

"Come on now," Chihiro gave her a rocker sign. "What's the matter? You're giving up already?"

Ayane searched around the court, noticing Kiyone and Tsunami on their knees. "We're practically at our limit."

"Your point," Chihiro raised an eyebrow at her. "Tsunami could just lie on the ground for all I care."

Ayane smirked while looking at Chihiro's legs. "Momo-_senpai_ taught me this: look well at your opponent and exploit all weaknesses visible."

Chihiro raised an eyebrow as Ayane raised her racquet towards her, smirking.

"Your knees are laughing," she snickered while Chihiro glared at her.

"What are you," the senior then found her legs suffering, swelling up considerably.

Ayane folded her arms. "You're a nut job you know that?"

"I'm not an idiot, bitch," Chihiro seethed through her teeth while glaring at the current vice captain. "Why don't you just go run to your little king and flirt with each other?"

Ayane twirled her racquet. "Sorry, I don't swing that way."

Chihiro scoffed while getting ready for another serve. "So, what's it going to be?"

Ayane picked up the ball while handing it to Kiyone. "Can you handle another serve?"

The smaller girl cheekily grinned. "I'm gonna make it a doozy~!"

Tossing it into the air, Kiyone jumped up for a serve causing it to slip right in front of the net and forcing Chihiro to run for the ball. Though she managed to return it with a lob, Ayane smashed it down which forced Tsunami to run after it. The two freshmen soon switched places which caused the other two to try and cover one another.

"It's impossible for them to execute the Australian like this," Tsunami quietly thought to herself but soon found their eyes flickering differently.

Chihiro raised an eyebrow. "Well, it seems that these brats are really looking for a death wish."

"If that's what they desire," Tsunami chuckled darkly. "Then, we should give it to them then."

Kiyone volleyed it over while Tsunami attacked Ayane. "Yane-_chan_, they're slowing down again..."

"That means they're losing it," Ayane narrowed her eyes. "Kiyone, it's time we switched!"

Naomi raised her eyebrow, leaning on her knuckles. _Alright, then – show me what you have._

Chihiro slammed the ball towards the baseline until Kiyone flipped it over, revealing a very familiar technique.

Hitomi glanced at her notebook. "Because Kiyone is the youngest, she has a chance to absorb all the techniques of the other regulars – perhaps even the ones of our best."

"That's the _Hofuku Yamaonna,_" Haruka stared in awe. "I thought I had good control but..."

Mai folded her arms. "We can't stop evolving – after all, a baby always takes after her mother and sisters."

"Kiyone may have the weakest physical attributes but with the most latent potential," Hitomi smiled while scribbling down. "Hopefully though, she doesn't make it too obvious."

Tsunami managed to return the _Hofuku Yamaonna_. "Hmph, your body's too stiff when you do it. You won't be able to do it twice!"

"Yane-_chan_," Kiyone jumped back, revealing the tangerine haired vice captain sneering at her.

Chihiro's eyes widened. _They set it up! But how did they...?_

"Not all First Years are stupid, Aragaki," Ayane grinned while slamming the ball straight at Chihiro's feet. "Besides, what makes you think I'd lose to a moron like you!"

Atobe folded his arms while watching Ayane progress quicker than he thought. _To think ore-sama always thought that she was unaccepting of ore-sama..._

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Atobe," Ayane hissed through her teeth as she slammed the ball from the baseline. "Nobody has that authority but me! You got that!"

Chihiro howled while throwing the shot back at Ayane. "You wished, you whiny skank!"

Kiyone volleyed it back towards Tsunami with the reflected force causing Tsunami to fall back and Kiyone to tumble.

"Kiyone," Ayane helped the girl up. "Are you okay?"

Kiyone giggled offhandedly. "I see stars..."

"She's alright," Ayane sighed as the ball rolled right on the baseline.

"Game and match, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: seven games to five!"

Kiyone jumped up from her dazed state. "We won, Yane-_chan~_!"

Ayane punched the air. "Heh, see what happens when you underestimate us?"

Chihiro, glaring hard into Ayane, lunged towards her while grabbing the vice captain by the neck. "Why I ought to...!"

Before she could snap the first year girl's neck, two balls slapped her hand causing her to let go – revealing Isane and Mai who finished their serves.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes at Chihiro. "I suggest you put her down."

"Why should," Chihiro stopped midsentence when she saw the current captain's eyes blazing.

"Chihiro," a calm voice came from the referee's chair.

The punk like girl glared at Naomi. "What do you want now?"

"Let her go," Naomi's gaze remained frigid. "It's no use for you to snap her neck out of nowhere. You have better things to do with your time."

Dropping her to the ground, Chihiro shoved her hands into her pocket. "Let's go, Tsunami."

As the two seniors walked away, Ayane hauled Kiyone on her back. "The next time they try that again – I'll beat them so hard it won't be just stars that they'll be seeing."

Kiyone grinned while latching onto Ayane. "Yay~, Yane-_chan_'s gonna kill them~!"

Ayane sneered at the two who walked off the court. "You bet I will."

000000000000000()()()()()0000000000000000000

Ayane: YEAH, WE WON!

Kiyone: Yane-_chan_'s gonna murder them all~!

Mai: (face palms) How did they become this insane?

Momo: Well, that's what happens when you hang out with the team too much.

Shizuru: Kiyone, Ayane, please stop planning their untimely demise...

Ayane and Kiyone: Sorry _buchou_.

Haruka: (shrugs) Well, who's next?

Isane: I guess that would be us.

Momo: (smirks) Let them see the true power of the Cannon Pair.

Me: Before anything else guys, please remind the readers...

Hitomi: (eyeglasses glinting evilly) Review or else... I will feed you my...

Rin: (jumping on Hitomi) Please review! Thanks~, _kuwee~_!


	35. My Pride

**Me: **Thank you for all the reviews so far! They've been highly encouraging! I don't own Prince of Tennis – if I did, the girls would have been less on the fan girl side and there would be some sensible ones aside from Tachibana Ann (who I personally think is one of the better females so far).

Chapter 35 – My Pride

"Doubles One will now begin: Ferero Lulu and Midoriyama Nanako of Hyotei Gakuen High School versus Sanada Momo and Uchiha Isane of Hyotei Gakuen Middle School!"

Nanako glanced at the scoreboard. _Wow, they found a pretty good set of first years. Many of the first years are surpassing the normal expectations of the captains._

Lulu tapped her shoulder. "So, this is it?"

"I guess so," Nanako smiled ruefully. "It's time we brought this thing down to a close."

Momo adjusted her ponytail while stonily glaring at Naomi.

_You've gone too far – even as far as to manipulate your own teammates and most of all... How dare you even hurt Nanako-senpai and Shizuru_!

A hand dropped lightly on Momo's shoulder. "No," Isane's green eyes narrowed at the former captain. "She didn't just hurt Nanako-_senpai... _she hurt all of us..."

"Treason is against the law," Momo gripped her racquet tightly while steeling her gaze towards her former _senpai_. "That's why..."

Isane locked in her racquet. "There is no room for mistakes..."

Lulu and Nanako nodded at each other before taking their places on the court. Nanako tossed back her green hair while checking the others on the side. Her eyes narrowed at Shizuru, who sat down normally as if nothing wrong was going on. Mai leaned against the wall while Hitomi stood there taking down as much data as she could. Ayane had Kiyone sitting on her shoulders while Rin tried to climb up Haruka's. Shaking her head, the doubles genius turned to Momo and then to Naomi.

_Her brain wouldn't wash because I taught her... perhaps – I should've taken them both under me..._

Yuri glanced at Haruka for a moment. "You know, Haruka and Rin have been such dears to one another. It's quite sweet."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Unohana blew up another bubble. "But then again, I want to know where this 'marionette' of Naomi's comes to play."

Chihiro licked her fangs. "Well, I wouldn't mind tearing her into pieces..."

"Chihiro, you can't possibly go around tearing people left and right," Tsunami wagged her finger in front of the powerhouse. "It isn't ladylike."

Chihiro banged her fist on the bench. "That little corpse right there was the one who tore me up!"

"You lost to an inanimate object," Tsunami scoffed while tousling her hair. "Truly, you aren't the brightest creature on the planet."

Chihiro glared while grabbing Tsunami by the shoulders. "You're going down, bitch!"

"Enough," a voice caused both to stop which had everyone staring at Naomi.

Naomi chuckled darkly. "Shouldn't we be good examples to our middle school students?"

Nanako scoffed under her breath. _You're not exactly the best either, you psycho._

"Shall we get this game moving," Lulu drawled while twirling her racquet. "Nanako, how are we going to do this?"

Nanako stared down the other while lowering her stance. "Like we always do, we do this with our racquets."

"Game start, Uchiha to serve!"

Isane bounced the ball a few times, seeing that Lulu stood at the receiving end. "Here it comes!"

The serve zoomed right towards Lulu's left side causing her to miss.

"Fifteen – love," the former vice captain clucked her tongue.

Nanako stared at the speed of the serve. "That came out to be a bullet."

"Of course, it's her specialty," Lulu dismissed it lazily. "Isane-_chan_ is known to be the girl with the fastest serve in the district."

Momo turned to Isane who nodded lightly. The purple haired _Shinigami_ noticed her green haired _senpai_ stare beadily at Isane's stance while Lulu swung her legs left and right.

"Isane," Momo nodded at the server. "Get ready..."

Isane tossed the ball up into the air and aimed straight for the middle. Nanako sidestepped and returned it with a double fisted backhand while Momo forehanded it towards Lulu who drunkenly returned the shot towards Isane. The silver haired regular blasted at the corner which forced Nanako to run down the ball.

"God, these guys are really doubles partners," Chihiro flipped her lighter open. "Midoriyama and Ferero got this one in the bag."

Yuri wagged her finger at the smoking powerhouse. "Don't be too sure, did you know that these two were supposed to be the ones to take over the team?"

Unohana stared at her doubles partner for a moment. "Wait a minute, you're telling me that Naomi originally picked them?"

"No," Yuri glanced up at Naomi who stonily gazed at the middle school students. "She never did. In fact, she tried to get rid of them. Holding a ranking match three times a month was insanity; we had to fight for our positions all the time. Soon, I got displaced and so did you. You were displaced by Haruka-_chan_ right, dahling?"

Unohana shrugged. "I have to admit – she did get me with her insane stamina. Do you know how long we've been playing and she barely started to sweat?"

Yuri chuckled lightly. "That's true, dearest but we have to remember our ulterior motive here."

Unohana and Tsunami stared at the _Maestro_ while she glanced at the middle school students. "We have to make them awaken. They're still in a dream in which Naomi still has a grip over them which is why the one who needs the hardest slap is Shizuru. As the captain, she has to create her own identity. Not take on the identity of the other..."

"Momo, here it comes," Lulu watched the ball float into the air.

The _Shinigami_ stared it down while flipping her racquet. "Nullify like Metal, _Tetsu_!"

Lulu smashed it down which allowed Momo to quickly react with a smash to nullify the speed. As the ball zoomed towards Nanako, the Doubles Genius forehanded it away towards Isane who brought the shot back up with a backhand. Lulu dropped it over, bringing Momo to the front.

"Smash like an Avalanche," Momo sliced the ball, creating multiple shots going towards Lulu, "_Nadare_!"

Lulu swung her racquet, only to have it land behind her.

"Thirty – love," Naomi started gripping the rails on the chair. _What are these two doing?_

Nanako glanced at the mark the ball made. "Lulu, I know you were able to see the ball. Why did you miss?"

Lulu bent her back until everything turned upside down. "I don't know. I just wanted to."

Nanako nearly face palmed. _Again, I am left wondering how this girl became my best partner._

"Midoriyama-_senpai_," Momo gripped her racquet tightly. "I don't have any personal grudge against you but..."

Nanako stared in amazement as Momo's eyes started flickering differently. "I'm going to have to use everything I have including **that**."

Isane gulped while staring at the _Shinigami_. "Momo, are you sure...? You haven't..."

"It's been awhile but this is my true style," Momo chuckled darkly with a smirk. "I just never used it because I thought that the Anti-_FuuRinKaZan_ could do it for me. But... if I want to squash Naomi then, she leaves me no choice. Isane, if you're going to hold back – I might as well play Singles with these two."

Isane smiled lightly. "Well, if you're going to use **that** then I shouldn't be so lenient either..."

Nanako narrowed her eyes. _Is that what I think it is...?_

Isane tossed the ball for a light serve which Nanako easily returned, causing Momo to smirk even wider.

"Reveal the shadows," Momo pulled back her stance while watching the ball zoom towards her. "This is the _Sharin no Hikari_!"

A ray of light shone into Nanako's eyes, resulting to her missing the return while the ball land against the wall behind them.

"Forty – love," Nanako and Lulu stared at the shot that had passed them.

Shizuru smiled lightly. "The sixth and the last form – _Hikari _or what she calls the "Wheel of Light"..."

"In this technique," Hitomi jotted down the notes. "She reflects the light of the sun or spotlight onto her racquet to blind her opponent temporarily and spin the shot over. By doing this, the opponent will have no other choice but to miss the shot."

Haruka folded her arms. "The only thing is – it's not applicable to Tachiwara from Jyosei Shounan..."

"That is the only downfall," Hitomi tilted her glasses. "It doesn't work on people who are blind or who have bad eye sight. The blinding light wouldn't be as bad as on a person who has enhanced eye sight. Particularly, like Rin, Mai and Ferero-_senpai_..."

Lulu winced away from the light as another shot passed through their defences.

"Game, Sanada-Uchiha pair: one game to love!"

Nanako stared at the ball that had zoomed past her while taking a look at Momo's stance. Chuckling lightly to herself, the green haired doubles genius bounced the ball while watching the silver haired receiver's movements. She aimed straight in between Isane's legs which the regular quickly returned with a weak volley. Lulu came down with a smash which Momo nullified again with her _Tetsu_. Nanako glanced at the sky for a moment before firing the shot.

_The sun is moving away now which means,_ Nanako fired it towards Momo's left side but the _Shinigami_ released a vacuum near her ear.

"Light strikes first but sound always makes up for what it misses," Momo spun her racquet after the shot landed on the baseline.

Isane nodded as Momo and her switched places. "Momo, what are we going to do? The sun's going down..."

"It's alright, as long as you keep your serve – I still have my back-up," Momo bit her lip. "The first act: the Grim Scenery..."

Haruka raised an eyebrow at Hitomi. "The Grim Scenery...?"

"Momo never proved to be a good doubles player," Hitomi sighed before closing her notebook. "Particularly, she was good in setting up and using other people to set up for her attack. That's what saved her in Doubles. Without it – she'd be only half a player we have."

Momo slid over while forehanding the shot. "Do you want to know why Isane and I work well together, _senpai_?"

Nanako raised an eyebrow as Momo sidestepped to reveal Isane behind her. "That's because – we were really good in pinpointing the next target of attack."

"Love – fifteen," Lulu narrowly missed the silver haired girl's smash.

Momo chuckled lightly. "You're getting better at the net. What did you do?"

Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "Well, it was when I went out with Niou-_kun_ the other day..."

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Hou~, what did he do?"

Isane scratched her head. "Well, we did a lot of things..."

"Did that involve using Kirihara as target practice and using eggs as tennis balls," Momo shook her head distastefully.

Isane stared straight at her. "How did you know...?"

"I've been his classmate before," Momo rolled her eyes at his antics. "I know how his brain works."

Isane laughed a bit while sighing at her partner. "Rikkai Dai can show you a lot of stuff, huh, Momo?"

_She hasn't seen Niou and Marui trying to blow up the Science lab, _Momo scoffed while turning to face the two seniors. "You think that's madness? You've seen nothing yet."

"You seem to have gotten better trainers," Lulu noted as Isane stood in front of the net. "Considering that the Isa-_chan_ I remember got scared of the net and the Momo I knew didn't know how to play good doubles, mind referring us?"

Momo dismissed her words with a wave of her hand. "Do you think they'll actually train you? As a _Shinigami_, it's my job to make sure nobody figures out the way we train and how we get there. Isane, I have no idea how she learned close range volleying but she still needs a lot of work."

Isane flipped her racquet around a bit while giving off a mischievous grin. "_Puri,_ shall I make you lose to your junior then?"

Momo stared aghast at her partner. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"They still need a lot of work," Isane's voice became more drawl-like as another silver haired regular came into play. "After all, there's a reason why... I'm called the Trickster of the Court."

Haruka gaped at Isane's new form. "She chose Niou? What's he for?"

"Niou's an all-rounder," Hitomi lifted notes from her book. "Considering that he has also been hanging out with Momo and her before, it only proves that he's the best choice for this match."

"Niou" ran his fingers through his hair while getting ready behind Momo. "Do you mind taking the back seat for awhile, Momo?"

Momo narrowed her eyes at "Niou". "Honestly, of all people – you had to choose him."

"Niou-_kun_ does have nice qualities," Isane despite being in the male Trickster's form managed to blush. "He helped me..."

Momo shook her head with a sigh. "Just make sure he doesn't lead you around. I don't think any of your reasoning will stop me from gelding him from where he stands if Niou hurts you."

"You don't have to be so serious about killing him, Momo," Isane laughed sheepishly. "He's really nice towards me..."

Momo shook her head. "The only time the words "Niou" and "nice" are in the same sentence is when the word "isn't" is in between it."

Lulu whistled a bit. "It seems to me that there's a lovers' spat going on. I mean – don't they look adorable?"

"It's n-n-not a lovers' spat," Isane blushed furiously while trying to concentrate. "I mean," –she cleared her throat. "It's hard to figure out whether or not I should use **it** is all."

Lulu raised an eyebrow at "Niou". "Oh and what would that be?"

Seeing the ball fly towards him (or her), "Niou" smirked while changing his position. "You shouldn't be so cocky. You haven't seen the Laser Beam yet, haven't you?"

The ball zoomed past Nanako and Lulu right in the middle of the service court, stunning the two at his position.

"Love – thirty," Nanako glanced at the mark before turning towards Isane/Niou.

_A high speed technique huh,_ Nanako bit her lip. _It's the perfect technique for someone who's a sniper by nature but..._

Momo lowered her stance as she got ready to receive the next shot. "You figured out the shot yet?"

Nanako chuckled; Momo's eyes were watching her every movement – like always. "Your sharp observation skills never cease to amaze me, Momo."

"If I didn't have it," Momo narrowed her eyes at Nanako. "I wouldn't have been who I am today."

_In fact,_ Momo bit her lip while looking at her racquet for a moment. _If Naomi weren't here, we wouldn't be who we are... She kept us all on our toes because she hated our guts..._

"Yet, you believe that if she," –referring to Naomi, Nanako folded her arms. ""If she didn't exist, your captain would be more truthful. You all would have met on different instances."

"Niou" stroked his chin. "The team we have come to love wouldn't have existed either..."

Momo curled her hand into a fist, lowering her stance. "We should stop wasting time then."

Nanako clucked her tongue. "Heh, you were always focused on the task at hand."

As another serve cracked off, Momo whacked the ball for a hard left which forced Lulu to run for the ball and lob it. "Niou" smashed it straight towards Nanako's legs but the girl simply stepped away and returned it with a high volley. The _Shinigami_ eyed the ball carefully as she slammed it back towards Nanako.

_Sharin no Hikari needs a lot of setting up then,_ Nanako glanced at "Niou" and Momo. "Alright, then you leave me no choice..."

Momo reflected the light off her racquet. "Reveal the shadows, _Sharin no Hikari_."

Nanako squinted her eyes a bit to avoid the light, sidestepping to slap the ball. _I only have one shot at this..._

Momo forehanded it until Nanako stared the shot down. "You thought the Laser Beam was the only high speed shot there is?"

The shot zoomed past Momo and Isane, landing on the right corner as it did so.

"Fifteen – thirty," Lulu and Nanako gave each other a high five.

"Niou" whistled before changing back into Isane. "Wh-what was that?"

Momo bit her lip hard. "It's reputed to be the fastest shot in the girl's division asides from the Sniper Serve – the _Shinso_." (_Shinso_ means "Divine Spear")

Nanako twirled her racquet around with a slow smile. "Sorry Momo-_hana_, I really have to win now."

Shuddering at her nickname, Momo steeled her glare at the two. "Isane, Niou's completely useless in this situation. Do you have anybody who can counter it?"

"My illusions can only go so far," Isane twiddled with her thumbs. "I don't really have motion sight."

Momo tightened her grip on her racquet. _The Shinso was Midoriyama-senpai's most feared technique. It would speed past you and you wouldn't even see the ball fly unless you have motion sight or you had the ability to slow it down. The only one who could return it was Mai and Rin. Other than that, even Hitomi couldn't catch how fast it flew._

"What? Are you scared already," Lulu lazily drawled. "Can we pick up the pace? I won't hurt you that bad, sweetie."

Momo swallowed hard. "I wish I didn't hear that."

Isane lowered her stance to return. "Alright, my turn..."

Nanako tossed it high and sent a normal serve towards Isane who backhanded against the left side. Lulu flanked the shot with a volley, forcing Momo to come up closer.

_Every time I strike back,_ Nanako watched Momo slide towards the other side. She couldn't help but smile at Momo's progress compared to the others. Though Isane wasn't doing too badly, Nanako glanced at the current team while assessing each of their performances. Ayane and Kiyone progressed rather quickly for a bunch of first years, Haruka and Rin rediscovered their dance and Hitomi's doing pretty well with her data collecting. Mai's progress is unbelievable however – the other one still remains a problem...

Lulu whacked the ball high into the air. "Her growth's pretty much retarded right now."

"You can say that," Nanako half-heartedly slammed the ball towards the service court. "As long as that wedge exists, her teammates will surpass her."

Lulu chuckled darkly. "Can you say Momo has?"

"No," Nanako noted almost immediately. "There's that dark side we haven't seen yet. The side of her that refuses to face the truth..."

Lulu turned her head towards Naomi. "You mean – kinda like that World of Blades that Naomi has?"

Nanako nodded stiffly. "It's something they both had in common. Naomi does have her ugly side too."

_That's exactly what we need to get rid of,_ the Doubles Genius sighed to herself while glancing to the team. "Let's have a little walk to remember then..."

Momo narrowed her eyes as Nanako grinned evilly at the _Shinigami_. "So, what's this little walk we're going to have then?"

Nanako tossed the ball into the air. "It's going to be... your worst nightmare!"

Seeing the serve, Isane quickly altered her stance. "Momo, watch out...!"

Momo stared in shock, failing to disguise the horror written all over her face. "What in the world...?"

Naomi folded her arms with a smirk plastered on her face. _Well, Nanako – you're making a replay of Momo's nightmare. The day she had to play against Inuzuka and Jaëger alone..._

"This is the Inuzuka Wild Fang," Nanako's grin suddenly became more maniacal as she sent it towards the middle school doubles pair.

Seeing the speed, Isane tried to counter it but got blown back hard causing blood to drip slightly from the cut on her cheek. The ball however unlike the normal Knuckle Shot – this exploded with enough force to send the Sniper against the wall.

"Thirty – all," Naomi folded her arms. _This is going well..._

"What's the matter," Nanako swung her racquet, rolling her tongue out. "Are you nothing but a coward, Momo-_hana_?"

However, the _Shinigami_ stood still for a moment before turning around. "You're pitiful..."

Nanako raised her eyebrow as Momo's glare hardened as the _Shinigami_ raised her racquet at her. "You're nothing but trash under my foot. Shall I make you see the difference between you and me?"

On the bleachers, Atobe glanced at Naomi who had a small smirk while Nanako started grinning maniacally. _Her ability to replay the past is uncanny – how did she bring out Inuzuka's personality so fast?_

"Hey, what's with you," Ayane stared straight at him. "You've been spacing out since awhile ago!"

Atobe raked his fingers through his hair. "It's a little surprising to why Nanako would push Momo this far. However – what I'm wonder is to how she managed to walk properly despite her limp."

Lulu glanced at Nanako. "You took a lot of painkillers. How many bottles did you chug down?"

Nanako shrugged while swooning left and right. "It's none of your concern... I just want to see my Momo-_hana_~."

"Or is it – you took a heavy dose of Ketamine* to reawaken your legs," Lulu smiled slowly. "Then again, you were always this crazy."

Momo hardened her gaze as she noted the bag on the side. "Isane, you have sharp eyes. How much did she take?"

Isane winced at the sight of the bottle. "Those are at least 500 mg each pill. If she downed an entire bottle, wouldn't that...?"

"It would kill the receptors badly including the ones in the Central Nervous System to the point that the mind would become unstable," Momo narrowed her eyes at the bottle. "My aunt started using it before but only once a day. Ayane, if I remember right – you've seen that drug before."

Ayane nodded weakly. "My uncle had that in his shelf – he said it was only given to patients who suffered extreme trauma or severe pain."

"That would be the only reason to why she can walk," Momo lowered her stance. "Wait a minute; are her legs what I think they are?"

Isane glanced at Momo as the _Shinigami_ stood up while squinting. "She's moving too fast to be human legs. Are your legs...?"

Nanako lifted her pants with a grin, revealing metal joints. "That's right – I have biometric legs now. Considering my dad's a scientist, he made these for me."

Isane gulped while hiding behind Momo. "That's really creepy..."

"Biometric legs or not," Momo remained unfazed. "I will show you the difference between you and me. Physically – there is a difference but I'm sure even a year can take a heavy toll on you."

Nanako twisted her neck to loosen it, beginning her service. "Well, let's see how far you've gone – brat."

Momo returned it easily as Nanako suddenly vanished and appeared at the corner. Lulu on the other hand had stepped out of the court, shrugging at the tallest Regular.

"This is going to be a Singles Match between them now," Lulu lazily drawled while sitting at the edge of the court. "You might want to get off, Isa-_chan_."

Isane slowly inched away as Momo exploded the next shot towards the right side to which Nanako jumped towards it easily. The _Shinigami_ then lightly dropped it over the net as Nanako reappeared in front and slammed the ball straight at Momo's face. However, training with Sanada proved to help her as she raised her racquet just in time to deflect the shot towards the left side of the court. Nanako then zoomed towards the back and sent it towards the baseline.

"_Shinso,_" she grinned evilly as the ball zoomed towards Momo.

Momo sidestepped and placed her racquet far behind her. "Smash like a storm, _Arashi_!"

With the speed of the _Oto_ and the lethality of the _Nadare,_ the ball zoomed towards Nanako who simply caught it once more.

"You evolved your technique," Nanako swayed a little, dulling her eyes a bit. "Interesting but a storm can never stand up to the power of a god!"

Despite having the Shinso coming straight at her, Momo forehanded the shot back towards Nanako. "There is no such thing as a mortal able to ascend to becoming a god. There's only one and that's that."

"Tell me Momo-_hana_," Nanako grinned, causing Momo to shudder slightly. "Do you fear death?"

Momo slammed the ball back cross court. "Naturally, I do. But there are many aspects of death – definitely, you're not one of them. After all, why should a _Shinigami_ be afraid of what it can control?"

Nanako chuckled darkly. "Aww, you're so enigmatic! I would just like see you do that after I'm done with you~!"

Lulu leaned against the wall with a sigh. "Well, she's always been the _seme_ after all."

Isane turned into a wild red colour. "W-w-what's that?"

"Well, come to think of it," Lulu tapped her chin. "Momo's always been this "don't-touch-me" _uke_. Don't you think they look cute together?"

Isane stared at the former senior incredulously while restraining herself from screaming. _H-How does she think of things like that in a time like this?_

"Ferero-_senpai_ has always been gross," Mai shuddered while glancing at Shizuru. "Hey, are you alright?"

Shizuru nodded while trying to focus on the match. She watched Momo bring out every form of the _Anti-FuuRinKaZan_ as Nanako countered each and every one of them. The brunette bit her lip hard while gripping her skirt tightly. Her heart pounded her ears as sweat trickled down her face. The air around them thickened until she felt a cap drop on her head.

"Hey, you're going to be fine!"

Shizuru looked up to find Shishido with a snicker. "Kotetsu won't know what hit her. This is your year – you can't just let some shadow of the past pull you down now."

"You can't always have her hanging over you," Mai took a seat next to her. "Shishido-_senpai_'s right – you have to pull yourself together."

"Forty – Thirty," everyone turned their attention to the court as Momo stood on one knee while trying to catch her breath.

Nanako twirled her racquet. "What – that's all you're capable of? You're so boring. You can't even entertain me, Momo-_hana_~?"

Momo gripped her racquet tightly, glaring hard. "I'll make you regret making me drop down on one knee. This is where all the charades end..."

Nanako noticed the air become cold as Momo stood up again. "Oh what do you call this...?"

"First Act," Momo lowered her stance. "The Grim Scenery..."

Nanako chuckled darkly. "I'd like to see you sink into despair, Momo-_hana_. You look so cute when you cry."

Momo shook her head with finality. "Not today – not ever, the last time I shed tears for you was long time ago."

Shizuru smiled lightly at the situation. "Momo-_senpai_ has finally climbed over the obstacle that hindered her strength."

"Her attachment to Midoriyama really created an obsession for her," Hitomi began taking a look at papers. "I have here a list of transactions pertaining to everything that involves rabbits. Particularly, gray coloured dwarf rabbits."

Haruka sighed while nearly face palming. "I guess that's Midoriyama's favourite animal."

Soon, they heard the ball crack as Rin jumped on Haruka's shoulders. "Hey – check it out! Momo's kicking butt out there, _kuwee~_!"

Nanako froze as the ball zoomed past her, creating a mark on the court.

"Deuce," Isane stared in shock as Momo's dark eyes glared holes into Nanako.

Kiyone hid behind Ayane. "Yane-_chan_~, she's getting scary..."

"The place's getting cold," Gakuto started shivering. "Yuushi, you have an extra jacket?"

Oshitari winced at the bitter cold. "Sorry, I don't."

_When was the last time she used this technique?_

"Can you feel it," Momo's voice became softer as the wind started to howl.

Nanako chuckled as she began her service. "You always had this ability to turn things into something so evil~. I like that, Momo-_hana_~."

Momo lowered her stance as the ball came spiralling towards her. "You really don't know what this thing does do you?"

As soon as Momo hit it, the ball zoomed towards Nanako causing her to freeze in place with a small cut oozing out some blood from her left leg.

"My _buchou_ hates violence," Momo smirked at Nanako. "That's the only reason why I don't use this technique. I would use any means possible to win but not to the point I have to destroy you. However, that Ketamine overdose of yours is leaving me no choice."

Nanako served hard again but Momo's return cut past her once more.

"Game, Sanada-Uchiha: two games to love!"

Isane walked over to Momo while lightly dropping her hand on the _Shinigami_'s shoulder. "Momo, are you sure you want to...?"

"It would be disgraceful for a Sanada like me to lose to someone like her," Momo coldly brushed away Isane's concern. "Regardless of who she is or who she was then, Midoriyama Nanako is dead and she'll remain that way. The moment she got hit by Inuzuka's Wild Fang proved that she would never be the same."

Nanako chortled while swinging left and right. "You said you hated being a Sanada! Not only that – you wished to overthrow Shizuru before, didn't you?"

"I won't deny that," Momo coldly turned her head towards the insane Nanako. "But I understand why she was chosen – first of all, she has a gentle heart. She's willing to bend her back just to save the people she cares about at the risk of her own happiness. I don't expect you to understand. I thought you were something great but in the end, you were just a big fat bug."

Nanako placed a finger on her lips. "Aww, Momo-_hana_'s being all cold again~."

Momo took the ball from Nanako, taking her place at the baseline. "With your ability, it would be impossible for you to force me to use the second and third act."

Isane gulped as she took the front when Lulu took the moment to serve. "Momo, are you sure you're alright?"

"Finishing off an idiot quietly," Momo tossed the ball into the air. "Isn't that more of a sniper's job?"

Isane gulped while averting her eyes from the _Shinigami_'s cold ones. _It's even worse than Shizuru-chan's when she's in her Shikabane Hime form..._

All of a sudden, Haruka got on the court with a sigh. "Honestly, I thought I would never do this but..."

Momo stared at her for a moment until the Pearl Dragon pinched her ear lobe, causing Momo to snap out of her seriousness.

"Ow ow ow," Momo started struggling against Haruka's pinch. "Haruka, your nails – did you even bother cutting them?"

Haruka shook her head. "In times like these, I'm glad I forgot to cut my nails. Momo, isn't this a little overboard?"

Momo twitched slightly. "Do you mind – not cutting my ear and giving me a new piercing? I like my ears the way they are."

Naomi chuckled while glancing at Hitomi and Ruriko. _Soon, it will be a battle of the minds... Interesting..._

Finally letting go of Momo's ear, Haruka folded her arms. "God, were you trying to plunge Hyotei into an everlasting winter or something? I mean – I know you're angry and..."

"A winter is better than a graveyard," Momo twirled her racquet up and down, loosening her wrist. "This insane human," –referring to Nanako, "doesn't seem to understand the difference between us."

All of a sudden, the _Shinigami_ felt something latch to her leg only to find out it was the sandy haired blonde volleyist. "Are you done yet? _Murasakiiro_-_senpai_, you're taking so long and then – mpf!"

Momo instantly shoved a coffee bun into her mouth. "I know. You're making me waste my time by chatting away. Chew first before you talk."

Kiyone, pouting childishly, sauntered away while Rin handed her a bottle of soda. "Kiyo-_chan_, I got an orange soda _kuwee~_!"

"Yay," Came Kiyone's muffled yell from the coffee bun shoved into her mouth.

Isane stood next to Momo. "Momo, maybe I should start now."

"No," Momo glared frigidly at the Sniper. "This is my shadow... I'm going to take it out before it takes out anyone else."

Isane drew back with her thumb against her lip. "But this is..."

"I can't imagine a world without my friends," Momo bit her lip while hardening her gaze. "That's how much you guys mean to me. I may have transferred in the middle of the year but – if getting rid of the _senpai_ I once held dear to me would keep us the way we are then, I have no regrets even if I have to cut all ties with her. She may have taught me everything I know now – but that thing, is not her anymore. It's just a monkey trying to reach the moon."

Nanako scoffed at the _Shinigami_. "You're a joke, Sanada."

"I have already shown you," Momo narrowed her eyes at Nanako. "You and I are – the levels are comparable to the distances between heaven and hell. How many times do I have to point it out to you? I may have thrown away my _Anti-FuuRinKaZan_ yet here I am – standing and in the lead."

Shizuru folded her arms. "Alright Momo-_senpai_, show her what you have."

Ayane punched the air. "Go for it, Momo-_senpai_!"

Soon, Momo served the shot towards Lulu who returned it towards Isane who finally got on the court. Oshitari watched the ball fly back and forth until he noted a glint in the Doubles Genius eyes.

_Midoriyama's just playing around. She's trying to tell them something. It's involving Kotetsu Naomi, I'm definitely sure of that._

Rin shivered a bit, clinging on to Haruka. "Do you think Momo's going to be okay? I mean – she's facing someone from her past and heck, she don't look happy, _kuwee~_!"

"She will be," Shizuru smiled at the Black Dragon. "Momo-_senpai_'s strong in terms of fighting even if it must be her past."

Hitomi tilted her glasses. "She said so herself – "the levels between them are comparable to the distances between heaven and hell". The moment Midoriyama submitted to the drug – her ability drastically decreased despite having biometric legs."

Kiyone jumped on Ayane's shoulders. "Yay, yay, yay, _murasakiiro-senpai_ – kick her butt!"

Momo nearly fumbled due to Kiyone's cheering. However, the _Shinigami_ kept a straight face as she continued going on the offensive against Nanako and Lulu.

"Wow," Jirou gaped while jumping excitedly. "Did you see that, Atobe? Look at the speed they're playing!"

Shishido blinked a few times while turning to Shizuru. "Are you sure Sanada's not on coffee or anything caffeinated today?"

Atobe raked his hand through his hair as he pulled out his cellphone. _Sanada should get a wind of this..._

After a few rings, the Emperor of Rikkai Dai answered. "Atobe, do you have anything better to do rather than...?"

"Arn, you should be grateful _ore-sama_ even bothers to call you," Atobe sighed as he placed the phone on video camera mode. "Your cousin's fighting her shadow pretty well."

The purple haired captain of Hyotei heard a grunt. "It was only a matter of time that she got over that person."

"She's very determined to protect her captain," Atobe chuckled. "Is that present in all Sanada family members?"

Sanada growled through the phone. "It's a strong sense of loyalty. That's something that should be present in people under a captain."

"Does a sense of arrogance go with it," Atobe chuckled. "Did you hear what she said?"

Sanada smirked while letting out a small chuckle_. _"You're the one to talk, Atobe."

Hiyoshi leaned against the rail. "Momo-_senpai_ is another person to _gekokujo..._"

Nanako smirked as she fired the _Shinso_, taking the point from them.

"Fifteen – all," Momo winced as Nanako gave a high five to Lulu.

Nanako raised her racquet towards Momo and Isane despite acting slightly insane. "I think we should wipe the floor with them! You better not hold back, Ferero!"

Lulu nodded lightly. "Sure, why not. After all, it would be nice to make them lose to the same person twice."

Nanako switched with Lulu whispering to her. "You know who Isane is scared of."

"I know," Lulu chuckled. "By the way..."

Nanako raised her eyebrow at the former vice captain who smirked. "Nice acting – did you ever consider going into Hollywood?"

"Shut up," Nanako plainly snorted while changing back into her insane self. "So, shall we get started – Momo-_hana_?"

Momo tightened her grip as she felt blood ooze out from her palm. "You're really testing my patience."

Soon as another serve cracked off, Momo forehanded it as Nanako came closer to keep Isane from leaving the baseline. However, Lulu hit towards the other end which brought Isane forward and allowed Nanako to move back to counter Momo in any case. However, as Isane managed to volley once – the ball slightly lobbed and Lulu smashed it straight down right in between the Sniper's feet.

Isane nearly reeled back. _No, no, no, don't let that same trick work thrice!_

"Fifteen – Thirty," Isane stumbled backwards, causing her to drop her racquet.

Kiyone tilted her head to the side. "Why's giant-_senpai_ still scared?"

Rin nodded while trying to act like a detective, only to get nudged by the Pearl Dragon. "It should be impossible and most of all – isn't she used to the same trick?"

"It's because there's a wedge in her mind," a soft voice came from the bench as Shizuru narrowed her eyes at the smashes that kept coming at Isane.

Mai leaned against the wall. "As long as Isane-_senpai_ has that wedge, she won't get over the fact that she's scared of the net. Though she can volley now, smashing for her proved to be impossible because of that wedge that the game with Shitenhouji and Yuugetsu Chuu created."

Hitomi grabbed a bottle from her bag. "She should at least have a swig before playing."

Haruka stared at the bottle Hitomi began chugging down. "Hi-Hitomi, how much alcohol does that thing have?"

"Ten percent," Hitomi stopped drinking as she glanced at the bottle. "Isane's not going to survive in Las Vegas if ever we go."

Ayane stared at the Mastermind drinking an entire bottle by herself. "You know, my brother said that's going to kill your liver."

"No it won't," Hitomi took out another bottle. "As long as I have my other concoctions, nothing bad's going to happen."

Haruka snatched the bottles from Hitomi. "No way am I having you get hepatitis!"

Hitomi's glasses suddenly glinted. "Would you like to try my latest experiment, Haruka?"

"If it means getting the bottle away from you," Haruka placed it behind her bag. "Then, bring it on!"

"Fifteen –forty," another _Shinso _cracked on Momo and Isane's side of the court.

Isane winced as a smash zoomed past her. "Game, Midoriyama-Ferero: one game to two!"

Ruriko chuckled while adjusting her racquet strings. "Now, the slaughter begins..."

"Fifteen – love," Lulu jumped high into the air and smashed again, this time – far behind the Sniper.

Despite using the Grim Scenery, Momo missed the _Shinso_ by a huge gap. Nanako pile drove the _Shinso _past their lines, gaining points one after the other.

"Game, Midoriyama-Ferero: two games all!"

Kiyone pouted while leaning on Ayane's shoulders. "_Mou~_, can't giant-_senpai_ transform into anyone?"

"She can but it will be useless," Mai pointed out to the younger. "She can only copy their techniques – not their inborn traits."

Rin gulped while biting her nails. "What are they going to do now, _kuwee~_?"

Hitomi managed to snatch back the bottle. "Momo and Isane are used to battles that involve pressure. Besides, there are only twenty minutes left."

"Yeah, h-hey," Haruka grabbed the bottle back from Hitomi, sputtering and jabbing her finger at the Mastermind. "You seriously need to go to rehab!"

Hitomi gave her a business smile. "I wasn't kidding when I asked you if you wanted to try my latest concoction."

Haruka gulped, hiding her fear as best as she could. "I can handle it! I think..."

Nearly face palming; Momo hung her head as she managed a fast forehand. _Haruka doesn't know what she's asking for._

"So tell me," Nanako dashed with her biometric legs making her more superhuman. "Why are your eyes glaring at me that way? Are they saying that you won't forgive me? That you are going to cut me down? That you are going to judge me? Don't you understand that it's all empty pride?"

Momo scoffed while returning the shot. "When did I say that I was beating you because you were my opponent? If you want to know the truth then, I shall give you my reason. You seek to destroy my pride and that's all there is to it."

Rin raised an eyebrow while turning to Hitomi. "Wait, what's she saying?"

Hitomi turned to Shizuru who the plucked out her racquet to hear the ringing sound of the strings. "She... no, we are her pride."

Everyone stared at Hitomi for a moment as Kiyone jumped off from Ayane's shoulders while clapping cheerfully. "Grape-_senpai_, beat the lady cyborg!"

Momo inwardly chuckled at Kiyone's humour while returning the ball. "How you manage to come up with nicknames on the spot never ceases to amaze me."

()()()()()()000000()()()()()

Meanwhile, Seigaku had its own problems. While Sakuno proved to improve each and every time, Fuuka found her too slow and too weak compared to Hyotei's junior ace: Getsugan Kiyone. If only she were like Shibuya Rangiku, things would have been much easier. Then again, Sakuno's style complements Vera's aggressive attacking well compared to the much smaller and meeker first year.

"Souma-_buchou_," Sakuno shivered while approaching the short haired captain. "How are the line-ups going to be?"

Fuuka pursed her lips while turning to the smaller girl. "Obviously, I'm not putting you in Singles. You'll probably die against Rikkai Dai's Sarah Jaëger or Hyotei Gakuen's Sanada Momo or Yamaguchi Hitomi. Vera would be issuing most of the commands during your doubles game so listen carefully to her instructions. Rangiku-_chan_ would most likely be in Singles Two..."

Soon, the capped _tensai_ came into the clearing. "Are you sure you want her to face Hyotei so soon?"

Fuuka found Atoli popping a bottle of iced tea open. "Rangiku's the best card we have against Sanada and Jaëger. Do you really think you can handle Sanada?"

"I know Nagisaki's my alley," Atoli pointed out as she gulped down some of the iced tea. "You might want to ask Karin about the line-ups first. Considering that we have the Tadashiko-Mouri pair to counter the Hyotei's famous Twin Dragon pair and the Heartbreaker pair to take down the Diamond Pair of Hyotei, I don't think you need to worry about the doubles. The singles wouldn't be much problem either – I take Singles Two because of Nagisaki Mai, I'm sure you want to settle your score with Kurenai Shizuru and Singles Three, I think Karin-_chan_ should take it."

Fuuka folded her arms. "Alright, state any evidences you have."

"We're not in a court room, Fuuka," Atoli sighed while shaking her head. "Rangiku-_chan_ is wild. Did you see what she did to the subs? Most of them are traumatized. Good thing that Karin can do first aid easily. But, that's not the point – if Rangiku faces Sanada, will she able to take it? Sanada is highly more experienced than she is. Jaëger is most likely going to get her butt kicked by Rangiku anyway but Sanada is the card we have to worry about. What would be bad is if Kurenai ends up in her slot – Rangiku would feel the wrath of the _Shikabane Hime_ for the first time. She's not going to take that kindly."

Fuuka sighed while pulling out her towel. "I'll think about it. I'll be doing my laps."

Seeing the red haired captain leave, Sakuno turned to Atoli. "Where do you think she's going?"

"Obviously to the man she respects and loves," Atoli chuckled. "She'll be fine. Words from him usually matter more than mine."

As Seigaku's _tensai_ went outside, Atoli found Vera instructing the other subs to pick up the tennis balls. Midori and Enma started crossing notes despite the green haired acrobat getting freaked out by Enma's Goth doll which kindly sat on her lap. Karin on the other hand tried to control Rangiku's rage as she blasted a few more subs into the wired fence.

_This is going to be a long day,_ Atoli sighed to herself as she found Fuuka at the other side talking to both Tezuka and Ryuuzaki-_sensei_. _I figured just as much._

Fuuka on the other hand watched the boys' tennis team practice. Momoshiro smashed straight at Fuji who returned it with the _Higuma Otoshi_. Despite the counter, the dunk smash nearly took off the _tensai_'s thin arms. Kaidoh released the Boomerang Snake against Kawamura who exploded it back with the _Hadokyuu_. Tezuka on the other hand, despite his busted shoulder – he managed to oversee practice along with Oishi who started training again with Kikumaru.

"Tezuka-_kun_," Fuuka, being one of the very few people who could get away with it, sat next to him. "What do you think of the Hyotei team?"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "They're a strong team... Atobe's very gaudy when it comes to entrances..."

Fuuka laughed while wiping a tear from her eye. "Although that is true, I didn't mean that. I meant the girls' team. You guys managed to play them before. How did it work out?"

Tezuka didn't say anything at first as he recalled how his match got interrupted by the rain. He recalled how slippery the court became, how his racquet nearly flew out of his hand and why he suddenly started skidding across the court. However, one thing remained vivid in his mind: the gracefulness of his opponent and the determined face she had. Fuuka had that kind of attitude but hers was more of an obsession to defeat Shizuru than anything else.

"Tezuka-_kun_," Fuuka started snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Well, how was it?"

Tezuka twitched at her snapping but let out a small sigh. "It was a good game."

However, Fuji managed to get a word in while he trained with Momoshiro. "If it was just a good game, why then did you start smirking during the game?"

Tezuka restrained himself from yelling at Fuji. "Fuji, eighty laps. Momoshiro, go on a water break."

Momoshiro stared in awe; the man barely gave him any breaks. "Uh... thanks _buchou_."

Fuji clucked his tongue. "Saa~, you're being mean, Tezuka."

"You brought it upon yourself," Tezuka's eyes flashed at the _tensai_ who simply shrugged as he began his laps.

Fuuka sighed while laughing softly. "You had that much fun didn't you?"

"More or less," Tezuka monotonously replied while watching his teammates play against one another. "Souma-_san_, you came here regarding Shibuya?"

Fuuka mentally slapped herself for forgetting. "Oh yeah, would it be better if I placed her in Singles Three or Reserves?"

"That would depend," Tezuka glanced at her side of the court. "How stable is she?"

BANG!

Fuuka found Vera running towards her. "Fuuka-_buchou_, Tezuka-_sama_, Rangiku's attacking the subs again!"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow at the red haired captain. "Does that answer your question, Souma-_san_?"

Fuuka sighed while hanging her head. "I guess so..."

()()()()000000000()()()()

"Game, Midoriyama-Ferero: four games all!"

Momo slowed her breathing while Lulu and Isane were on the verge of falling. Nanako on the other hand didn't seem bothered until she started to shriek. Momo didn't show a hint of concern as Nanako fell to the floor, gripping her leg in agony.

"That's the problem with biometric legs," Momo bitterly gazed at Nanako's state. "The metal supports drive hard into the bone forcing the muscle to exert more effort resulting into cramps and pains..."

Lulu tried to help her up. "Look, it's not as if she asked for this..."

"Then how did this happen," Momo stared darkly at the former vice captain.

Nanako winced at the pain. "It was when I was in the hospital... the drugs reacted badly and drained the calcium from my joints. After that, it all became downhill..."

Momo nodded stiffly as the green haired girl smiled weakly at her former doubles partner. "Momo, this may be my last game."

The stolid stare didn't change as Nanako managed to prop herself up. "You were right; the Ketamine is used to kill pain receptors but let me tell you something – this is my first time using it..."

"So, why take an entire bottle," Momo folded her arms. "You were a fool to think that the effects would stockpile."

Nanako chuckled lightly. "I guess... But, I would like one thing from you..."

Momo raised an eyebrow as Nanako smiled weakly. "Set them free..."

Isane glanced at the _Shinigami_ who simply turned around. "We should stop wasting time then."

Naomi folded her arms while chuckling. "That's no way to treat your former _senpai_ after not seeing her for so long, Momo-_chan_."

Momo twitched at Naomi's voice while coldly replying. "What makes you think you're any better example to us, your _kohai_? Is it not that the younger learn from the older or the other way around?"

Wincing at the _Shinigami_'s cold tone, Naomi glanced at the two former candidates for captaincy and vice captaincy. _It seems they've grown up. They're watching over Shizuru now._

"There's one thing I want to know," Momo stood still at her spot. "Before Isane and I start decimating your doubles pair, I want to know how much Shizuru meant to you."

Naomi remained silent for a moment. "Would you understand the relationship of a captain and her subordinate?"

"No," Momo remained stolid while turning away. "Not in your context that is..."

Naomi laughed softly as Momo took her position at the service line. _I wonder... if you're able to convince Shizuru otherwise of your belief._

"Momo," Isane bent her knees a bit at the baseline. "What will we do now?"

The _Shinigami_ smirked while readying her racquet. "What we always do best of course, do you expect them to drop dead by themselves?"

Isane smiled sheepishly. "I guess they wouldn't."

Rolling her eyes, Chihiro sat down while licking her fangs. "Geez, now the _Shinigami_ is trying to act all tough. It's fuckin' irritating."

"It's not that she's acting," Tsunami nudged the spiky haired girl. "Can't you see how mad she is? Oh wait, I forgot – your brain doesn't work so you don't notice these things."

Chihiro grabbed Tsunami by her collar. "Go to hell, Kirijo!"

"Hey!"

Naomi cast a warning glance to the arguing doubles three pair. "Both of you, keep quiet."

"Che, who cares," Chihiro snorted while Tsunami kicked her shin. "What the hell is your problem!"

Tsunami glared at her. "Don't answer our captain that way!"

"I answer her in any way I want!"

Ayane sweat dropped at the sight of the two. "Is it just me or do they fight on a daily basis?"

"When they were in the team," Hitomi shook her head. "They were the reason why the principal nearly disbanded the club."

Haruka smiled sheepishly. "I guess I should be glad that Ayane's the only hot-tempered one here."

"Yeah yeah," Rin jumped up and down. "Kiyone-_chibi_ and she always agree on the same thing!"

Oshitari snickered while overhearing the Twin Dragon pair. "Yeah they agree on everything especially when it's about beating up Atobe."

Atobe glared at the capped regular. "Oshitari, shut up."

"Sure," came the _kansai_ prodigy's good-natured reply.

Shishido shrugged while glancing at the Diamond pair. "He does have a point, Atobe."

"Arn~," Atobe raked his hair while biting his lip. "Ayane always has this tendency to attack people."

Ayane spun around, glaring. "I do not, it's because of comments like that I do!"

Atobe folded his arms. "_Ore-sama_ thinks that if someone told you a wall insulted you – you'd try to break it."

"I'm not that stupid," Ayane screamed while folding her arms.

Kiyone popped up with a coffee bun in her mouth. "Yane-Yane, are you gonna beat him up again? Can I watch?"

"I can't hit him here," Ayane snorted while slumping down on the bench. "It's going to be all over the newspapers. Besides, I have a bet going on with him."

Kiyone tilted her head while grinning impishly. "Then squish his head like a lemon~!"

"Are you crazy," Ayane felt a vein pop until she thought about it. "Actually... that may be a good idea!"

Haruka shook her head, sighing. "I wonder how Kiyone became so sadistic."

"She's innocently sadistic," Hitomi glanced at the doubles pair playing. "As soon as this is over, I'll be doing my match."

Haruka glanced at Hitomi. "Are you sure you can handle it despite the liquor you just took?"

"The alcohol content was only ten percent while the fruit content was 89.9 percent," Hitomi picked up her racquet. "The other 1.1 percent comes from the sugar."

Rin hid behind Haruka while slightly shuddering. "How can she drink that much alcohol and survive, _kuwee~_?"

Haruka scratched her head with a shrug. "A strong liver I guess?"

"Game, Sanada – Uchiha pair: five games to four!"

Nanako started breathing heavily while glancing at the _Shinigami_. "You've grown up so much..."

"I had a lot of thinking to do," Momo coldly noted. "Obviously, I wouldn't lose to fools who believe they can control people like puppets."

Nanako chuckled as the serve went to Isane. _This is it... Isane's serve can end the game with four shots._

"Momo," Isane shuffled towards the _Shinigami_. "Are we going to...?"

Momo glared frigidly at the two of them before turning to the former captain. "Put them out of their misery."

Mai whistled while slightly wincing. "Ooh, nasty."

As soon as the four serves cracked off, Isane and Momo nodded to one another before giving each other a high five.

"Game and match, Sanada-Uchiha pair: six games to four!"

Nanako grit her teeth as Lulu helped her off. The Doubles Genius couldn't fight back the smile she had as Momo returned to her team with a smirk. Isane got pounced on while Momo nodded at the younger captain who simply smiled in approval. As soon as she got to her crutches, Nanako leaned against it before taking her seats.

"What's going on with you out there," Naomi raised an eyebrow. "I thought you guys said you could handle them."

Nanako narrowed her eyes at Naomi. "This game was never about winning, Naomi."

"Oh," Naomi chuckled darkly. "I know that."

Nanako froze while the former captain turned away from the doubles genius. "No matter what you do, admiration is the farthest from understanding. Nanako, you yourself should know that."

"The thing is," Ruriko glanced at the other side. "She now has Sanada to snap her out of it."

Picking up a small pebble, Naomi grinned evilly. "Not as long as I crush her resolve and her personality... after that, everything will fall into place."

Nanako forced herself to stand up. "Naomi, this has to stop! Crushing her resolve would..."

"Not her resolve to play tennis," Naomi chuckled while having a dark smile paint itself on her face. "Did you really think that I would have her stop playing? Of course not, all I need to do is just to revert her back to the way she was."

Tsunami watched Shizuru and Mai laughing together. "I don't think that's possible anymore."

On the other hand, Rin jumped on Isane while ruffling the taller regular's hair. "You did it, you did it!"

Kiyone jumped up and down while waving her hands in the air. "Yay, giant-_senpai _ and purple-_senpai_ managed to beat the cyborg lady and the crazy weirdo!"

Momo sighed while shaking her head. "Can't you remember anybody's name for once?"

"Yeah," Kiyone stared at her innocently.

Momo folded her arms. "Alright, name me at least five people."

Kiyone started counting her fingers. "Shizu-_nee,_ Yane-_chan_, Ummm... Purple-"

"No nicknames," Momo smirked while wondering. _How come she never remembered anyone's names properly?_

Kiyone pouted while sticking out her tongue. "Hmph, there's Shiraishi-_san_,Oshitari Kenya-_san_ and..."

Haruka stared at her for a few moments. "Wait a minute, she barely met them and she already knows their names!"

Shizuru and Mai exchanged glances with one another. "Wait, how's that possible?"

"She probably likes Shiraishi-_san_," Mai chuckled lightly causing the smaller girl to inflate her cheeks. "He's the only guy she probably remembers asides from Oshitari Kenya-_san_."

"That's not true!"

Haruka pointed out. "Not only that, we barely even met these guys."

"It's usually during her shopping trips when we're not with her," Hitomi opened her notebook entitled "Getsugan Kiyone". "Shiraishi-_san_ saved her from being crushed by a shelf full of pet supplies. He also saved her from getting bullied and another would be when she wandered off – he brought her back home. The only distinct thing probably of Oshitari Kenya-_san_ would be his pet iguana named Yoshi."

Kiyone flushed into a bright pink colour while puffing up her cheeks. "You're mean~."

Before everyone could break out into a laughing fit, an announcement blared.

"Singles Two will now begin: Yamaguchi Hitomi of Hyotei Middle School Division and Suzumiya Ruriko of the Hyotei High School Division, please come to the court!"

Hitomi wiped her glasses against her shirt, nodding firmly. "I guess it's my turn to bury my past..."

-That's chapter 35! I hope their personalities are more dominant here! Also, would it be better to use the four girls from Queen of the Suits in my What Makes One A Monster story or new characters? I'd like to hear your opinion about the matter! Thanks! Please don't forget to review!

_*Ketamin_e is a drug that is used in analgesia or anaesthetics. In one of the episodes of House, House took Ketamine after he got shot. He then started seeing images of him walking and stuff. In this case, Nanako's legs suffer severe pains hence she has to stay on a crutch. But by taking the Ketamine – she kills off her pain receptors for a short while.


	36. Rise of the Phoenix

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 36 – Rise of the Phoenix

As Ruriko and Hitomi got to the court, the two data masters exchanged glances with their captains before taking their position up front. Ruriko tossed back her jet black hair while watching Hitomi fix her racquet. Silence filled the court as Ruriko turned away from Hitomi.

"You know what," the senior chuckled lightly. "I concede."

Shock made its way to her face as Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"This isn't the type of game I wanted to play," Ruriko sighed at the younger data master. "This was never any of my desire anyway. Besides, I think I already know the outcome of the match. The winner," –she flicked Hitomi's forehead. "The winner will be you..."

Hitomi folded her arms. "That won't be proven until we play. There was an eighty percent chance you'll win..."

"There's no need," Ruriko waved her hand, walking off the court. "You already have something that I don't have and that I will never have."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow, tapping her foot. "We have the same style of tennis there shouldn't be..."

"You should think out of the box, Hitomi," Ruriko sternly jabbed her finger at the Mastermind. "That has always been your problem. Never once in your life did you base anything on external factors. That is why no player is perfect. Data Tennis can only be perfected when both the outside and the inside are considered."

Watching Ruriko leave, Hitomi glanced at her captain who also shrugged while getting up. The Mastermind walked back to her teammates while placing her racquet in.

"If you want to face me," –Hitomi raised her head up to meet Ruriko's gaze. "Face me on the street tennis courts. You have my number. Make a call – I'll take you on anytime. At least we won't have to fight with disgusting variables like this."

Naomi stood up from her chair as Ruriko sauntered back. "What are you doing?"

"This is your plan," Ruriko remarked off-handedly. "You do it. You have no right to involve anyone else. That's why we're losing. Nanako and Lulu are strong but because we hate each other – look where we ended up. That's what made Shizuru stronger than you – you always made people your little toys."

Naomi, narrowing her eyes, swung a backhand at Ruriko which sent the older data master to the floor.

"Ruriko-_senpai_," Hitomi tried to rush over only to have Shizuru holding her arm. "What are you doing?"

Shizuru flinched at Naomi's gesture. "I'll handle her. Don't worry..."

Hitomi noticed the flicker in the younger captain's eyes. "Shizuru, this won't be the average captains you have been going up against."

Naomi grabbed her racquet while walking to the court but Shizuru maintained a soft look.

"I know," Shizuru weakly smiled. "There may be a chance that I may lose but... I will make sure that I win. I can't have you guys taking all the glory."

Mai twitched her nose at Naomi's glare. "Well, if glaring were a superpower – the government would have used it to power an entire city by now."

Rin gulped while hiding behind Haruka. "Shizuru-_chan_, this is like walking to your grave..."

Kiyone tugged her jacket. "Shizu-_nee_, please don't do it. Let Yane-_chan_ beat her up or something!"

"No," Shizuru tightened her grip on her racquet, steeling her look. "This is a battle between us captains. Ayane is still a thousand years too early to challenge her."

Atobe watched Shizuru get on the court. "Kurenai, you better know what you're doing."

Shizuru smiled kindly at the older captain. "Don't worry – I'll be fine."

"Sure you will," Shishido rolled his eyes. "I mean – are you out of your mind? She's gonna kill you!"

Shizuru laughed softly while walking onto the court. "No she won't."

"You yourself told me that Naomi was one of the best," Shishido pointed out to his _kohai_. "She's only taking you on after everyone because the emotional stress is heavy."

"I know," Shizuru stopped in her tracks to smile reassuringly to her _senpai_. "But I've improved too."

Shishido stared at the girl incredulously. "Didn't you just hear me? You said not even training non-stop could prepare you well enough!"

"There's something off about her," Shizuru narrowed her eyes at Naomi's figure. "I can't explain it well but I know she's slipping. Besides, everyone at least can focus on recovering after their matches."

Soon, both captains took their places on the court. Naomi towered considerably over Shizuru as the older captain smiled her usual benevolent one.

"It's been awhile since we had a game like this," Naomi wiped the sweat from her face. "I didn't know we'll be settling it this way. I'm sorry it has to end this way."

Shizuru smiled faintly. "Oh, I don't think you're sorry at all..."

Naomi narrowed her eyes at the younger captain as she spun around to take her place. "You start."

Bouncing the ball a bit, Shizuru glanced at Naomi as she let out the serve. Words remained unheard as their shots did the talking. Naomi forehanded the shot towards Shizuru's left side which was returned when the younger revealed the _Shunpo_. Clucking her tongue, Naomi blasted the shot cross-court while Shizuru fired one down the line.

"I hope Shizuru's knee doesn't suddenly give in," Haruka bit her lip.

Ayane jumped up with a fist in the air. "Put her ego where it belongs, _buchou_!"

Shizuru started releasing a small glow which took form of a Sparrow. "I'm sorry, this rally ends now."

The shot spun towards Naomi, blasting the racquet hard which forced Naomi to let go.

"Fifteen – love," Naomi glared at the younger.

Ruriko raised her eyebrows while watching Naomi slowly grin. "She couldn't take it..."

"If there was anyone who was psychotic," Chihiro popped a lighter open while lighting a cigarette. "It was her."

Tsunami shivered while looking at the strands fall on Naomi's face. "It looks like one strand fell already."

Naomi stared amusedly at the small strand that fell in front of her face. "Haha, it looks like you're really serious."

Shizuru drew back slightly as Naomi had a psychotic grin on her face. "What's the matter, Ru-Ru? Is that all you have?"

Momo scrunched her nose in disgust. "What a stupid nickname."

Rin gulped as she pointed at Naomi. "_K-k-kuwee_, when did she start smiling like that?"

"When she realized that Shizuru was more powerful than her," a matter-of-factly voice spoke from the other side as they found Ruriko with the other team members behind her.

Hitomi glanced up as Ruriko took a seat next to Mai. "Wait, what are you...?"

"Naomi hated competition, most of all," Ruriko chuckled bitterly. "She hated losing."

The former regulars hung their heads sadly as Nanako shook her head. "I know we are in no position to ask favours considering that we scared you guys to accept this. But, if it's one thing we have to ask from you guys – all we want is for you guys to spread your wings and fly..."

Mai folded her arms. "We all have. We're just getting rid of the hunters."

"If you mean us," Unohana bristled at Mai. "We never had any intention to destroy you guys."

Chihiro rolled her eyes while squashing a cigarette butt under her foot. "Frankly, I don't know how stupid you guys can be. Isn't it obvious already?"

Haruka gazed sadly at Naomi and Shizuru's match. "Is that why you refused to play against Hitomi, Suzumiya-_senpai_?"

"Hitomi's all grown," Ruriko smiled while ruffling the Mastermind's hair. "Besides, we all have a sense of honour."

Konan kicked a can with a low growl. "The hell – not all of us are like **her**."

Chihiro lit another cigarette while leaning on the backrest. "Don't lump me with a bitch like her. I have my own class."

Mai chuckled lightly. "Yes, you and Konan belong to the "I-don't-give-a-damn-whether-you-live-or-die" class."

Konan licked her lips while pulling out a Swiss knife. "Sorry, I'm more the "I-want-to-colour-you-red" class. Chihiro's just a bitch."

Chihiro picked Konan by her collar, narrowing her eyes at the silver haired girl. "You wanna die early, princess?"

The silver haired girl grabbed Chihiro by her neck. "Not unless you go to hell first!"

Ruriko sighed into her hand. "Here they go again."

"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"

They quickly swivelled their heads to the court as they found Shizuru breathing heavily and Naomi swooning from side to side. Her gray eyes focused on Shizuru's crimson ones as she gleefully grinned at the smaller girl. Shizuru flinched slightly while gripping her knee tightly as she wobbled slightly. Naomi on the other hand maintained a psychotic grin on her face while crushing the tennis ball in her hand.

"Well," Naomi tossed the ball. "It looks like this game will be in my favour now..."

Shizuru stood up while forcing her body to stop trembling. Naomi tossed the ball up and down while faking a serve each time.

"Aww," Naomi smiled cheerfully. "Why are you so serious? You were never this refined before."

They all turned to Mai who nodded stiffly. "Shizuru would rather wear the boy's uniform than the skirt. She did it when we were in elementary and first year."

"You serious," Gakuto loomed from the bleachers. "You mean – she really looked like a boy before?"

Mai laughed wistfully while leaning against the bench. "It was those days that they said that Shizuru was manlier than any man. Her hair was always dishevelled, her hands were always in her pocket when she walked and she always had this calm face. Many girls from our class mistook her for my boyfriend."

Hiyoshi chuckled lightly. "I remember their faces when she said that she was a girl."

"It was like all their dreams were crushed," Mai laughed while wiping a tear from her eye. "There were so many instances... like the first time I met her..."

_Flashback_

"When she was new in Hyotei, I saw her in shorts and with dishevelled hair and a police cap."

An elementary year Nagisaki Mai dashed towards her classroom with her bouncing low pigtails. Her pink backpack and white gym bag lagged behind her while she swam through a crowd of students.

"Hey lemme through," Mai fell through the crowd until she bumped into someone.

"Oof!"

"Hey!"

Rubbing her head, Mai found a short haired brunette who started picking up her books. "Hey, what...?"

"Are you okay," his voice whispered quietly while handing Mai her books.

Mai nodded weakly while he helped her up. "Hey, what's your name? You look new here. You look cute for a guy."

"I," he started twiddling with his thumbs. "The truth is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the bell rang even louder. Mai jumped as she grabbed the boy's hand. "Hey Kurei-_kun_, we have to go! We're going to be late!"

"W-wait," he sighed as Mai started dragging him to his classroom. "M-my name isn't even...!"

As soon as they were about to get to their classroom, Mai bumped into a bunch of middle school students with big bats and kendo swords.

"Well, well, well," one of the boys sniggered at her. "Look who we have here, a cherry and a sissy!"

Mai whimpered as she tried to scoot away until one of the other boys grabbed her wrist and lifted her into the air. "Hey, apologize! You know how expensive these freakin' shoes are!"

"I didn't even step on it," Mai glared as she struggled. "Put me down!"

The boy laughed deviously while one of his cronies opened a closet. "Why don't you stay...? Argh, what the hell...!"

Mai fell to the ground until the cap fell lightly on the floor and the brunette had kicked one of them down.

"Listen," his voice suddenly becoming higher. "You know – I hate people who prey on people smaller than them."

The boy sniggered while wiping blood from his lip. "You stupid bastard, I'm gonna...!"

Before he could finish his sentence, the brunette kicked him into the closet. "You guys are idiots who like to beat up people but... unfortunately for you..."

Only then did Mai realize that her new friend was actually a girl.

"I'm a girl who likes bullying weak idiots."

"After that, rumours started floating around that she beat them up until their parents couldn't recognize them."

The two soon found themselves at the principal's office as the brunette twiddled with her thumbs. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to deceive you. It's just that my voice is quite low and..."

"I should've noticed the _hime-_cut hairstyle but your hair's so messy," Mai stood up and jabbed her finger in front of her. "Why are you in shorts anyway! Shouldn't you be in a skirt like every other girl!"

The brunette folded her arms while twitching. "I hate skirts."

"Well you're going to start wearing them," Mai grabbed the brunette by her collar. "You walk like a guy too! That's why I thought you were a boy!"

The brunette glared hard at her. "I don't see what your problem is. Just because I act like a boy doesn't mean you have to correct my behaviour and make me more into a girl."

"Your style is my problem," Mai pouted impishly. "You act like a boy and I bet you when I get into our classroom – girls are going to think you're some prince or something!"

Sulking on one end, the brunette folded her arms. "Who cares, I don't...!"

"Watch out!"

A janitor's cart wheeled down the hallway with Mai standing in its way until the brunette shoved her out of the way and took some hit from it. The two crashed against the wall with the brunette taking most of the hit against her back while Mai landed against her chest. Both began breathing heavily while they wobbled on their way to standing up. Silence filled the hallway until the principal slammed the door open to find the two shaken girls and the janitor.

The principal glared hard at the janitor. "What the heck is wrong with you? These two kids would have been killed!"

The janitor froze while waving his hands frantically. "I-I'm sorry, the lock on the cart broke so it started wheeling by itself!"

On the other hand, the principal raised an eyebrow at the two girls. "Now, what is this I hear about middle school students being beaten up by a "girl who likes bullying weak idiots"?"

Mai stood up immediately before the brunette could even open her mouth. "But they started it! We were fighting in self-defense!"

"That doesn't give you a right to attack back," the principal rubbed his temples who turned to the silent girl. "Do you have anything to say, Miss...?"

"Kurenai," the brunette smiled sheepishly. "I'm Kurenai Shizuru..."

_Flashback End_

"Holy Sh-," Chihiro gaped at the _tensai_, drawing back in revulsion. "You're telling me that this Kurenai Shizuru was that tomboy who beat up the members of the martial arts club?"

Mai shrugged with a sigh. "Many people find it hard to believe that this gentle captain Kurenai Shizuru was actually the Shizuru who often dealt with problems with her fists. Most of her issues were solved with a K.O. But unlike Ayane, she was calmer about it. She often had this mischievous smile on her face and half the time – she was running around in shorts. Shizuru never raised her voice but her fist's strength did all the talking for her. Sometimes, her fists weren't even her weapon of choice..."

Everyone turned to Hitomi but the Mastermind ran through her notes with a sigh. "Okay, I don't have any idea what it is."

Rin popped up with an idea. "She used water guns loaded with paint?"

"No, more painful than that," Mai gestured them to keep guessing. _They're not going to believe what her favourite toy used to be._

_Flashback_

"Hey Shizuru-_chan_," Mai pointed to a long bag latched onto Shizuru's back. "What's that for?"

Shizuru laughed softly. "Ah, these are my best friends."

Mai stared incredulously at her while trying to snatch it from Shizuru only to fall on the floor. "What kind of person befriends inanimate objects!"

"Someone," Shizuru averted her gaze from Mai. "Someone who can't feel secure unless they have their thing with them..."

Mai hung her head, seeing that Shizuru had a sad smile on her face. "Hey, you should smile more."

Shizuru's head shot up immediately while Mai pointed out. "If you smiled more, people would be able to tell you're a girl."

Blushing furiously, Shizuru shook her head defiantly. "I... I should just..."

"There are some born with better eyes, Shizuru," Mai nodded while ruffling the brunette's hair. "You sure are tall for someone who's only 11."

Bouncing her knee a bit, Shizuru smiled quietly. "So are you."

"Wait a minute," Mai stared at her for a moment. "You were so mean awhile ago and now you're so timid. What the heck is wrong with you?"

Shizuru drew back a bit. "W-well, it's because you were in trouble... and..."

Mai folded her arms while smirking. "I guess the human mind can do a lot... Which reminds me, what is in that bag?"

Shizuru pulled it away from the red haired girl. "I-It's nothing really!"

"Yeah right," Mai tried to grab it only to fall over with her skirt up.

Shizuru, flushing wildly, turned away. "M-Mai, your skirt – put it down!"

"Yeah," –sniggered a voice. "You might get someone else's attention asides from just her."

Mai and Shizuru turned around to find the same boys who roughed them up yesterday, freezing in their places.

"It's because of you I got kicked off the team," the boy with brown dishevelled hair glared at Mai as he locked her in a full nelson. "You're gonna pay!"

Shizuru ran towards her only to get restrained by the other two boys, struggling. "Let Mai-_chan_ go!"

"Why should I," he snorted as he flipped up Mai's skirt, having the red haired girl squeak. "She's the reason why we got kicked off the team!"

Mai wriggled hard only to have her face shoved against the wall. "Stop hurting Shizuru-_chan_!"

"I don't give a damn about that red-eyed freak!"

Shizuru, hanging her head, let a faint smile appear on her lips. "You know there's a reason why I like beating up weak idiots..."

The brown haired boy stared at her quizzically as she kicked straight up into the air, causing one of her captors to release one of her arms.

"That's because they always come in numbers," Shizuru slowly opened the long bag that Mai had been wondering about with her red eyes glittering angrily. "I always liked challenges..."

The boy slowly let Mai slip down as Shizuru revealed a pair of sticks, swinging them fast and hard. Mai fixed her pigtails as Shizuru slammed the sticks hard into their legs, arms and some even took a direct hit to the face. With a roundhouse kick, Shizuru cracked her knuckles as she sheathed her sticks.

"A-are you okay," Shizuru chuckled sheepishly as she extended her hand. "I guess I might get us expelled aren't I?"

Mai twitched at her as she grabbed Shizuru by the shoulders. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Shizuru shrank at the volume of the red haired girl's voice. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Do you realize you could've gotten killed," Mai puffed up her cheeks while narrowing her eyes at the brunette.

_Flashback End_

"In Elementary," Mai chuckled lightly while leaning back against the bench. "Shizuru was always five steps ahead of those boys. Those boys were soon expelled for harassment of female elementary students. They were actually traumatized because of the sticks. Many of the middle school martial arts club members tried to recruit her. They even offered her money."

Ayane stared in shock as she looked at an old picture in Mai's wallet. "Shizuru-_buchou_ had short hair!"

"Yeah," Mai glanced at the court. "But, in reality – she was really considering to join the martial arts team. However, I chose to join the tennis team and the dance troupe. She loved playing tennis but was scared of competition. After that, she tried going for the school paper but when she came to the courts – Shizuru really destroyed her."

"Hey," Konan snorted as she folded her arms. "You don't have to refer to me in the third person you know!"

Momo sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. "You were the one who beat up Mai in the first place. If you didn't let your stupidity get the best of you, you wouldn't have needed to face her."

"It wasn't Konan who suffered the most," Ruriko brushed back her hair as she glanced to find both captains sweating profusely. "Without even realizing it, Shizuru had won."

A loud crack echoed in the court as the tennis Regulars and the club members were stunned to find Shizuru glowing and Naomi on the ground.

"What the," Naomi bit her lip hard as her hair started falling all over her face. "What in the world is that?"

Wings slowly stared to form from the aura on Shizuru's back as they expanded across. Shizuru smiled lightly while inhaling deeply and letting the aura surround her.

"Her _Hyakuren_'s true form," Ruriko chuckled lightly while leaning against the wall. "This is the form that Naomi feared the most..."

Mai smiled while standing up. "Even though we improve each passing day, she was always five steps ahead of us."

"So," Naomi grinned evilly at the younger captain. "This is your true form – the Phoenix..."

Shizuru gripped her racquet tightly as the aura of the _Hyakuren_ changed from white to gold and red. "You lied to me, every step of the way. I believed you were kind and sweet – you doted upon me like a sister that I was supposed to have. You taught me everything you knew yet – I never knew how much you truly hated me."

"Tsk," Naomi clucked her tongue while smiling maliciously. "Well then, shall we have a go with that little aura of yours then?"

Shizuru smiled faintly while retaining a serious gaze. "However, that doesn't change that I once admired you. But frankly – what you taught me was already in my head a long time ago."

Naomi folded her arms. "Really – who taught you then?"

"Someone you don't need to know," Shizuru replied curtly as Naomi fired a lightning fast serve.

Watching the match between the future and the past, Atobe folded his arms while glancing at Ayane's right arm. "Ayane, give me your arm."

The vice captain stared at him incredulously. "What the hell was that for? What are you gonna do?"

Taking a seat next to her, Atobe took his water jug and pressed it lightly against her arm in which Ayane winced.

"How did you," Ayane exchanged glances with him while staring at the cold water bottle pressed against her arm.

Atobe chuckled lightly while wrapping up the water jug with a towel. "_Ore-sama_ has Insight but he didn't need to do that to know that Aragaki's strength would have blown your arm off if you weren't strong enough. You're lucky to be gifted with insane strength, Ayane. Otherwise, your arm would be suffering more than just a strain."

Feeling his hands lightly press his water jug against her arm, Ayane slightly turned her gaze away from Atobe while biting her lip. "Um, Atobe...?"

The purple haired captain glanced up as Ayane managed to smile. "T-thank you..."

Atobe revealed a small smile before concentrating on Ayane's arm. However, the King furrowed his eyebrows the moment he saw Naomi going on offensive and Shizuru being forced back. Naomi's shots consisted of going cross court, short or down the line. Shizuru forced her legs to flash her everywhere around the court while Atobe glanced at his watch.

_At best, Kurenai should only be able to last thirty minutes if she keeps this up._

Shizuru flashed towards the corner with beads of sweat falling down her face. Naomi had hair falling all over her face as her glare slowly contorted with anger. Rin held onto Haruka as the wind blew against the trees harshly while Kiyone's eyes widened with amazement.

"Wow, Deep-_chan_'s going crazy," Kiyone waved her hands in the air. "Go Shizu-_nee,_ beat her black and blue!"

With sweat pouring down their faces, Shizuru and Naomi rallied back and forth with the shots sinking lower and deeper. Naomi lobbed it up to which Shizuru smashed it straight down with Naomi quickly moving back to return it with a low rally. The former captain drove Shizuru to the back of the baseline, sending deeper shots and forced the current captain to bend down. Wincing at the pain, Shizuru forced herself to return it with a lob but never expected the next shot to smack straight into her knee and send her to the floor.

"Shizuru," Haruka gasped as Rin jumped off the Pearl Dragon's shoulders.

Ayane lunged at Naomi until Atobe gripped her arm hard. "Hey, let go!"

"She has to do this on her own," Atobe sternly gazed at Ayane. "Challenging Naomi now is just going to get you killed."

Shishido jumped off the rail and ran towards Shizuru. "Shizuru, are you alright! For the love of God, don't just stand there!"

Momo curled her hand into a fist, biting her lip with a dark gaze. "You have some nerve to attack my pride like that..."

"What pride," Naomi chuckled evilly as she raised her racquet up. "Ru-Ru doesn't even trust you anyway!"

Haruka, hearing those words, froze while biting her lip. _Will it come out again? Is she going to throw away everything for this match?_

Rin clung onto Haruka while Isane and Momo bit their lip, leaving Hitomi to narrow her eyes and Ayane to clench her hands into a fist. Silence filled the entire court without anyone moving a muscle and even the boys could only stare at the events that were about to unfold. Sweat poured down Naomi's face while the younger captain hung her head without a reply.

"Shizu-_nee_ doesn't get rattled by stuff like that," –Shizuru's head snapped up while seeing Kiyone give her a thumbs up. "She's gonna beat Deep-_chan_ here and now!"

Seeing Kiyone's confident proclamation, Oshitari snickered while sending a smirk towards Naomi. "Do you think shattering her trust is what would get you the match?"

Atobe, releasing himself from the Insight, smirked while folding his arms. "Kotetsu, you underestimate the tenacity of your protégé. What makes you think she will submit to you?"

Ohtori nodded confidently with a determined smile. "Shizuru-_chan_ wouldn't fall for the same trick twice."

"She's not an idiot, Kotetsu," Shishido snorted while giving her a thumb down. "Even Gakuto's not stupid enough to fall for that."

"Hey," the magenta haired acrobat snarled at the dash specialist. "I'm not that stupid!"

Shishido shrugged his shoulders. "Well most of the time, you are."

Shizuru gripped her knee tightly, hanging her head with a bitter smile slowly appearing on her face. "...I understand... what Hoshimura meant... why she did that to me... The truth will always hurt... but," –her auburn eyes flashed. "It's my choice whether or not to run away from it! Only I can make that decisions and real friends accept the truth whether it be ugly or not."

_That's it,_ Nanako folded her arms. _That's what set you two apart. You didn't trust anyone but yourself. She took that gamble and placed her trust into her friends. _

Strands of dark brown hair fell over Naomi's face as her silver eyes glittered to reveal her maniacal smile. "Well Ru-Ru, I didn't expect you to come this far..."

"Expect the unexpected," Shizuru smiled faintly and somewhat sadly towards Naomi. "We humans are unpredictable creatures."

Naomi cocked her head to the side. "Fair enough argument although, I hate to see what happens when I use it as well!"

A black aura started surrounding Naomi as a raven took shape. With a maniacal glare, the elder captain fired a speeding backhand which returned with another spinning forehand towards her. Shizuru dashed towards the front as Naomi dropped the shot right over, slicing it over with a top spin.

"_Subera Kagerou_," Kiyone jumped up and down.

Rin punched the air. "Go for it, _kuwee_~!"

As the ball floated over, Naomi stood face to face with Shizuru as she lobbed the ball before it touched the ground. "That trick won't work on me...!"

"Then maybe this will," Shizuru smashed it straight in between her feet.

"Love – 15," Ruriko declared as the two captains tried to maintain their stances.

"Keh, when did you learn that," Naomi glared into Shizuru. "You weren't that cruel before, Ru-Ru."

"It's not about being cruel," Shizuru gripped her racquet tightly before walking to the other end of the court. "It's knowing that every opponent has a weakness. Like what Momo-_senpai_ says, 'every opponent has a weakness – see it, exploit it.'" (Hahaha, I love this line! It came from Tekken! Jun Kazama rocks!)

Naomi whistled while staring deep into Shizuru's auburn eyes, picking up the ball from the floor. "Well, shall I see that bravado of yours fail here and now?"

"Please don't expect any good results if that's what you want," Shizuru smiled bitterly before receiving Naomi's serve.

Atobe watched Naomi attack the baseline while Shizuru slid over to receive. "Sanada," –he earned a glance from the lavender haired girl. "How long can Kurenai's leg last?"

Momo, narrowing her eyes a bit, glanced at her watch and then back at the game. "If she doesn't finish this fight in fifteen minutes – she's dead."

Rin gulped while Haruka began to grip the railing. Isane held her breath as the two captains started increasing the pace of the game.

"Naomi's cornering Shizuru isn't she," Oshitari turned to Atobe who started observing the speed of the ball.

Atobe shook his head with a smirk. "If Kurenai allowed herself to be cornered then, she has no reason to be _ore-sama_'s rival."

"From here, Naomi's fighting like a cornered rat," Shishido folded his arms in his disgust.

Gakuto pursed his lips. "God, is that woman insane or what?"

"Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to," Shishido rolled his eyes. "Come on Ohtori, let's get something to drink."

Ohtori nodded slowly, unable to peel his eyes away from the game. "_Senpai_, have you see that look in her eyes before?"

"What look," Shishido raised an eyebrow at the silver haired sophomore. "Honestly, Shizuru's expression half the time in a game is the same."

Ohtori shook his head. "It's not that Shizuru's angry but somehow – she's more... sure of herself. I don't know..."

"She finally decided to follow her gut," Shishido shrugged while walking away before showing a sign in the air. "Let's go."

Shizuru turned her head to find Shishido with a sign of a letter 'L'. A small smile appeared as her shot suddenly ploughed through Naomi, causing the swordswoman to fall back.

"What the hell," Naomi glanced at Shishido who smirked. "Where did that crap come from?"

The capped regular shrugged. "You never had friends – maybe that's why you don't know what sign language is!"

Naomi hissed venomously at Shishido until she heard a tap of the ball on the court. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing really," Shizuru tossed the ball back at Naomi. "I believe the score is now Love – Thirty?"

Naomi, lowering her stance down, glared hard at the younger captain while preparing for a serve. Her eyes glinted malicious as the ball floated up into the air and with the black _Hyakuren _surrounding her, Naomi fired towards Shizuru who returned it with her version of the _Hyakuren Jitoku_ _no Kiwami_. With a doubled return, Naomi quadrupled it and sent it towards Shizuru who managed to force it back with six times more the normal power. However, Naomi let out a gleeful cackle as the ball came zooming towards her.

"First Sword, Yggdarasil," Naomi sent the ball spiralling towards Shizuru who froze on the spot.

"Fifteen – thirty," –everyone's eyes widened as Shizuru found herself unable to move from her spot.

"Mythology was always your ace card, Ru-Ru," Naomi played with her racquet. "Do you know the tree of life that Odin was bound to? That was one of the very first swords – there was no name for it except that so it became Yggdarasil."

Shizuru wobbled a bit as she winced at her left knee. The younger captain, hobbling her way to the baseline, wiped away the sweat pouring down her face as she made her way towards the baseline once more. Her auburn eyes stared sharply at Naomi who bounced the ball again and again.

"After Yggdarasil," Naomi tossed it in the air. "You should know the sequence of your mythology."

Shizuru winced a bit as the ball zoomed towards her. With the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_, the younger Hyotei captain returned it with double the speed and power. However, the next shot cracked in a ninety degree angle away from her and the impact of the ball blew a hole through the hedges.

"Miollnir," Naomi grinned while blowing away the dust from her racquet. "Do you remember that?"

Rin turned to Hitomi with wide eyes. "What was that? Is that a name of a giant or something?"

"Miollnir is the name of Thor's hammer in Norse mythology," Hitomi pressed the button, scanning through her notebook until revealing lists of supposed techniques belonging to Kotetsu Naomi. "That shot can weigh around almost 550 Newtons in hitting power. The Yggdarasil is supposed to mentally break your opponent whereas Miollnir is supposed to shock them and pummel down."

Haruka winced at the specifications of the technique. "Is she really someone of a thousand blades?"

"Perhaps," Hitomi closed her notebook while placing all her data collecting materials inside her bag. "I've only seen the Yggdarasil and the Miollnir. The rest remain unknown..."

"Thirty all," –Naomi grinned as Shizuru readied herself for another shot.

Nanako, shaking her head with a sigh, took a seat next to Isane while placing her crutches aside. "Honestly, I don't know what Naomi gains from all this. Why go through all this junk to bring her down?"

"Anything that Naomi does never adds up," Chihiro rolled her eyes. "The girl's just power hungry. Let's leave it at that."

Tsunami shook her head. "I don't think so. Naomi isn't easily irked by someone younger than her. In fact, she loves kids."

Everyone swivelled their heads towards Tsunami with a duh stare. "Are you serious?"

"I'm not kidding," Tsunami waved her hands defensively. "Sure Naomi's maniacal at times but it's rare that she ends up this way. It was only when she met Shizuru when she became a power hungry psycho. I mean – even Homura and Kaori found her okay."

Momo grunted with a cold glare. "She's never been sane. How can someone say she's sane now?"

"It wouldn't make sense that Shizuru became who she is today mostly because of her," Tsunami pointed out. "Think about it, Naomi gave her a push and Shizuru took it. Without that push, none of you guys would be where you are. Momo, maybe you will since you weren't really affected by her but the others. If Naomi hadn't shoved her, Mai would have never learned proper doubles play. Hyotei would have still been at the bottom thirty. Atobe Keigo wouldn't have anyone to piss off..."

Hitomi cleared her throat. "Actually, he has Ayane for that."

"I'm not his stress toy," Ayane screeched, causing everyone to wince at the volume. "HE HAS TENNIS TO TAKE IT OUT ON!"

Kiyone swivelled her head around while pointing in the air. "I see stars..."

"I think I'm deaf, _kuwee,_" Rin whined as she cleaned her ear. "We're not in a concert, Yane."

Tsunami snapped her fingers while pointing out to them. "So there's probably some ulterior motive that we don't know about. Naomi was never open about those things. It's a bond that we'll probably never understand."

Momo narrowed her eyes. "Did it require breaking two best friends apart?"

"Don't make her come out as if she's some saint," Haruka jabbed her finger at Tsunami. "She's done nothing but try to destroy us!"

Yuri wagged her finger at Haruka. "Yet through adversity comes a stronger bond that can last even past the hardest obstacles no?"

Everyone fell silent upon Yuri's comment; the girls then turned to each other while the echo of tennis balls being hit became the only thing audible. Ayane opened her mouth to say something but nothing audible came out. Kiyone simply swung her legs while Rin stared at the floor, crestfallen. Hitomi narrowed her eyes as Momo curled her hand into a fist.

"She has a point," Isane finally piped up. "We can't deny the fact that Naomi did weave this whole web for us. But that doesn't change on how she manipulated us."

Unohana nodded stiffly before turning back to the court. "Well, Naomi does have these unorthodox ways of dealing with things. To us they seem wrong but that's before we see the bigger picture."

Soon, they didn't hear an explosion on the court but rather a hard slam against something else. Shizuru fell backwards with her racquet rattling behind her, despite her efforts to dig her heels into the ground. Naomi on the other hand simply twirled her racquet while yawning mockingly at the junior.

"You weren't even worth my breath," Naomi scoffed while tossing her racquet up into her hand. "You were nothing until I took you in. You were supposed to be my little doll yet, when did you learn how to think for other people's welfare? Winning is all that matters!"

"Winning is nothing when the sacrifice surpasses the value of the victory," Shizuru managed to cough out, throwing Naomi off guard.

Folding her arms with a snort, Naomi raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Victory does come with a few sacrifices."

"Yes but you made me believe that everything was worth sacrificing," Shizuru narrowed her eyes while dusting her skirt. "The friendships I have built are not worth sacrificing!"

Naomi gleefully sniggered. "Really – how sure are you that they're really your friends?"

Shizuru shook her head. "I don't need to prove it to you. Because I can sense it, that's what you never liked about me now was it," –she smirked as Naomi's face slightly paled. "I could sense other people's emotions. I don't fight it out of them if they don't want to tell me; that's just plain rude. But I know deep down that despite their insane tactics to keep me on the right track, it's all because we're one big family. We may not be as competitive as Seishun Gakuen but we know when to give it our 200 percent. That's what having friends mean. No matter what, win or lose – we're stuck to each other."

"You never understood that value," Nanako murmured as she glanced at Naomi. "You always thought being alone was the best way to deal with things. In the end, Shizuru had always won."

Naomi however didn't reply but slowly started to giggle to herself as she picked up the ball. "Well then..."

Shizuru stared, slightly taken aback as a big black raven showed up behind Naomi with swords for feathers.

"I'm gonna make you realize how naïve you are," Naomi chuckled as she tossed the ball. "Get ready!"

As the ball sailed from Naomi's side, Shizuru flashed towards the shot and returned it with a driving backhand to which Naomi attacked with a double fisted backhand. As Shizuru returned it with a forehand, a malevolent smile appeared on her face as she positioned herself with a very low stance.

"That stance is too low for a shot," Haruka squinted her eyes. "How is she going to do that?"

"With enough spring force," Mai eyed her carefully. "Wait a minute, this is..."

Fair enough, Naomi sprung up with a driving smash towards Shizuru and let the shot zip right past the girl's cheek.

"Forty – thirty," everyone gaped in awe as Naomi twirled her racquet around.

"The Aegis," Shizuru noted as she shook away the daze. "You based it off on how Athena was born. She sprung directly from her father's head and became the wielder of his Aegis..."

Naomi started clapping her hands with a smirk. "Not bad, you figured it out but I wonder – how you'll last against the others."

"You passed on your teachings to me," Shizuru changed her stance. "There has to be one thing I learned..."

Momo's eyes slightly widened. "Wait a minute, what she doing with her feet?"

"Backward, Forward, Backward," Mai's eyes widened as she watched Shizuru jumped backward and forward soon followed with left and right. "This is her... Kali Step..."

Naomi snickered while raising an eyebrow at Shizuru. "So, this is what you get for being sent to the Philippines as a little kid?"

"Honestly," Shizuru narrowed her eyes. "They're good people. They have talent – it's just sometimes, people from other countries are so arrogant that they love discouraging people a lot."

Naomi tossed the ball into the air, glaring holes into the younger captain. "Tch, show me what you've learned then!"

As the ball zoomed across, Naomi charged down leaving Shizuru forced against the baseline.

"Game, Kotetsu: one game to two!"

Atobe leaned against the wall. "Here comes the counter attack, Kurenai. Make sure you're walking after this."

Despite sweat falling into her eyes, Shizuru managed to zoom for the shots. Beads of sweat trickled down both of their faces with hair strands flopping on Naomi's face.

"Crushing you," Naomi grinned evilly as she tossed the ball into the air. "This will be so much fun!"

Shizuru waited for the next shot as the serve came crashing down on her side. With doubled power, Shizuru sent the shot zooming towards Naomi who then still had her _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ running for her. Naomi easily backhanded the shot which Shizuru bounced back to return it at a weaker force to avoid the strain. However, Naomi let down a drop shot and forced Shizuru to flash towards the front to return it. But the moment Shizuru lightly lobbed it over; Naomi towered above her with a maniacal grin.

"Miollnir," Naomi smashed it straight at Shizuru, sending the lankier girl to the floor.

Ayane jumped from her seat. "What the hell is your problem!"

"Shizuru," Haruka held her breath while cringing at the echo of the smash.

Isane hid her face. "I can't watch..."

Nanako bit her lip while wringing her hands. _What are you going to do now, Kurenai? Will you let Naomi shatter you or will you climb up the wall that you were afraid to climb?_

Shizuru weakly clambered to her feet while she winced at the pain shooting from her feet and knee. _I don't have long... do I now...?_

Momo glanced at her watch and then at Shizuru's fallen form. "It's barely the third game and she's dropping. Her knee won't last another five minutes. Any more than that – she'll cripple herself and render herself useless," –seeing Shizuru's eyes widened, Momo let a small smirk grace her lips. "She won't be of any use to the team against Rikkai Dai or Seishun with that busted leg."

Seeing Momo's glint, Naomi narrowed her eyes at the _Shinigami_. "What does she plan on doing? That's practically goading her..."

"Come on," –Naomi's head snapped towards the bleachers, seeing Shishido gripping the fence hard. "Shizuru, do you remember what you told Ohtori years ago! Come on; show me that same insane martial artist kid who beat up the Martial Arts club members who harassed her!"

As Naomi turned back to the gasping girl, her eyes widened in horror as Shizuru's eyes glinted differently.

"To you, we are nothing but pawns," Shizuru flipped her racquet around with her eyes burning angrily. "But in the end – when you look at it. It's you who has lost. You're nothing but an egotistical brat!"

Shishido's eyes widened but smirked at one point. Seeing Shizuru angry sent shivers down Ohtori's spine and Gakuto leapt behind Oshitari with a twitch. Atobe folded his arms with a small smirk.

_It's rare for you to lose your cool like this,_ Atobe narrowed his eyes at the younger. _However, how far will your bravado get you?_

Shizuru tightened her grip on her racquet as the two started attacking each other once again. With the Raven rising from behind Naomi and the Phoenix lunging alongside Shizuru, the two birds soared into the sky as they throttled one another. The ball zoomed back and forth as Shizuru started increasing her spins. Shishido watched the ball fly towards Naomi as he rubbed his eyes.

"I can't see anything anymore," Shishido shook his head. "I'm serious! I'm going blind!"

Ohtori followed Shizuru's footwork as the younger captain dashed from place to place and return the ball, regardless of the distance. Soon, the ball zoomed even faster which forced Shizuru to flash back and forth. Nanako glanced at Naomi whose face contorted with anger while Shizuru's knee swelled badly, checking her watch as the two battled it out.

"Anyone would give a million for this match," Yuri played with her hair.

Unohana blew up a bubblegum, playing with her hair. "That's if – they don't know the story behind it."

Chihiro glared at Naomi while crushing her steel ring. "Damn that woman, she's such a busted psycho that she's willing to drag everyone into it!"

"I'd understand if she were trying to teach Shizuru something," Tsunami shook her head. "But, this is downright insane...!"

As Shizuru returned the ball, Naomi's grin grew even wider and more evil as she attacked the deeper ends of the court.

"YOU DISASTROUSLY MISCALCULATED EVERYTHING," Naomi sent even lower and faster shots. "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE THAT GLORY AWAY FROM ME! I'M THE ONE WHO MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE TODAY, KURENAI SHIZURU! YOU ARE THE BRAT WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND...!"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes as her shots delved deeper on Naomi's side.

"No, you're the one who doesn't understand," Shizuru returned the shot triple the normal spin. "You always pushed everyone away; thinking you could handle everything yourself. I used to think that way too – that the world was always black and white. That time, whatever you said was white while everyone was black. In the end, I realized that you were the one in the dark. I will follow my own light – that is my creed. You will not trample on anybody else's creed anymore!"

Naomi growled as the spin disappeared from her line of sight. _As long as I can hear it, it shouldn't be a problem!_

"Sometimes your ears can be deceived by the noise," Shizuru smirked as skidded on the ground.

Naomi faltered as the ball zoomed past her again.

"Game, Kurenai: three games to one!"

Ayane punched the air. "Come on, Shizuru! Hand it to him!"

The captain nodded but the moment she took a step forward, Shizuru collapsed under her own weight. Everyone stared in horror as Haruka jumped over the fence while the whole team came trailing behind her to check on their injured captain. The boys even left their stand to check on Shizuru's walking condition. Atobe glanced at the soreness of Shizuru's leg before shaking his head.

"Sanada already knows this," Atobe turned away. "Kurenai, you're doing the same thing he did..."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow at Atobe. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Kurenai," Atobe checked his watch. "You were supposed to last only for thirty minutes."

Everyone's eyes widened as Atobe pointed at the watch. "Check your watches and see how long it has been..."

Oshitari clucked his tongue while averting his eyes from Shizuru. "It's already been forty five minutes..."

Atobe let out a bitter chuckle. Shizuru didn't even wince at the pain her leg suffered at that moment while her teammates were telling her to forfeit. Haruka took out a bandage as she started wrapping it around the younger girl's leg while Kiyone ran with a small call of coolant spray. Ayane shook her head and began wagging her finger at the captain who smiled sheepishly. Shishido on the other hand whacked Shizuru on the head, snapping at her not to do something so reckless. Ohtori yanked Shishido's jacket to calm him down however, the capped regular still managed to shake Shizuru silly.

"Kurenai, is this match really worth your career?"

Everyone fell silent on Atobe's words as she faced him with a determined look.

"I'm not going to fall back because of this," Shizuru struggled to stand up properly. "If I don't defeat her now, when will I do so? If I hide this problem under the rug, it gets bigger right? Stop it while it's early. That's how it goes right?"

Atobe nodded as he handed her racquet to her. "You're reckless, Kurenai – but that's what's going to get you on to the top. Beat Kotetsu."

Shizuru smirked and bowed. "Of course, it would be disgracing the name of Hyotei if I lost now wouldn't it?"

As Shizuru managed to limp towards the baseline, Ayane walked up to Atobe and shook him silly. "Are you insane! Do you want her to be on a wheelchair for the rest of her life! What the hell is wrong with you! You could've stopped her!"

"No he wouldn't have," Oshitari shook his head. "Once her mind is set on something, she will not stop. That's just the way she is."

Atobe took a set on the bench as he folded his arms. "Kurenai had the same set of eyes as he did. _Ore-sama_ already knew that she and he were too much alike in terms of ideology. Finish what one has started. She will not stop even if her leg must be sacrificed. That was not part of Kotetsu's ideology because hers meant pushing all the people away. In this case, Kurenai feels that if she does not conquer Kotetsu then she will be the one dragging down the team. She's not doing this to satisfy her ego..."

"This is," Oshitari glanced at the court as Shizuru and Naomi faced each other down again. "This is to bring her team to newer heights."

Shishido bit his lip. "Shizuru's never been good about thinking about herself or for herself. Everyone around her is her first priority; when they're happy, she feels happy too."

"There's only one contradiction to that gentle side of her," Oshitari pushed his glasses up a bit.

Shizuru ran down the shot and slammed the ball with every force she had.

"Game, Kurenai: four games to one!"

Ohtori laughed sheepishly. "She always romps like a boy, right _senpai_?"

"Well, it did get her somewhere," Shishido shrugged his shoulders but saw the smile on Naomi's face. "I don't think she's trying to win anymore..."

Atobe let his _Insight _do all the searching and his eyes widened as Naomi took on the next serve. "Kurenai, watch your leg...!"

Shizuru, due to her injury, failed to pull back her left leg in time and the ball collided straight into her knee and sent her reeling back. Ruriko got off the arbiter's chair while Shizuru's teammates try to run over to her. Naomi on the other hand cackled gleefully as she stared down at the girl.

"Shizuru, stop it," Haruka pointed at Naomi. "She's clearly not the Naomi you knew! You're going to cripple yourself for nothing!"

"That's exactly why I'm going to win."

Haruka stared at her, dumbfounded. "Wait, what do you mean! She's getting physical!"

"Because she's not the Naomi I used to know," Shizuru gave Naomi a fleeting glance. "That's why I'm going to win. She's become nothing but one of those people who fight like rats when they know they're wrong. From here on out, she's already made herself he weaker one. If she were truly strong then, she would not need to give me a handicap."

Mai folded her arms. "She hasn't targeted your eye or anything that is part of your face yet. Normally, most players target the eye. She's saving you for something."

"Yes but at the same time making many unnecessary movements," Shizuru noted the sweat pouring down Naomi's face. "Because she is easily excited by knowing she has a chance to cripple me, she starts making many unnecessary movements since she's also trying to calm herself down. Sooner or later – she won't be able to perform all thousand swords unless she can perform them all at once."

Naomi tossed the ball and Shizuru immediately pushed Mai out of the way. "Here it comes!"

With an insane howling laughter, Naomi fired it deep while Shizuru dropped the shot several times. The two ran left and right as Naomi forced Shizuru to bend on her injured knee. However, Shizuru's _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ glowed even brighter while Naomi's slowly started to fade.

"That's odd," Isane glanced at the dissipating black aura. "I thought the _Hyakuren_ lasts longer depending on the user..."

"In this case," Mai placed her thumb on her lip, "Naomi's on borderline insanity. Her mind's not in complete balance. In emptiness, I find balance... that's how it works..."

Hitomi glanced at her notes as several states of the _Muga no Kyouchi_ were listed down. _It was rumoured that Shizuru could unlock the third stage without even going through the first two. Naomi however could activate all three. The thing is – which one would prevail?_

"Three shots," Naomi snickered as she started to glow. "You won't last anymore..."

Hitomi flipped through the pages of her notebook. "That's the..."

"The _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami_ [Pinnacle of Brilliant Insight]," Mai narrowed her molten gold eyes at the former captain. "She plans to throw Shizuru off guard. The last time she used the _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami_ against Shizuru, she couldn't live up to the prediction."

Oshitari leaned against his knuckles. "By then, Shizuru had learned how to block out her heart. I taught her that in order to get past other people when she tried auditioning for the club."

Atobe watched Naomi bring out an even more powerful attack than the last. "Here it comes... the Excalibur...!"

Naomi slammed the ball towards Shizuru which pummelled against the racquet strings and sent it flying.

"That was three shots," Jirou jumped up and down excitedly. "Did you see that shot?"

"It's a Jack Knife in forehand form," Atobe leaned against the bench. _Now, what will you do now, Kurenai? Without this win, there will be no victory for your team or your pride._

Rin gulped as she hung her head. "Shizuru, the longer she keeps this up – the more she won't be able to play against Rikkai Dai!"

"Your _Insight _is getting faster, Shimohi," Atobe smirked as he watched Shizuru forcefully push her leg to sprint for the ball, only to miss.

Ayane jumped up from her chair. "Shizuru, stop it!"

With a high jump, Naomi smashed the ball which sent Shizuru staggering back.

"Game, Kotetsu: two games to four!"

Naomi fired Shizuru's serve with return aces, one after the other. "This is the 'Ekidnu'!"

With even more force than Shizuru's serve, Naomi fired it towards Shizuru's body and mostly her knee. Soon, Shizuru found herself dodging the shots rather than returning it. The ball flew too fast even for her to predict where it would land. Naomi's body language became even more haphazard as her shots started targeting wild areas of the court.

"Game, Kotetsu: three games to four!"

Shizuru bit her lip while wincing in agony of her leg._ "_It looks like..."

Naomi raised her eyebrow as Shizuru put her fingers. "Two games..."

"I will beat you in two games!"

However, Rin bit her nails while squatting on the ground. "_Kuwee~,_ she has to beat her in two games!"

Haruka saw the bandaging slowly unravelling and showing the swollen part of Shizuru's leg. "Naomi's not going to buy that bluff. She knows...!"

"Rather, you have to beat me in one game if I put up a fight," Naomi grinned as her _Saiki Kanpatsu_ took on a more devilish glow. "Obviously – that little bluff of yours won't work...!"

Shizuru cringed at the pain as she tried to jump. _My Flash Step is the only thing that's going to save me right now. If I triple the normal speed, she shouldn't be able to put up a fight anymore but the question is – is the pain worth it?_

A longer glance towards her teammates would have shattered her resolve as Kiyone began to give her big puppy eyes. Rin bit her lip to stop herself from crying while Momo turned away. Isane clasped her hands together while Haruka cringed at the sight. Ayane punched the railings while Hitomi closed her notebook and took a seat. Mai however had a different expression.

"If you choose to sacrifice your leg for the sake of bringing us to the top," Mai gave her the 'L' sign. "Then, finish that sorry loser!"

Upon hearing Mai's words, Shizuru smirked and faced Naomi once again. "No – I will make sure you won't be able to fight back."

Soon, the ball cracked off Naomi's racquet and sent it towards Shizuru's leg but with the _Flash Step_ – the younger captain corded the ball to the other side.

"Love – fifteen," Naomi growled at where the ball had landed. _Where did she find the energy to keep that kind of speed?_

"One of the few things tennis players has a hard time doing is maintaining consistency," Oshitari smirked while watching Naomi struggle once again. "The form of a player suffers after fatigue and sometimes even through mental breakdown."

"However, it depends on how the players handle it," Hitomi noted as she watched Naomi score another shot. "At times, determination can make a person become superhuman. They can accomplish it as long as their mind sees it's possible."

With a smash, Shizuru ended the next game.

"Game, Kurenai: five games to three!"

Shishido whistled with a can of soda in one hand. "Four more shots, take her down!"

"Go Shizuru-_chan_," Gakuto rooted on. "Show her the meaning to "there is always someone better than you"!"

Atobe gave her a thumb down. "Show her no mercy. You are the Queen of Hyotei – live up to that title."

Shizuru nodded to the encouragement as Naomi went on haphazardly with her shots.

_No,_ Naomi found her shots being returned. _No, no, no,_ _why are they all returning! That's impossible! She should be crippled by now! Stupid brat – how can she keep on going!_

"It's for the sake of my friends that I keep going," Shizuru smiled bitterly as she saw the deciding shot coming towards her. "You always went on for yourself and that's what made us different."

With a slice, Shizuru sent the _Subera Kagerou_ with triple its normal spin towards Naomi and landed right by the net.

"Game and match, Kurenai," Ruriko announced proudly. "Six games to three! The winner is Hyotei Middle School division!"

Naomi stared until she started grinding her teeth together. "You little...!"

She sailed over the net with her racquet swinging wildly until Shizuru blocked it with her own racquet.

"You've completely lost your senses," Shizuru sadly hung her head. "I wish I could have done more to help you... Why didn't you tell me that you hated me so much? You should have faced me personally instead of getting everyone else involved. If it weren't for the manipulation – I would have still maintained my respect for you."

Naomi faced the ground with her head hanging low. "How were you able to...?"

"How was I able to," Shizuru raised an eyebrow as Naomi grabbed her by the collar.

"HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO MAKE THOSE PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I HAD TO DO TO MAKE THEM FOLLOW ME," Naomi breathed out heavily while her silver eyes glinted with malice. "You're nothing but a little brat to them yet they listened to you! You were this girl who could make a boy look shameful and could disgrace the entire team! Yet, they all followed in your suit! What did you do that I didn't!"

Nanako placed a hand on her arm while having Momo pry Shizuru out of Naomi's grip. "She placed her trust in them. You never learned the meaning of the word "trust". In the end, we all strayed away because of that. You unwittingly gave Shizuru something that you never tried to give us: your faith in us. In her former games, she did no such thing until Jyosei Shounan's match based on Lulu's report. Hence, she learned and I'm sure with that kind of trust – they'll surpass us and anyone who threatens to take us apart. You fell because you tried to carry the world on your own."

Naomi hung her head and refused to face Shizuru eye to eye. She then glanced at her hands before sinking to her knees.

"You're an idiot, Kotetsu."

Naomi found Atobe with folded arms. "Do you think Kurenai wanted to break you down? She forced herself to hurt you because you didn't know how to stop."

"Let me tell you this: Shizuru won't even kill a fly," Shishido folded his arms. "Right now – what you've seen isn't what she did to those jackasses back then."

Naomi chuckled bitterly. "Then I'm a fool, haunted forever by the shadow of her protégé."

"I didn't ask to be better than you," Shizuru extended her hand with a smile. "You made me who I am. You made the web that put us all together. But, let me handle this. Move on, _senpai_. It may be a dark road ahead but I'm sure you can find your way through."

Her words shot through her and Naomi couldn't help but feel tears falling through her eyes as she embraced Shizuru tightly.

-That's Chapter 36! Please tell me if you want a oneshot collections of the girls! It won't be connected to the story though. :D


	37. Heart Matters?

(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

Chapter 37 – Heart Matters?

After the match, Isane quickly headed off home to change and freshen up. Her hair slapped on the sides of her face as she rushed madly out of the shower. Clothes were thrown on her bed while she quickly threw out whatever perfume or cologne she could find. The sniper dug her drawer for her brush as she tried to fix her ruffled short silver hair. Her phone lay on her bed also, illuminated as it said:

_I've gotten permission to kidnap you for the day. Hope you don't mind. –Niou Masaharu_

Isane gulped as her face became beet red at the thought of what he may have done to get her to go out on a Friday. Her dad strictly enforced the rule that his kids shouldn't be going out on Friday's and usually her brothers managed to violate this rule because of one simple thing: police work. The eldest, Itachi often had to head out every Friday to patrol and the younger brother decided to join him. Isane preferred staying home and every possible way of trying to convince her dad to let her out seemed impossible.

So, what did he do that she couldn't or didn't?

However, the silver haired regular glanced at the photo from the newspaper showcasing Hyotei's newest talents. She purposely cut it out for inspiration and one regular there had a big red circle around him. Isane let out a sigh while taking a look at the photo mournfully. There, the capped regular of the Silver Trio stood out still with his long hair and the others standing next to him for their photo. Atobe of course took most of the attention with him staying on one side.

_I guess I never really had a chance with him now did I?_

"He smooth-talked dad," a voice came from the door, revealing a tall silver haired male. "Hey, what's with the sad face? You can't show your date that."

Isane gulped while taking a step back from her older brother while changing the subject. "You're serious, _nii-sama_?"

"No kidding," he sheepishly chuckled. "He's pretty smart to know how to press dad's buttons. "He was all 'I-hope-you-don't-mind-that-I-will-bring-your-daughter-out-to-a-swanky-restaurant'. Dad's been trying to get you to date someone for a long time now. He's been all – "my sons are trying to get themselves killed and my daughter is the only one who's sane"."

Isane sighed while putting on a pair of earrings. "Well, how do I look?"

"Can I say that I will shoot your date if he tries something funny," Itachi raised an eyebrow at Isane who pouted. "What? I'm being honest! As a police officer, I have every right to reinforce the law."

Isane sighed while looking away. "This is why I'm scared to get a date, _nii-sama_. He'll die before he gets home."

"Come on, I'm your older brother," Itachi whined while folding his arms. "Don't I have overprotective rights?"

Isane laughed as she saw the childish pout on her older brother's face. Despite Itachi being in the police force, he still had the attitude of a child. Unlike his sister, Itachi had long hair which he often had in a ponytail which a lot of girls loved to take note of. Isane recalled the times when he still studied in Hyotei Gakuen as the captain of the shooting range club. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine!"

"Sure you'll be, you're still swooning over the other guy who rejected your chocolates last year," Itachi face palmed as he gave the handbag to her. "I put your air-soft pistol in there."

Isane looked in with a sigh. "Nii-_sama_, you didn't have to..."

"I know that but if he tries anything funny you can just shoot him," Itachi sighed while opening the door. "Don't use it until you need to."

Isane laughed sheepishly until she found Niou Masaharu at the gate in an outfit that earned him swoons from almost every girl that passed by.

_Oh my God,_ Isane gulped as she fought the heat rushing up to her face.

Niou smirked as he extended his hand to the tall lanky girl with a smooth drawl. "Shall we go, Isane-_chan_?"

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Momo, inhaling deeply, drew her sword slightly as she glanced at the leaves in front of her. With this, her dark eyes narrowed as Momo jumped forward with a swing and had the leaf split into two. Relaxing her shoulders, the _Shinigami_ took a seat in front of the pond as the Cherry Blossoms started floating by. Nanako's words echoed in her ears but the _Shinigami _exhaled sharply as she managed to slow her breathing a bit.

"I didn't know you were continuing," a deep voice caused Momo to snap her eyes open.

Momo laughed softly although lacing her voice with a bit of frost, nearly drawing out her sword. "I didn't know you would go to my dorm for a visit, Sanada Genichirou."

The Rikkai Dai vice captain frowned with a snort. "You're pathetic..."

"Well, you are the Sanada's 'Ace Card'," Momo shrugged nonchalantly before standing up with her blade in hand. "To them, I'm just a woman who can be another baby carrier."

Shaking his head distastefully, Sanada extended his hand with a letter. "This is from the family. Auntie and Uncle also send their regards to you to have success in every endeavour you have."

_My parents,_ Momo raised an eyebrow as she opened it. "Oh, I haven't heard from them in awhile."

"They miss you," Sanada flatly stated. "Ever since you moved into Hyotei, they've been quieter at family dinners."

Momo narrowed her eyes back at the male, fixing her hair. "Less is more."

As she scanned the letter, Momo glared holes into it as her eyes slightly narrowed more with her forehead creasing. With one smooth move, she tossed it into the air and slashed it into four pieces while letting it be destroyed in front of Sanada.

"What did it say," Sanada raised an eyebrow at Momo.

The lavender haired female simply turned away from him. "Once you let them pinion your wings, you can never get them back."

Sanada bent down as he pieced together again the letter to find out the contents until the sword pinned down the last piece.

"What did it say," Sanada repeatedly coldly.

Momo glared at him, turning away. "It is none of your business."

"It's rare to see you flamed up," Sanada folded his arms while raising an eyebrow. "Most of the time it's about you..."

"Getting engaged to some other man who owns a dojo and must have at least three children and one must be a boy to carry the name," Momo gripped her sword tightly as she smoothly sheathed it back. "I may belong to a traditional family but that does not mean I am bound by their rules. I am not some baby carrier."

Sanada stared at the stabbed portion as he placed it in the trash can. "Running away does not solve anything."

"Do you think crawling back does," Momo coldly retorted back. "I do not intend to return to the family that shunned me in place of everything else."

Sanada let a smirk twitch on his lips. "You're being childish – you just want attention, don't you?"

"I wanted freedom," Momo pointed her sword at him with a dark gaze. "If I sought nothing but attention, that would make me unfitting to even have name 'Sanada Momo'."

However, a knock came from the door as a cheery voice came from the other side of the door. "Momo-_chan_, you ready to go? Lucky~, I get to play a game with Momo-_chan_ today!"

Sanada froze at the sound of the voice before his gaze darkened. "Do I know who that is?"

Momo brushed past him as she placed her sword back into the bag. "Who I go with doesn't seem to be part of your duties, 13th head of the Sanada family – Sanada Genichirou-_sama_."

"I am not talking to you as the head," Sanada's gaze somewhat softened. "I'm talking to you as a cousin..."

Momo stopped in her tracks before turning to look at him. "We nobles should not even have any emotions."

"Yet we are humans so we have the right to express," Sanada countered while trying to see who was beyond the gate, although he had a feeling he knew who it was. "He's known to be a playboy, Momo."

Momo chuckled lightly as she went to the door, slinging over her tennis bag. "Yet I was known as the failure, the runt of the Sanada Family – the weak link yet here I am."

Sanada did not say anything as Momo went out the gate.

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Shizuru on the other hand strolled around quietly as she tried to find a good place to play. Wincing at the pain her leg was in, the captain managed to pull over while recalling Naomi's words.

_"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE THAT GLORY AWAY FROM ME? I'M THE ONE WHO MADE YOU WHO YOU ARE TODAY, KURENAI SHIZURU! YOU ARE THE BRAT WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND...!"_

Those words screamed in her mind as Shizuru tried to shake them off. While walking, she soon heard the explosions of tennis balls being hit. As she got to the tennis courts, there was Fuji hitting the ball over and over again. The shots became much stronger and faster as he gave it top spins and even faster shots than ever.

"Wow," Shizuru stared in awe. _It takes me so much effort and this guy is doing it as if it doesn't bother him at all._

At this, he stopped as he turned to face Shizuru. "Saa~, it's been awhile Shizuru-_chan_."

Shizuru froze at the silkiness of his voice. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you..."

"It's alright," Fuji smiled as he beckoned her to take a seat. "Would you like to rally with me after?"

Shizuru pulled out her racquet with a smile. "I don't see why not."

As soon as Fuji finished up, Shizuru took her place on the other side. The _tensai _started off with the underhanded serve to which Shizuru responded with a quick volley in front but when Fuji too increased his pace, Shizuru suddenly started stumbling. The female captain slipped and nearly skidded across the court. Fuji opened his eyes with a small smirk; Shizuru went on and on as her right leg started protecting her left leg from exerting too much effort. Her shots contained only ground shots as of now as he soon found himself running around.

_Like Tezuka,_ Fuji chuckled inwardly as he sent another deep shot. _Their ideologies are almost the same if not completely. _

"Now I see what this is," Fuji smiled causing Shizuru to snap her head up. "How close do you think you are to the truth?"

Taking another forehand, Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the _tensai_. "What do you mean?"

"Would you believe a person if he told you that he loves you," Fuji's eyes gazed at her more sharply. "Would you try to understand how he thinks of you?"

Shizuru pummelled another shot down the line. "I would believe but not try to understand..."

"Oh," Fuji's smile became wider. "Why is that?"

Shizuru let out a bitter smile. "It's because it's his reason and I feel that I would violate his privacy. That's all there is to it."

_Calm, collected and respectful,_ Fuji nodded while an image of Tezuka and her together appeared in his head. _Interesting thought – she's the only one who's managed to get a few words out of him instead of a monosyllabic response. I may have had but she's a girl. It's a different category._

A thump snapped Fuji out of his thoughts as he found Shizuru who slipped and fell on the floor, winning the _tensai_ the point.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard," Fuji offered a hand as Shizuru anyway stood up by herself. "I noticed something though..."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow as Fuji helped her walk to the bench. "In the camp, you were a little more refined than now. What happened?"

The younger captain smirked while she took a seat. "I guess it's been awhile since I've cast away my mask."

Fuji raised an eyebrow as Shizuru placed her racquet back into her bag. "Oh? I was wondering how the tomboy who met Tezuka that day suddenly changed personality."

Shizuru froze as she failed to disguise her surprise. "Wait... what?"

"You and Tezuka met before didn't you," Fuji pointed out, seeing that he got a surprise from her. "You were also the same girl who beat up those boys."

Shizuru gulped. _Oh no, I wonder if they're still there though._

Fuji choked back his urge to laugh at her expression. "You were the girl with the sticks right? Some of the seniors were wondering how a girl like you suddenly appeared out of nowhere to beat them up. I even heard Takesue-_senpai_ freak out and he was telling many of the seniors that there was an "insane tomboy out there armed with sticks"."

Sighing inwardly, Shizuru simply face palmed. _I think I'm gonna die of embarrassment when someone else finds out._

"Tezuka doesn't know this yet," –Shizuru's eyes widened even more as Fuji began to inwardly chuckle. "I wonder: Should I tell him about this or not?"

Shizuru jumped up to her feet. "No, please don't!"

Astounded by her sudden jump, Fuji folded his arms with a smile. "Why shouldn't I?"

"W-well," Shizuru stammered until she hung her head. "I promised myself..."

The _tensai_ raised his eyebrow. "You promised yourself what?"

"I promised myself that I'd be more of a lady when I got older so that," Shizuru bit her lip, realizing that she was playing right into his hands. "Maybe I wouldn't be so unsociable and violent..."

Fuji's ears perked up. "You were violent?"

"Pretty much," Shizuru laughed sheepishly. "I was worse than Ayane. She's more bark than bite. I was inverted."

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At home, Ayane lifted up a pair of barbells while she watched TV. Her arm still slightly swelled up but the moment the vice captain touched it, the image of Atobe Keigo pressing his water jug on her arm appeared which caused her to reel back in horror.

"Why am I seeing him now," Ayane shook her head vehemently while pitching the barbells aside. "This doesn't make any sense!"

When her barbells hit the drawer, one of the storage boxes popped out which revealed a small box full of pictures. When she picked it up, Ayane found pictures of her and Kiyone at the beach with her three brothers and two sisters. However, in that photo also showed a picture of a familiar purple haired boy with a mole right below his icy blue eyes.

_No way... That can't be right...!_

She started rummaging through her drawer and found a drawing. For a teenager, it was poorly drawn – then again, what do you expect from someone who was only three years old back then? The vice captain gulped when it was written with a very familiar saying:

_You'll always be ore-sama's princess. I'll be back, Yane-chan! Just you wait – we'll both be on top of the world!_

Ayane gaped at the picture before slumping down on her bed. As of now, the little kid she knew then and the older one whom she loved pissing off didn't seem to match. However, the picture showed the exact same feature as the senior did. Her emerald green eyes flashed with annoyance while she aimed face first into her pillow.

"This is new," a deep gruff voice caused Ayane to swivel up and find Ozuma picking up his barbells. "I didn't know my barbells grew legs and walked."

Ayane raised an eyebrow as Ozuma waved his hands. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"I'm sorry," Ayane punched her pillow while placing the picture into the drawer and kicking it shut. "It's just... there's this guy..."

"Is he the one who came from Britain," Ozuma folded his thick arms. "Honestly, the guy's a twerp."

Ayane chuckled at her brother's description. "Anyone's a twerp compared to you."

"Totally not true," Ozuma pointed out. "Soujirou isn't that big a twerp. He's a genius!"

"That's because he's got all the brains and the rest of us lot only got the brawn," Sai walked in with a bowl of pudding as Ozuma and Ayane gaped at him. "What? What did I do?"

Ozuma pointed at the bowl. "Is that what I think it is?"

Ayane whimpered as her eyes got glassy. "S-Strawberry pudding..."

Sai saw their faces as he pulled away. "No, no one's taking my strawberry pudding! This is the last of it!"

Ozuma and Ayane exchanged glances with one another as an evil smile appeared on their faces, causing Sai to pale.

"Oh come on," Sai inched towards the door before running out. "Soujirou, you gotta save me from this insane people!"

As the eldest brother ran out, Ayane and Ozuma hounded him for the last bowl of pudding.

()()()()()000000000000000000000000000()()()()()

Isane held her bag tightly while trying to walk properly in the shoes that her brothers said that used to be her mom's. In a skirt and blouse, the Sniper awkwardly inched along next to Niou who walked along casually with his hands in his pocket. She looked around at the square they were walking through as many of the people there were rich and elegantly dressed.

_How can they balance on those needles,_ Isane gaped while trying to maintain her peace despite being in a skirt.

"You're not used to it," Niou smirked as he glanced at the silver haired regular. "Maybe we should find something less... constricting?"

Isane nodded while dusting her pencil-cut skirt. The Sniper had half the mind to pull out a pair of scissors and simply cut some slits. Then again, if she did – her skin would be more exposed and the thought of that made her face extremely red. However, she found Niou pulling her over to another clothes store and her eyes widened when she saw the brand.

"W-wait, i-it's o-okay," Isane tried to pull out of his grip. "I-I can walk just fine!"

Niou didn't say anything as they went inside. Isane's eyes widened when she found the clothes hanging while a girl appeared in front of them.

"Haru-_kun_, where have you been," she hugged Niou who simply pat her back.

Niou smiled while pointing to Isane. "Hey Masaki, you think you can find some clothes for her?"

Masaki squealed while pinching his cheeks. "I can't believe it, my younger brother has a date!"

The silver haired Rikkai Dai regular sighed while rolling his eyes. "Masaki, as much as I know you're highly enthusiastic about the fact that she doesn't look like a fan girl, can you please find her some clothes? We're kinda late for our appointment, _puri~_."

As Masaki sped off, Isane stared at Niou. "Your sister owns a clothes store?"

Niou shrugged while smirking. "Yeah, she's really enthusiastic when I'm not going on blind dates."

_So he's gone with several girls already,_ Isane gulped while twiddling with her thumbs. _They're probably prettier than me too._

"Go on babe," Niou drawled while ushering her towards the changing closet. "I'll wait out here."

Thirty minutes later, Niou and Isane walked to the restaurant of their choice as they got the nicest part – right next to the piano. Although the restaurant was not what you call 'Atobe-level', the restaurant had a very nice ambiance that called for semi-formal clothing.

Isane no longer wore a skirt but a dress with a _bolero_ right over it. The light blue dress reached her knees just about right while she wore a nice pair of black flats. She shyly took her seat while Niou folded his arms with a small smirk. The silver haired female gulped as she saw his sharp blue eyes bore holes into her soul.

"I heard about your match with Ferero," Niou sipped his drink placidly. "How was it?"

Isane managed to force out a smile however she could feel the sweat trickling behind her neck. "It was good."

Niou chuckled as he noticed her beet red face. "You don't have to be so nervous. It's just us."

_That's exactly the problem,_ Isane forced out a laugh while their food came in. "So, shall we eat?"

Niou nodded as she started poking her food, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "You've never gone on a date before, haven't you?"

Isane froze right away as she started waving her hands. "I-I-I have...! It's... It's just that...!"

However, Niou's mischievous smirk caused her to cave in. "Y-yeah, you're right..."

"Well, try to enjoy the night," Niou smirked as he found the piano left unoccupied. "I have an idea though..."

Isane found him getting off the chair and taking his place by the piano. "W-what are you doing?"

Niou smirked as he started playing the piano. Girls quickly turned their attention to dashing and mischievously handsome male who started running his fingers on the piano keys.

_Ooo-hhhhh_

_Oooo-hhhh_

_Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shining._

_Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying._

_She's so beautiful, and I tell her everyday._

Isane gaped at what he was doing as every girl in the restaurant swooned at the sight of him. For a first date, Isane stared as many of the girls swarmed over to the piano as he gave them this mischievous smirk. Many of the girls were definitely prettier than her (in her opinion) and were even the right height. She looked at herself for a moment with a sigh.

_I'm just so freakishly huge..._

However, Niou extended his hand to her as he smirked at her.

_Yeaaah I know, I know when I compliment her she won't believe me._

_And it's so, it's so sad to think that she don't see what I see._

_But every time she asks me 'Do I look okay?' I say..._

Isane blushed immensely as he pulled her near the piano. She timidly took a seat next to him as she watched his fingers easily slide off the piano.

"You didn't tell me you could play," Isane stared at him as Niou gave her the mischievous smirk.

The Trickster simply shrugged at her. "You never asked."

_When I see your face (face, face) there's not a thing that I would change._

_'Cause you're amazing just the way you are._

_And when you smile (smile, smile) the whole world stops_

_And stares for a while_

_'Cause, girl, you're amazing just the way you are._

Despite it only being the first part and the chorus only, girls swooned over him immediately as he shook his head.

"Sorry, my date today is this lucky woman over here," Niou pointed over to Isane who blushed intensely at his words.

()()()()()00000000000000000000000000000()()()()()

The Mastermind on the other hand started rummaging through her things while running a few calculations. After recording each match, she discovered new parts of each of their playing styles.

Momo had a dark aggressive style when someone tries to defy the rules or hurt her "pride".

Haruka has expanded her vision and further developed her Doubles Play.

Rin has seemed to mature much more. Despite this, she still maintains her _kuwee._

Mai has finally found someone worth 'battling' and playing full force against.

Ayane has begun to strategize rather than ploughing down her opponent.

Kiyone somehow has developed her strength a bit more.

Shizuru has begun to show her "true" self.

Isane has conquered her fear of the net.

In the end, what does she have?

Hitomi bit her lip while running through the videos and the data once more. She leaned against her elbows as the echoes of tennis ball echoed in her ears. Letting out a sigh, Hitomi walked over to her cupboard and pulled out a bottle of beer. After recently getting a text from the Sniper who said that a certain Trickster was taking her out, Hitomi slumped on the bed with a sigh.

_Why couldn't she attract guys to her the way the other girls could?_

_You're too smart,_ that's the only answer she got. Most girls like her usually ended up with the other data masters of different teams but somehow – something felt wrong with that stereotype. Letting out a sigh, the blonde Mastermind leaned back until she heard her window scroll up.

"Thanks for letting me use your window, Hitomi," a guy cheekily smiled as he got in.

The Mastermind took another swig of beer while raising an eyebrow. "Kiriya-_kun_, what did you do now?"

He revealed a bandage on his nose while tossing back his spiky blonde hair. "Well, some guys never learn..."

"Do uncle and auntie even know what you're doing," Hitomi took another swig.

Kiriya rolled his eyes while pointing to the bottle of beer in her hand. "Do your parents even know that you drink?"

"Do they even care is the question," Hitomi mumbled before taking a look at the data. "There's a 99.9 percent chance that they could care less that I'm popping this into my mouth."

Kiriya sighed while sitting on her bed. "You know, guys do prefer girls who don't drink themselves dead and whether they're dumber than them or not, some just don't care."

"Unfortunately, 85 percent of the male population in Hyotei do care whether or not their girlfriend is smarter than them," Hitomi ran the statistics. "They think that having me as a girlfriend would just have their brain popping in all different directions."

Kiriya raised an eyebrow. "Hey, that Sanada girl's also a brainy."

"She has the tough look to back her up," Hitomi folded her arms while watching another video. "There's a 70 percent chance that your parents will find you here whether or not they enlist the help of your gang members, Kiriya. May I suggest hiding somewhere less obvious other than my room?"

The blonde boy sighed as he got out the window. "Well, think about it – maybe yours is still out there."

Hitomi didn't grace him with a reply as she continued looking through the data.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Kiyone stroked Aidan's fur as he started wagging his tail with a cheerful smile on her face. On her lap, she had a big bowl of pistachio ice cream and a huge mug of coffee on her left side. The remote sat on one side while she watched Glee on TV that night. A big serving spoon sat in the bowl while her eyes remained glued on to the TV.

"Oi," Getsugan Yumi came from the kitchen. "What did you do to our whole bucket of...? Ah!"

Kiyone had already started shoving the spoon into her mouth. "Oh, dif waf youp, mami?" [Oh, this was yours, mommy?)

Her mom scratched her head. "Kiyone, I need that at night! I take it with my coffee!"

Kiyone gulped it down while shoving it into her mouth. "Oh well, more for me."

Sighing, she narrowed her eyes at Aidan. "Aidan, get off the couch. You know you're not allowed there."

The dog literally gave her the puppy eyes as he snuggled near Kiyone. Her mom sighed while taking a seat next to the sandy blonde haired girl.

"Hey mom," Kiyone swung her legs back and forth. "Aidan needs his shots soon."

The dog suddenly perked up and stared at Kiyone as her mom shrugged. "That depends – when do you not have a tournament?"

"Right now," Kiyone grinned as her mom sighed.

"Haha, very funny," she folded her arms while sticking her own spoon into the bowl of ice cream. "So, when do you want him to have his shots?"

Kiyone cocked her head to the side. "Maybe this weekend?"

"Sounds good to me," Yumi grinned while spooning another scoop of pistachio ice cream.

Kiyone, remaining silent for a moment, jumped up with an idea. "Hey mom, can we go to Osaka for the summer?"

Her mom raised an eyebrow. "Osaka – of all places, why there?"

"I want _Takoyaki_," Kiyone grinned childishly, waving her arms around. "They have the best _Takoyaki_ in all of Japan!"

Her mom raised an eyebrow. "Really – who taught you that?"

"Shirai-," Kiyone clamped her mouth shut, realizing what she was about to say. "Purple-_senpai_ taught me!"

With a good humoured chuckle, Yumi folded her arms. "I don't remember the name of your purple haired _senpai_ being Shirai-something Momo."

Kiyone let out a small "eep". _Oh no, my mom doesn't know about __**him **__yet!_

"My my," the older woman chuckled, seeing that she caught the freshman red handed. "It seems you met someone and are not telling me anything."

Kiyone twiddled with her thumbs. "He's just a guy I met in Tennis Camp! No, what I mean is...!"

"I thought you wouldn't meet guys until you were 40," her mom raised an eyebrow.

Kiyone slumped on the chair while sighing. _Oh no, I'm gonna die...!_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Mai on the other hand started looking through the documents with her parents while an easel stood on one side of her room. Pieces of cloth draped themselves on her chair while spools of thread and a sewing machine were left unattended to. Pictures of clothes hung loosely on their pins on the cork board and a paint brush set started to dry up as the _tensai_ stared straight up at the ceiling.

"Hmm," Mai chuckled lightly to herself. "What would be nice to wear on a summer day?"

The door slammed open with another girl rushing in. "Mai-_chan_," – a little girl rushed in while waving her sketch in front of her. "Do you think Auntie and Uncle will like this?"

Mai took the drawing while stroking her chin. The little girl had drawn a picture of her dress of choice. Unlike most summer dresses that came in a tube, this one had an "x" made from the straps and it was white with yellow printed flowers. The _tensai_ sighed for a moment before pulling out her drawing book and started sketching.

"Mai-_nee-chan_ is thinking about a guy," –the little girl innocently smiled back at Mai which caused the said _tensai_ to chuckle.

_Well, being a genius does run in the family,_ Mai ruffled the small girl's hair. "Yes and no, he's quite busy with his own thing and so am I."

The little girl shook her head. "But wasn't he in the party last time, Mai-_nee-chan_?"

Mai giggled at her younger cousin as she glanced at the picture again. "It's very nice, Kari-_chan_. Show it to my mom and dad. I'm sure they'll want to take a look at the design."

Watching the little girl happily skip away with the drawing in hand, Mai looked at the calendar which was marked for each match. Their match with Rikkai Dai will start next week and by then, they would have to be pulled out of class. Mai exhaled in relief as she glanced at all her finished homework on one side. All that would just need to be on the teacher's desk before the match started. After that, there would only be one contender left: Seigaku.

_Seigaku's known for their brutality in playing style, _Mai glanced at the magazines. "Seigaku is barely what anyone calls 'violent' but it's the brutality in their playing style. They don't physically do harm – it's all within their strategy to destroy someone."

Flipping through one of the pages, Mai found an article about each of the top best players in the women's division and the men's division. Both were in separate articles but Mai snorted when she glanced at her ranking. Unlike some of the boys' teams, their girl counterparts did much better than them.

_15? Well, it's hard to find a challenge out there, _Mai chuckled inwardly while looking at the consistent top five.

_ Fuuka – Seishun Gakuen_

_ Shizuru – Hyotei Gakuen_

_ Natsuki – Shitenhouji Chuu_

_ Ai – Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu_

_ Florence – Jyosei Shounan_

While Mai flipped through the pages, she took note of each of the articles written about them. Fuuka's profile showed a picture of her going for a deep forehand.

_Souma Fuuka, current captain of Seishun Gakuen's team, has been blazing a trail for Seigaku ever since she had taken the position. Rumour has it that she formed her own team before completely usurping the power from the former captain, Sanhyoujin Ami_ _with the help of the vice captain of that time – Shigetsu Kaori who then became a captain the next year with her as vice. Before her, Seigaku could not even win through the district meet and would only manage to win the consolation matches. However, Souma has shown the drive and talent to may be able to keep in par with Yukimura Seiichi of Rikkai Dai especially putting up a strong rivalry against Hyotei's current captain – Kurenai Shizuru. The young girl also participated in the Kansai and Kyushu Regional games as a single participant. She is known as the girl who has set the Japan's fastest forehand which is clocked at 150 mph and almost the same speed as Uchiha Isane, Hyotei's Sniper, serving at the speed of 180 mph._

Mai whistled while looking at the picture. _She had the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami running. It doubles returns so everything is multiplied by two – including speed._

The next page on the other hand showed Shizuru glowing with the _Teni Mu'hou _and going for an aerial smash.

_If anyone said that one should not underestimate angels, it definitely applies to Kurenai Shizuru. Even with a sweet face, Kurenai demolishes all her opponents without needing to reach the requirement of seven games. She is, as Kotetsu Naomi noted, Hyotei's guardian angel – seeing that the boys also had a few ace cards of their own. With Atobe Keigo taking on Japan by storm who took the captaincy in first year, Kurenai started her year the moment she defeated Shigetsu Kaori in the Regional games and Souma Fuuka in the Nationals. She is one of the very first females to unlock the Teni Mu'hou asides from Seishun Gakuen's Souma Fuuka and Shigetsu Kaori and Rikkai Dai's Yukimura Ai. Kurenai may not have Souma's strength but her level of skill rivals that of Seishun Gakuen's Tezuka Kunimitsu. Her shots will leave anyone staring and gaping as it appears in one place and then another._

Mai shook her head while turning towards the other pages which revealed Amakusa Natsuki, Yukimura Ai and Hoshimura Florence on one page. The pages then showed each of them revealing their signature techniques such as the Blue Flash by Hoshimura Florence, Serpent's Coil by Amakusa Natsuki and last but not the least – Yukimura Ai's Puppet Dance.

_Bringing Shitenhouji to the top was no easy road for Amakusa Natsuki. The girl is known also as one of the Three Angels due to her power being highly focused on flexibility. Amakusa puts most acrobats to shame especially when it comes into comparison of Seishun Gakuen's Tashiko and Hyotei Gakuen's Shimohi. As one of the champions of the Kansai District, Amakusa is often sought for by Maikozaka Gakuen and is the only rival considered by the latter's captain – Kouranskonova Audrey. Shitenhouji has always had the runner up position ever since Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Gakuen have been fighting for the top position and Amakusa may be the answer to the school's prayers. While many consider Shitenhouji to be one of those qualifiers, Amakusa gives the school a new reputation to live up to. Her Serpent's Coil is a deadly combo that only a few have the answer on how to defeat it. _

_Wow, Amakusa's really pushing it hard, _Mai highlighted one of the paragraphs. "Kouranskonova used to be part of the Top Five but got displaced by Amakusa on her first try..."

_Who said only her brother could play exceptional tennis? Yukimura Ai has risen very far despite many placing her in the shadow of Yukimura Seiichi. Ai is highly known for manipulative play in which she controls her opponent's movements during the match. Even her older brother has noted that she has come very far indeed for her to make Rikkai Dai one of the top seeds in Japan next to Hyotei and Seigaku. Unlike the top three women's players, Yukimura holds a cheerful disposition and many would deem her tennis known as "Child Tennis" due to her constant smiling and cheerful outbursts. Although she and Kurenai both have smiles as an asset to their play, Yukimura is less unnerving as noted by many of her opponents while Shizuru's is more like "begging them to go insane". A difference to the top three is that Yukimura only started five years ago start her tennis play and proves to be quite exceptional at it, making her a candidate for the National Team._

"Well this is Yukimura-_kun_'s sister we're talking about," Mai giggled lightly while checking Hoshimura Florence's article.

_According to Hoshimura Florence, Jyosei Shounan would have been at least third place if not for the sudden arrival of the new ace players for Hyotei Gakuen and Seishun Gakuen. Despite her frail health, Hoshimura is one of the few to rile up Kurenai in a tennis match as witnessed in the district matches and even be considered a worthy rival by Souma Fuuka in which not many are considered especially in the Junior Tournaments. "Being raised and trained in England does have its advantages," she noted in one interview. "However, the people here in Japan are truly a different story compared to those who play in Britain. For one, Souma's strength and style is something I have never encountered before, Kurenai's hasn't even fully realized her potential yet, Yukimura is still under her older brother's tutelage and Amakusa as they say is highly flexible. You don't see that in Britain at all." _

The tensai threw the magazine aside while picking up her tennis racquet. All the schools were bringing out new ace cards and some of them were even more dangerous than what was expected. The red haired girl opened her phone as she scanned through the pictures that she took during Seigaku's match. While many wouldn't deem complete destruction necessary, the end result of Shibuya Rangiku's opponent looked like something only Kirihara in Devil Mode was capable of. She narrowed her eyes as the thought of her senpai playing the junior crossed her mind, coming up with nothing but a bloody image. Watching Isane getting totalled by Sunamyou Shina sent her blood boiling and now, Momo had to fight another demon. Although she knew the _senpai_ could hold her end pretty well, Mai bit her lip as she found Yamabuki's captain, Kuga Retsu turning into a bloody pulp. Letting out a small sigh while looking at the medals hanging on her shelf, Mai stared at the ceiling before jumping out of her bed.

"I got it!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Haruka sighed while pressing the buttons on the calculator as balance sheets and income statements lay in a pile. She stared at it for a few moments before clicking a few buttons. Papers were strewn all over the floor and a pencil mounted itself on her ear while a desk light lit up a dark room. A cup of coffee simmered next to her while the pink haired half of the Twin Dragons slumped on to the table.

"Accounting makes the whole world miserable," Haruka banged her head on to the table. "But I have to do this! Otherwise, the crazy governess is going to make me do not just the company's books but everything else with it!"

"Maybe you should ask your beloved marble to help you," a sarcastic sneer came from one side. "I'm sure he's better than you in math, dearest."

Haruka shoved herself away from the table as she turned around to face Ino. "I don't know what in the world is wrong with you... Why do you like making people miserable?"

"Not people," Ino tousled her strawberry blonde hair. "I just love making you miserable."

Haruka folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "You want the companies? Take it – at least you and mom have something to live on. Unlike you, I know how to work from ground zero."

Ino chuckled haughtily. "Really now, the Hikifumi's favourite girl knows how to grovel and beg?"

"I ask kindly; I don't need to beg," Haruka sighed while taking a seat on the chair. "What exactly do you want from me?"

Ino opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She stared at her sister for a moment as the pink haired girl continued running computations for money. Letting out a sigh, Ino took a seat next to her older sister while looking through the books.

"Give me," Ino extended her hand to Haruka.

Haruka stared at her queerly as Ino grabbed one of the books. "Honestly, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like," Ino rolled her eyes at Haruka.

"You don't need to stress yourself out," Haruka noted the dark rings under her sister's eyes. "It's not good for you."

Ino grabbed another calculator from her sister. "Thanks for caring but – I'll be fine."

Silence came in between the two as Haruka started computing and balancing everything out. Ino on the other hand had the income statements safely filed and ready to be returned to the company.

"I guess I got mad at the wrong person," Ino chuckled lightly as she took another Balance Sheet to fix. "Dad had no right to take control of your life."

Haruka raised an eyebrow before bitterly chuckling. "No kidding."

"So," Ino turned to her while extending her hand. "Shall we start over, _onee-sama_?"

Haruka ruffled her hair, earning a pout from the younger. "First off, call me 'Haruka'. I don't want to feel old and I'm not above you, most of all."

Ino smiled as she started pressing buttons. "So, how about your Goodwill Training Camp thing – what are you going to do?"

Haruka shrugged while glancing at the other records. "I plan to go but then again – my chances of being selected are slim to none."

Raising an eyebrow, Ino waited for her sister to explain.

"Obviously, Shizuru's gonna get chosen, Souma Fuuka's got a secured spot then Yukimura's also a good doubles player," Haruka leaned against her knuckles. "Besides, it's going to be a mixed thing so we're not sure of what's what yet."

Before she could add, Ino smacked the upside of her head with a snort. "Oh come on, that's not the Hikifumi pride! You're one of the best doubles players in the district! What the hell is wrong with you? Have the confidence will you? What happened to the sister I knew who taunted me by lying that she was the vice captain?"

Haruka widened her eyes for a moment before bitterly smiling. "I guess I have been lagging behind. Thanks, Ino."

"I just hate it when you fall into self-pity like that," Ino grinned. "Besides, sisters watch out for each other no?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Rin, concentrating on the bar, jumped up before swinging herself around. She flew into the air before catching the bar once again. Her dark eyes narrowed at the other bar in front as she tried to transfer to the other side. With a satisfied smile, Rin squealed as she managed to loop around the bar much faster than before.

"You seem to be having fun," a snarky voice came from below as Rin found Gakuto staring up at her.

The black haired acrobat tossed herself into the air as she squealed again. "Of course, flying is so much fun, _kuwee~_!"

Gakuto rolled his eyes as he folded his arms. "Geez, you're so immature! You know – even if you practice flipping around, you'll have to do it without the bar in tennis!"

"I'm not trying to invent," Rin narrowed her eyes at him. "You're such a meanie!"

"Well, you're the weirdo," Gakuto shot back before taking a seat. "By the way, your back's too elastic."

Rin stuck her tongue out at him. "I need that to contort in the air!"

Gakuto pointed at the floor. "Unless you want to snap your neck, harden it and strengthen your abs!"

"I don't have abs," Rin wailed as she jumped high into the air. "I have flabs yes, abs no!"

Gakuto face palmed as he got up on one of the bars. "You're supposed to be an acrobat – you were also the winner of the last competition why don't you get it!"

"Because I don't," Rin shot back with a sing song voice. "Besides, I just throw myself wherever I want to!"

Gakuto swung himself up while trying to make sure Rin did things right before breaking her neck. "You better watch it – you might snap your neck!"

"I'll be fine," Rin cheekily grinned as she hauled herself straight up in the air while Gakuto let himself down to make sure he can spot her properly.

_Geez, she's gonna get herself killed, _Gakuto wrinkled his nose as he watched Rin catch the bar with one hand. "Wait a minute, Rin will you get down already? You're freaking me out!"

Rin somersaulted and landed with two feet on the ground with a grin. "_Kuwee~,_ how do you like that?"

_Great, now she's smiling like that Kikumaru,_ Gakuto fumed inwardly while watching Rin go grab a bottle of water. _Then again, they're only friends – right?_

"Hey, why are you always so mean to Kiku-_chan_," Rin raised an eyebrow at Gakuto. "I mean – he hasn't done anything to you so what's your problem?"

Gakuto opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out as turned to see Rin's curious gaze. He faced away while downing a bottle of water and looking at the bar again. Sneaking a glance at Rin who simply stared back at him, Gakuto sighed as he got up.

"You want me to stop teasing you," Gakuto smirked before giving her a cheeky grin. "Try jumping higher."

Rin watched the magenta haired acrobat walking away while looking at the bar again.

On the other hand, Gakuto shook his head before recalling the time he had gone to the mall where there had been a huge crowd watching two familiar faces ice skating. He expected Haruka to be the one to skate around with her but in the end, he had found the _Heilongjiang_ with another acrobat namely – Kajimoto Takahisa.

_Tch, he's just another wannabe,_ Gakuto snorted before walking away and speak of the devil, Kajimoto bumped into him.

Kajimoto smiled politely at the magenta haired acrobat. "Oh have you seen Rin-_chan_ around?"

_Sheesh, he's on first name basis now, _Gakuto scoffed inwardly while begrudgingly pointing behind him. "She's there."

Walking past Kajimoto, Gakuto shook his head while inwardly smirking.

_He doesn't stand a chance..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Days passed quickly and left Rikkai Dai with Hyotei which they soon found themselves facing one another. Atobe stood in front of Sanada, face to face while many of the Hyotei members sought out for their rivals. Marui blew up a bubble while facing Oshitari and Gakuto while Niou and Yagyuu were left to face Shishido and Ohtori. However, Oshitari noticed an evil glare coming from the capped regular next to the tall silver haired _kohai_ who was trying to calm down the fuming Shishido.

"_Puri~,_" Niou raised an eyebrow. "What's this _baka's_," –referring to Shishido, "problem?"

Shishido balanced his racquet on his finger with a glare. "Do you have to ask an obvious question?"

"Well, I didn't know it concerned Isane," Niou grinned mischievously, riling up the dash specialist. "Besides, why get mad over that? You rejected her didn't you?"

_Whoever told him that is dead meat,_ Shishido felt his blood boil from the inside as he glanced at Niou grinning at him. "Anyway, let's get this game started."

Ohtori gulped as Yagyuu simply pushed up his glasses. However, no one seemed to notice that Atobe had his glare more pointed at Marui who simply blew up his bubble with a smirk. Sanada looked around while raising an eyebrow at the purple haired captain.

"I don't see the girls' team anywhere."

"All of a sudden," Atobe raked his fingers through his hair. "You're concerned about your cousin? Or is it... you're concerned about Kurenai?"

The Sanada male fought his urge to blush at the sound of Shizuru's name and the embarrassment of how right Atobe was. "I'm simply wondering; most girls' teams train alongside the boys."

Atobe scoffed while rolling his eyes. "Kurenai leans more towards insanity rather than magnificence."

"Are you saying that Tezuka's insane," Sanada raised an eyebrow.

Atobe chuckled darkly while snapping his fingers. "_Ore-sama _does not just say when he knows that it's true."

Sanada rolled his eyes as he sauntered towards the benches. "No one here today is to lose. Whether or not it's a real game, everyone must remember the law of Rikkai Dai."

Niou smirked while Marui narrowed his eyes a bit. He remembered his bet with Atobe while taking a small glance around the court. The Hyotei boys [particularly Shishido] looked ready to kill as they all stepped on the court. Although Yukimura did not show up, Sanada stood face to face with Atobe while glaring at the latter.

"Let the games begin, Sanada," Atobe smirked.

As the two captains walked off the court, Kirihara took his place on one part of the court while Hiyoshi took the other end.

"You ready to lose, mushroom head," Kirihara cockily grinned while pointing his racquet at Hiyoshi.

The _Enbu _ace simply snorted while looking away. "You're the one who's going to lose, seaweed."

Atobe got one of the non-regulars to referee for the match while taking a seat. _This match should be easy for you, Hiyoshi. Kirihara loses his cool easily after all. Anger blinds him from making the right choices... he will make a mistake. Find it and take him out._

Reading Atobe's eyes caused Hiyoshi to smirk as he started bouncing the ball. Kirihara grinned cockily while Hiyoshi tossed the ball up for a fast serve which flew back towards his left side with Kirihara's backhand. Changing his position, Hiyoshi reacted quickly to the next shot – causing Rikkai Dai's devil to fall over.

"Fifteen – love," the non-regular gulped at the speed Hiyoshi sent the ball at.

However, things were the same for the other side.

With the Kantou coming up to the semi-finals, Rikkai Dai and Hyotei Gakuen stood in front of each other. Yukimura Ai smiled cheerfully at the _Shikabane Hime_ whereas many of the Rikkai Dai girls shivered under the intensity of Momo's gaze. Rin giggled slightly while Haruka kept a straight face. Hitomi simply tilted her glasses while facing the data master of Rikkai Dai. Kiyone jumped onto Ayane's shoulders while sticking her tongue out. The vice captain on the other hand cracked her knuckles with a cocky grin.

"Wow, your friends seemed geared up," Ai giggled while raising an eyebrow at Shizuru. "Are you ready for this?"

Shizuru slightly nodded while glancing at the girls. "If they're like that, how can I not be?"

As the two teams walked away, Shizuru took her seat on the bench while Sakaki took his seat on the coach's chair. Momo however did not move from her spot as another girl came forward to face her. Hearing the ringing of the bell, the _Shinigami_ narrowed her eyes at her opponent.

"Great, I'm fighting a fucking pussy cat," the other girl sighed while playing the bell hanging around her neck. "Oh well, we might as well get this over with now," –her grin became beastly. "Shall we?"

Momo gripped her racquet tightly. _Rikkai Dai's Wild Dog – Inuzuka Miaka... I thought it would be somebody bigger... not a bigger bug._

"What's the matter," Miaka licked her racquet with a battle-thirsty grin. "The cat got your tongue or something?"

"Semi-Final match will now begin: Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu versus Hyotei Gakuen! Singles Three will now begin; Rikkai Dai's Inuzuka Miaka versus Hyotei Gakuen's Sanada Momo – game start, Inuzuka to serve!"

As Rikkai Dai's Wild Dog tossed back her gun metal gray hair, Momo narrowed her eyes at her stance. The _Shinigami_ felt her body tense at the sight of Miaka's gold eyes while trying to calm down. Without any word but with a slight jingle from the bell choker, Miaka fired the shot towards Momo's legs which the _Shinigami_ easily returned with a deep forehand. Miaka ran down the ball for backhand which allowed Momo to position herself for one of her techniques.

"Burst like Sound, _Oto_," Momo let loose a fast forehand which zipped past Miaka's ear and sent the girl to the ground.

"Love – Fifteen," –Miaka shook herself out of the daze.

Hitomi took list of Miaka while reading p the data. "Inuzuka Miaka, junior in Rikkai Dai – class 2-B, she was once part of the gang known as Wild Wolves which she became the leader of. However, she cleaned up a bit of her act when Yukimura Ai enlisted her to become a regular in the tennis team. She has a high aggressive sense of play and her style is almost comparable to Kirihara Akaya when he is in Bloodshot mode. Birthday is on March 11 and she highly dislikes cats."

"Their level of play is the same," Haruka raised an eyebrow.

Hitomi shook her he head while closing her notebook. "No, the brutality of their play is very comparable."

Momo returned the shot easily as Miaka sent a Jack Knife back towards her. Sliding over, Momo nullified the strength easily as she sent it slightly lobbing over the net.

"Thirty – love," Miaka chuckled while Momo managed to catch her breath.

_This woman's insane,_ Momo bit her lip while watching Miaka crack her knuckles. _I can't believe a junior like her is giving me a hey-day._

Miaka scoffed while looking at Momo with a sneer. "I thought you would be the one to bring me to my knee – Momo-_senpai_? You were this bitch that never learned..."

Momo narrowed her eyes while Miaka mockingly bowed. "I'm sorry Sanada Momo-_sama_, did I offend you?"

The _Shinigami_ said nothing as she stood up with a glare. "You know nothing about me..."

Shizuru glanced at Hitomi while the data master ran through her notes. "In Kanagawa, the Sanada family holds a very high position. Their family is said to be one of the nobles from ancient times and hence – had to learn proper decorum. They were upholders of the law; protectors of the imperial family. Soon, it became imperative that all Sanada family members had to learn _kendo_ and swordsmanship. Each would be made to learn under the Sanada head who holds all the secrets of the samurai as of now. Many of the other families had declined due to disputes."

"My guess would be that they weren't very nice to the women," Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

"Those jerks," Ayane folded her arms with a snort. "What era are they from – 15th century?"

Hitomi checked her notes. "Actually, minus seven centuries and you would have gotten it right. Now, the Inuzuka Family on the other hand have a past of their own – they were an assassin guild; aristocrats in the morning, contract killers by night. However, the Sanada family discovered a plot they created to murder the emperor and so... came the meaning to the "Howling Massacre"."

"Momo-_chan_ killed Inuzuka? Why is she still here? She's a zombie _kuwee~_," Rin tried to follow it while drawing lines in the air and flailing her arms.

Isane shook her head. "I don't think it works that way, Rin. Then what happened?"

"Though the records say that every Inuzuka was massacred by the Sanada family," Hitomi turned to the next page of her notebook. "Three Inuzuka family members were found alive namely – the youngest son who was still a baby at that time, Inuzuka Nagi and both of his sisters: Inuzuka Mitsuru and Inuzuka Yukari. While both sisters were very amiable, the son inherited the rage and hatred of the formers and thus – fled Kanagawa and stationed himself in Kyushu. There, he began reviving the clan and when the time was right – he came back with vengeance..."

Rin shrunk away while hiding behind Haruka. "Wow, grudges run deep..._kuwee_."

Hitomi continued while glancing at Momo and Miaka. "However, he did not slaughter – instead, he made internal disputes between them. 'Crush them with their own power' was what he said. Thus began the separation of the Sanada family into two parts – the Council and the Leaves. Momo belongs to the Leaves and no matter what her opinions are – she has to remain silent. Her job is to serve the next head of the household which is the 13th head, Sanada Genichirou. The same way her parents have to serve the grandfather and the eldest son of the family."

Isane thought about it while putting it back together. "So, what does this have to do with now?"

"Hatred runs deep through the roots, Isane," Hitomi watched Momo take a point from Miaka. "In today's times, we can't just bring out swords so they find another way to slaughter one another. Miaka is the personification of the hatred and vengeance of all the slaughtered Inuzuka while Momo holds the tainted nobility. Both of them have one common enemy however – that would be the Council."

Mai chuckled while leaning against the fence. "That explains her hatred towards Sanada Genichirou. But, the records are missing a few pieces of that puzzle such as the ones who gave the order to the Sanada family to slaughter the Inuzuka."

Shizuru swivelled her head towards Mai. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see," Mai pointed towards the match as Momo took another point.

"Game, Sanada: two games to love!"

Miaka inhaled sharply while glaring at Momo. "You think you're so high and mighty because you're a Sanada? You step on those who try to help others!"

"What kind of help is slaughtering one's ruler," Momo glared icily. "That is more treachery and as a Sanada, it is my job to take out those insurgents. If one does not uphold the law then, who will?"

Miaka scoffed while grabbing the ball from Momo. "You know nothing of the peasants who lived beyond the walls of the nobles, Sanada."

"You dogs know no loyalty," Momo scoffed while taking her place at the baseline. "To think dogs are man's best friend – you are the complete opposite."

Miaka gnashed her teeth together while pointing her racquet at Momo. "You will feel the fury of those who died, Sanada! Their blood is on your hands!"

"They were the ones who brought it upon themselves," Momo slammed back the service until Miaka smashed it straight towards her rib cage and sent the _Shinigami_ falling back.

With an angry growl and sneer, Miaka jumped over the net and stepped on her while pulling her jersey. "It's because of that person whom you call "ruler" is why everyone had to suffer!"

"Inuzuka, enough," a sharp command came from Rikkai Dai's bench causing Miaka to swivel her head towards Yukimura Ai who had a pleasant smile on her face.

"What game are we playing," Ai continued smiling despite the angry face of Miaka. "We're not on the streets, Inuzuka. Unless you want to run around the entire Japan..."

Despite being stepped on and kicked to the ground, Momo kept a calm face as she stood up and swiped Miaka's grip from her jersey. "It is only now that I've let your fang reach me. But, I will show you... the disastrous consequence to your actions."

-That's Chapter 37! I'm sorry for the late update. Guys, in the review - I need to know whether or not I should make a one shot collections like KoOri no HouKou. Thanks!


	38. Shogun Revenge

**Me:** Thank you everyone for your very supportive reviews! I love hearing from you guys to make sure my writing skills are still tiptop shape. Another is – please tell me whether or not you guys want one-shots for these girls. Don't worry; the Seigaku Girls have their pairings. You may also send in requests. Another is – for those who want to see them – here are the pictures: http:/ sabine286. deviantart. com/ [just without the spaces] Also, I do not own Prince of Tennis!

**LivesforTennis001: **Yes, Kiyone's mom was not kidding. She meant 40. That was definitely not a typo. Don't worry; Aidan will be playing a bigger role in the story later on! :D I know there are some similarities to Hoshikaze Shana and Getsugan Kiyone but there will be one thing that will set them apart. Shizuru and Diva both share the same ideology except their methods will be much different. I know Momo and Sengoku do not seem likely but someone does have to help the female lighten up. She's all about "law and duty" after all. In the future chapters, each of them will be focusing on their personal lives. About Hitomi however, I haven't gotten any feedback or suggestion who they want her to be paired up with so – I don't have a clue myself really. So any suggestion would be well-appreciated!

**Rayne567:** Glad to hear from you! I promise to update as fast as I can!

Chapter 38 – Shogun Revenge

"Yane," Kiyone jumped on the tangerine haired girl's shoulder. "Wakey-wakey, we're next!"

Ayane slumped against the wall while letting out a sigh. "I'm still pooped, five more minutes..."

Haruka handed her a glass of juice. "Here, I made this myself. Don't worry – it's not poisonous."

Ayane gladly took it as Momo and Miaka fought it out on the court. "I don't get it – why a sudden change in the rules? Isn't Doubles always first?"

"That's what we thought," Haruka glanced at the board. "I guess they wanted to follow the boys' format also since we're becoming a big thing nowadays. After Momo, Rin and I will be taking the stand."

Kiyone swung her legs while chewing on a piece of _wasabi_ eggplant chips. "Go purple-_senpai_ go!"

Momo jumped high into the air and brought down a smash which Miaka ran far back for a return. The _Shinigami_, eyeing the shot carefully, jumped back for a far backhand only to have her racquet strings stretched far back and nearly bent down permanently when Miaka released a knuckle shot.

"Game, Inuzuka: two games all!"

Ai silently watched Miaka keep up with Momo as she narrowed her eyes slightly while keeping a serene smile on her face. She watched the sophomore bare her fangs at the _Shinigami_ who didn't even bat an eyelash. Glancing at the other end, she noticed Shizuru restraining herself from calling for a time out. Ai sighed while pulling out the leash from her bag.

_Honestly, I never thought I'd use this,_ Ai sighed while looking at the leash in her hand before turning to Miaka.

Shizuru glanced at Momo who nodded at her before pulling back her arm for a hard forehand.

"_Daiichimakume,_" Momo narrowed her eyes. "_Kageyoshi..._" [**First Act, Grim Scenery**]

Miaka narrowed her eyes as she watched the ball multiply and spin with insane speed. Taking a different position, she revealed her fangs as she hit the ball straight on the frame of her racquet. With the same speed, the ball bashed through Momo's racquet – resulting to the strings to sustain more damage and snap. Momo tilted her head to the side just in time as the ball blew a hole into the hedges. Momo's eyes slightly widened as Miaka growled with wolf-like ferocity.

"It's an old assassin technique," she sneered at the female Sanada. "A technique that rips the flesh of their target..."

Momo bit her lip as a small drop of blood trickled down her forehead.

"The Piercing Fang," Hitomi took list of it while checking her notes. "In this technique, the Inuzuka use their wolf-like agility to tear through their opponents with their daggers. To make up for their lack of physical strength, they have the ferocity that matches an animal."

Rin gulped while pointing at Momo. "Yeah but Sanada are like statues, _kuwee_~!"

"That might come handy in the situation," Mai leaned against the wall. "After all, wolves are known for scaring their opponent. Devouring without any mercy... that's the way of the wolves."

Rin shuddered while jumping on Haruka. "Eep - Mai-_chan_'s talking figurative again, _kuwee_!"

Kiyone tilted her head to one side while trying to process what Mai stated. "So, Inu-_chan_ eats dog food?"

Everyone sweat drop at Kiyone's conclusion as Shizuru kindly tried to make it as simple as she could. "No, she meant... Inuzuka-_san_ thinks like an animal. She's not really one, Kiyone-_chan_."

Kiyone looked up for a few minutes and then clapped her hands. "Yay, I have two dogs now~!"

Isane sighed, defeated while shrugging at her captain. "I don't think she's going to even try understanding it."

"Maybe it's best she thinks that way," Shizuru shook her head while looking towards the court. "Hopefully, it doesn't blow out of control..."

Momo shook away her fatigue as she faced Miaka once again. _This feud ends here..._

Miaka licked her racquet while grinning evilly at Momo. "Well, well, what's next for you? Has fear gripped you hard enough?"

Momo narrowed her eyes while steadying her stance, watching Miaka's every flinch and twitch. "The first act will only bring its audience to the edge as the curtain falls for the second..."

Everyone gulped as Yukimura Ai narrowed her eyes slightly yet maintaining her serene demeanour. "Sanada Momo-_chan_ has always tried to outdo Sanada-_kun_ and had to stand Inuzuka-_kun_'s bullying. This match is not just a decision maker but also her only chance to turn away from the past that intensified her mercilessness. To get to the finals, Momo must learn how to defy the 'law'."

"If she doesn't defy the law now," Mai narrowed her eyes at the court. "Then, she's not going to get anywhere."

Rin gulped while glancing at the dark glare Momo cast to her opponent. "Haru-_chan_, do you think... Momo-_chan_ will have to go that," –emphasizing on the word **that**, "far?"

Haruka exchanged glances with the black dragon and then at the court before biting her lip. She felt her whole body tremble at the eyes of both players as their auras intensified. From where she stood, the Pearl Dragon shivered slightly as Momo's left side flinched a bit while her grip on the racquet tightened. The _Shinigami_ showed no trace of emotion on her face as her lips thinned at the sight of Rikkai Dai's Wild Dog but her eyes burned with enough meaning for Haruka to tell what was going on.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\()()()()()()()00000000000000000000000()()()()()()

On the other hand, the male Rikkai Dai team took their places as Kirihara Akaya took the first match of Singles Three. The black haired boy scratched his head as he mockingly tapped his racquet on his shoulder before pointing at the Hyotei team.

"Alright," Kirihara let out a cocky grin. "Which one of you sissies are coming up first?"

Hiyoshi narrowed his gaze before walking onto the court. "You're so noisy."

"Well, you're," Kirihara began to tap his chin. "You're..."

Gakuto nearly sputtered with laughter if not for Shishido's slap on the back. "He's good but at least Hiyoshi's smarter."

Hiyoshi snorted as he took his place on the baseline while watching the black haired ace's steps carefully. His eyes focused hard as Kirihara lazily strode towards the other end of the court with a ball in his hand. As the _Enbu _ace lowered his stance, Kirihara bounced the ball up and down with a cheeky grin.

"Well, never knew I had to face you," Kirihara shrugged lazily while tossing the ball into the air. "Anyway, time to finish you off!"

As the match started, Atobe folded his arms while turning towards Marui who sat on the bench while blowing up a bubble. His icy blue eyes narrowed while trying to focus on the match at hand although Hiyoshi managed to crack a forehand towards Kirihara and make the Rikkai Dai ace run around. Atobe grit his teeth while trying to keep his face straight while watching Sanada stare back at him.

"Oshitari," Atobe turned to the _kansai_ genius. "You're playing against Sanada today."

Oshitari raised an eyebrow as he folded his arms, lacing his voice with his thick _kansai_ accent. "Oh – what turned this on?"

Atobe scoffed at Oshitari's tone, focusing once again on the match. "_Ore-sama_ figured that you needed a better training partner is all. You can't keep playing the same people all the time."

"Perhaps," the _kansai _prodigy tipped his glasses a little before looking at the Rikkai bench. "Another rival has challenged you?"

Atobe, scoffing inwardly and letting out a low snarl, rolled his eyes before turning towards the courts as Kirihara smashed the shot right in between Hiyoshi's legs. The purple haired Hyotei captain glanced at Sanada who raised an eyebrow at him before taking note of Kirihara's mistakes which caused the Hyotei captain's forehead to crease. How could he keep a straight face? He smirked at what he saw in his Insight – especially finding out that his rivalry with another captain has intensified even further.

_Kobayagi's in complete denial while Kurenai is not sure how to react, _Atobe released himself from his Insight. He took a look at his cellphone, opening a photo he received from one of his fan girls which showed Marui and Ayane walking together in the mall. He remembered yelling at the said vice captain after she had come from the super market with a grocery bag full of things. A smirk graced his lips as he turned to Marui who began joking around with Niou.

_Kobayagi would never lower her standards just like that,_ Atobe chuckled darkly to himself. _Ore-sama will make her see that the red head isn't even worth her time._

"It's about Kobayagi Ayane-_san_," a small reply came from one side which caused Atobe to snap his head towards his ever faithful friend.

Atobe ran his fingers through his hair while smiling wryly to Kabaji. "Arn, why should _ore-sama _waste his time thinking about that insane banshee?"

"Kabaji has a point, Atobe," Oshitari folded his arms at Atobe. "You've been glaring holes into Marui ever since he first stepped into Hyotei. You missed out on your insane laughing match with Sanada which you two usually have when you two cross each other on the court and you're talking vague. In shallowness, there is depth."

Jirou jumped up; awake while staring intently at his captain. "Huh – well, Marui-_san_ is the greatest after all!"

Atobe once wondered why Sanada Momo always brought a huge bag full of coffee buns and vegetable treats only to find out later that she used it to make the smallest regular shut up. Somehow, her idea didn't seem bad but the thought and method caused him to let out a sigh. Oshitari read through him in one go although, the king had already expected this. However, Kabaji's soft reply pounded itself in his ears. He shoved his hands into his pocket while easing himself on the bench.

"Just concentrate on the match, Oshitari," Atobe averted his gaze from the _kansai_ prodigy but didn't even bother telling off Kabaji.

The _kansai_ prodigy continued to prod. "So, it's safe to assume that we can lose our matches if we want?"

"Of course not," Atobe snapped moodily while letting out a small huff. "_Ore-sama_ would shoot you there and then if you fooled around with these matches."

_A pride issue definitely,_ Oshitari smirked while glancing at Atobe's eyes. _Atobe, the others may be blind but I know what this is for._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\()()()()()()()00000000000000000000000()()()()()()

"Game, Inuzuka: four games to three!"

Momo slowed her breathing before glancing back at Rikkai Dai's Wild Dog, holding out her stance as best as she could. However, the wolf stared back at her with an animalistic grin which caused many of the spectators to shiver. The _Shinigami_ stood erect once again as she picked up the ball lying on her side of the court while checking all the places around them. Skid marks and some of the shots made heavy impressions on the court as the lines on the baseline were heavily scratched in.

"_Dainimakume,_" Momo pulled her racquet out as if unsheathing her sword. "_Mikazuki no Nakete_..." [**Second Act, Cry of the Crescent Moon**]

Miaka licked her lips while playing with her bell choker, letting a smile form slowly. "That's a pretty old technique. With a sword, that technique was created to turn a shield useless and shred an opponent into pieces. How do you plan to do that with me?"

"I will show you," Momo changed her stance into a _kendo_ stance. "This technique will show you the difference between you and I."

Miaka let out a wolf whistle while lowering her stance. "Bring it on, hypocrite."

As she tossed it into the air, Momo narrowed her eyes at Miaka's joints. She watched them move and twitch at whatever direction the ball may go as she fired it straight at the Wild Dog. Miaka leapt towards it but as she reached the ball, the shot curved up and created a wind blade that threw her off balance. As the Wild Dog could only lob the ball limply, Momo closed in on her with her eyes looking cold and dark.

"_Uncontainable like water," _Momo cracked the ball off her racquet. "_Sui!"_

"Fifteen – love," Miaka stumbled slightly as Momo landed gracefully in front of her.

Miaka scoffed as she stood up while recovering from her fall. "That was stupid; it was just a curve serve... so?"

"Like always, you are a fool," Momo turned away as Miaka walked towards the baseline.

However, as the Wild Dog reached the baseline – her whole body started trembling with sweat pouring down her face. Miaka roughly wiped her face before looking at her hand and then glaring hard into Sanada Momo. The _Shinigami_ despite the dark glare didn't bat an eyelash as she bounced the ball again and again.

"Do you hear it," Momo whispered fiercely while staring hard into Miaka's blue wolf-like eyes. "Do you hear your body crying in fear?"

Rin gulped before turning to Haruka and clinging onto her. "I don't wanna watch anymore."

Kiyone jumped up and down with a childish grin. "Yay, go purple -_senpai –_ beat her black and blue!"

Hitomi sucked on her finger before putting it into the air. "The wind seems to be lifting her today..."

"_Mikazuki no Nakete,_" Mai repeated the name while recalling the ball's path. "With a whip like motion, Momo creates a strong spin which causes the ball to snap back at the opponent. Using the impact, Momo shocks the opponent thus reducing their concentration."

Isane stared in awe at Mai. "How did you see that? That was something even we haven't seen!"

"With the second act in motion, fear builds," Mai folded her arms with a small smirk. "Anxiety takes over as it reduces one to no more."

Shizuru said nothing but took note of the senior's technique. She took a look at Miaka whose face contorted in anger and ferocity while letting out a slight shudder. Many people had once cleared out of the way when they entered but not out of fear; more out of respect. When Rikkai Dai sauntered in, the world stared at them as if they could freeze them in their tracks. The wind let out a wild lash at the opponent as she glanced at Momo who held her racquet in front of her like a blade. The _Shinigami_ positioned her racquet right in front of her as she lowered her stance while preparing for retaliation. Miaka on the other hand threw her racquet up into the air and held it backwards with a bestial smile on her face. Momo tossed the ball up for a serve with the same lash but as the _Shinigami_ prepared for another shot; Miaka smirked as the ball slid past her as slight shock splayed itself on Momo's face.

Hitomi glanced at her notes before checking Miaka's stance. "Miaka was not feared for her wolf-like ferocity... people did not take that into consideration."

Mai folded her arms while cringing a bit. "A wolf has the choice how to take down her prey... as of now... Momo-_senpai_ is now the hunted."

"Fifteen – all," Miaka grinned with her wolf fangs showing to everyone.

"Why does everyone think she scary," Kiyone tugged Shizuru's jacket while tilting her head to the side innocently. "She looks so cute."

Ayane stared at the smaller girl incredulously. "Are you out of your mind? She has fangs!"

"Unlike Aragaki-_san_'s, those are real," Hitomi closed her notebook before taking another swig of her concoction. "I knew I should have given Momo the Carrot Booster 7.0."

The team turned around to see the radioactive orange liquid which started glowing and emitting some opaque orange bubbles. Haruka held in her barf while Rin yelped before knocking down Isane who covered her mouth immediately. Shizuru twitched slightly while Mai chuckled nervously however, Kiyone stared amused and interested in the colour while Ayane gaped, completely horrified.

"What is that," Ayane pointed at it, inching away from the mug. "That thing looks like it can make someone into the Thing!"

Rin waved her arms in the air before letting out a slight yelp. "Hitomi, I think you need that more. You're the one with the glasses, _kuwee_~!"

"I've already done my share," Hitomi smiled evilly at them. "I had one whole blender this morning."

Haruka withheld her puke before turning away from the mug. "It's a wonder how you never got diarrhea despite everything you've been drinking."

_Or a damaged liver,_ Momo cringed slightly at the thought of the orange liquid as she returned the shot. The _Shinigami_ didn't sprint for a moment until Miaka fired a shot deep down the line which allowed Momo to nullify the strength and drop it over. However in a quick slashing motion, Miaka jumped into the air while sending the ball flying towards the female Sanada's body which forced Momo to sprint out of the way as it cracked a hole through the hedges.

"Fifteen – thirty," Momo glared at Miaka who simply smirked.

"I will break that sword of yours," Miaka grinned evilly before walking away. "That's why the era of the _Samurai_ ended with a failure. The assassins were stealthy and were companions with the shadows. Just like how we Inuzuka were companions to the dogs. You Sanada were slaves to the military!"

Momo stood up silently as she prepared for another shot. Miaka swung left and right as she tossed the racquet in her left hand before letting out a wily grin. Tossing it into the air, the _Shinigami_ fired a fast serve which Miaka countered with a flashing strike which forced Momo to drive it down with a volley. Miaka jumped in the air as Momo started searching around for her blind spot. Miaka dashed to one side with her back turned as Momo let out a small smirk.

"Never turn your back against your opponent," Momo fired the shot right behind the girl but was shocked when Miaka threw her racquet into the other hand in reverse motion.

"Fifteen – Forty, triple break," the arbiter and everyone stared in shock (sans Momo) that Miaka easily twisted her body to take a point.

The Wild Dog grinned at her while pointing her racquet at her. "You're the one who should know. Never assume too soon, Sanada."

Hitomi glanced at Miaka before explaining to her teammates. "Inuzuka Miaka is the only one of the Rikkai Dai girls who can play with both hands in reverse motion while combining fast strikes like a wolf. Unlike many players who prefer playing with their opponent, Inuzuka takes them out swiftly; striking down on every weak and blind spot they have."

"Chances of winning," Haruka glanced worriedly at Momo who heavily inhaled as she recovered slightly from attack.

Hitomi closed her notebook with a sad sigh. "They're dwindling into single digits now..."

Everyone stared in horror as Momo had sweat pouring down her face while Miaka smirked at her.

"Tired already?" Miaka scoffed before turning away from the _Shinigami_ until her body started shivering. _What the world-_?

"There's a reason why humans are above dogs," Momo managed to keep stable on her feet. "They are too stupid to notice some other things especially if they seep in slowly."

Miaka felt her body tremble as she dragged it back to the baseline. "What the hell did you do?"

"It was something I wasn't particularly banking on," Momo admitted darkly before glancing back at Miaka. "This is something I've noticed with speed players. They can handle fast shots that shock their opponents into staying still. However, in terms of strength – they are vulnerable. The impact created from the wind caused your body to suffer a certain shock. The more it piles up, the heavier the trauma it does to the body thus the brain cannot coordinate properly. This is the _Mikazuki no Nakete_."

Miaka growled while Momo took her place back at the baseline. "You can't tie me down forever!"

"This is the difference between you and I," Momo got ready to serve. "You are a stray dog; a beast that does nothing but scavenge and search for food without any meaning. You are like the stag that admired his antlers and hated his legs. The lion in the end took his life for he was too busy admiring his antlers which were the things that caused his doom."

Miaka hissed angrily before placing herself on all fours. "I'll show you... I'll make my sword touch you...! Definitely, I will break your resolve!"

"I'd like to see you try," Momo stonily glared back at Miaka. "The law of humans being above dogs... is a universal law that nobody can change."

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"Game, Hiyoshi: two games to four!"

The _Enbu ace_ found himself heavily breathing whereas Kirihara had himself completely frustrated. The green eyed ace of Rikkai Dai gripped his racquet tightly as his sclera started turning bloodshot. With a maniacal lick, Kirihara grinned evilly at Hiyoshi before pointing his racquet at him.

"What's the matter, Piyoshi," Kirihara grinned before spinning his racquet around. "Ya givin' up already!"

Hiyoshi grunted in response while turning to face the maniacal green eyed Rikkai Dai ace. "_Gekokujo..._ I will make sure I do that to you before I _gekokujo_ my captain."

"Bring it punk," Kirihara taunted while changing his stance.

Atobe glanced at the score before turning back to Hiyoshi. Kirihara, despite being a bit slow, demolished Hiyoshi easily in the first four games but the Hyotei ace recovered after revealing his _Enbu_ tennis. However, Kirihara fired the shots all over the place while forcing Hiyoshi to run all over the place.

"Piyoshi's dead in a deadlock match like that," Gakuto folded his arms with a snort. "That Kirihara's got him all over the place!"

Atobe glanced at Shishido who started making strategies with Ohtori whereas Oshitari stood next to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you have anything better to do," Atobe leaned against his arms while watching the ball fly back and forth.

Oshitari chuckled before letting out a drawl. "Other than irritate you, no I don't. Then again, if I'm playing Sanada – well, you said so anyway. How about Gakuto?"

"He'll play with Kabaji," Atobe quickly replied while having Oshitari shrug.

"Marui's a doubles player," Oshitari leaned against the rail while taking note of the positions. "The one you'll have to worry about is Jackal. He's Marui's cover. If he's down then, he would have a blind spot. The thing is that..."

Atobe scoffed with his usual holier-than-thou tone. "_Ore-sama _knows he's the one with the longest stamina in that team."

"Gakuto's not going to last with you," Oshitari pointed out another thing. "His stamina is completely shot compared to Jackal's. It's you who has to contend with Jackal, not him. Marui's like Gakuto; they have no stamina whatsoever. Besides, you once said that doubles players are not worth being your rival yet here you are challenging Marui. It's really about that incident in the park isn't it? When he gave her that Rikkai Dai jacket to borrow while they were playing 'pop-the-other-person's-bubble' war, that's what you're miffed about isn't it?"

Unknowingly, Atobe rose up to the bait. "Who told you that?"

"I knew it," Oshitari smirked while Atobe muttered a string of curses under his breath. "Well, you have to answer one question: what does Marui have that you don't?"

Atobe snorted while turning away. "_Ore-sama_ is everything that Marui's not."

"Yet you don't have the," –he quoted Atobe while earning a glare from the king. "**Insane Banshee**'s attention. Marui must have something that you don't."

Atobe folded his arms with a disgusted scoff. "It's easy to buy her bubblegum."

"Atobe, that's where your problem lies," Oshitari shook his head with a sigh. "You think you can easily buy her off but Marui did no such thing. He just offered something and she accepted it. She was even laughing with him if I heard right."

Atobe's glare would have turned Oshitari into a cork board by then. "Where did you hear that?"

"The walls have ears," Oshitari shrugged nonchalantly. "Then again, this whole bet you have with Kobayagi-_chan_'s circulated around the entire school."

Jirou jumped towards Atobe with a puzzled face. "But, Marui-_kun_ can also play Singles! He's the _tensai_ after all."

"_Ore-sama_ would consider Niou the more dangerous one," Atobe checked the benches. "He's not called the Trickster for nothing."

On the other side, Marui swung his legs casually while Niou started tossing a coin into the air. "Hey Niou, you're doing Doubles One right?"

"To take down Ohtori and Shishido," Niou gave him a smirk. "I get to hand in that dash specialist's ass today."

Marui chuckled lightly. "I guess this is also for Isane?"

"Well," Niou thought it through for a moment. "Then again, it's fun beating the heck out of Shishido."

"Again, it's based off Isane," Marui grinned cheekily. "Man, you really have something for her."

Niou shrugged nonchalantly before glancing back at the court as Hiyoshi snatched another point from Kirihara.

"Game, Hiyoshi: four games all!"

"By the way," Niou raised an eyebrow. "Did _fukubuchou_ grant your request?"

Marui shook his head sadly. "He said he'll do it if I want to die or something."

"In other words, no," Niou chuckled darkly. "So you're doubles two?"

Marui slumped deeper into his chair before letting out a snort. "I guess so. We're handling Oshitari-Gakuto most likely; to think I wanted to beat Atobe at his own game. "

Niou raised an eyebrow. "You can't even beat the brat at Singles and you're challenging Atobe? Is this a battle for the girl?"

"How did you," Marui clamped his mouth shut when he realized that Niou now had a mischievous smirk on his face. "That's not the point! A _tensai_ does not include ridiculous things like that!"

Niou shrugged as he folded his arms. "That explains why you've been playing Singles against the brat and Jackal lately. Your stamina's screwed up, fatty. Atobe's gonna steam roll you."

Marui opened his mouth for a retort only to find out later that Niou had a point. "Well, at least you don't have a problem!"

"Shishido's a doubles player," Niou noted while looking at the other side. "It's the big boy we have to seal off. He hits harder than the moron over there."

Marui shrugged while glancing at Niou. "Don't you have Yagyuu to help you for that?"

Yagyuu glanced at the tall sophomore and at the capped senior while trying to decipher their body language. "Shishido-_kun_ isn't exactly small fry either."

"He's always been the playmaker," Marui blew up another bubble. "The Ohtori kid can't think on his own."

Yagyuu pointed out before pulling out his own racquet. "Don't be so sure, they are known to be unbeatable because he can act independently regardless of what happens to Shishido-_kun_."

"Well, he used to be a former Singles player until Tachibana floored him," Niou recalled looking at the newspaper. "Shishido although has all his weaknesses covered with Ohtori around."

Yanagi pulled out his notebook while showing a lane of stats to the Platinum Pair, Marui and Jackal. "They have never lost a match and Sadaharu already tested the theory of Ohtori being independent on Shishido. It doesn't work that way; Ohtori knows to let Shishido be rather than giving up the point to help him."

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"Game, Sanada: five games all!"

Momo took a timeout as she started downing a whole bottle of water. "It took both acts to corner her. Inuzuka's only something after being fuelled by her hatred."

"Well," Haruka handed her a towel while taking a seat. "We don't exactly get the scenario. Why does she still carry this ancient grudge anyway? Did you do anything to her?"

Momo leaned against her elbows while looking at the other side. "Inuzuka was already missing a screw but never this bad. The Inuzuka have been bound by this ancient oath to forever serve the Sanada family. The two leaders even drank the sake for that as the Inuzuka leader swore his loyalty to the Sanada family."

"Any way to break it," Ayane raised an eyebrow at Momo.

The _Shinigami_ thought everything through only to shake her head. "I read all the Samurai scrolls and nothing. There's no breakage in the contract. No matter what happens when a breach happens, the Inuzuka family is the one who deals with them. The Sanada never had that problem."

Hitomi pulled out her palm pilot and began typing on it. "Your family may not have the documents but maybe the museums have it."

"The one in Genichirou's house is the genuine thing," Momo bitterly shook her head. "It's impossible to find any other contract."

Kiyone pursed her lips as she folded her arms. "Stupid ancient people, they don't make copies of it!"

Momo stared at the small girl incredulously. "Kiyone, there were no photocopying machines there back in the Edo era."

Kiyone stuck her tongue out while placing her hands on her hips. "They're stupid people."

Hitomi read through the scrolls while letting out a small sigh. "The Sanada kept the originals. That means Momo can't break the contract unless there's some fine print we don't know of."

The _Shinigami_ leaned against her palms while glancing at the court while turning to her teammates. Haruka's face etched itself with worry as she shook her head.

"Haruka, I intend to bring her down regardless to what others think," Momo stood up while turning to Isane and the others. "I never expected to go this far but I have to end the match here and now. I will not bring this game to seven."

Isane drew back a bit. "You're going to force a forfeit?"

"That's why I created the third act," Momo narrowed her eyes at Miaka who licked her lips in a battle-hungry fashion. "As long as there are rule breakers like her, this game would never mean anything."

Hitomi glanced at Momo who gave her a cold glare. "Momo, do you remember who beat your third act?"

"Yeah," Momo smirked before turning to her captain. "You're the only one who survived it – not once but thrice."

Everyone dropped their jaws at the thought before turning to Shizuru who continued having a faint smile.

"Your resolve has sharpened into a blade, Shizuru. That's good," Momo pointed her racquet at her before turning away. "But that doesn't mean you have shattered mine when you destroyed the third act. Continue growing strong; that's all there is to it."

Shizuru nodded lightly at Momo's words. "Do not disregard your own advice, _senpai_."

With a slight smirk, Momo walked back to the court with Miaka with an evil grin. She lowered her stance while watching the Wild Dog carefully however, her expression shifted slightly when Miaka placed her hands on the ground.

"That's like," Isane gulped while shivering slightly. "That's like _Yuugetsu Chuu_'s Sunamyou Shina!"

Unfortunately for her, Miaka heard her from where she stood. "Oh – so there's a perpetrator now? Well guess what, we Inuzuka learned from the wolves themselves!"

Momo placed her racquet in front of her like a blade as she tossed the ball in the air for a serve. Miaka saw it soar in the air as Momo brought it down with a sword-like motion causing it to create sudden whiplash into the court. Miaka slammed it back as Momo backhanded the shot back towards her. With a flip, Miaka created a heavy spin that started punching a hole through Momo's racquet until the female Sanada swung it back with equal force.

"Miaka's really out to kill her," Isane whimpered a bit. "I mean – look at her eyes!"

Rin gulped after using whatever Insight she had. "Inuzuka plans to turn her into a piece of scarred tissue!"

Momo found the shot spiralling towards her as she narrowed her eyes.

"_Daisanmakume,_" Momo glared as she sliced the ball hard. "_Raijin no Tenken_." [**Third Act, Thunder God's Divine Punishment**]

The ball screamed across the net and dug a hole into the court, cracking off in a different angle than where the Wild Dog stood. Miaka stared in horror as the ball zoomed past her face and into the little tunnel. Standing up properly once again, Momo smirked while giving her a dark glare.

"I acknowledge you for your strength," Momo turned away from Miaka who stood there, frozen into the ground. "But your intelligence leaves much to be desired."

Instead of fear, Miaka's face contorted into anger as she let out a wolf howl. Momo raised an eyebrow as the other female bared her fangs at her. Momo, though slightly taken aback, only showed a slight twitch in her lips and eyes.

"I'll tear you apart," Miaka's eyes turned dark and bloody as she gripped her racquet tight enough to have blood oozing out from her palm. "I'll make sure not even they will recognize your body when I'm done with you! Nobody – after you, I'll crush your entire team! You will watch them suffer for your arrogance!"

Momo clucked her tongue while a slight smirk showed on her face. "A wolf may be stronger than man; man however has more brains than a mutt."

Miaka hissed as she suddenly felt her whole body collapsed. "What in the world-?"

"It's about time," Momo had a ghost of a smile form at her lips. "The Second Act has now taken its toll and now the Third shall drop the curtains..."

Hitomi glanced at Momo and then at the notebook. "Wolves are known to be more ferocious when they are backed into a corner but it seems that this one has lost her fangs."

Miaka growled only to be stopped by the Third Act once again. Momo continued on the attack with the _Oto_ streaming past Miaka, causing the Rikkai Dai girl to let out a small yelp. With a cold glare, Momo found the ball coming at her easily as she glanced at where to shoot.

"I will only use this technique once," Momo charged down the ball. "Strike like lightning, _Rai_!"

The ball cracked off in a ninety degree angle and combining her technique with the _Mikazuki_ _no Nakete_, Momo blasted down Miaka to her knees.

"You're too early to think that you can beat me," Momo glared as Miaka fumbled every time she tried to stand. "It's game over for you."

"Game and match by," the arbiter started until he heard a clang from the court, seeing that Miaka had slammed her racquet on the floor.

"No," Miaka let out a bloody hiss. "I won't let it end this way! You think you can beat me down just because you're a Sanada? Think again!"

Momo calmly took her position again while slightly wincing at the claws Miaka revealed in her hands.

"Unlike you," Miaka revealed a wolfish smile. "We were born already with animal genes inside us. And like wolves, we will tear you down – regardless!"

Momo fired the service again, rattling Miaka further. However, the Rikkai Dai girl charged towards the ball and gave one hard drive volley which forced the _Shinigami_ to retaliate with the _Aoba_. Miaka twisted her body into the air and using her weight, struck the ball as it zoomed past the net. Momo stood her ground and sent a deep forehand which Miaka easily took down.

"Why did you choose Miaka for this," one of the Rikkai Dai regulars, Sarah Jaëger turned to Yukimura Ai. "You know how her violence gets the best of her."

Ai glanced at the court with a cheerful grin. "That's because – Miaka has always held that position."

"I thought I was Singles Three," Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Before you came, Miaka-_chan_ always held that position for one reason: to take down Sanada. You're not ready to face Sanada Momo. Even on her worst days, she'll definitely clobber you."

Sarah took a seat with XiaoLi and Tora as they started discussing their own plans for Doubles One. She turned to the left side to see Hyotei's Doubles One pair to be a freshman pair, wondering how those two managed to survive the competition. Sarah leaned against the bench as she turned to her own teammates and then at the data girl.

"What are the chances," Sarah raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Any good news, Kira?"

Amane Kira, looking through her notes, let out a small sigh before taking a seat. "Miaka has already lost..."

"You're lying right," Tora jumped on top of her shoulders, causing the girl to wince. "Miaka-_chan_'s like the powerhouse of our team~!"

"Didn't think she knew words that deep," Sarah chuckled before earning a glare from the small girl.

"Miaka-_chan_ threw away her chances as soon as she let her anger get the best of her," Ai smiled sadly. "That's the basic truth – with anger, your mind becomes clouded."

Momo smirked as she continued on Ai's trail of thought, exploding the next shot. "With anger, you make many careless mistakes. That is why – dogs are less superior to man."

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"Game and set, Kirihara: seven games to five!"

Kirihara stuck out his tongue impishly as he walked off the court with a cocky grin. "Heh, come try again after another hundred years!"

"As if you can still play, Bakaya," Niou smirked as the black haired sophomore lunged at the trickster who simply stepped aside and let him crash against the wall.

While Kirihara ended up sulking, Marui and Jackal stood up for the next match. The red haired _tensai_ let out a groan as he glanced at their opponents. Much to his surprise, Oshitari and Gakuto didn't move but Kabaji and Atobe made their way down to the court. The whole Hyotei tennis club gaped in shock and Sanada couldn't help but widen his eyes. Niou let out a whistle while Yagyuu simply tip his glasses.

"Has Atobe lost his mind," Jackal raised an eyebrow. "He can barely play doubles. Well, according to my sources anyway..."

Marui chuckled at his doubles partner. "Would you source go by the name Hikifumi Haruka?"

Jackal stared at him for a minute as Marui flicked his nose. "How did you...?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Marui wagged his finger with a cheeky grin. "I just know these things!"

Staring quizzically at him for a moment, Jackal shook himself out of the daze as he went to the court. Atobe took the front line where he faced Marui whereas Kabaji stayed behind for the baseline. The purple haired captain glanced at Kabaji and Jackal before letting out a small smirk.

"I don't like that smirk," Jackal turned to Marui who had a really big grin before wrinkling his nose. "And I don't like that grin either!"

Marui spun his racquet around in his hand before facing the Hyotei captain. "Man, this guy's dead – Jackal!"

"Don't be so sure," Jackal shook his head while glancing at Atobe. "Atobe's pretty good; if he can take Sanada and we can't even take our _fukubuchou_ together – imagine the level of skill."

Marui scoffed as he faced Atobe at the net with Kabaji taking the baseline in front of Jackal. The red haired self-proclaimed _tensai_ narrowed his eyes lightly at the Hyotei captain as they faced off each other at the net before he started blowing his bubble. Jackal sighed while Kabaji emotionlessly stared back at him.

"_Fukubuchou_, are you okay with this," Yagyuu turned to the dark male next to him.

Niou chuckled while leaning back against the wall. "Someone must've given him dark chocolate to drive him nuts."

The Hyotei club member gulped as he declared the match. "Doubles Two will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Kabaji-Atobe pair versus Rikkai Dai's Marui-Jackal pair!"

"I'm surprised," Marui blew up a bubble with a grin. "You're actually gonna play doubles?"

Atobe scoffed at the red head. "_Ore-sama _knows that he can easily make a fool out of you. Kabaji would be handling Jackal after all."

Ohtori gulped, seeing the scenes unfold while he glanced at his _senpai_. "I don't even know what this is for."

Shishido sighed before throwing his hands up in the air. "Atobe's being a drama queen again..."

Oshitari glanced at the court while looking at Atobe's stance. His lips thinned out when he noted the slight shudder coming from Atobe who stood face to face with Marui. His icy blue eyes revealed the arrogance and confidence that taking down Marui would be a snap. However, the slight shudder noted other feelings as Kabaji took on the serve.

"Yuushi, are you serious," Gakuto gaped at his _tensai_ partner. "Atobe's gonna go one-on-one with Marui?"

"This would soon turn into a Singles match as long as Atobe and Marui keep the ball between them," Oshitari explained to the magenta haired acrobat as he looked at the scoreboard. _Atobe's fighting for something else, Gakuto. Something he doesn't want people to know._

Shishido raised an eyebrow at Oshitari. "So, who's playing against Sanada?"

Oshitari let out a dejected sigh. "That would be me."

Gakuto bit his nails with a complete full freak-out, staring in horror. "A-Are you serious? You know this guy can cream you, Yuushi."

"Well, I'll just put up a spectacular show I guess," the _tensai_ shrugged nonchalantly while looking at the scenes that began to unfold. "Now... what will you do now, Atobe?"

Kabaji fired a heavy serve which Jackal promptly returned and had Atobe starting off with a volley. Marui tracked down his movements while Jackal and Kabaji were going through a baseline battle. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Atobe watched Marui's movements carefully as he waited for a lob to come. After Kabaji had blown off Jackal with a strong shot, the ball lobbed straight into the air and Atobe blasted it against Marui's wrist – forcing the sugar loving _tensai_ to let go of his racquet.

"Fifteen – love," Marui gripped his wrist a bit as he glanced at Atobe who had a sneer scrawled on his face.

"You challenged _ore-sama_," Atobe smirked before turning away. "_Ore-sama_ will never back down. Kobayagi... is a girl worthy of _ore-sama_'s presence."

Marui scoffed before getting up and staring Atobe straight in the face. "If she's yours," –he slightly smirked. "Why do you still call her by her last name?"

Before Atobe could let out a snappy come back, his mind reeled back and made him realize that he had never called the mentioned _fukubuchou_ by her first name. The only thing the Hyotei king could recall was her yelling at him for throwing a towel into her face, her nearly punching his lights out just because he asked her what her intentions were for going with Marui [although she would say that he **demanded** rather] and for many other things that could almost be considered petty. Ayane did everything that the bet had considered her to do and yet she still did not bend. What did Marui have that he didn't? Silently cursing Oshitari for asking that question, Atobe let out a small snort before getting ready again.

"I knew it," Marui had a victorious smirk on his face. "She hates your guts!"

Atobe rolled his eyes, as if that were not a known fact. "_Ore-sama_ is anything but stupid, Marui."

"I'm not saying you're stupid," Marui chuckled, seeing that he had riled up Atobe. "Something Niou told me before: to get the queen, take out the king."

Atobe chuckled darkly at the _tensai_'s words, for once he found himself inexplicitly excited as he faced him again. "You're none of the above, Marui. A pawn cannot take out the king unless they have support. They can only move one space after all."

From the bleachers, Gakuto turned to Oshitari. "Hey, who do you think will win?"

Jirou glanced left and right, jumping up and down excitedly. "I don't know who to vote for – they're both so cool!"

Hiyoshi snorted while taking a seat while Ohtori warily watched the match unfold. Shishido sighed before leaning against the fence and staring at the match. Atobe had started volleying towards Marui, making Jackal and Kabaji completely useless. The volleys swapped back and forth which had Marui not chewing on his gum and Atobe actually showing hints of annoyance on his face.

"If Kobayagi saw this," Gakuto snickered to his capped classmate. "She'd beat him black and blue."

Shishido shook his head at the magenta haired acrobat. "That's an understatement; she'll personally castrate him. She's got fighters and body builders for brothers."

"She also has sisters, right," Gakuto raised an eyebrow at Shishido who shrugged.

"How should I know? I'm not that close to her," Shishido shoved his hands into his pocket. "Besides, with the way she is – it's highly unlikely she's got any. Her brothers probably tell her how to knock out teeth from all those she doesn't like."

Oshitari sighed at what his teammates were talking about. _This is battle for the egos and for the girl... if Kobayagi were here, they'd both be on the ground begging for her mercy._

"She's the crazy one right," Gakuto turned to the _tensai_ with a raised eyebrow. "She's the one who violently kicks and snaps at Atobe right?"

"Well, you can say that," Oshitari snickered at Gakuto's choice of words. _If Kobayagi is deemed crazy, I wonder how they would think of Momo and Shizuru when they're angry. Momo doesn't show it; she does it. Shizuru doesn't visibly show anger either. Come to think of it, Kobayagi makes up for the both of them in terms of expression._

Hiyoshi scoffed while leaning against the fence. "If you think she's crazy, what about the black dragon?"

Gakuto scowled at the _Enbu_ ace while folding his arms in. "Hmph, what about her?"

"Kajimoto's not too bad despite him not being what we call National's Calibre," Oshitari remarked off handedly. "Then again, you were never the brightest crayon in the box, Gakuto."

The magenta haired acrobat gaped at his doubles partner. "Oh come on – what makes you think she'll like a sucker like him? He's way below her league!"

"_Au contraire,_" Oshitari noted as he pulled out a magazine, revealing Kajimoto on the cover. "They have the same interest – now, isn't that a good starting point?"

Gakuto snorted while taking a seat with a pout. "Geez, you make it sound like she's gonna fall for him!"

_She will if you remain an idiot,_ Oshitari face palmed. Gakuto and Atobe always realized things last minute well for the magenta haired acrobat; the _kansai_ prodigy soon began to wonder how Gakuto managed to stay in the regulars. Atobe on the other hand did things openly but in each every way always earned a yelling from the vice captain or a knuckle sandwich aimed at his face. To this, the _kansai_ prodigy let out a slight laugh as Marui took the next point with the _Tsunawatari_.

"Game, Marui-Jackal: one game to love!"

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"Game and match, Sanada: seven games to five!"

Miaka slammed her fist into the ground while Momo stood as she took in a breather. Both players stared at each other with cold unfeeling eyes as they sauntered back to their teams. Momo slumped down on the chair before shaking away the daze and checking her racquet strings.

"You definitely need new ones," Hitomi checked the condition as she pat it against her palm. "Any longer than what you played would've had turned your racquet inside out."

Momo let out a sigh before turning to Shizuru. "I hope I didn't do anything that would jeopardize the team."

"No, not at all," Shizuru glanced at the scoreboard. "She nearly had you though. You made a few mistakes: one would be that you shouldn't have held back the Anti-_FuuRinKaZan_. It was only out of Inuzuka's anger that you managed to find an opening."

Momo chuckled darkly before leaning against the bench. "That's true. She gave me a good run for my money."

Haruka and Rin glanced at the board before looking at each other. The black haired acrobat grinned as Haruka tossed her racquet in the air and caught it by the handle.

Tora jumped up and down while hanging onto XiaoLi. "Wow, we're going against the Twin Dragon Pair?"

"Well, we are Rikkai Dai's Tigers after all," XiaoLi smiled sheepishly while turning to Haruka. "I suppose you're ready?"

"Ready to win? Of course," Haruka smirked before spinning the racquet. "It's what we Dragons do best."

Rin gave her thumbs up. "Yeah, we're gonna beat you – no sweat!"

"Doubles Two will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Hikifumi-Shimohi pair versus Rikkai Dai's Hachishika-Yumika pair! Game start, Hikifumi to serve!"

Shizuru on the other hand glanced at Ayane and Kiyone before watching the match. "This match will not be like those matches that you've had with Jyosei Shounan or St. Rudolph. Today, we're fighting the big guns. Also, don't forget to..."

"Use full potential," Ayane grinned as she cracked her knuckles. "We got... ah-choo...!"

Kiyone tilted her head innocently on the side. "Do you think mole-diva-_san_ is talking about you?"

The vice captain let out a snort as she embraced herself. "Che, as if – he's probably too busy thinking about himself and everything that comes out of his mouth is about him."

"He's changed lately, Atobe Keigo," Mai remarked lightly while watching the match. "He doesn't bug you as much, seeing that you don't harp about him anymore. You rarely spout off, Kiyone doesn't scream about you choking her to death anymore," –earning a glare from the vice captain. "We all have eyes, Ayane. To think I thought Shizuru was too focused."

Ayane grabbed Mai by the collar with a deadly hiss, blushing almost completely. "Mai-_senpai_, shut up!"

"If you weren't so disturbed," Mai had a huge evil grin on her face. "Why is it you want to choke me to death now, hmmm?"

Ayane let go of Mai before taking a seat with an indignant huff. "Hmph, you're mean."

"I'm merely stating the obvious," Mai shrugged while leaning back once again. "You've been edgy about him lately."

Ayane fumed as she got up while narrowing her eyes at the _tensai_. "Hey, what about your Ms. Universe-lookalike!"

"So, what about Yukimura-_kun_," Mai raised an eyebrow.

Momo shook her head and flicked Ayane's temple while Mai received a stern glare. "Hey, quit it you two. The match already started with you two bickering."

Haruka started off with a fast forehand which XiaoLi quickly reacted to with a wide cheeky grin. Rin volleyed it over as XiaoLi chased the ball down and started taking it out on Haruka. The two quickly started moving with a dragon's flexibility as they started returning the shots with awkward spins. XiaoLi pursed her lips as she volleyed it back while Tora set up for a poach. Haruka leapt behind Rin as the black dragon smashed it straight in between them.

"Fifteen – love," the whole crowd stared in awe.

"Hikifumi and Shimohi have improved lately," Sakaki noted after watching the whole match between Miaka and Momo, along with the doubles pair exchange. "Kurenai, I expect that you don't lose this match-up. After all, you and your team are one of the more aspiring ones in Hyotei."

"_Hai, kantoku,_" Shizuru nodded stiffly. "But, aren't you going to help Atobe-_senpai_ and the others as well?"

"Atobe can handle them just fine," Sakaki glanced at the brunette as she continued focusing on the match. "The Goodwill Games are coming up and they're not only bringing in a boys' team."

Ayane happened to overhear as she leaned on Shizuru's shoulders, causing the said captain to nearly fall off the bench. "So, we're going to fight foreigner girls too?"

Hitomi glanced at the charts she had written down. "Our goodwill games won't be just between us and America anymore."

"Usually that's what they do right," Isane looked over as Hitomi revealed countries that have been crossed out and some that have not. "Wait... we're going against Argentina too?"

Hitomi shrugged while looking through the list. "I've been hack – I mean, checking the list from the tennis organization and nothing's official yet."

"Thirty – love," Haruka slashed the ball, causing it to spin awkwardly and bounce in a linear direction.

Rin jumped high into the air before smashing the ball once more. Tora on the other hand, corkscrewed up to return the next shot – causing Rin to dodge and twist her body in mid-air. Haruka shook herself out of the daze as she backhanded the ball towards XiaoLi. The half-Chinese regular quickly retaliated with a drive volley which Rin managed to get in time.

"The hell with that girl she's a contortionist," Miaka spat as she shoved a lollipop into her mouth. "Where in the world did she get that kind of body?"

Ai sighed before looking how Rin could spring back from almost any position. "Well, she did go to China before with Haruka. They had _Wu Shu_ lessons there and that requires heavy training. Sure she's flexible but Amakusa-_san_ will definitely leave her behind."

"If there's one thing Shimohi doesn't have," Kira wrote down as she examined Shimohi, who stared sweating buckets. "She may have increased her stamina by five percent but it's still not enough to contend with Tora and XiaoLi."

Miaka scoffed before taking out her lollipop. "Damn it, will they quit playing around? I wanna see the two big guns play!"

Ai laughed softly while letting a serene face grace her lips. "Don't worry Miaka, this is only an assessment round. After all, Rikkai Dai has an unspoken law about these things..."

Glancing on the side, Isane looked at the scoreboard before looking at Rikkai Dai again. "I wonder... who's going to play for Singles Two if Miaka then took Singles Three?"

"There's a 98.79 percent chance that it would be Sarah Jaëger," Hitomi looked down on her notes as she showed them Rikkai Dai's possible line-ups. "Yukimura will definitely not leave her spot. She knows Shizuru's dangerous for their ambitions."

Shizuru twitched albeit slightly. "You make me sound like a monster when you do that."

"Yukimura's a monster on the court," Hitomi took a seat next to Shizuru. "She may not be able to measure up to her brother exactly but she's almost there. She may not be able to give people jitters but she can definitely confuse you, regardless. It runs in the family; even Yukimura Seiichi does that to his opponents."

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: one game to love!"

Haruka and Rin gave each other a high five as they faced off with the Tiger Pair. The Black Dragon glanced at Tora who started exchanging plans with XiaoLi, trying to read through their body language. Nodding slightly, the Pearl Dragon placed her hand on the Black Dragon's shoulder while giving her an assuring smile.

"They're going for the Tiger Raid formation," Haruka stepped past Rin. "Time to pull out our other formation."

As XiaoLi lowered her stance by the net, Rin moved a little far back while Haruka stayed a little nearer to the net. Tora, narrowing her eyes, tossed the ball into the air as she fired it forward. Haruka slammed it towards XiaoLi who forcibly lobbed the ball into the air towards Rin. The Black Dragon jumped high into the air and with a slight twist with her body, she fired the ball forward.

"Dragon Style," Rin grinned cheekily. "Wind Dragon Cannon!"

The ball spun with so much force that there was slight wind building around it. Tora jumped forward to return it as her racquet started vibrating the moment it made contact.

"Tora-_chan_," XiaoLi jumped back to help her repel the shot with her own racquet. "Wow, she hits hard!"

Tora winced at her wrist and elbow. "It's the spin that makes it strong and also her own body weight! XiaoLi, go high!"

Letting out a dejected sight, XiaoLi forcibly lobbed it again and this time Haruka appeared up in the air as she let out the Third Part of the Legend.

"Dragon's Howl," Haruka caused the ball to spin around, somewhat similar to the Tornado Snake before making it stick to the ground and spin hard.

Tora scooped it up but only had it hit the net.

"Love – fifteen," XiaoLi whimpered at her sore wrist while Tora cringed at the red spot on the freshman's wrist.

"You'll need liniment* for that," Tora gently traced her fingers on XiaoLi's wrist. "Don't try to return it anymore. That whole thing was a set-up."

Rin guiltily hung her head. "Haru, did I hit too hard?"

"Well, Mai managed to return your attack with the _Adonisu Otoshi_," Haruka turned back to her captain who simply stiffly nodded. "I think it's more them than us. Because - Kiyone managed to return that shot too, right?"

"No," Rin stared at her aghast before waving her arms in the air. "She tumbled backwards!"

Haruka face palmed before looking at XiaoLi and Tora; she went over while handing them a can of liniment. "Here, this should stop it from swelling..."

Tora gratefully took it as she sprayed XiaoLi's wrist. "You're not as bad as the seniors last year. Remember what Kotetsu told you guys to do?"

"She turned the match into a bloodbath," Haruka chuckled lightly. "She was not really... uh..."

"Sane? Ethical? Completely missing a screw," Tora laughed a little at Haruka's attempt to be nice. "She's not your captain anymore, why be nice?"

Haruka slightly snickered before turning away. "Well, she still did bring Hyotei to the Nationals."

"That's true but at the cost of your current captain's sanity? I don't think that's worth respecting," Tora tossed the can back to Haruka. "I mean – I'm surprised you guys are still alive."

Haruka laughed softly before resuming her position at the middle of the court. "Well, we're not that easy to destroy after all."

The match resumed as Tora started off with a fast serve which Rin easily leapt after. XiaoLi then fired the shot right towards Haruka who then sliced it under, causing it to create an under spin. Tora bent low for the next shot only to see Rin in the air again as she went for the Wind Dragon Cannon.

"Love – thirty," Tora clucked her tongue as she found the marks from the Wind Dragon Cannon.

XiaoLi gulped while turning to Tora. "What are we going to do? They keep forcing us to lob!"

"Make it fast," Tora watched Haruka give Rin a new set of instructions. "If they're not fast enough for our shots, we can seal off the Wind Dragon Cannon."

XiaoLi nodded slowly before gulping. "What about the other thing? The... Dragon Tail thing and the Retaliation?"

"Hikifumi has always been the counterpuncher type so we have to understand what shots are required to make those work," Tora tapped her foot while thinking it through. "Come to think of it, those shots never made an appearance unless one of our special techniques is used."

XiaoLi gasped while drawing back in horror. "We have to play simple? But, isn't...?"

"It isn't easy but," Tora's cat-like eyes focused on the Twin Dragon Pair. "We have no other choice..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\()()()()()()()00000000000000000000000()()()()()()

**That's Chapter 38! Guys, I would really appreciate that you tell me whether or not I should write a one shot. Everyone's gonna have one anyway. You guys can also make special requests. It doesn't need to be the official ones like AtobeXAyane and etc. It can be like MaruiXAyane or YagyuuXIsane or something. I don't know. Thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate it! **

**You're probably wondering if there will be anything else asides from tennis. Although it is a tennis fic, there will be other things. *evilly cackling* Don't worry, it won't be so hard on our dear characters.**

**Atobe: What are you planning to do with us, you insane author?**

**Me: I may be nuts but you're a peacock.**

**Atobe: Is it bad for ore-sama to care of how he looks?**

**Me: Not really unless it's in excess!**

**Ayane: She has a point.**

**Shizuru: *sigh* I might have to agree.**

**Oshitari: To think I thought you weren't the insulting type.**

**Shizuru: *rolls her eyes* I don't insult. I prefer "pointing out the facts".**

**Me: Anyway, guys please remind them...**

**Hyotei Tennis Girls: Please don't forget to review!**


	39. Battle for the Heavens

I don't own Prince of Tennis or anything else that might end up mixed into this crazy story!

**Me: **Oh yeah, I forgot to write in Chapter 38: Liniment is somewhat like a coolant that helps soothe the nerves. It's usually used when someone gets like sprains or pulls a nerve. Another thing, what would you guys like to happen? Marui wins and squashes Atobe or the other way around or would you like it to be a draw due to someone's certain temperamental outburst? It's your choice, dear readers! Another would be that – would you guys want a BleachXPrince of Tennis story. I've seen a nice one but it never updated so I'm making one in response. Tell me in your reviews!

**Kyouei_shurei: **Thank you for your review! It's nice hearing from another person! Don't worry – Shizuru and Tezuka will also have their fluff moments. It's just not now. For the moment, MaruiAyaneAtobe will take the spotlight. Kiyone and Shiraishi will also be having their fluff along with other people but it will all unfold in time! :D

Chapter 39 – Battle for the Heavens

Tora, shifting her stance while watching Haruka's body movement, narrowed her eyes as she found Rin to be in front of XiaoLi this time. With a slight smirk, the other half of the Tiger pair watched Rin's nose twitch slightly at the same time watching the rhythm of her feet. The freshman turned to Tora who simply nodded.

Haruka bit her lip at Tora's serve. "Here it comes...!"

The serve screamed from Tora's racquet and Haruka barely managed to return it. The ball slapped the top of the net, causing XiaoLi to lightly drop it over where Rin lay in waiting to drive the shot towards the corner. Tora quickly ran forward for the defense while Haruka managed to slap it back. The ball flew back and forth, throwing Tora back and forcing XiaoLi to defend at the net. Haruka quickly repelled the shot as it went straight down the line while Tora managed to slap it back.

"I don't get it," Kiyone tilted her head to the side. "Why isn't Pearly-_chan_ using her techniques? She can easily kick butt!"

Hitomi bit her lip. "They're playing a psychological game in which they use simple moves to tick off their rhythm. Haruka doesn't use her special skills unless her opponents use theirs first."

"Does that mean we're doomed," Ayane gaped while pointing to the playing style. "As long as they keep playing like that, Haruka-_senpai_ and Rin-_senpai_ can't do anything?"

Momo watched Rin soar up into the air for a normal smash as Haruka guarded the lower end. Her dark eyes watched each of their foot patterns carefully as she let out a small smirk. Mai on the other hand let out a slow sardonic smile while the two of them turned to each other.

"It's based on their positioning," Mai snickered as she leaned against the bench. "Am I right, _senpai_?"

"Well, for a _tensai_ – I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Momo watched Tora quickly sprint to one side. "As long as XiaoLi corners Rin and seals her off, Haruka's going to have a hard time countering Tora's agility. Although Haruka has the stamina," –watching Rin heavily panting while Haruka managed to keep a straight face. "She's not going to last against Tora if they keep their special moves sealed off."

Mai checked the stance of Tora while making sure her smile doesn't fade. _It's so easy to trap a cat..._

"Game, Yumika-Hachishika: one game all!"

As the timeout ensued, Haruka and Rin took a seat next to one another while reflecting on the match. While the Pearl Dragon stared out at the court, Rin began drinking from her small water jug as she started looking at the marks that appeared on the court.

"They're really tailing us, _kuwee_," Rin sadly swung her legs. "I mean – they've been playing normal but we can't get any hit in."

Mai glanced at the court before drawing on the sand. "That's part of their formation and also a psychological game. By choosing not to use any special moves, the opponent would subconsciously not want to use his/hers either. The best way to counter that is to force them into the corner. Once placed in a corner, their mind would perceive it as a snitch and they would unconsciously use their special moves."

"Another thing would be scaring one to urge protectiveness from the other," Hitomi showed them her notebook. "Tora is known to be very protective of her doubles partner. Unlike Jerrard who would let Sakuno take a hit, Tora would always make sure XiaoLi isn't falling behind."

Ayane tapped her chin while looking at Hitomi. "I wonder though how she became the vice captain..."

"Jerrard has skills," Hitomi noted as she sat down. "But if there's anyone you should be afraid of in that team – it's her. She's openly ruthless; regardless to who or how an opponent is."

Kiyone tilted her head while looking through the notebook. "Ooh, so I can bust up pigtail-_san_ easy?"

"If you're willing to face an angry Echizen then yes," Hitomi shook her head. "Yes you can. Although he's in complete denial, he still acts on his feelings more than his head."

Kiyone blew out a raspberry, folding out her arms as she puffed up her cheeks. "Is he that scary?"

"You do realize that's the same fool who beat me, right," Momo raised an eyebrow at Kiyone. "That kid has been taking tennis ever since he could walk."

Shizuru nodded stiffly while glancing towards Yukimura who was giving out her own set of instructions to the two as she turned to the Twin Dragon Pair. "Hikifumi-_senpai_, Shimohi-_senpai_– heaven's net may be wide but very few can pass through*. You have to be the few that manage to pass through."

Haruka nodded as she turned to the courts. "The Tiger Pair may be known for the ferocity of their skill and strategy but that doesn't mean we dragons cannot measure up to them."

Momo swivelled her head towards Miaka who now had a collar locked onto her neck glared back at her. The _Shinigami_ mentioned nothing as she turned to the courts again to watch Haruka and Rin take on Tora and XiaoLi. The two Dragons started emitting a misty-like feel as their eyes dulled.

"Synchro, already," Tora turned to XiaoLi who grinned childishly back at her. "Oh well, we'll just have to use it then."

They lowered their stances while holding their racquets with a tiger-like grip. Haruka emotionlessly sauntered towards the baseline while Rin jumped right in front of the net. XiaoLi gulped while shakily nodding at Tora who shook her head at the freshman with a calm face. As XiaoLi launched the next serve, Haruka slammed it back towards Tora who volleyed it over as the Black Dragon dove for the shot to make a light lob. XiaoLi drove it down with a drive volley but had the ball zoom past her with Haruka attacking her blind spot at her left side.

"Love – fifteen," Tora clicked her tongue while looking hard into the two dragons.

"Wow, so that's Synchro," XiaoLi cocked her head to the left. "I didn't know they could do it!"

"They could, that's why they're called the Twin Dragons but no one," Tora bit her lip at the thought. "No one can copy the unity and link that the Soul Pair has."

XiaoLi gulped at Tora's words. "You mean – the ones from Jyosei Shounan?"

Haruka shook her head while turning to Tora. "You might want to get your sources checked again because they were already beaten."

Tora raised an eyebrow at her as she folded her arms. "I suppose Hyotei has its own Soul Link pair?"

"Not by us but by the Heartbreaker pair," Haruka shook her head as she motioned to the other courts, making her eyes fade back to normal. "The pair that is supposedly the undefeated pair of this era, the Jerrard – Ryuuzaki pair hasn't lost a match yet. They were rumoured to even be capable of fighting toe to toe with Seigaku's Golden Pair. Mind you, Kikumaru-_san_ and Oishi-_san_ is the Doubles One pair of Seishun."

The Rikkai Dai senior nodded before turning to the half-Chinese freshman. "Well, if that's the case – we might as well learn how to take you down first. After all, both of you are the second seed in terms of doubles play – Hikifumi Haruka and Shimohi Rin."

XiaoLi jumped up for a hard serve as Rin quickly deflected the ball, allowing Haruka to reactivate her Synchro once again. Tora dove for the next ball which allowed Haruka to slap it back with the Dragon's Tail. XiaoLi narrowly managed to return it but forced a lob up as the Black Dragon fired the Wind Dragon Cannon again and sent Tora stumbling back.

"Love – thirty," Haruka and Rin stood next to each other silently.

"Wow, never seen anyone do that in an instant," Ai lightly giggled. "Well, this also contributes to the fact that women are more sentimental than men. By being so, they can easily connect on a higher plane unlike men who prefer fighting it out the hard way because of their pride."

Miaka scoffed while picking her ear. "That's true but really – isn't it just because Hikifumi's just that damn talented in doubles?"

"There's also that," Ai smiled serenely which sent shivers down Miaka's spine. "But then, we also have to remember that if they do not know how to do this without cloaking their heart – Seigaku will crush them under their foot. That's why Kurenai inherited the name _Shikabane Hime_ – because when you play against Seigaku, all emotions must be gone, like a little doll."

"How you can say that with a straight face is amazing, Ai," Kira shivered slightly at her smile. "You're beginning to sound like your brother."

Ai turned to her with a "say-one-more-word-and-die" smile. "Of course, I've learned only from the best."

"So, that's where the titles started appearing," Miaka let out a battle hungry grin. "Hyotei Gakuen's Girls' Team – it was like entering Hell when people played against them..."

Sarah rolled her eyes as she watched the match resume. Tora slammed the next ball towards Haruka's blind left side but Rin quickly covered her with a volley. XiaoLi let out a slight 'eep' as she backhanded the shot towards Rin but Haruka easily covered up for her with a screaming forehand which Tora stumbled over.

"Love – forty," Tora and XiaoLi started breathing heavily as they stared back at the Dragon Pair.

_You can't challenge Synchro just like that,_ Tora glanced at Haruka whose eyes were still dull but Rin started heavily breathing with sweat pouring down her face. _Ah, there's our weak spot..._

Standing up again, Tora signalled XiaoLi who nodded at the senior. The ball cracked off XiaoLi's side as Rin received the shot but the return flimsily slapped the net which had Tora attack Haruka who spun the ball with a hard force. Watching the sweat pour down Rin's face, Tora fired it straight for Rin's feet – causing the said girl to fall over but Haruka managed to leap behind Rin to return the shot. The fallen acrobat however jumped towards the other side to shield the open spot.

_They've only managed to scuff the shallow part of Synchro,_ Tora narrowed her eyes as she slammed the ball towards Haruka but the Pearl Dragon gave it a good wind up and sent it flying right on to the corner of the doubles line.

"Game, Hikifumi-Shimohi: two games to one!"

XiaoLi fell to the ground with a sigh while Tora managed to keep her breath. She glanced at Haruka who didn't even sweat a bead while Rin could have saved the world from thirst if people drank sweat. After analyzing the pair, she turned to the court as she looked at the marks made by the Dragon Pair. Rin dragged her feet off the court while Haruka shut off the Synchro first as she helped the black haired acrobat down a whole jug of water.

"God, we're steaming out there," Rin looked at her skin, seeing how wet and red it was. "I'm gonna turn into a _kikiam*_ when this is over, _kuwee_!"

Haruka whipped her hair back as she wrung sweat out of it. "I don't know how people get survive in this weather but heck, we are turning into human _siomai*_ out here..."

"You guys used the Synchro too early," Shizuru pointed out as she glanced at Tora and XiaoLi. "They know it and that's why they're trying to waste you by making Rin-_senpai_ jump all over the place. They cannot have the same level of synchronicity that you both have so, they're trying to break half of the equation. By doing this would put more mental strain..."

Mai nodded as she turned back to the Dragon Pair. "In the emptiness, humans find solace. And in solace, they discover the truth. But there are two sides to the truth. In seeking the truth, they unlock the power that is most needed to achieve what people call 'heaven' or the state of '_mu_'. However, that's only if in favourable conditions..."

"The heat is also what's making your brains' having a hard time," Momo brushed sweat from her brow. "I don't know any human being that could survive this without turning into _Takoyaki*_."

Hitomi ran through her notes as she looked at her watch. "Yumika Tora and Hachishika XiaoLi are players that play either a protracted game or a short one. They don't attack as heavily and ruthlessly; they drain their opponent. The best way to do it is to take down Yumika Tora without Hachishika XiaoLi noticing. Without Yumika, XiaoLi will be rendered useless and unsynchronized."

"Another thing would be," a velvety smooth voice caused Rin to freeze. "That – don't stop flying. Show them everything. You're attaching your feet to the ground; do that and the tigers will claw at your wings. If tigers were known for their ferocity then, dragons should be known for their god-like capabilities – not only in skill but also in ferocity and power."

Rin squealed as she turned around to find Kajimoto, smiling while standing next to Isane. "Kajimoto-_kun_, when did you come?"

"I managed to get some info from Hoshimura-_san_ that your game was being held here," the brown haired captain of Jyosei Shounan took a seat next to Isane. "I shouldn't be helping you but I'm just dropping clues. According to Nakayama-_san_, Yumika and Hachishika are known for being ferocious attackers as well as people who can hold out for a long time."

Nodding with determination, Rin punched the air while grabbing Haruka's arm. "Okie-dokie, let's do this – _kuwee_!"

Noticing that Kajimoto had his eyes glued onto Rin, Hitomi grinned while taking down notes. "Kajimoto Takihisa is more involved with the Hyotei Black Dragon than we realize..."

"Dragons are not only known for their ability to command the skies and raze towns," Shizuru looked up at Kajimoto with a small smile. "But they're quite known also for their magnificence."

"Yeah," Kajimoto let his sentence trail away until he realized what he said, shaking his head, flushing furiously. "Hey, what was that about?"

Mai chuckled while turning to the flustered Jyosei Shounan captain. "Hitomi-_senpai_ is our Mastermind and Shizuru's an empath – besides, you're not the only who has been amazed by a dragon's magnificence. It's nice to stare at the sky but watching something command it makes it a divine sight to behold – am I right?"

"Although I highly doubt the other two will have a chance," Hitomi tipped her glasses up. "Mukahi's a moron; he won't get it until it blows in his face. Kikumaru is distracted by almost anything that looks cute and cuddly. Perhaps to him, Rin is simply a teddy bear like his _Daigoro_ at home. Another is – your little stunt in the ice rink has given you a new light in her eyes. You also have been helping her with her training which has inspired her to become a stronger dragon than she was ever before. Her stats currently have exceeded what I have predicted since they now have increased by 60 percent."

"Rin's really childish," Momo stated bluntly as she took a seat next to her captain. "But she's not so childish to not notice how others may feel about her; Gakuto for one is one of the easiest people to predict for her."

Kajimoto said nothing in fear of having Hitomi whack him with more data. However, the Jyosei Shounan captain realized then and there why Hoshimura Florence saw herself in Shizuru. Their abilities were almost alike perhaps in being based off emotions. While Florence can read through aura of other people, it left him wondering.

How could Shizuru read through him? Worst part is – how would Rin read through him?

"You're scared that Rin would not feel the same about you, no," Hitomi's eyeglasses glinted evilly as a business-like smile appeared on her face. "There's an 80 percent chance that she would like you. 10 percent that she will love you, 5 percent that you are simply a brother to her and the other 5 percent would be that she would wonder why you're being nosy."

Kajimoto stared momentarily at Hitomi until he heard the score come out.

"Love – thirty," Rin fell on the floor, breathing heavily as XiaoLi stood by the net.

"Rin," Haruka ran towards the small girl who started hyperventilating. "What happened?"

Ai let a small smile grace her face as she watched XiaoLi stare back. "Hachishika XiaoLi was raised by her mother who lived in a small remote village in China that worshipped Byakko, the tiger of west. While living there, she was prophesized to be the bearer of the tiger's spirit thus... making her more of a tiger than her doubles partner... Her real name is..."

XiaoLi sauntered back as she revealed some whiskers on her face and tiger-like eyes.

"Princess XiaoHu of Bai family," Ai leaned against the bench while glancing back at the Hyotei doubles pair.

"It's scary to know that two of the members of Rikkai Dai have funky histories and ancestors," Ayane gulped while scanning XiaoLi from head to toe. "Why did she change her name to XiaoLi anyway?"

Momo turned to see the regulars of Rikkai Dai and then back at Ayane. "Well, despite that – her name still means "small wild cat" - 狸 [li] meaning 'wild cat' if I remember Haruka telling me right. However, her real name means "Small Tiger", 小 [xiǎo] meaning 'small' and 虎 [hǔ] meaning 'tiger'. It's their way of concealing their royalty's true identity without having the descendant forget their line. Coming from a strict traditional line would mean also a heavy amount of protection."

Hitomi revealed more notes from her palm pad. "Not only that, the _Bái_ [白] clan is very protective of their kin especially in the presence of the Japanese. The Chinese and the Japanese held many disputes during the time of World War II and some of the clans from the remote areas of China still a bit _xenophobic_."

"So, her name would be," Kiyone started putting words together while trying to assess everything that Hitomi and Momo said. "Her name's Kimba!"

The whole Hyotei team sweat dropped as they stared at their smallest member. Kiyone cocked her head to the side as she scribbled on a piece of paper.

"See," Kiyone showed them a DVD cover showing "Kimba the White Lion". "Isn't that her name?"

"Where did you even get that," Momo stared at the DVD, shaking her head in disgust.

Kiyone grinned cheekily before giving them a 'v'. "My cousin really loves this show so yeah!"

The Hyotei girls stared at Kiyone for a moment and even Kajimoto seemed a little taken aback. Kiyone swivelled her head as to exchange glances with them but nothing came up.

"What," Kiyone tilted her head. "Her name means "white" doesn't it?"

"Sure it does," Ayane shook the small girl hard before she whacked Kiyone at the backside of her head. "But, last time we checked – her name doesn't mean "lion"!"

Kiyone, rubbing her head, pouted while impishly sticking out her tongue. "You're mean, Yane-_chan_! _Buchou_, she's bullying me again – ground her!"

"I swear," Shizuru pinched the bridge of her nose as Momo handed her a bottle of aspirins.

"Aren't you glad I brought these," Momo let out a small chuckle as Shizuru snickered a bit.

"Yeah, you have no idea."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game, Atobe-Kabaji: four games to four!"

The purple haired captain of Hyotei glared daggers at Marui who hyperventilated as soon as the volley started to increase in speed. Seeing that none of them were going to surrender, Atobe straightened himself out whereas Marui nearly sank down on his knees only to have each other to remind them what exactly they were fighting for. Marui's lavender eyes glinted darkly at Atobe's icy blue ones as the two attackers glowered at one another.

"Wow, Marui-_senpai_'s really pushing this game," Kirihara snickered as he leaned against the rail. "All for what: this girl from the Hyotei Tennis team – come on, doesn't he have any taste?"

Sanada stared silently at the match as Atobe and Marui continued to fight it out with one another and Jackal didn't need to defend the baseline anymore as Kabaji. As the big Hyotei sophomore fired the next service, both attackers by the net increased the speed considerably to avoid any interference or whatsoever as the ball vanished and the rippling over the net echoed across the court. Marui, ignoring the beads of sweat falling down his face, continued on with the attack to force Atobe back.

_He may be good in Singles but there's no way I'm gonna let him beat me at my own game!_

While the _tensai_ attacked viciously by the net, Marui stared in horror to find Atobe in the air as he knocked away Marui's racquet.

"_Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina_," Atobe smashed the ball straight in between Marui's feet.

Marui narrowed his eyes at Atobe, seething a bit as he went towards the service line and left Jackal to face Atobe up front. The red haired _tensai_ clenched his hand into a fist, grimacing at the thought of Atobe winning. Not only would his pride as a doubles player be injured but also that he would have to forfeit all his claims as Atobe and he had agreed to. That would mean not seeing Ayane, not sharing bubblegum with her, not getting tasty strawberry shortcake anymore and also... not being able to laugh with her anymore.

"Given up already," a mocking voice echoed from across the court as the words pounded into the _tensai_'s ears.

Marui turned to see Atobe with a large smirk plastered across his face whereas Jackal exchanged glances with both of them. Despite being a talented doubles player, Marui knew he couldn't challenge Atobe one-on-one unless he planned to "die early" as Sanada and Yanagi had quoted but even in doubles? The _tensai_ shook his head before standing tall and sticking out his tongue at Hyotei's king with a cocky grin of his own.

"_Tensai_ just need awhile to warm up," Marui scoffed back at Atobe.

The said king rolled his eyes before facing Jackal. "Of course, they need a longer time to warm up to the idea that they are about to lose."

Clucking his tongue, Marui sauntered back to the baseline to find himself facing Kabaji's strong serve. As the ball cracked off the sophomore's racquet, Marui slammed it as hard as he could as he and Jackal switched places again. Atobe and he stared back at each other as the volley remained contained by the net.

"Atobe's really flooring this guy," Gakuto watched Marui struggle against the king of Hyotei. "Honestly, what was that moron thinking?"

"Marui-_kun_ just wanted a challenge, that's all," Jirou jumped up and down excitedly as he watched the ball pass back and forth. "I can't even see it anymore."

Oshitari tapped his chin a bit. "Honestly, this guy bit more than he could chew."

"Yeah, challenging Atobe just like that would either mean you're too stupid to realize how strong he is," Shishido counted his fingers as he showed two possible outcomes. "Or, you're just a plain idiot and stupidly fearless of almost anything even if a gun were pointed at your head."

Ohtori looked at what Shishido just stated. "But, _senpai_ – both of the choices mean that he's lacking..."

"That's because he is," Shishido snorted as he folded his arms. "He knows he can't match Atobe now so why does he try to do it NOW? It's kinda like me trying to take down Tezuka or that Yukimura guy from Rikkai."

Gakuto nodded in agreement. "Marui's got no chance against Atobe. If it's for affections, he actually has a winning chance over Atobe in that department. I don't know any other guy than Atobe who would call his object of affection a "screaming banshee"."

Upon hearing this, Atobe promptly missed the ball causing it to fall behind him and Kabaji. Marui's eyes widened when he turned to the Hyotei stands as he overheard what they said. His heart somewhat leapt up in joy. Somehow, winning didn't seem to matter anymore but remembering the law of Rikkai Dai – the _tensai_ continued on his attack, leaving Atobe open. However, the king recovered quickly and hammered down on Marui as well and managed to defend the net line from a massive barrage.

"He's holding his end pretty well," Niou whistled as he started playing with the tennis ball in his hand. "I'm surprised that they didn't lose 6-0 to Marui and Jackal."

Sanada said nothing as the two continued to attack each other until their skin showed sores and red swelling. Kabaji stood behind with a sullen stare while Jackal forced himself to watch Marui take a beating from Atobe. Sweat poured down the attackers' faces as they continued volleying with one another. Marui fired the _Tetchuu Ate_ but Atobe quickly responded to it with another volley and despite Marui pulling out all the stops, the king reacted with insane reaction time that many thought only acrobats were capable of.

"Not bad, _puri_," Niou snickered as he tossed the tennis ball in his hand. "But, how long can he hold?"

Yanagi ran through the calculations. "Atobe, if he keeps this up, there's a 90 percent chance that Marui will overtake him in the end."

"His wrist isn't flexible enough for it," Yagyuu watched Marui volley it out as Kirihara lazily slouched on the bench. "Marui on the other hand has perfect control while Atobe's throwing his energy everywhere to keep up with Marui."

Atobe, overhearing Yagyuu's comment, hummed coldly to himself. He bit his lip, knowing that Rikkai's Gentleman had a point. While Marui could throw the ball anywhere, he managed to toss the ball at least in unpredictable places if he threw himself in a weird direction. As he tried to counter the next attack, Atobe tripped over as the ball zoomed past him. However, the ball screamed towards Marui who had no other choice but to dodge it as Jackal took the shot from Kabaji.

"K-Kabaji," Atobe stared, completely stunned at what the junior had done. "_Ore-sama_ told you to..."

"Atobe is fighting for someone," Kabaji continued to stun the captain even more. "Hyotei must win..."

Arrogance and determination lit up in his eyes as the king decided to attack Marui again. "Of course, Hyotei will accept no other place but the top...!"

Jackal, although sweating, continued running in his normal pace. "We can't lose, Marui. Unless you want..."

"Jackal, the kiddie gloves come off," Marui charged the net whereas Jackal attacked the baseline.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game, Hachishika-Yumika pair: three games all!"

"I can't believe this," Haruka managed to gasp out. "They've managed to tail us all the way and to think, I'm already losing my breath."

Rin wobbly stood up while she faced a near down exhausted XiaoLi. Haruka and Tora were breathing heavily as they stared back at one another, wondering how long they could manage the game. Both their partners were downright exhausted and even their bodies were at their limit. The _Synchro_ took a huge chunk out of Rin's staminaand Haruka glanced at the black acrobat who managed to last that long. Honestly, she expected herself to last a little longer but their match had already taken up two hours. Before Haruka knew it, a rumble echoed across the sky. Rin looked up as she nodded to Haruka to at least try to finish the game.

"It seems our doubles partners are thinking the same thing," Tora snickered to Haruka who swivelled her head to the tiger's direction. "It's time for us to decide on which being would rule the skies."

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "Tigers were never meant to fly but they were in charge of the metals of the earth. The dragons have always ruled the skies and it will remain that way."

A serve cracked off from Rin as Tora slammed it towards Haruka who volleyed it at XiaoLi, giving the Twin Dragons the chance to switch places once more. The strong shot caused XiaoLi to fumble and Rin to come down with the Wind Dragon Cannon again. However, Tora flicked her wrist to limply send the ball back giving Haruka the chance to take advantage of the weak spin for the Dragon's Retaliation.

"Fifteen – love," Tora clucked her tongue as she went in for another attack.

"They're really going to play until the thunder and lightning come out," Isane stuck her hand out as small droplets appeared in her hand. "Isn't this bad for them?"

Haruka, noticing the droplets on her racquet, slammed the ball straight towards XiaoLi who fumbled with the shot as Rin delivered another blow.

"Rin," Haruka walked over to the acrobat. "We have to finish this..."

Rin looked up at the sky but shook her head at Haruka. "Haru-_chan_, I have an idea for this. It's my turf now!"

Haruka stared at the black haired acrobat quizzically before deciding to trust Rin on her instincts. As the black haired acrobat lowered herself for a serve, she ran a quick analysis on XiaoLi and Tora as the court started getting wet. XiaoLi started shivering slightly as the thunder cracked across the sky whereas Tora stayed stiff at the baseline despite the lightning and thunder rolling. The wind didn't blow hard at all but more or less – the fact that they were playing in the rain proved to be dangerous. As Rin's serve cracked off, Tora forehanded it back to Haruka who volleyed the ball to XiaoLi. The Chinese freshman then jumped for a drive volley but Rin quickly slid across the court where the ball was meant to land and delayed the shot at the time the thunder cracked. Upon hearing the thunder, XiaoLi panicked and ducked for cover as the ball limply jumped over the net.

"Thirty – love," Haruka turned to Rin who had a childish grin on her face.

Rin jumped up and down like a child. "_Kuwee~_, it actually worked!"

Haruka stared and sweatdropped at the black acrobat who started proclaiming and jumping up and down with joy. "I can't believe she gambled that..."

"Well, that's Rin for you," Momo smirked as she leaned against the rail. "She doesn't have human insight. It's more on nature. Dragons were always associated with the power of nature and the sky."

Another shot echoed along with the thunder, causing XiaoLi to panic and forcing Tora to cover up for her mistakes. Haruka however now had an opening for her Dragon's Tail as it created a strong whiplash against the Tiger pair. Soon, rain pelted the court as Rin took advantage of the slippery courts – sliding across easily for the shots.

"Did they drag this out on purpose," Ayane turned to Shizuru who shrugged.

"You can't say that for sure," Mai responded as a slow smile appeared on her lips. "But, Haruka-_senpai_ and Rin-_senpai_ purposely trained in China for this. They wanted to make they can take on anybody in any condition so long as they stand. In the legend, the dragons were the ones that controlled the rain but because they're merely human – all they can do is take advantage of it."

Rin somersaulted in the air with a smash, letting the ball crash land at the same time with the flashing lightning and thunder.

"Tch, what dirty tricks," Miaka growled as she tugged her bell choker. "Those Hyotei demons know nothing..."

"It's not dirty, Miaka," Ai stated for the sophomore. "It's simply tactics. That's normal in battle or in a fight. Taking advantage of the terrain and weather would either break or make your victory. Tennis is like a battle and we cannot afford to lose but to them, it's not just a battle for the match."

"This is the battle for the heavens," Ai narrowed her eyes as Haruka and Rin reactivated the _Synchro_ causing Tora and XiaoLi to suddenly also go into _Synchro_.

Kiyone put her jacket over her head. "Wow, it's really raining."

"I am so going to shower later," Mai plucked a leaf off her hair. "Honestly, do they have to finish it now?"

"It would be disgraceful to them if they didn't," Shizuru shook her head as she stood up, motioning the regulars to pull out the umbrellas. "Does anyone live nearby here?"

Hitomi nodded as opened up her umbrella. "Take a shower in my place if you want. I have ten bathrooms there."

They all stared at her as if she had lost her mind.

"What," Hitomi shrugged while smiling evilly. "It's nice to play with the stock markets..."

They all shuddered while turning away from the Mastermind.

_Such a scary woman indeed._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the other hand, Seishun Gakuen had their match with Fudomine as they battled it out. Fuuka rolled up her sleeves after she tossed her jacket aside with her bright blue eyes glistening in anticipation. The captain of Fudomine reeled back slightly as Fuuka slowly made her way to the baseline. The spectators gaped in horror as they froze in their places, watching Seishun Gakuen's Souma Fuuka and Fudomine Chuu's captain, Hanabusa Jun take their places.

"I thought you were going to fight Rikkai," Fuuka smirked as she shook the other girl's hand. "It's a shame I have to destroy you here."

Jun narrowed her eyes at the red haired captain. "Don't be so overconfident. Karma can hit you back you know."

"Last time I checked," Fuuka scoffed as she turned around with a glare. "I'm not Buddhist."

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ sighed as she folded her arms to watch the girls fight it out. The boys' team came over to root them on, leaving Tezuka the only one missing. Echizen sat by the rails with a can of grape flavoured Ponta in his hand while looking at the scoreboard. He shook his head as Fuji too passed a glance at the board. Fudomine never had a chance to begin with. Not as long as they started strong and Shibuya already tormented her opponent as the members glanced at the evidence: a dent appeared in the fence in the shape of one of the members.

"Nyah~, Shibuya-_chan_'s scary," Kikumaru gulped while looking at the small girl swing her legs happily on the bench despite the thunder and lightning.

"Mouri Enma's freakier," one of the other members of the tennis club shuddered as Enma continued sewing a _TeruTeru Bozu_ with the face of Jack Skellington. "She's like in the match completely... emotionless like one of those freaky Goth dolls."

"This whole match was a slaughter," Fuji checked the board as he saw all 6-0. "Even Ryuuzaki and Jerrard did an amazing job in destroying their best pair."

Inui wrote on his notebook while taking a glance at Seishun Gakuen's data master, Amagi Karin. "Amagi Karin, birthday: November 15, favourite object: cellphone and often found eating a cucumber stick. She is 5'9 ft and her play style is similar to..."

"...Yamaguchi Hitomi is what you were about to say," Karin chuckled before turning to Inui with her long dirty blonde hair billowing in the wind. "Am I right, Sadaharu?"

Inui flushed slightly because unlike most data girls, Karin had the looks of a model. "You two share a history in elementary school."

"We did," Karin smiled darkly. "Why do you think I transferred out of Hyotei Gakuen?"

Despite the rain, Fuuka soon started her attack as Jun managed to keep up. However, the female Seishun Gakuencaptain burst the shot hard enough to send her opponent's racquet flying straight out and snapped the strings. The Fudomine captain stared in shock as she remembered the only one rumoured strong enough to do that was the Amazon from Hyotei. Fuuka didn't even have Ayane's build. In fact, the red haired captain's build looked similar more to Amakusa Natsuki and she knew that even the Shitenhouji captain could not do that.

"You're a monster," Jun rubbed the sore spot on her wrist.

"I'm a monster because Kurenai's more of one than me," Fuuka glared holes into the Fudomine captain. "To combat a monster, you need to become one. You don't know the true meaning of demon."

Jun snickered at Fuuka before standing up. "Perhaps, she went demon because of you?"

Fuuka gripped her racquet tightly as she glared a look that could rival Sanada Genichirou's. "I will crush her. I have grown stronger over the year and I will not let her stand on top!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ shook her head while looking at the other members of the girls' team. _Souma is the only one with enough drive to destroy Hyotei. All because of one loss she's gone obsessive._

Fuji glanced at the match as he pulled out his cellphone while texting a familiar number.

_To: Tezuka Kunimitsu_

_From: Fuji Syuusuke_

_Saa~, you have quite the effect on them, Tezuka. _

_Have you already made your choice?_

With a small smile on his face, Fuji clicked the 'send' button as he continued watching the match. Soon, Fuuka smashed the ball straight towards Jun who dodged the ball just in time.

"Is this all there is to the famous 'Jezebel of Kyushu'," Fuuka sneered as she fired the next serve. "You were much more of a monster... compared to Kurenai back then."

Jun bit her lip while her members stood up in horror.

"Don't do it captain," one of them yelled. "It's not worth it!"

"Shut her up with your other moves," another one called out, causing Jun to grip her racquet tightly.

Jun stared back at Fuuka with a glare, having a black aura cover up her body and revealing a behemoth. "The boys' may be known more... but that's because they've never seen the fury of a woman..."

Fuuka clucked her tongue. "So, resorting to the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ – and to think you're not one of the angels of _Kanto_."

"I was labelled as the 'Bel of _Touhoku_'," Jun pulled off her eye patch from her left eye, revealing a discoloration of molten gold and green. "I will waste you – the same way I did with the others!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game and match, Hikifumi-Shimohi pair: seven games to six!"

Haruka dragged Rin off the court as the black haired acrobat grinned with a thumb up. The whole Hyotei team gathered up their things as they tried to avoid the rain.

"Leaving so soon," a snigger came from the other side, revealing Amane Kira and Torinaka Yui.

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that's new. I didn't know Amane knew how to play doubles."

"As a data master who contends with yours," Kira tossed back her light brown hair. "I have to make sure that I can do both singles and doubles."

Soon, an announcement from the speakers blared.

"All matches from here on out will suspended until the rain stops. A storm has been reported coming from the east. Please return to your homes immediately."

Pulling out her cellphone, Hitomi dialled a number before looking around for the nearest exit. "Roland, pick us up already. My teammates will be staying in for the night. Tell Chef Ulysses to make a fine meal for nine people plus maybe a few visitors. Thank you."

"Your chef's Greek," Haruka raised an eyebrow at Hitomi.

The data master shrugged. "He cooks pretty well. He definitely would beat Ayane-_chan _in that department."

"I know how to cook," Ayane pouted as she folded her arms with a snort.

Kiyone shook her head with an impish grin, earning a glare from Ayane. "She can only chop with a pearing knife."

"AT LEAST I GRADUATED TO A PEARING KNIFE," Ayane then started strangling Kiyone who let out a bucket of crocodile tears.

As soon as the driver came, all the girls piled up into the _Hyundai Starex_ as the rain started pouring. Kiyone shook her body like a dog as Ayane started squeeze drying her hair into the jacket. Shizuru turned off the aircon as they started drying up in the car.

"Thank you for letting us use your bathrooms, Hitomi-_senpai_," Shizuru smiled kindly at her _senpai_. "I hope it isn't much trouble."

"My parents are barely home," Hitomi waved her hand dismissively as she popped open a cooler. "Anybody want some whiskey?"

They all stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "Hitomi, we're underage?"

The blonde girl shrugged as she downed an entire bottle. "Oh well, more for me."

Mai dried her hair as they neared Hitomi's mansion. "Honestly, how much of that can you drink?"

"I don't know," Hitomi put down the bottle as she mounted an olive. "I never checked."

Haruka snatched the bottle away from Hitomi. "Did you even check yourself for cirrhosis yet?"

"My eyes aren't yellow yet," Hitomi grabbed the bottle back as she downed another one. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm fine."

"You might be developing a tumour in there," Ayane stared in horror as she watched Hitomi finish the whole bottle by herself. "My dad drinks but not like you!"

Shizuru sighed as they suddenly came to a stop, nearly throwing the entire team forward. "Are we here already?"

All of a sudden, they heard a gunshot which nearly hit one of them but missed since Kiyone sat in the middle and was quite vertically challenged. Hitomi managed to dodge it as she grabbed everyone down while hearing voices outside.

"Hey, hand over the money," one of the voices snapped with a low grunt. "You brought us the girls right?"

Momo hissed under her breath. "_Kusotare..._"

Hearing that roll out of Momo's mouth proved to everyone how serious she was. Kiyone exchanged glances with everyone, wondering what it meant.

"Something you're better off not knowing," Shizuru kindly told the smaller one as Isane unsheathed a gun.

Haruka stared, wide eyed. "Are you serious, Isane? Are you even allowed?"

"I don't need to kill them," Isane looked out the window, seeing three men outside with crowbars and shotguns but heard more than just three men. "I just need to disarm them."

Momo pulled out a dagger hidden in her racquet. "You know, this is why we _samurai_ always come prepared."

Shizuru pulled out a small pouch as she placed it in her pocket. "Ayane, get ready to open the door."

Gulping, the vice captain held the handle of the door as Momo pulled her racquet out with the hidden dagger. Isane leaned against the wall whereas Shizuru stayed on the other side. The regulars nodded to one another as Haruka, Rin and the others stayed close to one another. Hitomi broke open the Whiskey bottle with an evil grin.

"I hate street fighting really," the Mastermind groaned as she waited near Momo.

Shizuru signalled as she got ready to toss the pouch in the air. "Now...!"

As Ayane slid the door open, needles flung out and surprised the thugs as Shizuru grabbed the flying needles and stuck them in two of the men's necks. Isane fired a few shots and easily disarmed them as the crowbars and shotguns rattled on the ground. Momo on the other hand started cutting through them and took out the tendons of the hijackers, causing them to fall back.

"Stupid bitches," one grabbed Kiyone through the window as he hollered. "Get one of them!"

"Kiyone," Ayane jumped out of the car and gave him a good pile driver as she eased her shoulders. "Geez, Ozuma-_nii-san_ was right; that attack does hurt."

One of them charged with a crowbar until Momo blocked it with her dagger. "For goodness' sake, don't just stand there – run!"

Shizuru kicked one down with a bicycle kick but nearly got clobbered by the butt end of shotgun if not for Hitomi's timely save with a broken whiskey bottle. "Honestly, what is it with these people?"

"They're here for sex slaves," Momo spat with a low venomous whisper. "It looks like we're on their list."

Shizuru went for a sweep kick as one charged towards her only to have the horn blared in his ear, with Mai smiling with a sardonic grin and sitting near the driver's seat.

"How's the driver," Shizuru motioned to Mai who started slapping him and shaking her hands.

_K.O. like a light,_ Mai mouthed to Shizuru as she honked the horn again to deafen another attacker as the captain punched him.

Momo dodged another blow as she slashed another tendon; unknowingly getting blood splashed on her face but easily washed off due to the rain. Seeing the pole, Shizuru pointed up at the wires as Isane got her signal.

"Everyone, get in the car," Shizuru called out as Isane fired a shot towards the live wire and sent electricity to shock them into oblivion.

Kiyone watched them vibrate from the electrical jolts as she grinned. "Ooooh, x-ray!"

Ayane let out a sigh in relief. "I can't believe we're still alive..."

"I can't believe your driver's useless," Momo monotonously stated to Hitomi. "Honestly, where did these guys come from?"

Haruka put down her phone. "I called up the police already. They're on their way."

"Perfect," Momo smirked as she leaned back. "Those guys won't be able to go anywhere anymore."

Shizuru shook her head at Momo. "You didn't have to render them contained in a wheel chair forever."

"You're the one with the needles," Momo pointed out to the junior. "I wonder where did you even learn how to do that?"

Ayane folded her arms while shaking her head. "I don't understand why you guys insisted on beating them up when we can call the police straight."

"Better than sitting here and getting raped," Momo folded her arms with an icy glare, easily silencing the vice captain. "Besides, it will take them at least thirty minutes to get to where we are."

Hearing the sirens from a distance, Rin jumped up and down. "They're coming already!"

"Thank God," Haruka slumped down in the chair. "It's about time."

Isane glanced out the window as she turned to Hitomi. "Think we can run at this rate?"

"Why," Hitomi glanced out the window, seeing jet black cars with blue and green sirens. "Oh God, those aren't policemen!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip as she grabbed her stuff. "Everyone, get out!"

Hitomi helped her driver out as they started running for their lives. Rin ducked as a bullet came flying while they continued running.

"I know my brother's cars," Isane justified as they turned the corner. "It's red and blue not green and blue."

"Who are these people," Ayane dragged Kiyone along. "Why do they keep chasing us?"

Shizuru, seeing her house, pulled them along as she told them. "Follow me!"

They finally reached Shizuru's house as they locked the door behind them.

"Wow, this is a first," Haruka looked around. "Your house looks like a mansion from the outside but I can't see anything."

Shizuru clicked open the light. "This is one of the reasons why I won't let you in here. It's only now that I did..."

As the lights flashed on, the walls had metal plates as the white lights shined down on them. There were barely any windows and mostly air ducts as the team continued to walk through the hallway. Kiyone jumped onto Ayane looking around with a pout. Momo carefully took steps forward as she analysed the hallway. Hitomi quickly pulled out her notebook as she started scribbling around. Mai glanced at Shizuru who didn't even flinch.

"I know you have questions," Shizuru continued walking without giving them any eye contact. "But wait until you get inside."

As they neared the other door, the door slid open revealing ten thrones all cloaked in white and Shizuru's eighteen step siblings stood there as well.

"What the hell," Ayane gaped in awe. "What are you doing here?"

"This is where I live," Shizuru smiled weakly. "This is where I was raised for God knows how long."

Onryou snorted as he watched Shizuru walk in, folding his arms. "You're late, again!"

"_Gomene,_" Shizuru politely bowed. "I had quite the hold up."

Another one of her step brothers growled angrily. "Who are the weirdos? Didn't we tell you not to invite any weirdos?"

Shizuru shrugged before taking a seat. "Sorry, we had no other choice but to hide here. ZODIAC is on the move again."

"Sex slave traders," one of the other older brothers scoffed as he revealed himself from the shadows.

Mai gaped at Shizuru. "You knew who those guys were?"

"Blue and green sirens," Shizuru showed Mai pictures. "We're the government's dogs. We have to make sure we know this."

Isane gaped in awe at the place. "Wait, if you're the government's dogs – that means you guys are..."

Shizuru nodded with an empty smile. "Where you stand right now, is the property of the L.X.A."

Haruka bit her lip as she glanced back at Shizuru. "The league of extraordinary alchemists... so, you guys..."

"We do a lot of things like this," Shizuru stood amongst her siblings. "The story of me having Sagara Kyouichi as my father was only a cover-up. In reality, he is only my handler. My step mothers – well, they're just..."

"Just a bunch of bitches we hired to make it look that Kurenai here had a family so it won't be so damn awkward," Onryou puffed out a small cloud of smoke. "Here, we all have our jobs and ranks. The higher your rank, the more crap you're dumped with."

Hitomi looked through the list as she started recognizing faces immediately. "Aikawa Onryou," –she pointed to a tall male with unruly blonde hair, light green eyes and a cigarette in his mouth. "Luivouiskov Kenneth," –Mai looked up at the 6'5 ft pale blonde haired male who stared down with his sharp blue eyes. "Chen XingLong..."

Many of the members were male such as Aikawa Onryou who puffed out another cigarette along with his twin brother, Aikawa Kaitou while standing next to Kenneth Luivouiskov, folding his arms with a cold glare. Chen XingLong had his laid back smile while twisting his long black hair in a Chinese warrior braid whose smile could rival Fuji's which sent shivers down everyone's spine. Henry Muñoz, a young hot-blooded Spaniard with a wild mop of auburn hair and enchanting gold eyes stood next to a mysterious looking Greek black haired male Kane Michaelides who folded his arms while analysing them with his sharp onyx eyes. Next to Kane came Roger Alexanderson, a Swedish-Japanese male with styled coffee blonde hair and sharp auburn eyes. A tall Japanese brunette who shared Shizuru's characteristics named Agito strode in with an enigmatic smirk along with a white haired Japanese male who flashed his emerald green eyes at them, Shirokawa Rue.

"Holy Jesus," Mai gaped while Haruka rubbed her eyes.

Rin yelped as she jumped up and down while grabbing Shizuru. "Is this why you're immune to men, _Kuwee_?"

"Huh, what are you talking about," Shizuru raised an eyebrow as Rin continued to comically shake her silly.

Rin pointed to all of them while pulling her hair. "Don't you see where you are? You're trapped in a male modelling agency!"

Everyone, including the males, stared at Rin with a sweat drop while Shizuru twitched at her _senpai_'s analysis.

"Well, all except the Aikawa guys," Rin grinned sheepishly causing XingLong to snigger at the two dirty blonde males who glared back at him.

Hitomi began counting them as she looked at her notebook. "Wait a minute, they're only nine of you... where are the other...?"

"We sent out a lot for missions," one of the deep voices echoed from above. "Now, will you kindly get out before we throw you out?"

Shizuru bowed down. "They'll stay in my room – they will not say a word, commander."

"Make sure of that and if they do," he glowered with his bright orange amber eyes. "Kill them."

The whole Hyotei team gulped as Shizuru led them to her room. Unlike many girls' rooms, the walls were plain white with a black sofa and white pillows. Her bed looked like the normal steel bed with a set of white pillows and a black bed sheet. In her closet, all that hung there were her Hyotei uniforms and some of her casual clothes and formal wear. Behind it, there were several black latex suits covered by her clothes.

"Did we just enter the realm of Power Rangers," Ayane looked through Shizuru's clothes. "What the hell is it with all these black latex suits?"

Momo pulled out the drawer from below Shizuru's bed, revealing an array of swords to knives much to her surprise. Behind Shizuru's TV, a whole gun collection caught Isane's eye and Haruka found some Chinese weapons stashed in her shoe drawer. Mai checked behind Shizuru's CD collection and found her _Arnis_ sticks, completely varnished and shiny but loaded with dents.

"Well, can't expect more from a government agent's house," Momo closed the drawer. "Can I use your shower?"

Shizuru nodded as she pulled out a book. "You guys go ahead and use my bathroom. By the way, when you see a knob – use only the ones that are labelled 'hot' or 'cold' and 'shower' or 'faucet'. Nothing else to touch."

As Momo opened her bathroom, she gaped as she found black marble lining the floor and white marble walls with a tub half Jacuzzi fit for a Greek ruler. Her shower looked like one of those fancy showers in a president's house and she had brass knobs for the switches. Her whole bathroom had mirrors on her closets inside.

"Damn," Ayane gaped in awe. "Atobe's gonna blow a fuse when he sees this."

Shizuru rolled her eyes. "This is why I don't like inviting people to my house."

"This is all subsidized," Momo raised an eyebrow at Shizuru. "I suppose?"

The brunette nodded while Isane pointed to Shizuru's arms. "But, that doesn't explain the marks."

"Half training, half mission and quarters of Kaitou turning into a wild animal with claws," Shizuru folded her arms as she revealed her scratched up arms. "He doesn't do it intentionally. They're normally like this to outsiders. Actually, this place is a facility for those who are... 'Special'."

"Special in what way," Momo turned to see Shizuru's bright red eyes glimmering differently.

"You'll see," Shizuru turned away as she took off her wet tennis jersey. "You just need to wait."

Isane looked around as she managed to dry her short silver hair. "Shishido-_kun_ really has the wrong idea."

"Well, half wrong half right," Shizuru shrugged at her tall _senpai_. "I didn't want to bring him here. The first time Choutarou-_kun_ fell in here, they nearly killed him. It was a good thing I was able to beat them all up before anything else happened to Choutarou-_kun_. Sometimes, knocking sense into them is not the best solution but talking to them almost never works. By the way, I want to know what he thought. Did he tell you?"

"He thinks you live in a brothel," Isane sheepishly scratched her head while Shizuru let out a giggle.

"Don't worry – he'll see all of this soon," Shizuru sighed as she handed Isane a blow dryer. "Here, you might want to dry your clothes faster. The only clothes here that may fit you are Luivouiskov-_san_'s."

Isane nodded as she turned on the blow dryer. "Thanks, anyhow – what are we going to do about those guys?"

"The best way to get them is to lure them out," Shizuru marked something on her white board while writing the time. "Many girls were taken and a lot of them ended up overseas. We sent most of our agents to Africa and America. That's where they usually end up. Very few though ended up in Pakistan..."

Isane gulped while looking at the white board. "Dead or alive?"

"Some were already infected with AIDS and they died soon later," Shizuru listed down their names on the white board. "Apparently, ZODIAC's a big organization and they've been able to do it while easily covering their tracks. We've been trying to get them into trial but it's almost impossible. The only thing we even managed to do is get them to commit suicide."

Haruka looked at the white board while tracing down the dots that were marked on the world map. "This explains why you excel in geography but doesn't fighting also need geometry...?"

"Considering that you need to angle the gun," Isane started adding.

Shizuru twitched at the word 'geometry'. "I hated the subject and I normally don't do guns. I do knives and needles. It's much easier."

A knock came from the door as Shizuru answered it and found Agito outside. "Oh, Agito-_nii-sama_ – what can I do for you?"

"We got an emergency," Agito looked over her shoulder. "I hope your friends don't mind if I borrow you for a minute?"

"Wait, what are you guys going to do," Haruka went all motherly again. "Wait, that's classified isn't it?"

Shizuru and Agito raised their eyebrow at her as Haruka sighed. "I thought so. Be back before seven!"

Smiling sheepishly, Shizuru followed after Agito before calling out in a teasing voice. "Will do, mommy."

"Hey," Haruka planted her hands on her hips before pursing her lips, watching the door close in front of her. "Someone has to look after you too, you know!"

As the door shut and many of the regulars got out of the bathroom, they all sat in a circle while Hitomi put out her notebook. Everyone exchanged glances in silence as Ayane was the first to break it.

"I guess we got our answer," Ayane folded her legs. "The very main reason why she has so many wounds."

"To think it was because Hitomi's van got attacked," Momo added before looking at the board. "Well, that's why we have an adage that goes: 'be careful what you wish for'."

Mai snatched a can of soda from her fridge. "Man, to think she had more stuff than Atobe does. But in reality, all this is here just to hide her weapons."

"Hitomi, do you have any data about the L.X.A," Haruka glanced to Hitomi who started opening her notes.

"The L.X.A or the League of Extraordinary Alchemists are a group of scientists and combat specialists designed by the Japanese government to help take down those who are involved in the black market," Hitomi flipped to the next page. "They are often recruited by the big companies such as the Atobe Company and many others depending on what job is required."

"Wait, Atobe knew," Ayane gaped at Hitomi. "Does that mean...?"

Hitomi shook her head. "Atobe does not necessarily know but he has a few notes. After all, if there's anyone who's suspicious about Shizuru – it's him."

Momo gestured to Hitomi. "Continue on with the data."

"These combat specialists are handpicked and most of them are orphans from the legendary calamities such as "The Seven Days of Fire" and many more," Hitomi continued looking through her notes. "These orphans then are trained to a span of ten years and whoever survives will be the ones that they will take. After ten years, they are then experimented on to give them abilities beyond mortal man that would help them accomplish the tasks laid out."

"However, there's a catch," a deep voice came from the door, revealing the black haired Greek Kane Michaelides.

They all jumped up as he lightly strode in and sat on Shizuru's bed. "Our youngest here – Shizuru, doesn't fit any of the qualifications."

Now, the Hyotei regulars slumped their shoulders; back to square one. They stared at the notebook for a long time before looking at the white board and started thinking: where did that put her? Was she paid to do so? Nothing seemed to make any sense to them as they tried to assess their captain.

Momo shook herself out of the daze as she started recounting the qualifications. "Does that mean she was kidnapped?"

Kane smirked as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Let's say – she was made into an orphan by her own family."

They all exchanged glances with one another as Kane raised an eyebrow. "Well, do you have any idea who she is?"

Haruka shook her head before thinking. "Wait a minute, is that Agito guy... really her...?"

"He's really her blood brother," Kane nodded as he stood up. "He didn't want her to know but around here – he changed his name to Chaos. He doesn't want to let her remember because her true name is what's going to make her live a nightmare for all eternity..."

Everyone's faces paled as Kane revealed her true identity.

"Her real name is Kazama-Shuzen Shizuru, the youngest heiress to the _Mishima Zaibatsu_."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Yes, I know I mixed a lot of stuff into this. I was starting to get bored with the same old tennis matches so I decided to put a mix of Tekken and some other animes like Busou Renkin. She's not the only one involved in this – there are going to be a lot more participants. Many of them just don't remember what happened to them years ago. I want you guys to take your guesses! :D By the way, please review!**


	40. Revealing the Shadows

**Me: Thank you for the reviews so far! I really love the fact that you send me reviews! I know a lot of people are like 'WTH is this writer thinking?' To tell you the truth, I wanted to put a little more spice and so – I decided to mix it up. Crossovers are a little lame on that part but that's why I made a mix. If you want to know the first experiment on that, read 'Hearts Entwined'. It's a Beyblade story but I mixed so much stuff I have no idea either how one or the other got in. There were hints of Persona Series, Claymore and if you squint I got a little /Hack G.U. mixed in and the old show 'End of Days' thrown into the mess. Even my Bleach story 'Waterfall of Spirits' had a mix of Prince of Tennis if you look closely like Shougetsu Miko having the "Hamustu e no Enbu" – which was derived from Atobe Keigo, Fukurou Diva having the "Fukurou Phantom" from Tezuka Kunimitsu. Anybody also want oneshots? Let me know too okay?**

**Kyouei_shurei: Actually, I expected a lot of people to be like 'WTF' but then again – it's something new so maybe they're slightly more open to it. Each of them has their special thing and Shizuru's not the only one who has been recruited into L.X.A. I asked people to guess but no one's giving me any answers.**

**Ayane2996: I read the manga again and no problem – I can balance this. I just need a little help from the readers so I at least have an idea. And yes, I should have done that – maybe Marui should make Atobe run like a headless chicken. [Atobe: **_**Ore-sama**_** shall not run around like that! Me: Too bad it's my story, jerk. Now shaddup and sit down!] Yes, maybe I should leave it on standby to get the opinion of readers on who should win. After all, they both have their pros and cons: Atobe's good in one-on-one match but he doesn't have the kind of control that Marui has but then again, candy boy over there don't got no stamina which Atobe has because he's a complete dobe. [Atobe: **_**Ore-sama**_** is not a dobe! Me: What did I say? *bringing out a pair of Arnis sticks* Atobe: *sits down and shuts up* Me: Very good.] So, yeah – there it is.**

***Takoyaki – roasted octopus balls, the best place to get it is in Osaka**

***Kikiam – some Chinese meat roll that vendors usually sell along the holes in the wall. Very tasty.**

Chapter 40 – Revealing the Shadows

No one knew what to say. The revelation smacked them straight in the face and realized the similarity in the eyes of their captain and in the eyes of the Kazama.

Kiyone stopped chewing on her melon bun that Momo had previously shoved into her mouth until Ayane started moving her jaw for her.

Isane shook her head and replayed the words over and over.

Mai had a face that spelled out "YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING RIGHT?"

Haruka and Rin exchanged glances before pulling each others' hair and both saying 'ow' to make sure they're not dreaming.

Hitomi punched numbers into the calculator, muttering something about the chances of that being completely impossible.

Momo on the other hand didn't seem to have an expression but her eyes did widen a few centimetres bigger.

"You have to be pulling my leg right," Ayane screeched at Kane Michaelides who didn't even bat an eyelash at the volume of Ayane's voice.

The Greek turned away from the Hyotei team. "Put it this way, if the Sanada ruled the area of Kanagawa, Mishima's own Tokyo. This place you guys are on – is their territory without including Honmaru and other bases they may have. The brunette doesn't know this because we know what Agito can do to us if she finds out..."

Ayane gulped, thinking what Shizuru can do despite having a kind face. "I don't think I wanna know."

Momo tapped her chin, taking it calmly despite the news. "Hold on, that doesn't explain how she suddenly got drafted here."

Haruka sat on the floor, trying to figure it out. "The only reason I can think is that because she's an orphan and that she's easier to fool especially when she was young."

"You got that part right," Kane snorted as he popped open a soda from her fridge. "The stupid part about the kid is that she always saw things 'black and white'. No gray area – anyone who opposes anyone she deems precious, rest assured – you're screwed. Besides, this whole thing of hers was planned from the very beginning."

"By who," Mai raised an eyebrow as she thought through it. "Wait, Mishima Heihachi?"

Hitomi shook her head as she showed Mai her notes. "He's been living in the recesses of Mt. Fuji. It's impossible for him to suddenly jump and make commotion."

"Many people believe that but only Agito knows," Kane went for the door. "You guys have to ask him but, he won't give you answers."

Isane suddenly got hit by a bolt of lightning. "Wait a minute, you once said that there were others – are there any who...?"

"Let me tell you this," Kane cut her off smoothly. "There are twelve princesses right?"

They all exchanged glances as the Greek smirked at them.

"Seven got screwed and only five remain," he continued while punching the can against forehead. "One who fights for her life, one without an identity, one with no family, another who has the darkness at her command and the last – the one who seeks nothing but victory."

Rin tapped her chin as she looked at the others who didn't seem to have an idea. "Oh well, we know that Shizuru's one of them. But who are the other people?"

"I can name the fifth but I'm not sure," Momo leaned against the table before turning to Isane. "Let's just keep it to ourselves and look for clues. Isane, if it's one thing I know your family is good at – it's compiling history. The Uchiha have always been part of the police and I'm sure they have records."

The silver haired regular shrugged while nodding weakly. "Let's hope my brother has something."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Atobe, entering the car, let out a sigh as he dumped the towel on his face. His blue eyes gleamed with relief as he looked up at the slowly clearing sky from his limo. Rainy days weren't his best but at least it soothed his nerves a bit. The king of Hyotei winced as he flicked his wrist, noting the red sore spot and mentally reminding himself to thank Kabaji for bringing the liniment. Groaning this time out of boredom, he popped open the fridge and found a small cup of _Panna Cotta_ that Ayane had made. He remembered the redness of her face when she gave it to him.

[_Flashback_]

"Here," a begrudging growl caused Atobe to snap his head up and find Ayane blushing with embarrassment.

Atobe looked at the simple desert, decorated with a slice of strawberry and whipped cream. "It's about time."

"I had to perfect the damn thing," Ayane snapped moodily as she turned away with a huff. "And if you don't mind – I'll be going now."

"Wait," he called out to Ayane.

The vice captain did not move but Atobe let out a smirk.

"_Ore-sama_ wants you to meet him on the rooftop later," Atobe noted as the vice captain let out a sigh.

"I'm not your maid," Ayane rolled her eyes as if rebuking his thoughts. "Go feed yourself."

"But you are my girlfriend," Atobe countered his blue eyes gleaming with amusement as Ayane blushed even more furiously than before.

"Fine," Ayane averted her gaze away from him, fighting down the blush. "I'll do it... just this once..."

[_End of Flashback_]

_Ore-sama's surprised she even came,_ Atobe chuckled lightly to himself as he ate some of the leftover _Panna Cotta_ he had been saving for rainy days. As the pudding melted in his mouth, the king couldn't help but smile at how well it came out. Atobe shook his head as he sliced the strawberry and savoured the taste of it.

_Strong and sweet in taste..._

_Just the way Ayane was..._

Unlike most _Panna Cotta_ that would often have a combination of only berries, Ayane's had a wild clash in taste but not in a disgusting way. A way that actually made it even more flavourful and sent his taste buds on a wild roller coaster ride – the same way Ayane's actions sent his mind and heart reeling in excitement and attraction. What made him accept that doubles match? He looked at his hand at how sore it was from making sure that his racquet didn't slip from his hand and he could maintain a consistency. He leaned back against the chair as he dried his hair from the sweat and rain before answering his phone that had been vibrating for the past few minutes.

"_Ore-sama_ speaking," Atobe maintained his holier-than-thou voice despite being buried under a towel.

A small pause came in until a monotonous voice replied through the speaker. "Satisfied?"

Atobe didn't say anything as a small smirk appeared on his lips. "_Ore-sama_ never expected that good a challenge, Sanada."

"Marui isn't an idiot," the voice let out a snort. "He'll do what it takes to win. It's the law of Rikkai but..."

Atobe raised an eyebrow at the end of the statement. "_Arn~_, is there something _ore-sama_ forgot to cover?"

"Marui may have already beaten you from the very beginning," the Rikkai Dai vice captain noted seriously to the Hyotei king, earning him a disgruntled snort. "He has something that you're too blind to notice and sooner or later, the results will show."

Atobe scoffed at Sanada. "What makes you think he can beat me?"

"What makes you think he will lose," Sanada countered, earning him cold silence. "I suggest you rethink what you're doing."

"You're not doing too well with Kurenai either," Atobe shot back finally, feeling a good about his retort. "I don't see her taking a liking to you."

"At least I don't do things without thinking things through, Atobe," Sanada fired back at the Hyotei captain. "Kurenai and whoever you're going after are not alike; they're mindsets are too different."

The Hyotei king rolled his eyes while letting out a cold hum. "_Ore-sama_ doesn't need your help, Sanada."

"That's exactly what's going to get you killed," Sanada sighed on the phone. "I hate to say this but my cousin was right: you're too pompous to even notice small details."

Atobe groaned in annoyance; the last thing he wanted was Sanada lecturing him on the phone. "You speak as if you can understand emotions when you yourself can't even express it."

"I'm capable," Sanada crossly retorted. "I only reveal it if it is to someone special."

Atobe sneered at the capped vice captain of Rikkai Dai. "Well if _ore-sama_ were your teacher, he would've kicked you out of class."

"Just think about it," Sanada sighed in defeat as he hung up.

Slamming his phone shut, Atobe let out another groan as he shoved another spoon of _Panna Cotta_ into his mouth.

_As if Sanada can tell me what to do! Ore-sama will win her – one way or another!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Seeing that the rain slightly lightened, Hitomi took this chance to go home while being escorted by Roger Alexanderson and Kenneth Luivouiskov. The blonde sighed as she got to her front door and turned to the two, seeing that their eyes bore hard into her soul. Kenneth most definitely looked a lot scarier than any of the members especially after she did a lot of research and finding out that he once participated in the Russian Secret Forces. His fighting style reminded her of someone she saw in the tournament on TV before. What was his name?

"Do you know a Sergei Dragunov," Hitomi raised a question and only got an 'hn' in reply as he turned away. "I guess not..."

"Don't mind him," a reassuring smile made its way to Roger's face as he turned to Hitomi. "He doesn't talk much but he's got a big heart."

Hitomi nodded stiffly as she slid the key on the lock to open the gates. "Ah, I see."

As Roger turned away to return back with Kenneth, Hitomi stopped him.

"I want to ask you a question..."

Roger halted in his tracks, waiting for the question. "What would that be?"

"You look too familiar," Hitomi stated as she stared at Roger straight in the eye. "In fact, I think I've seen you in the news..."

Roger folded his arms while raising an eyebrow at her. "Alright – if you're going to play little detective, get your facts straight."

Hitomi smirked as she opened her notebook. "A trait among the Mishima is that they have sharp eyes that seem devil-like similar to Mishima Kazuya, Kazama Jin and etc. The only one who does not possess this is Lee Chaolan since he is the adoptive son of Mishima Heihachi. Another would be their build – making them more of martial artists and the fact that, their minds react faster than a normal human's. For someone like you to easily cloak his identity, you're definitely part of the Mishima family, Roger no I mean – former Tekken Force Commander, Lars Alexanderson."

The male smirked as he lightly clapped his hands. "Well done, Inspector Yamaguchi. Guilty as charged."

"I have to live up to my grandfather's name," Hitomi narrowed her eyes at Lars. "Lars Alexanderson, former leader of the Tekken Force army, highly charismatic amongst his troops and is the one who staged a coup d'état against the _Mishima Zaibatsu_. An explosion caused you to lose your memory and ally yourself with Alisa Bosconovitch who you did not know then was created to protect Jin Kazama, your nephew and Shizuru's father. You knew about Shizuru ever since before and it seems it's not only Kazama Agito who knows about what happened those years ago."

Kenneth glared holes but Hitomi didn't budge an inch. Lars on the other hand, calmly retaliated in return.

"Everything you said before is correct except one little detail," Lars faced her with a small smirk. "If I knew everything from the start, wouldn't I have been able to prevent the mess she's in? But not just her, there are more victims if I overheard Kane telling you right. Then again, your argument would be that what if I was part of the conspirators? However, that would be not the case because if I was one of the conspirators and found out she was still alive – wouldn't I keep her away from the rest of the world so she remains as a dog of the government?"

Hitomi opened her mouth to speak but realized that he had cornered her with her own facts. She racked her brains for another statement but nothing came out.

"Your next statement would be I presume is that the perpetrator is someone who has been isolated yet it is impossible," Lars turned away as he headed out the gate. "Well, you're definitely right – it is impossible because the man you assume to be the mastermind is already six feet underground."

Hitomi froze as her eyes widened; how did he know what she was thinking?

Lars let out a slight smirk. "You're close but you need more data. The problem is – the only place you can get data and the proper equipment is across the globe."

Hitomi's expression brightened up right away. "You're talking about Violet Technologies aren't you – headed by Lee Chaolan?"

"Good, you catch on pretty quickly," Lars chuckled darkly as walked out the gate. "Although, I don't know how you're going to contact him. He's on vacation half the time."

Watching Lars walk away, Hitomi bit her lip as she rushed inside the house and straight for the study.

"You did that on purpose," Kenneth opened his mouth, shocking Lars albeit slightly. "You're more of a father to her than that megalomaniac."

Lars smirked as he continued walking. "Normally, I'd think that the world has begun to end because you're yapping more but thank you for the compliment."

"Does your older brother even know," Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, he's heartless..."

Lars shook his head while walking forward with a dark glare cast towards Kenneth.

"You know nothing about Kazuya."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Isane found herself being followed by Henry Muñoz and Kane Michaelides, shivering in fear at the same time. Henry let out a snort as he played with the stick in his mouth whereas Kane Michaelides looked like one of those gangsters since had three ear cuffs on one ear. Gulping hard, the Uchiha female finally reached her house as she shakily went for the door.

"I'm surprised," a voice caused her to jump. "Most girls would be horrified of the revelation."

Isane turned to face Henry who checked on his lollipop before shoving it back in his mouth. "W-Well, I-I am quite shocked but..."

"Our term 'horrified' means more like swearing and trying to exorcise," Kane chuckled as he leaned against one of the pillars. "She talks a lot about you though."

Isane's eyes widened at the words of black haired Greek male. _She does?_

"She says that she envies you for your sweetness and shyness," Henry rolled his eyes before letting out a snort. "You're lucky that kids like you guys have the luxury to be wimps."

Isane resisted the urge to pout. _I'm not a wimp!_

Groaning in annoyance, Kane elbowed Henry. "Whoops, involuntary arm spasm."

Henry snapped while clutching his stomach. "Ow, what the hell is your problem?"

"You're the sister of Junior Lieutenant Uchiha Sasuke and Chief Uchiha Itachi am I right," Kane raised an eyebrow whereas Isane nodded slowly.

Henry scoffed with a cocky smirk plastered on his face. "Your brother's too much of a pacifist to even be a police officer! Where the hell did he come up with that idea?"

"Muñoz," Kane resisted the urge to punch the Spanish male right there and then.

Henry raised an eyebrow as Kane floored him for a moment. Isane, staring in shock, watched Kane mutter something about him being a 'son of a half-ogre, termite eating, toilet' and other strings of curses which Isane didn't even want to know what it meant with it being another language.

"Wait, she said something about L.X.A is a place for those who are special," Isane recalled Shizuru's words. "What did she mean?"

Henry shrugged with a snort. "None of your beeswax..."

"We're very bloodthirsty when it comes to that," Kane simply stated as he turned around to leave. "I'll take it that those are all the questions you have?"

Isane bit her lip, seeing this as her only chance. "Wait – one more..."

Kane held the gate open, waiting for her question as Isane's lips quivered in fear.

"There were five princesses left," Isane repeated what he said. "Is one of them...? H-Hoshimura Florence by any chance?"

Henry turned to Kane in surprise while gaping at her. "How the hell did you...?"

Kane chuckled while clapping his hands in a mocking tone. "Ding, we have a winner. That's two already."

The Sniper's eyes widened with shock as her mouth ran dry while dropping her tennis bag on the ground. "W-wait, how's that even possible...? She can't handle stress...!"

"Yet she fights pretty well herself, you notice how close the captains are to one another," Henry snorted at the silver haired girl. "You only have three more..."

The two walked away, leaving Isane to try and figure out everything else. With this, the Sniper quickly ran inside to check if her brothers had already left for work.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Haruka and Rin eyed the foxy smiling Chinese male following them as they made their way back. He even got on the same bus and blended in perfectly as it were the most effortless thing in the world. The Pearl Dragon resisted the urge to face palm while the black haired acrobat inched away from the male while clinging on to Haruka.

"Is he going to follow us until we get home," Rin shivered at the smile he gave them. "HE SMILES LIKE THAT GUY FROM SEIGAKU, _KUWEE~_!"

Haruka nodded stiffly while walking faster, whispering to the Black Dragon. "Yeah but now that we know some secrets, they're making sure that we don't open our mouths. So Rin – don't scream stuff like that first. When we get inside my house, we can do that when he's gone."

"你们是很嘈的人," XingLong grinned at them as he picked his ear, causing Haruka to spin around with a glare. [_Nǐ shì h__ěn cào de rén – You're very noisy people]_

Haruka shot back at him in Chinese, folding her arms while glaring. "如果你不辿我们, 我们不需要尝试吵吧!" [_Rú guǒ_ _n__ǐ__ bù chān wǒ mén, wǒ mén bù_ _xū yào cháng shì chào bà! – If you didn't follow us around, we wouldn't need to try to make a commotion!] _

"Oh you understand Chinese," XingLong scratched his head sheepishly. "Not bad, she didn't choose a bad set of friends."

Rin stuck out her tongue while hiding behind Haruka. "_Ninyi ni mnaogopa!"_

XingLong stared back at the Black Dragon with a quizzical look. "She speaks... Swahili?"

"Got it from one of her friends back then," Haruka sighed as she translated for the Chinese male. "She said you're scary. One thing Rin's good at is learning native languages. So yeah, she knows all sorts of language that even I don't know. I bet even Atobe doesn't have the slightest idea what the hell Swahili is. No one knows the languages like she does."

XingLong chuckled as he clapped his hands. "You both are multilingual huh? Interesting thought, to think I thought Agito and Roger were the ones who knew the most languages. I only guessed that she knew how to speak Swahili. I wasn't even sure."

Rin hissed as she gripped on to Haruka even tighter than before glaring holes at him. "Haru-_chan_, _mimi ninataka kiki chake rasa!"_

"What she say now," XingLong stared at her and then at Haruka.

"Something I'd like to agree with but we know that we can't," Haruka sighed and upon hearing this, Rin's shoulders slumped. "We can't just fight him in broad daylight, Rin. She really does this when she doesn't like the person. Not many people know Swahili the way she does."

XingLong chuckled as he followed them all the way to Haruka's house, bowing as they were by the door. "Well, I guess this is where I take my leave."

As Haruka watched him vanish from their sight, she turned to Rin. "Wow, you really had a lot of Tanzanian friends before."

The black haired acrobat shrugged while following after Haruka. "I wanted to get mad at him without making him shoot us, _Kuwee_."

"He couldn't have; he's has a duty to the government," Haruka turned the key in her door. "Besides, now that we have some info about the last five – maybe we should start finding out?"

Rin nodded but remembered something. "Wait, when's the match going to resume?"

"The announcement said when the rain stops," Haruka looked at the sky. "It's slowly clearing but..."

Soon, the trees whipped around as the winds blew harder. Rain splashed on the roads even harder thus shocking the other two regulars. Thunder and lightning flashed across the sky as the splattering of the rain became even louder than before. Rin and Haruka, exchanging glances, quickly ran inside as the rain pelted the door.

"Wow, we are really getting hit by a storm," Haruka opened the curtains revealing extremely wet windows. "I don't think we'll be able to play until next week."

Rin grabbed a cup of hot cocoa from Haruka's dispenser in her room. "Yeah but doesn't this...?"

"Give us more time to figure out the L.X.A and what they really are," Haruka opened her laptop while slumping on her chair with a sigh. "We need Hitomi for this. She's the only one who can get info."

Rin, picking up her cellphone, found Hitomi's name staring back at her. "Hey, speaking of which... Hello?"

"Hey, is Haruka with you?"

"Yep," Rin cheerfully squeaked as she drank down her hot cocoa. "What's up?"

"Think you can get her to access the Hikifumi Network system?"

Haruka smirked upon hearing Hitomi's voice. "Heard you loud and clear and already on it."

"Rin, we might need those polyglot skills of yours," Hitomi continued as Rin distinctly heard books being flipped in the background. "Do you guys know if Isane's home already?"

Haruka spoke up as she started accessing the Hikifumi Network. "Nope, haven't checked. Have you?"

Soon, Haruka's phone began to ring to which the Pearl Dragon answered it. "Hello, Hikifumi Haruka speaking."

"Hey Hikifumi-_san_," a familiar Brazilian voice caused Haruka to freeze and fumble whereas Rin suddenly tossed her phone in the air.

Haruka quickly grabbed her phone before sheepishly chuckling. "A-ah, hello Jackal-_san_ - to what do I owe this phone call?"

"Well I wanted to ask if you were busy at the moment," Jackal noted, not even noticing that there were slight brush sounds by the speaker due to Haruka's shivering hands.

"N-No, not at all," Haruka jumped up going to the corner of her room and suppressing her urge to suddenly shock him. "Why, what's up?"

Jackal's tone suddenly became more sheepish. "Well, _buchou_ told us that since Rikkai's Autumn Ball was coming up next month after the Regionals of the girls' teams he told all of us to find a date. Normally, I wouldn't mind going stag but seeing that this would be my last year as a middle school student – I was wondering if..."

"YES," Haruka jumped up, shocking Jackal on the phone. "I mean – sure, why not?"

Jackal could have sworn his face turned pink and his heart dropped out of relief. "Okay, thanks. I'll call you and give you all the details when _buchou_ gives me the schedule."

"Sure," Haruka managed to calm herself down as they both shut the line.

Hitomi sighed on the phone Rin was using. "There's a 100 percent chance that Haruka was asked out by Jackal Kuwahara."

"Way to go, _kuwee~_," Rin jumped up and down with Haruka who soon started to panic.

"Oh no, what dress am I going to wear," Haruka ran towards her closet and started throwing everything out, continuing to go into a wild panic. "Do I have the right shoes? Oh no, do I have a driver? What if I end up clashing colours with him? What do I get for a boutonniere?"

Rin grabbed Haruka and shook her hard. "Haruka, stop! Calm down, wait a minute – we're getting switched, normally you tell me that."

Haruka smiled dreamily as she fell on the bed. "Ah, I can die in peace..."

"No, you can't," Rin grabbed her and started shaking her again, wailing and whining. "We still have the Nationals remember? If you die then, what about me? Who's going to be my doubles partner? No, don't say Momo because she's gonna execute me if I do something wrong, _kuwee_!"

Haruka shook her head out of the dream as she went back on to the computer. "Sorry, what were you saying Hitomi?"

"Check if Isane's home – I need to cross-reference my notes," Hitomi continued as another flip echoed through the speaker. "If Isane and I have at least one anomaly then, that proves one thing..."

Rin's eyes widened as Hitomi revealed her news.

"That one of the five princesses that were given... isn't exactly a female..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Momo twitched as she found Shirokawa Rue silently following her but kept a calm composure before lashing out. Placing her hand on to her tennis bag, Momo prepared herself to pull out her racquet with her dagger unsheathed but in doing so; she would have to taint the Sanada name. Shaking her head, Momo sheathed it back before reaching her dorm.

"Normally, a female Sanada would be living in the main house," Rue cut through her thoughts but Momo responded with a mute nod.

"If you're here to be a bug," Momo glared back with her stoic gaze. "I suggest you leave."

Rue didn't say anything as he turned around to leave. Momo rolled her eyes and went through her bag to find her keys.

"Aren't the Sanada known also to be excellent weapon smiths," Rue's voice caused her to swivel her head towards him.

Momo shrugged before opening the door to her building. "Don't bother; you're probably going to get enough headaches in asking them."

Before she went in, Rue threw a small throwing knife to which Momo blocked as she drew out her dagger from her tennis racquet. Rue appeared in front of her and shoved the _Shinigami_ against the wall, grabbing a hold on her neck. However, Momo pushed him with her feet as he landed a distance away from her as she charged him down with the butt end of her sword. Rue, smirking, quickly caught it and nearly flipped her over if not for her reflex to sweep him off. The two landed away from each other with Momo showing no effort and breathlessness as Rue recovered with a roll.

"For a Sanada woman," Rue stared at her silently. "You don't fight too badly."

Momo whirled away frigidly as she sheathed her sword. "I have to make sure I can deal with idiots like you."

"That sword," he smirked as he looked at her racquet. "It's alive isn't it?"

Momo stared at him, puzzled. "Swords don't talk. I simply use them as my shield and weapon."

"Close your eyes and listen," Rue smirked as he turned away to head back. "Some things that are important can only be heard if you close your eyes."

Watching the white crowned male leave, Momo glanced at her sword for a moment before walking into the garden. Her practice dummy suffered multiple slash marks from all sorts of swords she had stashed away in her duffel bag but this one small sword seemed to be the most comfortable to bring. In power, the blade could barely even cut but in stealth and speed and with the right usage – the _Shinigami_ distinctly remembered taking out a few opponents when Hitomi's van had been ambushed. Taking a seat in front of the _koi _pond at the _veranda_, Momo closed her eyes as she took hold of her sword.

Soon, the car horns faded away into the darkness.

The pitter-patter of the rain echoed away but slowed down as the wind was reduced more into a hush.

Leaves rustled as they floated by her feet.

Her dark eyes stare back at the stormy grey skies as she gripped her sword even tighter. Standing up, Momo slashed the dummy and followed with another kick and few more hits.

_I'm not letting some underclassmen beat me but why..._

_Why do I feel something more dangerous every time I stare into her eyes?_

Her cellphone blaring loudly caused Momo to jump and grab her phone.

"Hello," –despite being shocked, Momo managed to take it calmly. "May I help you?"

"I heard you got attacked, are you alright," a stoic voice responded, causing Momo to slightly frown.

"It was no big deal," Momo went inside once again to change out of her clothes. "I took them down."

"So I hear with the help of Uchiha-_san_ and Shizuru-_chan_," the voice said again.

Momo stopped in her tracks after hearing her cousin say her captain's name, her frown becoming deeper. "Since when did she allow you to address her by her first name and with a suffix no less?"

"She told me to do so," Sanada responded as he heard a towel being pulled off a rack. "Momo, you know you can always ask for help."

"If I ask for help," the _Shinigami_ threw off her shirt and into the hamper. "They'll expect something ten times the value in return. In other words..."

Sanada finished her sentence. "Getting you married to another male, I know. Although I myself don't agree with the tradition, you are not going out with Sengoku Kiyosumi either."

"Who are you to say that you can decide who I can date," Momo resisted the urge to scream at him. "The moment I left the Sanada house, I separated myself from the traditions. You or the council cannot tell me what to do with my life."

"But I can stop you from making the biggest mistake in your life," Sanada shot back with his voice laced with concern. "Momo, he's known to be a flirt and a playboy. He will do anything that he can to make a woman fall for him and then go to another as the cycle goes on."

Momo rolled her eyes as she continued fixing her hair. "You often don't care about other people but rather at your own progress – what do you want?"

Sanada remained silent for awhile as Momo continued. "Give it up; Shizuru wouldn't dare touch you with a fifty foot pole."

"We walked home together after that _karaoke_ thing," Sanada justified. "For your information, she didn't look repulsed. What makes you think she wouldn't like me?"

"Because she already has feelings for someone," Momo calmly retorted, seeing that she was getting a reaction. "You can't change that."

"And if he rejects her?"

"I know he won't," Momo then killed the line before going back to drying up. _What a weirdo, thinking he can be her knight in shining armour._

However, the _Shinigami_ couldn't help but think about how he described Sengoku. The orange haired vice captain from Yamabuki often greeted her with an extreme cheer and sometimes even passed by Hyotei to walk home with her. In Hitomi's words, only he could make her laugh and smile since she had such a serious outlook in life. A small smirk appeared on her face as she looked at herself in the mirror before turning around to face her small sword that lay on her bed.

"You have a name," Momo gently traced the lining of the sword. "If only I knew what it was... but for now, you're _Mumiyo_*..."

Her phone rang again and when Momo opened it, the message surprised her greatly.

_To: Sanada Momo_

_From: Sengoku Kiyosumi_

_Hey, I saw what happened in the news! You okay, Shinigami-chan?_

Momo let a small smile appear on her lips as she texted back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mai, Ayane and Kiyone decided to go home together, knowing that the Aikawa Twins followed them back. Onryou continued smoking whereas his brother Kaitou shoved his hands in his pocket and continued walking in the same pace as his twin brother. The red haired _tensai_ glanced at the two before quickening her pace a bit, causing the other two to speed up as well.

"_Senpai_, when will they stop following us," Ayane whispered to Mai who turned back sharply at them.

"Just keep walking," Mai continued to quicken her pace. "That's the only thing we can do now."

"Ooooh, _takoyaki _and _onigiri_," Kiyone's eyes widened as she ran to some random stand.

Onryou quickly dashed after her until a truck came in between them. Mai widened her eyes, seeing that Kaitou and Onryou were distracted by Kiyone's stunt, grabbed Ayane and ran across the street.

"_Senpai_, we're jaywalking," Ayane wailed as Mai pulled them behind the _takoyaki_ stand with Mai clamping her hand over the vice captain's mouth.

Mai watched the stalkers frantically start searching for them and with a sardonic grin; she threw a rock at the face of Kaitou who was standing in front of Onryou.

"You bastard, I thought we're on the same side," Kaitou hissed as he punched Onryou.

The elder growled, picking up his twin brother by the jacket. "We are on the same side, asshole!"

The two got into a large fight whereas Mai managed to grab Ayane and Kiyone for an escape. As the _tensai_ watched the two attract a crowd, she took a sharp turn only to bump into Yukimura Seiichi of all people. Her face flushed pink as she realized what he was holding.

_A black umbrella..._

_He was alone..._

_She was on the ground after bumping into him..._

_The umbrella was directly over their heads..._

"Hey, _senpai_," a slap whacked her out of her thoughts revealing Yukimura who was holding his hand in front of her. "How long are you gonna stare at him?"

Mai quickly shook herself out as she took the hand of Yukimura while fighting the blush on her face. _Oh no, he's going to notice._

"Why were you guys running," Yukimura looked behind them. "Is there something wrong?"

Mai brushed back her now drenched hair with a sheepish smile. "Well, nothing really – other than trying to beat the rain."

Yukimura handed her his blazer whereas he lent Kiyone and Ayane two of his extra Regulars jackets while chiding them. "You guys shouldn't be out in the rain like this. Where are you guys heading?"

"Mai-_senpai_'s house since that's the closest thing," Ayane scratched her head while smiling sheepishly. "I can't have my driver pick me up from Shizuru-_senpai_'s house."

Yukimura raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so? But it should have been a more practical idea since you're already in her house..."

Mai slapped her forehead, sighing to herself. _Ayane, you're toying with the wrong man._

Yukimura continued to smile, causing Ayane to slightly shiver. "Well, that wasn't really smart now was it...?"

Ayane shivered while Kiyone suddenly perked up and found Mai's house. "Tap-tap, your house is here already!"

_Darn it, Kiyone – why do you do this to me?_

Mai glanced at the house, forcing a grin out at Kiyone who stuck out her tongue. "Ah, yeah..."

"Well then," Yukimura smiled kindly at the _tensai_ making her face even redder than before. "Shall we escort you home, Nagisaki-_san_?"

Ayane snickered at the _tensai_ whose face rivalled the colour of her hair while walking with Kiyone. "Yeah, we better get you dried off, Mai-_senpai_."

The _tensai_ shook her head while casting a sardonic smile at Ayane which sent shivers down the freshman's spine.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day had even harder rain than before thus, cancelling the game for the rest of the week. Isane slumped on her chair while looking through her brother's crime notes, finding almost nothing if one doesn't squint. She rubbed her green eyes while letting out a sigh as the rain continued to fall hard against the window. The Sniper placed them on her brother's whiteboard in the computer room as she tried to find any connection.

"I see you've been doing some work," a smooth voice came from the doorway, revealing her elder brother. "You want pizza? There's some in the dining room."

Isane shook her head while giving him a smile. "It's okay, _nii-sama_. I'm fine. I had some oatmeal awhile ago."

"How can you eat that," Itachi grimaced at the thought. "That stuff tastes like... what old people eat."

Isane shook her head at Itachi before resuming her analysis. She ran her fingers through her short silver hair as Itachi stood next to her while looking at the pattern.

"I've been stumped at the same place ever since," Itachi followed the arrows drawn on the board. "We don't know who caused all this... I don't think engulfing Tokyo and Hokkaido in a huge fire was a freak accident. There's something there and although I don't want to consider it," –his face changed into a slight frown. "There may be something supernatural..."

Isane, quizzical, turned to her older brother as he showed her ancient texts that he had been researching.

"Although my colleagues don't want to consider it," Itachi added another situation to the equation. "There are things buried in the mountains which in ancient times were revered to as 'gods'. You should probably ask your friend as in the Sanada girl. Considering that her family is from a long line of _Samurai_ from the past, she may have some things that we don't have. The Sanada family is known to have the most well-kept records of Japan's history."

Isane nodded while absentmindedly staring at the board until her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey babe," a familiar drawl caused Isane to blush red like a tomato. "You alright?"

Isane nervously giggled causing her brother to raise an eyebrow at her. "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine. I'm just a little busy is all."

"Oh," Niou chuckled at the other end . "Think you can meet me online today?"

Isane bit her lip as she responded cheerfully. "Yeah, I guess I can."

"Tell me when you're online," –Isane could imagine him giving her this wink and smirk that would have made her faint right there and then. "Or better yet, I should just tell you now..."

Isane now had a quizzical expression on her face whereas her brother knew exactly who that person was.

"Hey," the younger brother walked in with a juice box in one hand and his laptop in the other, noticing his sister's extremely red face. "What's with her? The rat tail dude on the other end?"

Isane scolded her younger brother. "Sasuke, don't say things like that!"

"It's not my fault that he has a rat-tail for a hair style," Sasuke shrugged as he brushed back his spiky hair. "Anyway, borrow comp, _aniki_."

Itachi nodded while brushing his brother off. "Yeah sure..."

"You're doing the Legendary Catastrophe case," Sasuke followed the arrows on the white board. "_Aniki_, that's been unsolvable for the last 10 years."

Isane blocked out the noise whispering sheepishly on her phone. "I'm sorry, both my brothers are in the room."

"Perfect," Niou drawled on the other end. "Put on the loudspeaker and ask your dad to come into the room."

Isane blinked several times. _Is he crazy?_

"I know what you're thinking but trust me," –she could imagine Niou smirking already.

Isane told her brothers as she activated her loudspeaker. "Guys, Niou-_kun_ wants to talk to you guys."

"Babe, I'm hurt," Niou feigned injury causing Isane to flare up with an embarrassed blush. "I thought we got rid of the suffix already...?"

"Just get to the point," Itachi folded his arms with a low growl. "What do you want from my baby sister?"

Isane gulped as she yelped. "_Nii-sama_, I'm not a baby anymore!"

"What's going on in here," the dad showed up with a tray of food. "You three want anything?"

Itachi beckoned his dad. "You might want to hear this..."

Sasuke grunted at the other end. "You better not want me to shoot you."

"Sasuke, _Nii-sama_ behave," Isane chided her brothers but they still glared at the phone. "I'm sorry Niou-_kun_, what was it you wanted to say?"

"Sasuke-_san_, Itachi-_san, _Uchiha-_sama_," –Isane could imagine Niou smirking mischievously in the other end. "Would you mind if I kidnapped your daughter for the Rikkai Autumn Ball?"

Silence wafted out into the room as Isane let out a small 'eep'. _Niou, I told you how sensitive my siblings and my dad are to the word 'kidnap'!_

"Sure, why not," her dad grinned cheekily causing the other two brothers to gape at their dad.

"DAD, ARE YOU SERIOUS!"

"While two of my sons are getting themselves killed," the dad feigned hurt and started crying comically. "At least there's someone who's sane."

The brothers pointed to him at the same time with an incredulous stare. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S NOT SANE!"

Isane sighed while picking up the phone at the same time. "N-Ni-Niou-_kun_, are you serious?"

"Babe, why would you doubt me," Niou drawled on the other hand, being perfectly calm despite throwing the entire family into a comedic sitcom session. "I mean every word I said."

The silver haired girl remained speechless before gathering her senses. "B-but, why did you have to ask when my brothers and dad are around?"

"I did need to get their approval first," Niou shrugged off her concerned tone. "Don't worry, even if your brothers won't let you go – I already have a plan B."

Isane squeaked again. "Niou, are you serious?"

"That's the second time you asked me that," Niou chuckled on the phone, causing shivers to run down Isane's spine. "Yes, I am serious. Don't worry, you'll see Plan B on that day. But, I think your dad will take care of most of it anyway..."

Isane gulped as she found her dad yelling at the two boys how they were depriving their beloved sister of her social life.

_This is going to be a long day..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hitomi grabbed a beer from her hidden stash as she downed it while reading a few files. Looking through the other things she managed to steal from the classified files, the Mastermind began making her deduction from each crime scene. Newspaper clippings lay on her bed with a half empty bottle of beer sat next to her computer as Hitomi began drawing lines. Names of families appeared on her wall along with a few algorithms that only Inui or Yanagi can ever make sense out of. However, she found the magazine with the top tennis players as she remembered Kane's words.

_One who fights for her life, one without an identity, one with no family, another who has the darkness at her command and the last – the one who seeks nothing but victory_

"One who fights for her life," Hitomi repeated until her phone started ringing, revealing Isane to be the caller. "Hello?"

"Hoshimura Florence is the one who fights for her life," Isane rambled on quickly. "She has the thing in her lungs remember? She has to fight against everything just to survive!"

A bolt of lightning struck the Mastermind; how could that be? But when she looked at the description and followed the rest of the reports – Hitomi's eyes widened.

"_Mother sacrifices transplants own lungs into child"_ - _May 18, 1995_

"_Car crash at Hiroshima, two dead; three missing!" – May 19, 1995_

Hitomi snapped herself out of the daze as she looked at the dates. _Kami-sama_, _this isn't just a coincidence is it...?_

"My brother investigated the case," Isane repeated to Hitomi. "He only found Hoshimura-_san_ ten years later when..."

"When she enrolled into Jyosei Shounan," Hitomi began rapidly typing on the computer as she started searching through the algorithms. "Isane... that means..."

Before she could say anything, another line started ringing to which Hitomi split into a three-way call. "Hello?"

"I'm supposing you figured out Florence to be the first," a serious tone came from the other end. "I already know what Shizuru is among the five."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms while taking a swig. "Continue."

"You're not drinking again, are you?"

Hitomi raised an eyebrow as she set down the bottle. "What makes you think I am?"

"I know you well enough to know that whenever you're stumped you drink," Momo calmly countered.

"Hitomi, stop drinking! It's bad for you," Isane chided her on the other end.

Rolling her eyes, the Mastermind shrugged at the two. "Isane, don't do that – you sound like Haruka when you do that. Anyway, getting back to the point – Momo?"

"Shizuru is the one with the darkness at her command," Momo explained as Hitomi started hearing distinct clicking in the background. "She can't be the one with no family at all because her brother is still alive. Hoshimura Florence has a bad set of lungs and the one who seeks victory... doesn't this sound like Souma Fuuka to you?"

Hitomi bit her pencil. "Keep talking."

"But how can that be, she didn't suffer from any catastrophe," Isane pointed out to the _Shinigami_.

Hitomi opened some of the files on her computer. "It may not be known nation-wide but there may be something that only their family knows."

"I hate to be a bubble popper but," Isane whimpered on the other end. "NIOU JUST ASKED ME TO THE RIKKAI AUTUMN BALL! To put in his words, he asked my dad if he could kidnap me for Rikkai Autumn Ball! Momo, Hitomi, what am I gonna do?"

Momo face palmed while shaking her head. "Are you kidding? That man's more on "stealing another guy's date"!"

"But, I said yes already," Isane whined a little, causing Hitomi to sigh.

"There's a 92 percent chance that in the end he's just going to stand you up," Hitomi began typing away. "By the way, I believe Sengoku texted you?"

Momo let out a low snort. "That's none of your concern."

"80 percent chance that you're blushing," Hitomi smirked while looking at the whiteboard. "You can't deceive me, Momo."

Momo shrugged it off with a cold hum. "We're getting off topic here."

"By the way, how's your driver," Isane asked from the other end. "How about your car?"

"Both of them are fine, I managed to freeze all their assets for now," Hitomi chuckled darkly as she went through more files. "We can't know for sure but I know one thing..."

Momo and Isane listened closely.

"The princess without the identity... it's Yukimura Ai."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

While taking a few pills, Fuuka went inside the bathroom as she opened a drawer full of medicine and weaponry. She let out a small sigh before returning to her room and flopping on her bed. Looking at the scar that ran across her abdomen, the Seigaku female captain glared at before looking at herself in the mirror.

_You're so pitiful, Souma Fuuka._

Her violet eyes flashed angrily at the mirror as she punched a hole right through it, feeling the shards of the mirror cut through her hand. On the wall, she posted the pictures of the other eleven princesses as some already had an 'x' marked on them. On the other side, she found the pictures of the last five remaining girls.

_A father always has a weakness for his daughter? That's bullshit._

Fuuka growled at the pictures as she kicked the cabinet of clothes she had in her room while letting out a snarl.

"Fuuka, are you okay up there," a kind voice from downstairs called her.

Fuuka, gulped hard, realizing her uncle was home. "Y-yes, I'm fine!"

"Did you kick your cabinet again," he called out from downstairs. "That's the tenth one you broke! You didn't just inflict seven years of bad luck on yourself did you?"

Fuuka let out an 'eep' and a nervous chuckle, only remembering now how humorously superstitious her uncle was. "N-no, it's fine!"

Her phone suddenly rang, revealing the name – _Hanabusa Jun._ With an annoyed snort, she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, thanks for the good match," Jun chuckled lightly. "It's been awhile since we last met up, Fuuka."

The redhead let out a grunt while tossing a tennis ball into the air. "Tell me about it. The last time I remember seeing you was in **there**."

"Yeah you guys are lucky you managed to become the 12," Jun responded with a small sigh. "I see you're still taking your drugs."

Fuuka groaned as she threw the tennis ball against the wall. "It's either that or going loose."

Jun again let out a chuckle, causing Fuuka to raise an eyebrow. "Most of you were cloister raised right?"

"Yeah," Fuuka glared at the wall with pictures. "That bastard had no right to mess with my life."

Jun sighed on the phone. "That's not a nice way to mention your father."

"He can go fry himself for all I care," Fuuka cleaned up the broken shards of the mirror. "I gotta go. I have to put my mirror back together before my uncle freaks out."

Cutting the line, Fuuka started piecing her mirror up like a puzzle while trying to make sure it didn't look obviously broken. Her phone let out a specific ring tone, causing her to smile.

"Oh, Tezuka-_kun_," she jumped up with surprise. "What surprise – how are you in Germany?"

"I'm fine, Souma-_san_," his deep baritone voice nearly caused her knees to give in. "How are the tennis matches going?"

Fuuka chuckled nervously. "It's raining cats and dogs here. The storm right now beats a heavy metal rock band any day."

"Ah," Tezuka responded stoically. "Have you had your match with Hyotei yet?"

Fuuka let out a sigh. "No, by the way – what's up? You normally don't call..."

"I was just checking on the progress," Tezuka noted firmly. "We can't lose this year."

Fuuka nodded with determination while letting out a cheery voice. "Yeah, you bet we won't!"

_Oh God, how that sounded so wrong._

"Alright then," Tezuka responded, obviously not shocked by the sudden cheeriness in her voice. "I have to return to training now."

"Bye," Fuuka heard the line click. _I should have told him already...!_

Turning to the wall, Fuuka grabbed the picture of Shizuru. "You may have taken the Nationals from me once..."

_But I'm not going to let you take it away – along with my chances!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It had rained for two days straight without it stopping and thus cancelling classes for the mean time until the flood let up. Kiyone put on her rain boots and rain coat while bringing her umbrella to go to the market. In her hand, she had a grocery list and a bag. Her mom had to go to work and she left little Kiyone in charge of the grocery list.

1 gallon of Pistachio ice cream

1 huge bag of dog food for Aidan

Shampoo

Collar for Aidan [he chewed up the other one]

Eggplant

Zucchini

Tomato

1 bag of croutons

1 pack of Basil

1 pack of Oregano

1 bottle of olive oil [extra virgin olive oil]

Kiyone, stuffing the list into her pocket, walked into the rain with her small umbrella popped up. While walking, a dog whimpered in the middle of the street causing her to run straight to the dog while giving it a shade.

"Aww, you're so cute – what are you," Kiyone stared cutely at the puppy, unaware that there was a truck coming for her.

All of a sudden, someone grabbed her out of the way and brought her and the dog to the other side.

"Eh," she looked up and found Kenya staring at her incredulously. "Kenya-_san_! What are you doing here?"

Kenya chuckled while ruffling the small girl's hair. "You know – it's weird that we meet every time something bad happens. Shiraishi and I found you lost in the mountains..."

"I wasn't lost," Kiyone puffed up her cheeks at the _Naniwa_ Speed Star. "I was following my women's intuition."

"Sure you were," Kenya shook his head with a sigh. "Then, Shiraishi told me he saved you from a falling pet supplies shelf and here, I save you from being run over by a truck."

Ignoring Kenya's statements, Kiyone held the puppy in front of his face. "Isn't he adorable? Look at him, how can say no?"

Kenya scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, I can't deny those eyes really. Thing is – I can't keep him. My mom's allergic to anything furry including stuffed toys."

Kiyone stared at the dog who whined while giving her the puppy stare. The smallest Hyotei regular wanted to cry and keep him but she couldn't. Aidan, being the bigger dog, would only get into a fight with this little puppy who didn't even mean any harm.

"So, who can keep him?"

Kenya thought about it and put her down. "Hmmm, I have an idea."

After passing for the grocery store, Kenya brought her in front of the huge mansion. "I'm sure someone here can keep him."

Kiyone tilted her head as the _Naniwa_ male rang the door bell, only to meet Oshitari Yuushi who looked like he just woke up from a nap.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Kenya teased with a cheeky grin.

Oshitari raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Kenya, of all times, what now?"

Kenya picked the puppy from Kiyone. "Think you can keep a dog?"

Oshitari looked at the rain drenched puppy. "Kenya – why can't you... oh yeah... I guess I can..."

"Yeah it's your _kohai_'s puppy," Kenya grinned. "Be a good _senpai_ and keep it for her."

"Why can't she keep it," Oshitari turned to Kiyone who pouted.

"I have Aidan at home," Kiyone folded her arms with a pout.

Oshitari chuckled fondly at the memory on the first time he met the dog. "Ah yes, the brown Labrador Retriever who stole Atobe's tennis bag... interesting, did you teach him that?"

Kiyone shook her head with a cheeky grin. "He just doesn't like Atobe."

Kenya nearly choked with laughter. "He stole your captain's bag?"

"He even chased it around if I remember right," Oshitari smirked while shaking his head. "Why don't you guys come in? You guys don't want to stand there getting drenched do you?"

Kiyone left her grocery by the door while Kenya placed the dog in an area with no fine China or whatsoever as Oshitari brought in some cups. "Hot chocolate anyone?"

Kenya took a cup as Oshitari found the puppy nibbling on a small yellow green ball. "See? He already likes it here."

Oshitari smirked before taking a sip. "I didn't say I was not going to keep him."

"Well, you have a partner in giving Atobe more white hair," Kenya cheerfully added while Kiyone nodded at the _kansai_ prodigy.

"Yeah," Oshitari gave it good ruffle on the head. "That's a good start."

Kiyone tilted her head to the left. "So, whatcha gonna name him?"

Oshitari shrugged before looking at the dog again. "Hmm, I'll think of something."

"Whatever you do," Kenya slumped into the couch. "Don't give it some disgusting romance name. I mean come on – he's probably a _Shiba Inu_ and you're going to name him some horrid name."

Oshitari gave him a quizzical look. "I planned to name him Poe."

"Poe," Kenya thought about it. "Hey, where'd you get that?"

Oshitari chuckled before giving the newly named puppy a good pat on the head. "Edgar Allan Poe, the one who the Raven? That guy."

Kiyone nodded before looking at her watch. "Oh no, I have to get home! Mommy wants her grilled veggie sandwich!"

Kenya looked at the rain. "Yeah but, you're not going to be able to get home in this weather right now," –hearing thunder crack. "Geez, is it rainy season already?"

"Blame the people who don't know how to tune up cars to lessen greenhouse gas exhaust," Oshitari shrugged as he gave Poe a temporary collar. "This should do for now."

Kiyone sighed as she looked at the cute puppy that wagged its tail affectionately while sleeping peacefully on Oshitari's lap.

_Senpai-tachi_ _are so going to laugh at me..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You know," Ayane's older brother, Sai, walked in with a bowl of strawberry pudding before taking a seat on the couch. "You can't keep trying to kick his ass. You have to find out what made you want to do that. Heck, I have to agree with Soujirou – you're becoming too violent. Misaki and Hina are already blaming us for making you into a guy."

Ayane didn't say anything as she started strumming her guitar. "Honestly... he never said goodbye..."

"Goodbye? What," Sai stared at her incredulously. "We're not having a rerun of 'he-never-said-goodbye-that-son-of-a-bitch' are we?"

Ozuma chuckled while tossing something to Ayane. "I think we might. It's always been a Love at First Punch relationship now hasn't it?"

"I never punched him before," Ayane shrieked at Ozuma before grabbing something on the floor with a dent in it. "Isn't this a car plate?"

Ozuma nearly burst out into fits of laughter. "You don't remember that one? The first time you guys went swimming together and he commented on your swim suit looking too flowery – you literally tore this off dad's car and pitched it at him."

"We never knew how you got that kind of strength," Sai shrugged after shoving another spoon into his mouth. "We just knew that you were strong enough like the she-hulk," –earning him a punch on his shoulder. "Ow, that hurt!"

Ayane pouted while folding her arms. "You deserved it."

"You did so much to him before," Ozuma sat beside her with a cheeky grin. "I remember it like it was just yesterday..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Me: That's Chapter 40! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Actually, when I reread my Beyblade story – I realized how much better my story sounded before. Then again, I think I can do the same thing, it's just that Prince of Tennis may be a little harder to flex than Beyblade considering the characters. Also, I highly appreciate your reviews. So yeah, I'm still working on those one-shots. Tell me if you want them posted or not because my decision to place them will be based on your opinion. The rainy days are also there for a reason – you'll find out soon. :D Also, one last reminder: PLEASE REVIEW~! :D**


	41. Rainy Rememberance

**Me: Thank you for all the reviews! I know I didn't put any epic tennis in the chapter back there but I wanted to take a little break from that and show you guys how they function in other situations asides from tennis. So, here – yep, I'll start showing what the L.X.A really does. I don't know whether you guys want all the girls to show up or shall we do it one by one? Also, I don't own Prince of Tennis or any of the crazy fusions except the plotline and the OCs.**

**Kyouei_shurei: Yep, I think it's also about time that she admitted her feelings to Atobe. Although, I'm not sure how I'm gonna do the others yet. XD**

**By the way, I'm making a poll to show who's gonna end up with who:**

**OishiXHitomi**

**ShishidoXIsane**

**NiouXIsane**

**AkutsuXHitomi [I have no idea why I came up with this]**

**OtherXHitomi [please specify] _**

**I want to know your opinions so I can continue on with the story. XD Thanks!**

Chapter 41 – Rainy Remembrance

"Weh," Ayane stuck out her tongue at Ozuma. "I got my forgetfulness from you!"

Ozuma shrugged as he started playing with one of his dumbbells. "I'm not kidding – dad was like gaping when he found the car plate of his Lamborghini torn off."

Sai nodded as he placed the bowl on the table, tapping his chin. "How can you not remember the time dad fainted because you tore off the car plate from his car and let it loose against the kid's head?"

Ayane shrugged as she played with her fingers before looking out the window. "I remembering meeting someone named 'Kei-_chan_' because he teased me by stealing my sun hat..."

"That's the same guy," Ozuma nodded while tossing up another set of dumbbells. "For that reason, you ran to the car, tore off the car plate and whacked him with it."

Ayane stared at both her brothers; her jaw hanging loose. "You have to be kidding."

"He's not kidding Ayane," Soujirou came out of his study with a book and mug of coffee with a small chuckle. "But, there was that one time he came over to the house for a 'play date' as Mum dubbed it. That's where that picture came from. When you first got it, you shrieked if Sai or I got our hands on it."

Ayane turned to the two as Sai picked his ear. "It's your fault that my left ear is 80 percent deaf."

The vice captain bit her nails as she looked at the floor, thinking about what her brothers said. The drawing mocked her as it sat in front of her while trying to sort out what she really felt for the King of Hyotei. Standing up with a frustrated sigh, she walked towards her room and slammed the door.

"She's mixed up by this guy," Sai rubbed his temple before standing up to get more pudding. "That guy's been nothing but trouble to her yeah?"

Ozuma tapped his chin. "Then again, we do owe him something..."

Sai and Soujirou looked incredulously at the eldest brother. "We do?"

Meanwhile, the vice captain quietly sat in her room as she picked up her guitar. Looking through her music sheets, she found no suitable song to match her mood but decided instead to go find one on the internet. As the list of pieces appeared, Ayane let out a sigh as a song played out with the sad rain.

_So far dishonest as the day is long, _

_I'm sorry so I'll go now,_

_But I love you so it won't be long, _

_And the spectres in the masonry remind us of the things that might have been. _

Her light strumming caused her to curl her hand into a fist at the sound of the song but then continued to play it.

_Isn't it time you washed your face,_

_It looks like a burnt out fireplace, _

_And I am awash with memories,_

_And worrying complexities _

_But in time (in time) _

_You'll find it very scary _

_It's hard to live respectfully _

_The Enemy as I know it is right inside my head _

_The Enemy as I know it is right inside my head_

"Dirty Pretty Things by the Enemy," Soujirou appeared at the door while offering her a small mug of hot cocoa. "Ayane, have you talked to Hina or Misaki about this?"

Ayane shrugged while looking at her nails. "They're usually with their husbands so it's hard to ask."

Soujirou smiled kindly at his youngest sister. "Have you tried asking mom?"

"I wish I could but mom's in Canada," Ayane placed her guitar on one side as she ran her fingers through her hair. "How about you, Soujirou-_nii_? Did you ever find anyone?"

Soujirou bitterly smiled as he looked at the necklace he had, fighting back the small tears threatening to escape. "Not after Helena I didn't..."

Ayane hugged her older brother as he looked into the small picture. "You never told me what happened to her."

"Helena had been accepted as part of a Julliard's Scholarship," Soujirou bit his lip hard as he recalled the day. "On that day, the plane was bombed and it took her life."

"When did she die," Ayane's eyes started to well up with tears. "I mean – she was really kind..."

"She died on 9/11," Soujirou clenched his hand into a fist, gnashing his teeth together. "The worst part is," –he glanced at his hands. "I was the doctor appointed to try and save her life..."

Ayane saw the horror flash in her older brother's eyes while hanging her head low. "_Nii-san_, I'm sorry but..."

"Don't be unsure," Soujirou smiled as he ruffled his sister's hair. "Sort yourself out but don't take forever. Time's a bitch nowadays."

Watching her brother leave, Ayane winced at the thought of Atobe dying. Sure, she yelled at him a lot but somehow – what did she really feel towards him? The question continuously nagged her as she tried to play the song again. As she read the lyrics, the vice captain realized how badly this song related to Atobe. It only dawned on her now that no matter what happens, Atobe had been able to plague her mind without any effort. With this, she looked at the ceiling with a sigh.

_I'm in love with that idiot._

_No way, _Ayane shook her head until she found a little drawing float by her feet. Taking a look at it, shock splayed itself all over her face as she recalled those days.

_Flashback_

"_Oh no, my hat," a six year old Ayane ran for her flying sun hat. "Nii-san, help me!"_

_Eighteen year old Ozuma shook his head while sighing. "Yane, we can always get you a new one..."_

"_No," she yelled back, placing her hands on her hips. "Yane does not like replacing things that Mama buys for her!"_

_On the other hand, sixteen year old Sai pointed to the flying hat. "You might want to continue running."_

_Fifteen year old Soujirou sighed as he saw his little sister freaking out over the hat. "Geez, Ozuma – now you made her even more determined to get her hat."_

_Without thinking how far she got, Ayane continued hounding her hat until she tumbled down the hill and fell into the small pound with goldfishes in it._

"_Ayane," her brothers rushed to her along with her older sisters. "Are you okay?"_

_The small girl squeezed dried her hair and searched frantically. "WHERE'S MY HAT?"_

_The three brothers sweatdropped at the sight of their soaking sister. "I can't believe she can scream at that kind of volume."_

_Misaki, their twenty year old sister and also their eldest, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ayane, act more like a girl will you?"_

_Hina sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. "Ayane is simply not like us is all."_

_Ayane pouted at her sisters while seeing her hat float above her head and a purple haired young boy caught it. The guests were in awe by his easy catch as he walked to the pond and extended his hand._

"_You alright," Ayane flushed red when she found a smirking purple haired boy holding her hat. "I never knew you were such a siren."_

_She flushed even more until the boy rolled his eyes. "I meant a fire truck siren, weirdo."_

_In frustration, Ayane found her dad's car – with this, she pulled off the car plate and whacked him with it._

"_AYANE IS NOT A FIRE TRUCK SIREN!"_

_End of Flashback _

Ayane sighed as she looked at the picture that she drew out. The picture showed her in her little princess dress while the boy stood next to her in his white suit. In his hand was her sun hat that flew off and as how every child would draw it, they both had big happy smiles. She let out a sigh before looking at the back of the paper. There he had scribbled something which caused her to smile albeit lightly.

_You will always be ore-sama's spring fairy! – Atobe Keigo_

Ayane shook her head as she remembered the first time he gave her that name,

_Flashback_

"_Hahaha, what's with you and the girly face," a boy threw a stone at an eight year old Atobe Keigo who shielded his face with his arm._

"_Tch," Atobe didn't say anything only to get pelted by more stones._

"_Just because you're rich doesn't mean you can fit in with us," another boy haughtily laughed as he jeered at the soon-to-be Hyotei King. "You are short, pathetic and unlike us – your blood holds no nobility or whatsoever!"_

_Before Atobe could say anything, a frying pan whacked the jeering boy on the head and behind him was Ayane who held some shopping bags and a frying pan that now had the impression of the boy's head. She glared at the other five boys who were bullying Atobe with a hiss._

"_WHAT DO YOU SISSIES WANT?"_

_Without further ado, they ran off leaving Atobe to stare in shock at the girl wielding a frying pan who started crying comically._

"_Oh no, Ayane has to buy a new one again or else big brother Sai will be angry!"_

_As she started looking at every inch of her frying pan, he managed to gather enough strength pull himself to his feet and drag her all the way to the department store._

"_Since you saved ore-sama," he put his arrogant face back on. "Ore-sama will help you too, Na, Ayane-chan?"_

_Ayane flushed pink as he brought her in and many of the store clerks just found them adorable. _

"_Do you always whack people with metal objects," he raised an eyebrow at the girl, remembering the first time he met her. "I didn't even give you my name and you just whacked me with your dad's car plate. Then again, you do have three brothers... My name is Atobe Keigo..."_

"_I know," Ayane lowered her head, weakly whispering. "I-I'm sorry..."_

_He raised an eyebrow at her as she shyly confessed with pink tinting her cheeks._

"_It's just that," she started twiddling with her thumbs. "No... I mean - you're... really..."_

_Atobe folded his arms and faced her with a puzzled look. "Hmm?"_

"_You're really different," Ayane started playing with her toes then slowly stared to sniffle. "You didn't freak out when you saw me fall into that pond. You didn't laugh at me... Most guys would say I'm so... uncute and then, they would say I'm such a gorilla too because I can carry heavy things..."_

_At first, Atobe stared at her and then started laughing._

"_H-hey, you're a meanie~," Ayane began to sniffle and cry with her cheeks turning into a violent red. _

_Atobe shook his head before patting her on the head. "Arn~, so this is what ore-sama's little spring fairy was worried about? You shouldn't be!"_

_She stared at him with her big green eyes as he pointed to himself. _

"_Next time, ore-sama will definitely be the one to protect you! Although," Atobe pointed at the frying pan. "I really need to get myself one of those."_

_Ayane giggled as she looked at Atobe's face as he started looking at the frying pan. "Thank you Kei-chan! And Kei-chan..."_

_The purple haired boy turned back to her as she innocently pecked his cheek with a huge grin on her face. "I love you!"_

_Atobe Keigo, at the age of eight, turned a bright red colour that could rival a carpet. "I," –then he innocently grinned. "I love you too, Yane!"_

_End of Flashback_

Ayane sighed as she remembered that day when he said to her face. She remembered how pink their cheeks were and how long they took in the department store just to buy a new skillet for her older brother, Sai. However, her heart suddenly tightened when another memory flashed back into her head.

_Flashback_

"_Where's Kei-chan," Ayane ran down with her tennis racquet in tow, tugging Ozuma's shirt. "Nii-san, did you see him?"_

_Ozuma shook his head while pointing out the door. "Ask Soujirou, he's the one answering the doors half the time."_

_The tangerine haired girl ran towards the living room where she found Soujirou started playing Call of Duty: Black Ops with his older brother Sai. _

"_Nii-tachi," she sat in between them but the two were too busy hypnotized by the game. "Nii-tachi?"_

_Soujirou started firing a few bullets only to miss the Nazi Zombies. "Sai, start firing damn it!"_

"_I am dangnamit," Sai started mashing more buttons._

"_NII-TACHI," Ayane hollered, causing the two to throw their controls into the air._

_Sai yelped while Soujirou managed to catch his. "Soujirou, dude - start shooting them, man!"_

"_I am, dude," Soujirou started mashing the buttons while screaming for dear life. "What is it, Yane?"_

"_Have you seen Kei-chan," Ayane innocently tilted her head to her brothers. _

_Soujirou shrugged his shoulders while continuing to mash the buttons along with Sai. "Nope, didn't see the little guy."_

"_Why you looking for the twerp," Sai raised an eyebrow at his sister. "I thought you didn't like the runt."_

_Ozuma raised an eyebrow at Sai before ruffling the hair of his younger sister affectionately. "Dude, come on – be nice. How come you're looking for him, Yane-chan?"_

"_He promised that he'd help me with my tennis today," Ayane pouted impishly at Sai before grinning cheerfully at Ozuma._

"_So, that's where've you been all those weeks," Ozuma squatted to her height with a smile. "And where did he say he would meet you?"_

"_The tennis courts," Ayane impishly smiled as Ozuma took some keys from the cabinet by their door._

"_You dudes better not break the plasma," Ozuma called out to the two younger boys as he went out the door. "Dad just bought that."_

"_Yeah, yeah whatever," Soujirou waved his brother off with a dismissive snort. "Just get going."_

_Few minutes later, Ayane and Ozuma found themselves at the street tennis courts where she always met her "Kei-chan" and played. The eldest Kobayagi male sibling chuckled lightly as he watched his sister wall with the ball and almost making a crater in it. She grinned childishly as the male scratched his head with a sigh._

"_That poor wall's getting the result of you using my gym equipment," Ozuma shook his head at the wall. "Poor wall, it's suffering the wrath of Kobayagi Ayane."_

_Ayane pouted with her hands on her hips. "Mou~, nii-chan you don't have to be so mean!"_

_The day slowly turned into afternoon as the sun slowly began to set. Ayane had taken a seat after sweating buckets on the court whereas Ozuma came back with a jug full of apple juice. The tangerine haired girl then sat and started sucking up the juice while swinging her legs. Ozuma glanced at his watch for awhile before glancing at his sister._

"_Okay, is it just me or does he have a very bad sense of time," Ozuma leaned against his knuckles. "He's taking years."_

_Ayane shrugged as she looked up at the sky. "Mou~, maybe Kei-chan had to go somewhere all of a sudden..."_

_End of Flashback_

"At that time," Ayane murmured softly while looking at the drawing. "I didn't realize how right I was... Kei-_chan_ never came back..."

"That's where you're wrong," a gruff voice came from the door, causing Ayane to swivel her head and find Ozuma by the door. "He did come back."

Ayane found Ozuma walking towards her as he sat on her purple bean bag. "He came back; it's just that you weren't very nice to him after that. You developed your own style of tennis and you became friends with Kiyone. You practically pushed him out of your life. The only thing he can remember probably from you is that you scream and fight him half the time."

The tangerine haired hung her head while Ozuma ruffled her hair with a cheeky grin. "I'm sure you'll find a way. One way or another, the doofus must have grown up somehow."

Laughing at her brother's comment, Ayane grinned cheerfully at Ozuma. "Thanks, _nii-san_."

"Just tell Sai the address when he hurts you," Ozuma chuckled while walking out the door. "He wants to try out that new shot gun he bought."

Ayane sighed at her brother and at the thought of them all.

_Trust them to be very overprotective._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Momo, taking a seat by her window, glared as she watched the rain fall. A smirk formed at her lips when she remembered the first times for everything and somehow – the rain seemed to be everywhere she went along with her memories. The _Shinigami_ glanced at the photograph of her and her family before she remembered the dark scowl on the Main Sanada House's faces. She distastefully then put it down as she walked towards her sword.

_They hated me... hated me for bringing my father shame. They despised me... for outdoing Sanada in almost everything._

Momo shook her head as she remembered what her father said.

"_Boy or girl, it doesn't matter. You are my daughter and that's all that matters. There are some things that we men can't do that women can do better. Your mom showed me that."_

Momo let out a small chuckle as she remembered the day mom showed her how to go fishing. Her dad was hopeless; only managing to catch a guppy while she and her mom managed to get a huge tuna fish and have it grilled on one of their outings. Her mom practically dominated the Leaves of the Sanada family and often proved to be even better than some of her uncles in the family. Among all of them, she was the only female who had taken up _kendo_ and mastered it after three years. No one wanted to believe what her mother could do especially when she floored one of her father's brothers easily.

_And because of this, she was often condemned for freely speaking her mind._

Letting out a dark glare, she picked up her sword and let the steel glimmer under the small amount of sunlight in her room. Momo narrowed her eyes at the engraving on the blade revealing her last name. Her mother often chided her not to hold a grudge but Momo felt a tight stretch in her heart as she recalled their words.

"_Unfitting to be a Sanada, you are a woman. Women are to stay quiet and support their husband regardless."_

Momo swung her blade as it hummed in the air. The reflection of the rain revealed itself on the glimmering steel as her dark eyes glistened coldly, as if watching her opponent and waiting for him to strike.

_Flashback_

_Six year old Sanada Momo found a bokken hanging among the equipment in the dojo. Amazed and curious, she picked it up and began swinging it a little. The humming in the air caused her to jump in delight as she started practicing with it. Her motions with it were fluid as she managed to change her stance easily._

"_You must keep your back straight, Genichirou!"_

_Hearing a sharp snap, Momo ran to the other side outside of the dojo as she hid behind the wall and saw six year old Sanada Genichirou training intensely under their great grandparents. Momo pursed her lips impishly as she watched Sanada swing his sword with much effort only to get clobbered in the head by a branch._

"_You're not doing it right," old man Sanada Kenichi glared at the smaller boy, causing the soon-to-be head of the Sanada house to cower a bit in fear. "AGAIN!"_

_The loud roar from the old man caused Momo to flinch as she shrank away behind the wall, holding on to the sword for dear life. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard Genichirou yelp and the old man snarl at him again. Soon, she felt something drop on her nose as she found rain coming down. The old man didn't stop beating hard down with yelling and the branch on Sanada and without any second thought, she ran towards the old man as quietly as she could and clobbered him with the sheathe of the bokken. Her small height made it impossible to kill him with it though so, she settled on knocking him out._

"_Gen-kun," Momo gasped for air as she stared at the fallen old man. "We better get inside."_

_Six year old Sanada stared at her incredulously before grabbing her by her training kosode and hakama and running away. "You idiot!"_

_With this, Momo stood there in the rain; not knowing what exactly she did wrong other than clobbering the old man._

_End of Flashback_

Momo stared at her sword as she remembered the yelling matches and gripped her sword tightly until she could feel the blade cut into her skin. Sighing in defeat, Momo grabbed her umbrella and went out to walk around to get some air into her system. The _Shinigami_ had no aim to go anywhere only to remember the time when she collapsed on the sidewalk crying in the rain after Midoriyama shattered her resolve.

_However, some "doofus" as you call him seemed to brighten up your face, no?_

Momo scowled at the sound of her conscience as she remembered that "jumping orange head full of childishness" offer her an umbrella. Despite her remembering what kind of a dope he could be, a smile appeared on her face as she remembered when he offered her his umbrella to shield her from the rain. She stared at the very same spot he met her on that day. A chuckle bubbled from her throat as she played with the dancing raindrops with her feet. With a small sigh, Momo continued on walking not knowing where exactly she was going to end up.

"Lucky~ I found you again," a bright cheery voice caused Momo to freeze. "Lady Luck's really on my side~!"

Momo twitched as she turned to find Sengoku cheerfully grinning at her. "Why is it everywhere I turn I see you?"

"Aww," Sengoku gave her a puppy pout. "It's not so bad is it?"

Upon seeing the pout, Momo slowly began to laugh and smile which prompted Sengoku to jump out of his miserable state.

"Lucky~, I got you to laugh," Sengoku grinned childishly as Momo pushed his forehead with her pointer, causing him to whine. "Hey..."

Momo let out a teasing smirk. "That's what you get for tricking me into laughing."

Sengoku pursed his lips until Momo ruffled his hair with an embarrassed blush. "And that's for everything else..."

The orange haired Yamabuki vice captain grinned cheekily until he remembered something. "Oh yeah, what position do you usually play in?"

"Why do you need to know," Momo raised an eyebrow at him.

"So I can watch you play~!"

Momo let out a disgruntled sigh as she glanced out the window. "I'm always Singles Three."

Sengoku's happy demeanour immediately went down the drain. "Momo-_chan_, are you... serious?"

"Yeah," Momo turned around only to see his crestfallen face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about you, Momo-_chan_," Sengoku slumped on the chair. "It's about Seishun..."

Momo chuckled lightly as she leaned back. "If it's Shibuya then, you have no reason to worry."

Sengoku swivelled his head towards her. "Huh?"

"As the _Shinigami_ of Hyotei Gakuen," Momo smirked as she glanced at her hand. "It's my job to stop any monster that obstructs the goals of the team."

Suddenly, the PA rang out. "We have now arrived at Kanagawa. Thank you for riding with us."

Momo's eyes widened at the word "Kanagawa" as she stood up coldly. "Thank you for accompanying me, Sengoku-_san_. I have to go now."

Sengoku, puzzled by her sudden coldness, followed her out as she started walking briskly. Despite the huge crowds, he managed to follow her and the purple hair she had did make her stick out. Making his way through the crowd nearly suffocated him but the moment she stopped walking, he found himself in front of a dojo which clearly wrote: "**SANADA DOJO**".

"Wow, this is where you live," Sengoku brightened up at how big the house was. "It's biiig~!"

"This place isn't suitable for living," Momo shook her head, murmuring softly. "This is the cage I was once in..."

"Why would you call your own home a cage," Sengoku stared at Momo, noticing her tight grip on her umbrella. "Momo-_chan_, we don't need to stay here you know..."

Momo shook her head as she took a step forward, steeling her resolve.

_This ends... now..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shizuru on the other hand sighed as she sat in front of her laptop with her facebook staring right back at her face. Many posts from her fans started clogging up her wall as she let out a sigh and started changing the security settings on her account. Half of her mind wanted her to click the "block" button and the other half wanted her to just shut off her computer and play with her DS or something. As she opened her inbox, she found the website she started writing for years ago and looked at the assignment given to her.

_You're going to be writing with someone this time. The article has to be quite inspiring especially for those who suffered hard times. The e-mail is: .jp. Have fun. –Coordinator Sekima_

Shizuru sighed as she opened up a window to start her e-mail to her said partner.

_To: .jp_

_From: backstreetgirl_.jp_

_Good day,_

_My coordinator has assigned you to be my partner for the article established in the junior magazines coming out this autumn._

_I hope we can work together._

_If possible, may we be able to chat in a chat room sometime? _

_Thank you._

With this short message, she sent it while lying around on her bed and staring at the ceiling. However in thirty minutes, her computer let out a loud _ding_ as she received a new e-mail from her contact.

_To: backstreetgirl_.jp_

_From: .jp_

_Good day,_

_I also received a contact from him that you will be my partner for the article._

_I'm not very active in the chat rooms in the day time but I usually go online at night time._

_However, since I am in Germany as of now – I will coordinate to your time schedule to make it less stressful for you._

Before she could type out her reply, she found his name appearing in the online list of contacts and accessed it immediately.

_backstreetgirl_22793: __**Hi, I just got your e-mail...**_

_kt1007: __**Thank you for responding immediately. Shall we start working on the article now?**_

_backstreetgirl_22793: __**:) Yeah, we should.**_

Hours began to pass as ideas flew back and forth. Shizuru smiled as she quickly started typing and ideas were just flowing into her fingers. Her said partner seemed to agree as well, often giving her parts that she should take note of and which she gladly accepted. After a few hours, the two quickly placed it together and despite their ideas only coming out on the spot, all the words fit in perfectly.

_backstreetgirl_22793:_ _**Wow, you're amazing... O_O**_

_kt1007:_ _**Thank you, it's very kind of you to say so.**_

_backstreetgirl22793: __**Half the stuff I write never seems good enough to me...XD**_

_kt1007: __**It's good to expect a lot from yourself. Just do not make the standard humanly unattainable.**_

_backstreetgirl_22793: __**Thanks for telling me. XD Oh, I have to go now. I have to work on my training for the Regionals.**_

Logging out after saying a few courteous goodbyes, Shizuru went off to the gym deep within the L.X.A headquarters. Unlike most gyms that had barbells, treadmills and the works, Shizuru found herself in an empty dome-like structure while looking at the computer LED screen.

"Commence Combat Tennis Sequence," Shizuru stretched her limbs as she raised her racquet. "Opponent code: 006 – Virgin's Touch."

In front of Shizuru, a holograph began to take form and revealed the younger sister of Yukimura Seiichi in front of her.

"Let's dance," Shizuru smiled faintly at her opponent. "Yukimura..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mai on the other hand made a visit to the hospital as she found Yukimura Seiichi sitting on the bed while bringing in a _bento_.

"Wow, you look like something the cat dragged in," Yukimura stared in surprise as he found Mai's red hair slapped against her face.

Mai giggled as she set down her drenched jacket. "My cat wouldn't dare. I thought my jacket was at least a bit water retardant. Oh, I brought you a _bento. _Hospital food isn't really good for your system."

Yukimura let out a good-natured chuckle as he unwrapped the _bento_ to see a grilled salmon fillet drizzled with teriyaki sauce with bean sprouts and plain rice under it. The bluenette forked it while placing a small piece into his mouth while looking at Mai who started drying her hair in the bathroom.

"My compliments to the chef," he smiled as he continued to fork pieces into his mouth, enjoying every bit of it. "This really tastes better than hotel food actually..."

Mai blushed upon hearing his compliment as she wrung her jacket dry. "That's great to hear..."

"Mai-_chan_, can you come here," Yukimura beckoned her to sit on the bed, causing the _tensai_ to inch towards the beautiful male cautiously which made the said captain. "Mai-_chan_, I'm not going to kill you. Just sit here."

Mai found herself inches away from him as she regained some of her composure. "Y-yes, is there anything you need?"

_Oh no, totally unprepared! He's going to confess! ARGH, this is like a death sentence! I didn't even plan out my confession yet!_

"I need someone to watch over the regulars during the Nationals," Yukimura stated slowly as he showed her the calendar. "I would've gone but... I have my own battle too... I would have asked my sister but she has her own team to attend to."

Mai saw one of the dates with a big red circle on it, indicating his surgery for Gullain-Barre syndrome. "Sure, no problem. I'm sure Niou-_kun_ will be happy to see Isane-_senpai_."

"Marui should get a little charged too," Yukimura laughed as he recalled the vice captain complaining to him about Marui's non-stop yapping on how he'll take Ayane away from Atobe. "Sanada definitely will get a boost from Shizuru, especially when he finds out that she'll be watching him. His rivalry also with Momo-_chan_ makes it even better."

Mai sighed while shaking her head. "In other words, we're like catalysts huh?"

"You could say that," Yukimura smiled serenely.

Mai's amber eyes glittered. "I like that."

"Oh and Mai," Yukimura smiled as he pat her head. "Thanks for putting all your hard work into making the food."

Mai's eyes widened. _How did he know I made it...?_

"Food always tastes better when the person has a lot of care and affection for a certain person," Yukimura continued eating while looking out the window. "The same way the room would always get brighter when they're people around, no?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Niou scowled at Kirihara who dragged him all the way to the arcade with Marui. He rolled his eyes while letting out a sigh. Marui lunged for the "House of the Dead Four" game with Kirihara as the two started screaming for their lives. The silver haired trickster lazily looked around for a dart game but found nothing until he found his favourite silver haired female walking in with some friends. Though they weren't from the tennis team, Marui glanced behind with a huge grin.

"Ooh, it's Hyotei's _tensai_ baker Muto Tokiko-_san~_," Marui dreamily grinned as he imagined food once again. "Everything she bakes tastes good..."

Niou raised an eyebrow at him before watching Isane cheerfully laugh with the other girls. "Fatty, you're down to one life..."

Marui turned back to the screen with his face paling with horror. "Oh shit!"

Kirihara started firing everywhere, sarcastically noting. "Thanks for daydreaming, _senpai_! It really killed the monster!"

"Shut up, _Bakaya_!"

Niou chuckled as he found Kirihara barely managing to survive only to get killed by the monster.

"Nooo," Kirihara banged his head on the panel before pointing accusingly at Marui. "It's your fault, _senpai_!"

"Shaddup, I died too," Marui fired back as he placed the gun back.

"Marui-_kun_," a voice stopped the two from fighting and Marui started drooling.

"Toki-Toki, do you have cookies with you," he grinned dreamily and then brightened when he saw her holding a bag of cookies in front of him. "Yay, you brought cookies!"

Niou rolled his eyes as he picked up the gun after swiping his card. "Let me show you how it's done, morons."

It didn't take very long for another player to enter, revealing Hyotei's Sniper shyly picking up the gun. "I hope you don't mind working with a girl..."

"It would be my pleasure," he gave her a mischievous smirk causing her to blush intensely.

Tokiko sighed as she folded her arms. "Isane's attracted to anything that looks like a gun or at least fires like one..."

Her other friend snickered as she watched Isane take down a few. "That's because she also likes her partner...~"

Isane blushed, completely embarrassed while firing another few. "Tokiko, Kureha, you're mean!"

Niou smirked as he managed to roll his eyes to see Isane managing to fire despite her friends teasing her. Isane practically rivalled the colour of Marui's hair at the mention of the two's thoughts. The trickster however managed to keep his cool but kept more of his focus on the other monsters as they fell down one after the other. He still had a full bar and Isane pretty much had a clean run too.

"Wow Niou-_kun_," she glanced at his score. "You survived longer than most of my partners."

Niou raised an eyebrow at the Sniper. "Most?"

"The only one who survived here until the last stage with me was my older brother," Isane shyly admitted as she continued firing. "Sasuke died at the fourth stage though."

Niou chuckled as he took out another one. "That proves we're such a good pair no?"

Isane, blushing again, focused on the game before she could lose another life. Out of nowhere, another zombie appeared and ran after her until a shot took it out revealing a smug looking Niou. Marui, Kirihara and Isane's friends gaped in awe as they fought side by side in House of the Dead Four with no complications and not even an exchange of words. Boys soon started to crowd at the machine as they haven't lost a life yet nor have they missed a shot.

Kureha whispered dreamily to Tokiko. "You know, they look as if they're in a thriller/action movie."

"I have to admit," Tokiko chuckled lightly. "They do fit together."

Marui nodded to Kirihara. "They probably don't notice that the rest of the world is watching them."

Kirihara snickered before taking a picture. "Yay, I got my first blackmail from Niou-_senpai_!"

"I guess your brothers approve," Niou chuckled at Isane who snapped her head towards him.

"Approve of what," Isane stared at him quizzically.

Niou smirked while taking down another zombie. "Two approve about me taking you to Rikkai's Autumn Ball?"

"They had no choice in the matter," Isane sheepishly laughed as they found themselves in front of the last boss. "It's game time."

"Let's do this," Niou shook the gun a little with a mischievous smirk splashed across his face.

People could only stare in awe as they took down their target quickly and only taking one hit on each of their lives in the process. As soon as they had to register their name, Niou typed their names: MasaharuXIsane which caused the silver haired girl to flush fifteen shades of red. Tokiko sighed as Kureha clapped her hands together in delight.

"I can imagine what they're called now," Marui blew another bubble.

Kirihara turned to him as Marui grinned.

"They're officially the Trick Pair."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You've returned, Momo-_sama_," one of the maids bowed as the purple haired _Shinigami_ made her way in.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this," Momo glanced at Sengoku who warily looked around. "Don't worry; we don't have any ninjas hiding in the cupboards."

Sengoku pouted at her. "I'm not afraid of ninjas!"

"You looked like it," Momo snickered as she walked into the dojo only to find the whole council there along with Sanada.

"Momo," Sanada glanced towards her although he couldn't hide his shock. "You're here..."

The elders glared at her as Momo kept a steel face until Sengoku peeped over her shoulder.

"Hello," he cheerfully grinned causing Momo to twitch and shove him out.

"You idiot," Momo grabbed his collar, glaring holes into his skull. "Stay put!"

She quickly composed herself again before taking her bow in front of the council. "I'm sorry for his... ignorance," –Momo completely found herself lack of better word for his stunt.

"You have done nothing but defy the law of the Sanada family," one of the elders spat, a chubby old man. "Your mother is nothing but a tramp to teach you that way."

That flared up Momo's temper but the feeling didn't show itself evident on her face. "If I were much older, I wouldn't need to ask you why I shouldn't cut you down or geld you from where you stand."

One of the elders calmed down the chubby man. "Now now, that is no way to greet our relatives, Kenichi. After all, she did make an effort to come home, no?"

_More like I didn't want to and I just ended up here,_ Momo twitched but thanked him quietly for keeping the other man quiet.

"Genichirou has told us your reply to our message and you are a complete disgrace," the fat man continued to snap at Momo who didn't even wince at the sound of his voice. "You already clobbered me on the head with some bokken and stunted Genichirou's growth! You have done nothing but cause this family trouble!"

"Perhaps it's time to move forward with time," Momo countered although she tried her best to restrain her voice. Remembering how loud Ayane's voice was and how quickly the vice captain got angry did teach her a few things on how to handle these people. "We are no longer in the era of the samurai."

However, Kenichi stood up and slapped Momo across the face and sent her to the ground. "You will pay for your impudence. We will settle this the way the samurai do it."

Momo continued to keep on a cold look as she changed into her _hakama_ and _kosode_, taking a _bokken_ from the wall. Sengoku gulped as he found himself behind Momo while the old man drew out a sword. The _Shinigami_ narrowed her eyes while looking at the structure of the old man's sword.

_Reverse-edged,_ Momo bit her lip as the clunking of the wooden bamboo fountain echoed throughout the garden.

The old man soon sprinted and Momo blocked it and despite being old, Kenichi quickly out powered Momo and nearly sent her back but she managed to stand her ground. The _Shinigami_ swung her sword, keeping her grip tight as she tried to push the old man back.

"Aren't you going to stop them," Sengoku turned to Sanada who glared at him.

"You're the one who put her in this situation in the first place," Sanada addressed him coldly.

Sengoku, puzzled by Sanada's words, continued to watch the fight as sweat poured down Momo's face and the old man seemed to sneer each time she couldn't lay a hit. The _Shinigami_ swung her _bokken _once more only to have her flung back.

"You've polluted by your little Hyotei brats," Kenichi scoffed as he pointed the sword to Momo who was forced down on one knee. "They've done nothing but warp your little mind into a mess! What possessed you to even leave Rikkai Dai! Your future was perfect! But no – you abandoned all that for what? For teammates who will never understand the law! You even chose a playboy! What is wrong with you! Has the world made you mad!"

Momo smirked as she stood up. "If I stayed within the boundaries of the law, I wouldn't be as strong as I was today. I would have been a flightless bird; unable to rely on anybody but the people who provided her the future. But... I found something else in Hyotei... friends who stood by me... who didn't compare me to Genichirou the way they did in Rikkai... Not only that, there was this one guy who made a lot of impact even if he was just an "orange head full of childishness". He didn't even feel the need to be afraid of me. He took me as I am; not as Sanada Momo but as Momo. That is why," –Momo let go off her sword and held it in one hand. "I'll show you the result of what I've gone through."

Kenichi snorted in disgust as Momo sprinted forward in somewhat a dance pattern and got through his defences right away.

Sengoku grinned in awe. "Hey, that's Mai-_chan_'s Jazz Tennis!"

Momo smirked as the old man obviously paled when he barely managed to block her hit. She twisted her body and went for a double handed strike down causing him to fall back.

_Hitomi..._

_Isane..._

_Haruka..._

_Rin..._

_Kiyone..._

_Ayane..._

_Mai..._

_Shizuru..._

_I'm not letting you guys down again,_ Momo fluidly struck the sword with a whiplash before jumping back. The old man, frustrated, charged at her before she side stepped and brought the sword down on his to disarm. She then vanished and appeared behind him and as he turned around her tapped his forehead lightly with her sword.

"Gotcha," Momo smirked as she stood quietly with a grumbling old man.

However, like every other Sanada – defeat is not an option; he quickly grabbed her sword and shoved her to the ground.

"That boy's done nothing but fill your head with pointless fantasies," he snorted as he kept a firm grip on Momo's hair while lifting his sword. "You've never felt steel slide across your skin so, let me show you how it feels!"

Ready to bring down the sword, Kenichi flung it without hesitation only to be blocked by a tennis racquet and the _Shinigami_ stared in awe as Sengoku now was covered in mud.

"You halfwit," Momo found Sengoku gasping for air. "You do realize your racquet could have been broken?"

Sengoku grinned goofily to her. "That's what guys do right? Sanada family member, _Shinigami _or not, you're still Momo-_chan_! To me, that's good enough reason."

Momo, sighing in defeat, took this opportunity to push the man back before grabbing Sengoku. "I hope I've proven my point..."

As she turned around, the _Shinigami_ sighed before teasingly pushing Sengoku's head with her pointer. "You're such a weirdo, Sengoku-_kun_."

Sengoku's face brightened at the sound of the suffix. "Hey~, you called me Sengoku-_kun_! Lucky~, I've been waiting for that~!"

Momo blushed intensely as she twitched. "Must you announce it to the world every time I do something affectionate?"

Sengoku started laughing which prompted Momo to smile with the feeling of finally dealing with the past that she had thought that she had left behind.

The happy go lucky Yamabuki vice captain grinned at her, although half of him said she was going to say no like almost all the time. "So, can we go for coffee?"

Momo chuckled at Sengoku's expression. "Sure, why not?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hitomi, staying home, popped open another bottle of beer as she went downstairs to get some fruitcake sitting in the fridge. She took a seat in front of the TV and realizing that most of the shows every Saturday were either inane or senseless; the Mastermind resigned herself to grabbing a sewing kit and started making a _TeruTeru Bozu_. As she started stuffing the head with cotton, Hitomi cringed and began to wonder how kids could easily make something like this while she, a girl with an IQ at 200, couldn't tell apart a needle and thread. With a frustrated sigh, Hitomi placed it down and began to pace around her room.

Pictures for her blackmail decorated her wall as a smile painted itself on her face. One picture showed Niou licking off the mocha ice cream from Isane's lower lip in which the said girl turned extremely red, another of Kiyone being saved by Shiraishi from the falling pet supplies, Ayane feeding Atobe his Panna Cotta only to completely blush when he licked the spoon clean, Haruka freaking out in horror when the wind blew up her skirt and Jackal saw something he shouldn't have, Rin on Kajimoto's back after a long day in the gym, Sengoku trying to catch a goldfish only in the end to have Momo do it for him, Mai trying to teach Yukimura to dance and Shizuru slightly blushing when Tezuka was actually within one feet away from her.

_How come I can't find anyone who would like me for the way these guys ended up?_

Again, another frustrated sigh made its way out of her mouth as she walked towards the window.

_There's nothing out of the ordinary today. It's just the usual rain and a body dangling on wire in front of my window, _Hitomi smiled until she paled at what she thought.

WAIT, A BODY DANGLING ON THE WIRE IN FRONT OF MY WINDOW?

The body clearly looked it was strangled but more like it was thrown off the top of her house. The girl had the black wires strung all around her body with it almost making her eyes bulge out and her skin was blue from deprivation of oxygen. Her body contorted in a way that the toes were touching the head of the girl as she was forcibly stretched back upside down. Despite looking like she had been tortured for ages, the girl had her eyes and mouth sewn shut and the workmanship wasn't exactly good either making it very obvious they used low quality thread. She stood there, frozen for a moment, not sure what to think especially when that face looked very familiar.

_Isn't that... Oishi Haruhi, the math whiz from Seishun Gakuen?_

Hitomi quickly ran to her landline and began dialling Seishun Gakuen's data man's house number.

"Hello," a familiar data man answered the phone. "Is this Yamaguchi-_san_?"

"Inui, I need the number of Oishi's house," Hitomi rapidly spoke. "There's a 90 percent chance that you'll freeze and not tell me if I tell you my reasons now give me the number!"

Inui, albeit shocked, gave her the number anyway. "What's going on?"

"You know Oishi Haruhi," Hitomi fired back at Inui.

Inui nodded and froze when she mentioned the name.

"She's dead and she's hanging right in front of my window right now."

As she expected, Inui froze as she put down the phone to call up Oishi. Hitomi shuddered at the thought of the person hanging outside her window as she heard a _thud_ coming from her window.

_Probably just a freak throw of a rock or something,_ Hitomi waited for the line to be picked up.

The banging and the hitting became louder causing the Mastermind to snap her head towards her window but continued to stay by the phone. While waiting for Oishi to answer, Hitomi began texting the other girls as quickly as she could. Suddenly, the thumping and hitting sound stopped which calmed Hitomi down.

That was before the window suddenly shattered and the body flew in, causing Hitomi to scream.

"Hello?"

"Oishi-_san_, this is Yamaguchi Hitomi," Hitomi calmed herself down after seeing a flying body go into her room. "When was the last time you saw your cousin?"

"Are you talking about Haruhi-_chan_? I saw her last week," Oishi waited in complete confusion. "Why?"

Hitomi sighed as she inhaled sharply. "I don't think you want to hear this from me so... you might want to see it for yourself. My house is near the Kokusai Denshin Denwa Company and Starbucks. You should be able to see it there."

As she put the phone down, Hitomi let out a relieved sigh until she found the body no longer where it should be.

_I don't like where this is going,_ Hitomi gulped when she found the Haruhi on the ceiling like Spiderman, drooling and licking her chops. _Why do I feel this is a sick remake of Kuroshitsuji manga?_

The supposedly dead girl lunged at her to which Hitomi managed to dodge as Haruhi started clawing on the wall with a deadly hiss. The Mastermind continued running before finding an umbrella and whacking the crazed undead with it. Haruhi maniacally ran down her stairs in some spider-like fashion though clearly upside down with beast-like teeth snapping at her. As she answered the door, Hitomi found Haruka in front of her.

"Haruka, you're here!"

"What in the world is going on," Haruka found Haruhi lunging at her. "Holy God, what is that!"

With one swift throw, Haruka thanked her lucky stars that she remembered some of her _Wu Shu_ as she tossed Haruhi over her head. As Haruhi slid on the road, the said girl lunged for another blood bath only to get run over by a delivery truck and completely lay flat on the ground although she was still twitching. The driver gulped as he went down to check if the girl was alright while Hitomi and Haruka heard sirens from far away.

"What the hell was that," Haruka glanced at Hitomi before walking over to check the body. "Where in the world...?"

Hitomi held her hand in front of her. "Don't step anywhere near it; you might be considered a suspect..."

Soon, the police managed to clear Haruka, Hitomi and the driver that the victim had been already dead when they came in contact with her. Oishi and the others she called came there only to have a bloody scene unfold beyond them.

"Ewww," Ayane turned away while Atobe who happened to be with her could only stare in horror.

Oishi felt his lungs constrict hard and he couldn't even exhale.

Momo couldn't even finish her Chamomile Tea Frappe while Sengoku barely managed to hack out a sound.

Niou visibly turned white and Isane nearly fainted if not for her Trickster's fast reflex to help her stay standing.

Marui, Kirihara and Isane's friends – Tokiko and Kureha stumbled back completely aghast.

Kiyone gaped as she and the Oshitari cousins stared in complete disgust.

Shizuru didn't show any visible change in emotion only to have her fists grip tightly.

Rin screamed as she jumped into the closest person's arms which happened to be Kajimoto.

Mai nearly choked at the sight as she dropped her bag.

"Hitomi-_senpai_," Shizuru was first to break the silence. "What happened?"

The Mastermind shook her head at her _kohai_. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The dead body still twitched and let out a loud growl causing the people to back up. Atobe stood in front of Ayane while Sengoku got ready to push Momo out of the way before anything else. Haruhi lashed out again only to have herself caught by Shizuru by the neck. The corpse lashed out, swinging her claws and snapping her jaws until Sengoku clobbered it with his racquet.

"My racquet," he noticed it no longer stood straight, letting out a sniffle. "It's dented..."

"That's what you get for using it to clobber things, Sengoku," Momo face palmed.

However, it didn't stop there as the corpse this time lashed out at Atobe until Shizuru brought down her leg on its neck while Momo grabbed its hair and slammed her on the wet asphalt.

"This is worse than House of the Dead Four," Niou muttered as the corpse tried to lunge again.

Shizuru managed to snatch a gun from the policeman and shoved it in its mouth.

"_Adios,_" Shizuru glared as she fired the gun without flinching as the brains and whatever was left sprayed out on the ground.

Ayane screamed and nearly fainted if not for Atobe and Marui coming to help her. Kiyone didn't say anything while Kenya tried to move her away from the scene. Wiping away the blood, Shizuru stood by the fallen body while trying to recompose herself as another car came in with two familiar faces.

"What happened," Fuuka jumped out only to draw back in revulsion. "What the hell is that?"

Ai gulped as she hid behind Fuuka. "Fuu-_chan_, Shizu-_chan_, is that even human?"

Shizuru lightly touched it with a sad smile. "Yeah, it was... whoever it was."

Hitomi explained to everyone. "Guys, I just found her hanging in front of my window and trying eat my guts. This is Oishi Haruhi... or whatever was left of her..."

Fuuka turned to Shizuru. "They're running rampant aren't they?"

"Ah, Natsuki-_chan_ probably dealt with her own set of murders," Shizuru sighed sadly as she did the sign of the cross in front of the body.

"How can you three talk about the body so calmly," Oishi shouted, causing the three to turn to him.

Fuuka scoffed with a snort. "I've seen worse."

"Crying won't do us any good," Shizuru shook her head.

Ai twiddled with her thumbs. "I know it's hard to absorb but that wasn't her anymore. She just tried to eat people!"

"I see you guys found another," a voice came from a motorcycle as everyone turned around.

On the motorcycle, a slate gray haired female dismounted as her sharp violet eyes analysed the situation.

"Amakusa Natsuki," Fuuka smirked. "Quite a surprise that a _kansai_ captain is here."

"That's like saying that most of the attacks are originating from this area," Natsuki pointed out to Fuuka. "There are some areas that seem unaffected like Hyotei since they have Kurenai to defend and Rikkai Dai because Yukimura Ai still keeps her do-hickey. Seishun has lost two students within a year: Oishi Haruhi and another. Fuuka, are you sure you're not missing anything?"

"Trust me, I do daily scans, nothing," Fuuka hissed at the Shitenhouji captain. "Where's Hoshimura?"

Shizuru shook her head. "She can't really join us, she has her operation..."

"Nonsense," a British accent caught the attention of all four them and the other people, revealing Florence coming out of the coffee shop. "I'll do fine."

Atobe looked at the body before looking at the five. "You all have some explaining to do."

"And explain we will," Natsuki glared at Atobe before she looked at the body. "First things first, we give this poor kid a proper burial then trace where all the attacks are originating. I only have an area not an exact location."

"Wait a minute," Isane counted all the captains. "One two three four... wait, you guys are the five aren't you?"

Niou stared at Isane for a moment as Fuuka smirked at her.

"Yes, yes we are. We're the five."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Atobe agreed to let the people use his house as a discussion area seeing that Hitomi had just become a target for some weird monster and that he himself wanted to know what the Hyotei girls were talking about. Florence, Shizuru, Fuuka, Ai and Natsuki took the centre as the others surrounded them.

"Alright start asking," Fuuka folded her arms. "Don't ask me stupid questions."

Ayane gulped as she asked the first question. "H-How did she end up like that?"

"We don't know exactly," Florence answered for Fuuka. "That's why we've been trying to find out. Many organizations have pulled this kind of stunt but this was the worst one yet."

Atobe took this chance to ask another question. "Who exactly are you people?"

"You only know us as captains of each team," Shizuru suddenly lost her motherly aura and became a little more serious. "We are what you guys call 'shadows of the military'."

"In other words," Fuuka continued on for Shizuru. "Your family should know this, Atobe. We work for L.X.A."

"L.X.A," Atobe repeated for a moment before keeping quiet.

Niou leaned back, not really affected by the situation after going through House of the Dead Four. "So, the L.X.A if I heard from Isane right is a government organization that handles taking down black organizations that try to affect the negotiations and peace treaties around the world?"

"Exactly," Natsuki nodded at Niou. "Thank God you catch quickly."

Niou shrugged at her. "Isane's the sister of a police officer and I've heard it come up when I called her up the last time."

"Hold on," Haruka recalled the descriptions of the five princesses. "Hoshimura's the one who fights for her life, Shizuru's the one with the darkness at her command and Souma is the one who desires nothing but victory... what does that make Amakusa and Yukimura?"

"I'm living in an apartment alone," Natsuki filled in. "Kane Michaelides must've told you that."

Rin tilted her head at Ai. "I still don't get Yukimura's..."

"One without identity," Hitomi sat down while thinking it through. "Ai, do you feel overshadowed by your brother or something?"

Ai shook her head sadly while Fuuka explained it straight out.

"Yukimura Ai... was not supposed to exist."

They all stared in awe as Marui gulped along with Kirihara and Niou.

Marui shook his head in shock. "B-but wait, how can that be?"

"L.X.A. wanted Yukimura Seiichi but seeing he had Guillain-Barré," Fuuka glanced at Ai. "They decided to recreate him. The only problem is that the moment they took out the gene that had the Guillain-Barré syndrome, it altered his composition completely and thus made Ai instead. If you notice, Ai almost looks like a spitting image of her brother."

Marui turned back to Ai. "Does... your brother know?"

"No," Ai shook her head. "Mom and dad do though... I was only supposed to be an organ donor for my brother in case something went wrong... So, L.X.A made a deal with them: they can save Seiichi but they have to do it their way and they must abide to everything they say so... they created me..."

Momo folded her arms together. "Wait, so what was Haruhi... what the heck happened?"

"That's the result of a failed creation of a Princess," Ai answered weakly. "They were trying to create more of us. We were the first... the thing is – they wanted something with less personality."

"ZODIAC found out that the L.X.A had us so they tried to create more like us," Fuuka crushed a soda can in her hand. "Those things out there... you call those "Peasants". They're girls who became failed experiments and thus became more voracious in their desire for human blood."

Shizuru tapped her chin. "But the problem is... if it were ZODIAC, they don't have the resources..."

Soon, the whole room fell into a silence as Fuuka picked up her cellphone and began dialling a few numbers.

"Who are you calling," Florence turned to Fuuka who had a smirk.

"An old friend."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Wow, totally funky chapter huh? So, who do you think this old friend is going to be? I'm sorry for it being so late but here it is! Please please please submit your choice for Hitomi before anything else that's why she has no romance life yet! Thank you! Don't forget to review please!**


	42. In The Belly of Greed

**Me: Hi, it's Scarlette Shizuru again! And I just wanted to say thank you to all those who subscribed to this story and my writing [as an author] and listed this as your favourite story. I'm glad that I'm making progress with this story even if this is my first Prince of Tennis drama story. So, I wanted to place a little action into this so you guys wouldn't be so bored out there and wonder why the plot is just playing over and over again. I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter because this one is going to be more on explosion side, kind of like Time Crisis 4. Frankly, I found myself wondering why we should only place tennis and although it is a tennis fic, it doesn't mean that other forms of action is forbidden right? XD I'm also going to try lowering the Flesch-Kincaid reading ease because when I researched about it – the higher it is, the easier or the more childish the story is so I'm going to step up my game a little. By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis!**

**Kyouei_shurei: **Don't worry, it will all happen soon. It has to fall into place after all. XD

**Thanks to chillybean, Ayane2996 and the people who added this story to their alert list. XD**

***Mumiyo –** I got this term from the manga "_Kandachime_". It literally means "no name".

Chapter 42 – In the Belly of Greed

"Fuuka," Florence watched the girl open up her tennis bag. "Don't tell me you kept something there that...?"

The red haired Seishun Gakuen tennis captain grinned while tossing the girls a few boxes. "Yep, I did. I didn't think we'd need it ever again. You're lucky I even bother to keep our craps."

Natsuki rolled her eyes at the spiky red haired female. "We didn't even ask you to."

"_Shikabanehime,_" Fuuka threw a box at Shizuru with a smirk. "I hope you're willing to draw that thing out again. Frankly, we all are. You're the only one with a combat problem."

Florence rolled her eyes at Fuuka. "More like you're the only one who has no problem, we're not savages like you."

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the half-British Jyosei Shounan captain before grabbing her collar. "You wanna say that to my face?"

"Sure, you're the only savage among us," Florence repeated bluntly which nearly earned her a punch in the face if not for Ai's intervention with a cheerful smile.

"Come on~, we can't fight now," Ai cheerfully smiled at the two which sent shivers down their spines, making it a sing song. "After all, we have a big day ahead of us~."

Natsuki face palmed at the three girls before taking out a holster and a gun. "Ai, did you have to say it in a form of song?"

Ai tilted her head innocently to the Shitenhouji captain. "Why~ is it bad?"

Marui gulped when he saw Yukimura Ai smiling like that. _Everyone knows that this girl can be bad as buchou when not given what she wants. _

Kirihara jumped up and down excitedly. "Oh oh, this is gonna be like Time Crisis right? You're going to shoot people and bugs?"

"It's not as exciting as it sounds, seaweed head," Fuuka snorted causing the said Rikkai Dai ace to glare. "I forgot; you've been stuck in water for awhile so you haven't faced a gunpoint yet now have you?"

Shizuru pulled out a small rod which extended into a full-length double edged _naginata_, making the others cower back in fear. Fuuka pulled out a rod which extended into a huge mallet, shocking everybody until she shrank it back. Ai grinned as she revealed her maracas while shaking a little tune whereas Natsuki reloaded all the bullets into the gun and Florence shined her needle fingers before taking a good look at them.

"You're really going to wear all that," Mai widened her eyes at Shizuru who nodded.

"Yeah, I used to wear this all the time."

Fuuka pulled out a black latex suit and threw it at Shizuru. "You're lucky I even kept spares. Honestly, how did you manage to lose yours? What do you think your uniforms are anyway?"

"It's a pain in the ass," Natsuki scoffed while looking at her weapon and polishing it.

Shizuru twiddled with her thumbs. "I always kept tearing up mine so they always had to make a new one..."

"I use them as pyjamas," Ai jumped into the air as Florence shrugged.

Fuuka twitched while curling her hand into a fist as they turned white.

"YOU IMBECILES," everyone was thrown back by the loudness of Fuuka's snap.

The four other females soon had bumps on their heads while Fuuka tapped the floor impatiently with her foot. As Shizuru suited up in hers, Mai dropped her jaw when she saw how body hugging the suit was. Atobe smirked as he looked at the five girls get ready while opening the interface to a satellite on his cellphone. Natsuki grabbed her regulars' jacket and hauled it over her shoulder as Shizuru left all her gear at one corner of the house as to not clutter it up.

"Atobe-_senpai_," Shizuru bowed gratefully. "Thank you for letting us use your house."

Atobe smirked at Shizuru. "Just take him down. Never let it be heard that Hyotei Gakuen had a horrible sense of security, Kurenai."

Ayane gave Shizuru a 'thumbs up' with an eccentric grin. "Show them who's boss, _buchou_!"

Shizuru chuckled lightly as Oishi turned to Fuuka. "Souma-_san_, who exactly did you call?"

"The only one who could get us information without ever moving from his spot," Fuuka grinned before stepping out the door. "Are you ninnies coming or what?"

"_Ore-sama_ will have the satellite interface open for you, Kurenai," Atobe narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "You better make sure you can make good use of it."

Shizuru nodded before following after the other girls. "It shouldn't be a problem, _senpai_."

"Shizuru," Hitomi pulled out her laptop and palm pilot. "If you need anyone to hack into anything, give me a holler."

The auburn eyed captain closed the door after them with a faint smile, leaving the others to contemplate on their next move.

"Great, we have the role of babysitters," Kirihara slumped down the couch. "This is boring!"

Kiyone grinned at Ayane childishly, kicking her legs alternately. "Whatcha gonna do now, Yane?"

Ayane stroked her chin while taking a look at the situation. Oishi, being completely devastated, did not dare move from his spot and kept on focusing on the little dust bunnies on the ground. Atobe remained silent [for once] almost the entire time, analysing the situation in whatever point possible. The air loaded itself on everybody's moods and the silence became very deafening.

"_Ore-sama_ can't take this anymore," Atobe stood up in frustration, stomping his way to the telephone.

Momo folded her arms while tucking her sword away. "We can't do anything. These people are beyond the control of the police. Atobe, you're not going to get anywhere."

"_Ore-sama_ was planning to get info about that organization that Kurenai works for," Atobe glared at the _Shinigami_ as he started hitting buttons. "She's not the combative type."

Momo sniggered at Hyotei's King. "How sure are you?"

Sengoku dropped his hand on Momo's shoulder with a sheepish grin. "Maybe you guys could at least tell us – seeing that... well, you guys are her teammates."

Hitomi activated her laptop and made it appear on the projector in the study. "L.X.A or League of Extraordinary Alchemists is a group of scientists and military specialists that work for the government. Most employees are either teenagers or young adults. Their daily needs are sustained by the government but in return, they have a life-long commitment to the organization itself."

"That's freaky," Kirihara shivered while thinking about it. "It's like you have Time Crisis 4 and then you have to blow up the dudes before they get to you!"

Niou rolled his eyes at the devil ace. "So, this ZODIAC group of psychopaths – the girls have to duke it out with them or something?"

"That's how it works," Hitomi theorized as she revealed a huge chart. "The organization itself has more than 200 members but there are 12 significant ones which are deemed as princesses thus, allowing us to conclude that their top members are all female."

Marui nodded, blowing up another bubble. "So, you're saying that these people are the head honchos of taking out the serial killers and stuff?"

"Precisely that," Hitomi flashed to another slide. "They are the ones who take down things that are beyond the government's control. In other terms, they are what people call the government's 'shadows' or 'watchdogs'. They are to fight without questioning the intention of the government."

Haruka shook her head. "That's terrible; how do they even manage to act normal anyway?"

"According to my other sources," Hitomi opened a few videos. "They are given acting classes to make sure they can easily blend in. So, even then – we are not sure what their real personalities are."

Atobe found a little paper boy walking around, handing out a newspaper. "Isn't that... Kurenai?"

"Very observant, Atobe," Hitomi paused the video and zoomed in on the image. "Yes, that person is the _buchou_ that we have all come to know and love in the form of a paper boy."

Sengoku looked at the other videos, gaping at the very vivid picture. "That one looks like Fuuka... in a..."

"As quoted by one of Shizuru-_buchou_'s favourite characters in the manga called _Claymore_," Hitomi sighed as she showed the videos of the three other captains. "They can laugh like an aristocrat and smile like a prostitute. They are taught to act in so many different ways in order to achieve their goal."

Ayane nodded silently while looking at the floor. "I'm going to stay outside for awhile okay?"

Everyone stared agape at Ayane who seemed less loud than usual as Atobe followed after her outside the garden. The tangerine haired girl embraced herself tightly while biting hard on her lip as Atobe silently made his way towards her. Though he preferred gaudy entrances, Ayane's silence shut that plan down instantly.

"Ayane," Atobe let her first name slip out but masking his worry with his usual arrogance. "Kurenai's not a baby. She'll survive."

The vice captain sighed, completely dejected. "You're pretty relaxed."

"Because if Kurenai can make three middle school martial arts student weep for their mothers," Atobe smirked as he leaned on the fence. "Then, _ore-sama_ knows she can make a psychotic killer cry."

"That's not very comforting," Ayane rolled her eyes at the king.

Atobe resisted the urge to pull out his cellphone and scream at Shizuru for making all her friends worry. Ayane sadly tapped her fingers on the fence while watching the droplets dance on the leaves. Watching the once loud and obnoxious vice captain keep quiet made Atobe's heart drop rock bottom before coming up with plans to strangle the captain for making his queen worry. He couldn't think of any other way to cheer the violent girl but telling her that her captain would survive somewhat did slight work.

_Honestly, that woman may be an empath but she's the worst at it._

"Atobe," –Atobe swivelled his head towards the vice captain with a puzzled stare as she snickered at him. "Thanks but you're better off goading people."

The king grunted at her before throwing his arms behind his head. "That's no way to thank _ore-sama_."

Ayane then flicked his forehead with a grin. "You're lucky that your garage is at the other end of your mansion."

"Or you don't carry around skillets," Atobe chuckled fondly. "You weren't exactly a fairy now were you?" _Finally, she remembers!_

The tangerine haired _fukubuchou_ scoffed at Hyotei's king, giving him a droll stare. "What? Fairies work well in all fields and that includes food!"

"What are you, Tinkerbelle?"

"Oh cork it, mole diva!"

Upon glaring at one another, the two then started bursting into small fits of laughter. Atobe chuckled lightly while Ayane grinned childishly at him, as if remembering what had happened between them. All of a sudden however, the tangerine haired vice captain sadly hung her head while averting her eyes away from the male captain.

"Why," her lips began to quiver, causing Atobe to cease his laughing. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving...? Most of all – did it ever cross your mind to even say good bye to me?"

_Because leaving Japan would have been unbearable for me if I saw your cheerful face fall as my last memory of you..._

The male captain's arrogant mask fell through with a bitter smile etched upon his lips. His hand literally cemented itself to his side despite Atobe forcefully telling himself to try and comfort the girl. A pregnant pause wedged itself in between them while Ayane shook her head.

"Oh well," Ayane faked a cheerful chirp, waving her hand dismissively. "What's done is done."

Atobe narrowed his eyes; if there was someone he believed Ayane should not consider a role model, it was her very own captain. "Kobayagi Ayane, you're officially a horrible actress."

"Oh shut up," Ayane scowled as she wrinkled her nose at him. "You wouldn't know a talented actor even if he exploded in your face!"

Atobe smirked, gloating back at her. "At least _ore-sama_ can wing some dramatics, unlike you."

"Ugh, whatever! You're impossible," Ayane surrendered with an annoyed squawk.

Upon hearing the yelling outside, Kiyone puffed up her cheeks as she started shoving more food into her mouth. Mai chuckled as she looked through Hitomi's web pages, seeing a whole line of dresses. Flowers were on one side while Momo and the others were sighing at the two masterminds' plan.

"Have you chosen the venue yet," Mai grinned sardonically at Hitomi who had a business smile plastered on her face. "The colour has to match with the place after all. Ayane's favourite colour is purple and it sure matches her boyfriend's hair. Even the flower arrangements have to be perfect, all the processions and everything else has to be perfect."

Kirihara scratched his head while letting out a grunt. "Geez, aren't you worried about Kurenai-_san_?"

Suddenly, the cheery atmosphere died down as Mai balled her hand into a fist. Hitomi hung her head before shutting down the program. Everyone remained silent as they remembered where their captain had disappeared to. Although it was better than knowing nothing, the mere thought of her fighting without their help frightened them. Haruka snapped her mouth shut, knowing that her rants about Shizuru would not help. Ayane had left the room and had Atobe to deal with and Kiyone innocently continued to wait, like a little child waiting for Santa Claus to eat his milk and cookies.

Marui deliberately slapped the upside of Kirihara's head. "You idiot, you're not supposed to make them worry even more!"

"I suppose you're right," the crimson haired _tensai_ chuckled darkly, balling her hand into a fist. "We're always so useless when it comes to situations like this... Frankly, I'm done feeling this way..."

Sengoku leaned back before sighing. "I hate to be the bubble popper but... how are we gonna help them? We don't even know what we're up against."

Momo stared aghast at Sengoku, shaking her head in disbelief. "Who are you and what have you done to Sengoku?"

"Wha- I'm the real one, _Shinigami_ Momo-_chan~_!"

Momo face palmed before sighing into her hand. "Yep, that's him. It's funny how he sometimes uses his head and in some other crucial moments he doesn't."

The whole room soon erupted into a huge fit of laughter with Sengoku pouting childishly. However, the boisterous noise soon stopped as Ayane and Atobe walked in with a smirk splashed across the king's face and Ayane letting out a frustrated snort. The moment the vice captain saw the arrangement on the blonde _Mastermind's _laptop, everyone realized that she was the signal for Armageddon to begin.

"WHAT WERE YOU GUYS PLANNING," Ayane screeched before staring in horror at the screen. "_Senpai_, what is this!"

Hitomi gave her a business smile with an evil glint in her eye. "It's simply what it shows."

Ayane pouted while folding her arms, leaving Atobe to kick back against one of the easy chairs. "So, where do we begin?"

Mai gave a dark and sardonic grin towards Atobe, causing the king of Hyotei to slightly shudder. "Atobe, you have the most connections. Time to make good use of your persuasion skills."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I didn't know that ZODIAC constructed another laboratory within five months," Shizuru bit her lower lip while looking at the huge infrastructure in front of them. "Ai-_chan_, did you get all the security layouts?"

Ai nodded before opening it in her cellphone only to reveal a picture of a sleeping Akutagawa Jirou instead which turned Rikkai Dai's captain tomato red. Florence stifled her laughter whereas Fuuka face palmed while Shizuru and Natsuki raised their eyebrows at the photograph. The younger Yukimura sibling fumbled with her phone for a moment before showing the whole blueprint of the facility.

"The security's tight at the second floor and first floor," Ai tapped a few buttons on her iPhone. "The third floor has a secret passage through the air ducts but unless you're as tiny as a guinea pig – cross that entrance out or if you have the malleability of a snake."

Fuuka and the other three girls snapped their heads towards the Shitenhouji captain's direction.

"What," the female _kansai_ captain exchanged glances with the four before letting out a sigh. "Guys, I am not squeezing into that insanely puny pipeline."

Florence darkly sniggered at the angel from _kansai_. "We weren't suggesting that but your idea sounds good too."

Fuuka grunted at the two girls. "Keh, why don't we just waltz in and beat the crap out of them one by one?"

"We're trying to do this as inconspicuously as possible," Shizuru reasoned out with the Seishun Gakuen captain while sighing in defeat. "We can't just blow things up. There might be innocents inside the complex and doesn't anyone remember how much our bill cost because of property damage?"

The L.X.A princesses felt the tension plummet down on them after realizing how long the list of complaints was the first time. Their handlers nearly had an aneurysm and a stroke when they found out that the total amount for the property damage caused [although the team blamed mostly Fuuka for her brashness] resulted into eight zeros. The only way to pay it back was to rebuild everything that the said Seishun Gakuen captain had destroyed. Since then, the council had decided only to send Fuuka when she was sent somewhere to a desert to deal with _guerrillas _like Afghanistan or any place that has less chance of having innocents running around the battlefield. However since ZODIAC had raised the level of their security, Fuuka normally became the tanker while the others simply walked in.

"Fuuka's insanity going to have us meet Death one day," Florence smiled wistfully at the four. "It's only a matter of time when they will try to stop us with a tank or an automatic machine gun."

The red haired captain snorted at the half-British Jyosei Shounan captain. "I'm not armalite proof!"

"Before anything else," –the four girls glanced at Shizuru who started surveying the premises. "Who's going to disperse the guards?"

Fuuka rolled up her sleeves with a cocky grin. "I'd be insulted if you didn't ask."

"I'll go with her," Natsuki offered reluctantly before seeing Fuuka's shoulders sag. "I have to make sure that the government doesn't have a heart attack after this."

Florence nodded while pointing to Ai and Shizuru. "You guys are the least destructive but the most accurate so, we'll have Fuuka run berserk first then we go grab the evidences."

Ai gulped while watching Fuuka and Natsuki sneak in whereas Florence stayed behind with the two. "By the way," –the honey haired female grinned sardonically at Ai. "Why do you have a picture of Hyotei's resident volleyist in your phone?"

Ai didn't seem intimidated but the flush on her face gave Florence the recognition of a jackpot. "W-well, it's just that I needed it for Yanagi-_senpai_. He said he needed pictures of people to classify some of his files so that it wouldn't be so hard to locate them."

"But don't files have file names and locations in computers," Shizuru raised an eyebrow at Ai who blushed even more out of embarrassment. "Also, wouldn't he have labelled his notebooks if he were handwriting most of the trivia and data?"

A loud explosion caused them to jump as a huge gray cloud of smoke wafted into the air. Florence heaved in defeat while Shizuru and Ai could only smile sheepishly at the situation at hand. Alarms blared off with more men yelling something in another language to attack some intruders that managed to crush the security defences. The three remaining princesses passed a signal to one another as they moved in through the confusion. Gun fires echoed around as Florence kicked down another soldier and snapped his neck. Shizuru quickly knocked them out after hitting their pressure points and Ai managed to dance around them, forcing the guards to slip and fall on each other.

Looking at the fallen soldiers, Fuuka grinned arrogantly before tossing back her short red hair. "Just the way I like it: dumb and ugly."

"That wasn't so complicated," Natsuki lightly kicked the body of one of the soldiers. "I can't believe they even have an animalistic stamina."

Florence shrugged while walking past the other corpses. "Well, that's ZODIAC Company for you. Who's scheduled for collection duty today?"

Ai grinned while shaking her _maracas_ in which an earthquake soon followed. As a result of the small rattling, a huge mole burrowed out of the ground while smiling cutely at the Rikkai Dai captain and shocking the other four who stared in a completely bewildered way. The blue haired female brushed the nose gently of the mole with a childish laughter while pointing her _maracas_ at the building.

"Construct an entrance please," she giggled to which the mole readily complied and created a gaping hole in the wall.

"I thought I was scary," Fuuka sweatdropped at the youngest of the captains.

The four girls wordlessly followed after Yukimura Ai when she flashed a small beam of light on their way in. The flashlight barely illuminated the hallway while they all kept their guards up, flinching and wincing at the slightest creak of wood or screech of iron. Their backs glued themselves against one another as they warily checked their surroundings, waiting for something to pounce from the darkness. Electrical wires sparked with small bits and bursts while rats and insects crawled and crept along the ruins and debris that Fuuka and Natsuki managed to create.

"You guys should be part of a demolition squad," Florence shook her head in dismay. "You guys do better than any destruction team I know."

Shizuru tensely snapped her head at every nook and cranny before slowing her breathing. "Guys, don't you think this is a little too convenient?"

"Yeah," Fuuka growled deeply before analysing the demolished structures. "It looks like we have someone with high expectations of us."

Shizuru smiled before bringing out her _naginata_. "Then we shouldn't fail them, no?"

"I love the way you think," Florence grinned as her claws extended into sharper nails. "Slice and dice, ladies."

Fuuka brandished her mallet with an evil grin. "This is gonna be so fun!"

Steel beams were slashed apart as the Seishun Gakuen captain pounded through the walls like a jackhammer, leaving Shizuru and Ai to search other areas for any hostilities. The place quieted down once more and sent shivers up the girls' spine until they heard a low hiss coming from behind the fallen debris and clogging smoke. Smouldering flames slowly died down while revealing a broken tube with spilled fluid contents all over the floor. Ai slowly traced her finger on the metal plating, taking a sample of the liquid that sprayed itself all over the floor. Fuuka kicked over some overheated fuse boxes and found some carcasses lying at her feet, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"This defeats a rundown pigsty any day," Fuuka let out a disgruntled snort before kicking one of the metal pieces over. "All that's left are dead bodies of kids who have gone missing..."

Natsuki examined the bodies carefully before checking the lacerations and scars. "The question is when are these people going to strike again?"

"The only thing we can expect is that there would be more dead bodies showing up," Florence started checking through whatever was left of the database. "We can't even predict the attacker's movements as long as there's no common denominator between these victims."

Shizuru checked the name plates lying by the capsules, feeling out the engraving on the metal pieces. "I may not know most of these people but there's one thing I can probably make as an intersection between the experimental subjects."

"What would that be," the red haired senior turned to the brunette with a sigh. "I know they're all girls but the ZODIAC organization barely got itself involved in rapist cases."

Shizuru pinched the bridge of her nose before pulling out a list. "Don't you see? Most of these girls were specialists in different fields. Oishi Haruhi if Yamaguchi-_senpai_ told me right belonged to the National Math Team. If she was trained well enough in statistics and other kinds of tactical math, she would have been a valuable asset to them since probability would be more of her field. None of us can do that kind of work unless we're like Yamaguchi-_senpai_ and company which we are not."

Ai shivered while flashing the light towards the wall. "Guys, I don't think the girls were being trained to be our counterparts..."

As the team gathered to where the Rikkai Dai captain stood, a whole blueprint showed papers attached to the wall at which they stared at for a few moments. Profiles of the different dead girls appeared and remained nailed to the wall without any lines for connections or whatsoever.

Fuuka pulled her hair in utter annoyance. "This is inane! ZODIAC doesn't seem to show any signs of world domination or any kind of those psychological disorders! I haven't even gotten a chance to beat the crap out of their elites! Argh, none of those pictures or killings makes any sense at all!"

Ai accessed the digital camera she had stashed before looking at the others. "Well other than that stuff attached to the wall, there's nothing here."

_Tick tock tick tock tick tock_

"Did anyone start baking brownies," Natsuki froze at the sound with beads of sweat trailing down her face. "I don't think this is a patisserie right?"

Florence abruptly swivelled her head towards a red beeping timer with numbers quickly counting down.

"EVERYONE, GET OUT!"

As the whole facility combusted into a huge inferno, all four captains rolled out on a small pad of grass while sparks of fire dissolved into dying embers. Each girl dusted herself and although Fuuka found herself spitting out some grass and dirt, the evidence was locked in Yukimura Ai's digital camera. The bluenette managed to snap a few photos of the crime scene and most of them were of the bodies and the dilapidated facility. As the team went through it, another picture of a hyper Akutagawa Jirou appeared on screen which caused a flustered Ai to throw her camera into the air and smash against the pavement.

"Again," Florence sighed before rubbing her temples as the Hyotei female captain bent down to retrieve the memory card. "We see another picture of Yukimura Ai's deadliest and darkest secrets."

Natsuki sniggered while clapping her hands. "Yukimura Ai has officially developed an attraction to Hyotei Gakuen's volleyist – Akutagawa Jirou. Honestly, why do you like a narcoleptic?"

"He's so adorable," Ai dreamily sighed while having an image of Jirou laughing with her popping into her head. "I mean, how can you not want to ruffle those curls of his? Kyaaaaah~, he's the cutest thing on Earth! You people know nothing!"

Fuuka groaned before slinging her arm around Ai and dragging her along. "Come on, we have a whole night of research ahead of us."

"I guess we head back to the Atobe Estate no," Florence sighed before looking at the fumes of smoke rising into the air.

A slight change in the wind caused Shizuru to snap her head towards the clump of trees, sending the other four on high alert.

"Hey, what's it with you," Fuuka slapped the brunette at the upside of her head. "Quit acting cool and let's go!"

_I thought there was someone there._

Shizuru menacingly gazed at the abyss before her, noticing a slight lash out from the wind against her frame. Her vermillion orbs darkened while trying to isolate the ominous presence but to no avail. The four girls also stopped in their tracks as branches and twigs suddenly began to snap out of nowhere.

"We've got company," Fuuka let out a wolfish grin while brandishing her huge sledgehammer. "It's eradication time!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey Shiraishi," Kenya sauntered in as he popped open a soda can. "I met up with Kiyone-_chan_ the other day."

The bible of Shitenhouji let out a good natured chuckle. "So I heard - you two nearly got squashed by a truck?"

"Accidents seem to follow her wherever she goes," the _Naniwa _Speed Star shrugged before kicking back against one of the chairs. "_Kantou _sure has a lot of surprises in store."

Shiraishi, upon hearing Kenya's statements, leaned against his arms while staring at the ceiling. The sandy blonde haired freshman appeared in his mind while giving him this innocent grin while running around. He couldn't help but smile at the emptiness of the ceiling until the door echoed with a loud _bang_ and in came Tooyama bawling and freaking out about Zaizen stealing his favourite _manga_ in which the sophomore had vehemently protested that the red haired jungle boy had probably kicked it under the bed again. However, to those who knew the Shitenhouji tennis team – Zaizen's words remained unheard. Tooyama's wailing overrode everything else and sent the whole crew into a dysfunctional roller coaster ride.

"I DID NOT STEAL IT," Zaizen snapped before plugging his ears again to listen to some tune on his MP3 player.

"Shiraishi-_buchou_, Zaizen stole my _manga,_" Tooyama whined even louder than ever to which Zaizen threw up his hands in total surrender.

Shiraishi, being the understanding captain that he was, simply pat the red haired freshman on the head whilst trying to calm down the wild boy. "Don't worry; I'm sure Zaizen will be a good _senpai_ and even help you find it, no?"

Zaizen's eyes widened until he met the "just-help-him-look-or-something-may-go-wrong" look coming from the Perfect Tennis player. "Alright, alright, get your damn ass here. Let's go find your useless comic so you can spare the world from your incessant ringing voice!"

Watching Zaizen begrudgingly walk out the door with a gleeful Tooyama, Shiraishi relaxed once again before resuming his thoughts.

"I was thinking of," Kenya's voice cut through his thoughts again. "I don't know – maybe asking Kiyone-_chan_ out. The girl beats the maturity level of most girls and makes Tooyama look like a three year old, that's for sure. Besides, we do have similar interests. What do you think?"

"Other than being tennis players and having an ardent passion for animals," Shiraishi's voice became a little harsher and more glacial than intended. "What else do you have? You know nothing about her."

"Whoa," Kenya raised his hands in surprise while raising an eyebrow in bewilderment. "Dude, you alright? That's a first coming from you. Normally, I would think that someone skimped out on your training menu but since we just finished and Osamu-_kantoku_ said we're pretty much finished with our quota for the day – I highly doubt that's the reason."

_Where did that come from?_

The Bible of Shitenhouji also started questioning himself; when did he started spewing venom at Kenya for choosing to date the small girl? Sure, the female volleyist had this way of being "innocently sadistic" as his other teammates had but the captain had his whole mind whirling with thoughts. A smile crossed his features when he held his hand high into the air and saw a smaller hand over his.

_She's so adorable, cute and,_ Shiraishi continued daydreaming until a flying tennis ball whacked him on the head, revealing the comedic pair running amuck again.

"Koharu, how could you ogle at our captain like that," Hitouji faked his distress while falling to the ground with comical tears. "I've always been your lover~!"

Koharu ran to comfort his fallen doubles partner. "Oh Hitouji, you know I don't look at him like that~! It's just quite amazing how he looks when he smiles!"

Upon noticing the change of mood in his captain, Kenya snickered while hanging over his head. "Do you know how many women you can kill with that expression? You can probably win a battle of the bands single-handedly by smiling!"

Shiraishi chuckled good-naturedly while scratching his head bashfully. "Well, I haven't tried that yet but maybe I should."

"Getting back to the matter at hand," Kenya plopped himself on Shiraishi's bed while grinning with confidence. "I really want to ask her. Thing is... how do I do that?"

"Let me play Devil's Advocate first," Shiraishi quickly sat up from his cushion while taking a seat next to the speedy senior. "Do you think **they**'ll let you pass?"

Kenya repeated the emphasized word at the captain in confusion. "They?"

"Kobayagi-_san_ can humiliate a _sumo_ wrestler on his best days," Shiraishi snickered a little when he saw the colour drain out of Kenya's face. "Sanada-_san_ well – that's self explanatory. Hikifumi-_san_ and Shimohi-_san_ aren't that defenceless either. Kurenai-_san_ may have a bewitching smile but we know and have heard from the rumours what she can do. Nagisaki-_san_ is a _tensai_, enough said. Yamaguchi-_san_ can 'accidentally' poison you just to make sure you stay away. The girl you're going after happens to be their beloved 'baby' from the team... Besides, there are probably countless men out there who are just waiting for Getsugan-_san_ to blossom and she's not doing it slowly either. Do you know how many competitors you're going to have?"

_Yeah, one of them including me._

The Shitenhouji quickly cancelled that thought from his mind while forcing out any other rash and mundane thought that could enter his head. His mind screamed out in jealousy to murderously tell Kenya to back off but being the mature man he was, Shiraishi killed the chances of him snapping at his best friend.

_What in the world is going on with me?_

Shiraishi's mind swirled itself in a whirlpool of emotions as he tried to sort himself out in a futile attempt to stop the blood of rising to his head and boiling at the mere thought of Kenya and Kiyone – dare he say or think it, dating. Despite only knowing her and meeting her in a few encounters, Kiyone magically sent all that stress in being a captain of these incredulously insane teammates he had away in an instant. Again, Shiraishi subconsciously found himself in a prison created by his own mind.

_Getsugan Kiyone, going out with his best friend..._

_Getsugan Kiyone and Oshitari Kenya, laughing and going exploring together..._

_The female Hyotei Tennis team actually agreeing to let their beloved underclassman date Oshitari Yuushi's cousin..._

All sorts of irrational thoughts flooded his seemingly empty mind as he vehemently shook his head in disgust at one single image.

_Getsugan Kiyone, accepting Oshitari Kenya's confession and not even knowing how he felt..._

Shiraishi soon started feeling a devil's tail now growing at his butt and a pair of horns sprouting at the top of his head. If jealousy could affect physical appearance, the Shitenhouji captain was certain that his eyes would be glaring daggers and would have been greener than his shirt. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Shiraishi slammed his face into the pillow before letting out a muffled groan.

"Hmmm, jealousy I sense in you," a cheeky chuckle came from behind him, imitating the speech mannerism of a certain Star Wars character. "Are you falling into the Dark Side, young Padawan?"

"Go away," Shiraishi responded with a muffled grunt and groan. "Go bother someone else, Chitose. Finish the whole Star Wars saga for all I care."

Chitose sat on another chair, imitating a psychologist with a pen, paper and a calculating stare. "So what seems to be the driving force of your miserable state, Shiraishi?"

"Use your _Saiki Kanpatsu_," Shiraishi snorted while grabbing another pillow to cover his face with.

"Number predictions are the only things possible with the _Saiki Kanpatsu_," Chitose frowned a bit before turning to the _Naniwa _Speed Star. "Did he watch some sappy Korean soap opera or something?"

Kenya shrugged his shoulders once again before grabbing off one of the pillows piled on their captain's head. "I don't know; I just mentioned going out with Getsugan Kiyone and then _bam_ – he went into complete 'I-need-to-eat-cheese-_risotto_-until-I-stop-being-gloomy-Gus' mode."

_Kenya, if denseness allowed to be given an award, you would have won the 'most-dense-to-the-point-he-doesn't-get-romance' prize._

His mind weighed down with a pounding headache and heartache as the thought of them going out again crossed his mind and sent him on another Amityville Misery roller coaster ride. All of a sudden, a specific sandy blonde girl smiled childishly in his mind as his heart raced wildly inside of him. A relaxed smile lazily appeared on his lips until he found someone behind her that made the whole dream become pitch black.

_Kenya, standing beside her, beckoned him to come over and started confessing to the captain that he had been seeing her for awhile now._

Shiraishi pounded the pillows against his face while shoving that ridiculous dream from his mind. He called it 'ridiculous' in a sense that why should he be jealous of his best friend who was planning to bring out the small girl? Nothing intimate was going to happen; after all, Shiraishi knew what would happen if the said Speed Star would violate Kiyone's privacy and personal space.

_If this is really jealousy then, this has to stop._

While deep in his thoughts, a peculiar black haired _tensai_ roughly tossed all the pillows aside and shoved a pair of ear plugs in his ears.

"What the hell, Zaizen," Kenya stared incredulously at Zaizen scrolling through his playlist of songs. "Making him deaf with crappy music isn't going to help!"

Zaizen gave no response but Shiraishi started hearing another song blare through his ears.

_Oh you could just pretend to be with her all day_

_Remember the feeling when you first held hands today_

_Imagine her in your favourite white dress_

_Smiling at you as if she thinks that you're the best_

_She tells you you and me, sitting on a tree, _

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G. You tell her_

_Baby hear me out will you marry me tonight_

_We're in this make believe reality_

_And baby it's just you and me_

Shiraishi soon started moving his head to the techno beat as the song continued playing.

_Coz when tonight she holds you tight_

_You wonder if this fantasy is right_

_Coz when reality comes to play_

_You realize you couldn't make her stay_

A pang of bitterness shot through him while recalling the wild peculiar fantasies he started having of Kenya and Kiyone dating one another. He chuckled sheepishly to himself; jumping into conclusions like that and it was only one date. What could one get-together do to them anyway? Unless Kenya was the 'sweep-off-her-feet' type which the captain knew that the latter couldn't even compare to his more romance-oriented cousin, Shiraishi knew that the get-together couldn't produce instantaneous results as far as he was concerned.

_Hey Daydreamer_

_You gotta be prepared to leave her in your fantasy_

_Coz when it's over, you gotta make sure _

_That it's you who'll be with her_

Kenya noticed a sudden shift in the captain's mood, exchanged glances with the two. "What did you do?"

"Music always had mysterious healing abilities," Zaizen folded his arms with a triumphant smirk, seeing that Shiraishi somewhat moved out of his miserable mood. "Kenya-_senpai_, you're so dense – I bet if denseness were a category, you would have won it hands down. Your cousin should have at least added a little sappiness into your thick head."

Despite the loud bickering in the background [insults mostly coming from the sophomore], Shiraishi found himself addicted to the tune of the song. "Zaizen..."

The _Naniwa_ _tensai_ diverted his attention to his captain. "Yep, Capt.?"

"What song is this," Shiraishi couldn't help but have an amused smirk plastering itself on his face. "It has a catchy tune."

Zaizen shrugged his shoulders with indifferent stare. "Hey Daydreamer – the song is by a Filipino band called "Somedaydream". Apparently, the tune remains stuck in your head after hearing it a few times. You have to admit though; it does have a really good set of lyrics and song mixture. I don't normally listen to something with electronic techno instruments but this one actually has a nice blend."

"I remember the last time I let him listen to Daft Punk," Kenya ruffled the hair of the _Naniwa_ sophomore while laughing good-humouredly. "He told me it reminds him of something he would have been on the Star Trek Official Soundtrack Album."

Shiraishi didn't bother responding anymore; his imagination had dragged him off somewhere else for the meantime.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Hyotei Female Tennis team stood agape with some of the male tennis player staring disbelievingly at the state of the five girls. Fuuka came back with the sledgehammer hauled onto her shoulder and her hair in an even bigger mess that it already was. Florence smiled sheepishly despite the mud and soil decorating her like a human chocolate cookie whereas Ai had leaves and twigs tangled in her hair, Natsuki had one whole sleeve of her latex suit torn off and Shizuru's suit already revealed the lower part of her torso and half of her legs were already seen.

"What did you guys do," Ayane screeched, making the five captains wince visibly at the volume. "YOU GUYS DIDN'T REVOLT AGAINST THE RUSSIAN POLICE DID YOU?"

Shizuru calmly retaliated to Ayane's screeching, plugging her ears in case of another outburst. "Ayane, we just had some slight trouble and interferences on the way. The injuries aren't fatal..."

"THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU HAD US WORRYING OUR BUTTS OFF," Ayane continued to nag them, scolding them like an angry mother. "I want you guys in the tub, right now, right this instant! I expect those hairs of yours to be combed out of any crap, dirt and knots! Straighten your posture, _buchou_ – you're going to get scoliosis that way! Souma Fuuka, if this escapade ever happens again, getting yourself beaten up by savages will be the least of your problems!"

Fuuka found herself paralysed by the nagging alone, wondering how Shizuru managed to survive in Hyotei with this kind of terror. "Y-yes, ma'am!"

Seeing Fuuka's fearful frozen state, Ai giggled childishly until Haruka stalked in front of them with folded arms while tapping her foot. "Oh..."

"I may not have a ten decibel level volume," Haruka wrinkled her nose at them as she continued to chide the three, wagging her finger in front of them. "But, that doesn't mean you rambunctious children will escape unpunished."

Natsuki choked on her breath while clinging onto Florence for dear life. "My God, to think the world thought my mother was overbearing..."

Marui glanced at Atobe who didn't seem to be disturbed by the loudness of Ayane's hollering. "Aren't your neighbours going to wonder about what's going on?"

"_Ore-sama_ does not have a death wish nor does he want to shatter his eardrums," Atobe gestured to the Rikkai Dai self-proclaimed _tensai_. "But you're welcome to try calming her down."

"Sorry, going deaf early isn't really a priority," Marui cringed at the thought of being in the five girls' position.

Niou decided to cut in before the nagging and scolding escalated to a whole new level. "What did you girls do anyway? You got into some animal rampage or something?"

Kirihara chortled at the ridiculous predicament the angels of Japan landed themselves in. "I bet they tried to wake up a hibernating bear..."

Fuuka, glaring holes into the green eyed Devil ace of Rikkai, gritted her teeth begrudgingly before subjecting herself to Ayane's coaxing and scolding. "How do you survive this madness? It's a miracle that you haven't gone into a mental breakdown and meltdown," –she managed to sneak a whisper to the brunette.

"Tuning her out is the only remedy I have," Shizuru sighed helplessly only to get an apologetic look from her friends. "No one here knows how to survive it. Atobe probably does because he argues with her half the time but these are the rare instances that she can actually murder us with voice alone."

"This is more agonizing than the suffering coming from the Inuzuka's attacks and her special Wild Ball technique," Fuuka shook her head in defeat, realizing that she would rather suffer from Vera's crazy rants on how hot either Fuji or Tezuka was. "I seriously pity you."

Atobe had his maids shove the five girls into the bathroom, regardless of their objections. As soon as they were forced to clean up, Atobe revealed a list of names on a small pad which Hitomi quickly snatched and started calling up more web pages with information about them.

"Atobe," Ayane inhaled sharply after yelling at the five. "You're..."

Atobe cockily grinned at the tangerine haired freshman, raking his hair back. "Magnificent? Genius? Amazing?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Ayane scoffed at the purple haired senior, pursing her lips. "You're highly talented in the art of persuasion."

Atobe chortled at Ayane's poor attempt of a compliment. "_Ore-sama_ knows you're awed by his prowess."

"Again, Andromeda still loses in a contest of ego," Ayane rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what do you have there?"

Hitomi accessed the databases from her computer. "These are the companies based on L.X.A's directory who are assisting ZODIAC in their conquests and dealings."

Oishi silently hung his head throughout the entire ordeal while stopping his palms from becoming cold and clammy. How did Haruhi suddenly become that _thing_? A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered her demonic lash out and how Shizuru ruthlessly and effortlessly put the girl out of her misery. The Seishun Gakuen vice captain turned to find Hitomi working hard as the light from her screen refracted off her glasses. His eyes widened in amazement and anticipation; the only other person capable of pulling off a feat like that would be Inui. However, seeing Hitomi made another blush creep up his face and another glance at Ayane made his mind abandon its common sense.

_Why is it I like two girls now?_

Oishi sunk into the chair before sighing at his situation and although Eiji would have been the first person he would have confided him, the acrobat had no volume control or mouth control either. Then again, the hyperactive acrobat always made an exception for him and would staple his mouth shut regarding his best friend's secrets. However, Oishi knew his worrying didn't get him anywhere but it became a lose-lose situation in which he loses his mind both ways.

"There is another way to draw them out into the open," Hitomi tilted her glasses before opening another few windows. "It's impossible to have their administration admit their black market dealings so we'll have to do this the other way; the unorthodox way."

They all turned to Hitomi who then held out an advertisement in front of them.

"Is anybody ready to enter an _Urabutousatsujin_?"

A deathly silence descended on them once again, having gory images flash into their minds. Atobe knew what happened down there due to some of his uncles getting involved in the betting process and most of them – didn't end with both fighters standing and congratulating each other with a job well done. Half the time, the fighting stadium remained splattered with former fighters' blood and howling audiences who just wanted to have more violence.

"Yamaguchi, you're insane," Atobe snapped moodily at the blonde Mastermind. "Those fighters are not human; they're animals that have abandoned whatever sense of humanity they have!"

Hitomi rubbed her temples before massaging the bridge of her nose. "Unless you have a better idea on how to expose them and make the public believe them then, say so now."

Nobody could object to Hitomi's proposition; these organizations disguised their tracks so well that it had the police hunting them for the last thirty years. Many people have tried and utterly failed for many of them had contract killers running about. The shadows knew more than they did; after all, they were only middle school students. Why was this any of their concern? However, curiosity did kill the cat after all.

"It's obvious that I'm in the line-up," everyone's heads swivelled towards a dripping Fuuka who started wringing her hair with a towel. "If it's anyone who could match their bloodthirstiness and their ruthless cold unfeeling souls, it's me."

Florence stepped down from the staircase, smugly grinning at the idea. "Being born with a horrible set of lungs doesn't mean I'm required to fight with a handicap."

Shizuru, shaking her brown hair dry, changed her bewitching smile into a more confident and determined smirk. "Those imbeciles don't understand their places."

Ai jumped up whilst clapping her hand in delight. "You usually need more than three in a team!"

"I'm concluding that since I'm the eldest here," Natsuki gestured to the other five captains. "Someone needs to babysit all these loose cannons before they blow up Tokyo, no?"

Again, the girls gained stares from the others which mostly spelled "have-you-guys-lost-your-common-sense" but no one dared to defy them after hearing and seeing what they were highly capable of. An angel again passed through the room until someone's cellphone started ringing.

Momo groaned before muttering. "Hello?"

"Momo, can I please speak to your captain?"

Momo frowned a bit at the 13th head of the Sanada family's tone. "What do you want?"

"Something you shouldn't be nosy about," –she could sense the annoyance emanating from the phone and speaker. "Let me talk to her."

The _Shinigami_ scowled with a dark aura surrounding her, causing anyone standing near her to slowly inch away. "No."

"Momo, you are in no position to make choices for her."

The lavender haired female bore holes into the door and if shooting daggers from one's eyes were a super power, Atobe knew that his parents would be dialling up the repairman at that moment. "However, I can still filter out the bad influences before she becomes a sociopath like you."

"Momo, do you even know what sociopaths are," Sanada questioned her from the other end.

"I don't know exactly but I know you fit somewhere there in that category," Momo hissed venomously on the phone while the surrounding witnesses noticed her knuckles becoming white. "First you weasel yourself into my lifestyle and now you're trying to snatch Shizuru under everyone else's nose."

The moment the second year captain heard her name, she tapped her upperclassman on the shoulder while giving her an all-knowing look. With a defeated sigh, the female _samurai_ begrudgingly handed her cellphone as the captain smiled apologetically at her _senpai_.

"Hello," she politely responded. "This is Kurenai Shizuru."

A silence came for a moment on the other end until she heard a distinct clearing of a person's throat. "... Kurenai-_san_, do you happen to be free on September 5?"

Shizuru ran a mental check on her schedule, finding no special event for that specific day. "Yes, why?"

"Rikkai Dai is planning to hold an Autumn Ball and Yukimura suggested that we all bring dates," –Shizuru imagined a very beet-red faced Sanada who was trying to make a futile attempt to cover his face with his usual black cap. "I was wondering if I can bring you..."

Shizuru had an ghostly smile but everyone noticed how red her face now became. Fuuka poked her and only to have the said girl as stiff as a statue. Florence noiselessly chuckled while shaking the sophomore captain but inherited no response. Ai bounced over to her while waving her hands in front of her face which usually generated a serene smile that spelled "stop-that-or-else" but somehow, the brunette remained completely petrified.

"Kurenai-_san_," a deep voice shook the female out of her dazed stupor. "I hope I didn't call at a bad time..."

"No," Shizuru almost yelped but snapped her mouth shut again to control her tone. "And about being your date, sure..."

Nobody in that same venue could imagine how delirious or how relieved Sanada was to hear her reply. "Ah, I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Yes," Shizuru nodded vigorously, ignoring the horrified look on Momo's face. "That's perfect..."

As both of the _Zenokoku Taikai_ players cut the line, Momo slumped onto the couch. "Shizuru-_buchou_, did something hit your head or have you taken leave of your senses?"

"Momo-_senpai_, I see nothing wrong with accompanying Sanada-_san_," Shizuru reasoned out with the _Shinigami, _knowing how touchy the lavender haired female was with the topic. "However, I am very capable of disabling him or terminating him if he tries anything scrupulous."

"Sanada's not an idiot, Kurenai," Atobe chuckled from his easy chair. "That man barely has hormones running through his body."

Mai pointed out to Shizuru another focus. "You're forgetting someone."

Shizuru, puzzled by Mai's statement, sifted through the dancing genius' implications. "Who?"

Slapping her own forehead, Mai chuckled while glancing at Oishi before going in for the kill. "There's a man named Tezuka Kunimitsu who is clearly the rival of this man... Obviously, this is the perfect opportunity to get some significant reaction from the other statue."

Upon hearing his name, Shizuru heard her heart pounding loudly in her ears while blood rushed instantly up to her face. From the confident and calm captain, Shizuru reverted suddenly back into the timid girl that the _tensai_ had gotten used to in First Year and Second Year middle school.

Shizuru gulped while she started stammering. "M-Mai, please don't say anything..."

"Mai," Oishi couldn't believe how Mai had calmly without even showing a hint of restraint on her straight face when she had spilled Shizuru's secret affection. "Are you serious?"

Niou checked the flicker in Shizuru's eyes before tossing another dart at Atobe's dart board. "If Nagisaki lied, Kurenai wouldn't be holding her thumb and hands near her mouth. Secondly, her face is as red as Atobe's carpet. Finally, who else knows the captain better than the _tensai_ herself?"

Shizuru could have lunged and slapped Mai's mouth shut but the girl violently trembled from where she stood as she felt all eyes pierce through her. Most especially Fuuka who upon hearing that had started crushing the staff of her gigantic mallet. Ai covered her mouth in shock while Natsuki whistled at the impossible predicament Shizuru got trapped in.

"Actually," Oishi meekly admitted and at that moment, Fuuka felt like she wanted to die. "Tezuka did tell me he started... well... liking her."

Fuuka knew what kind of emotion could come from the stoic captain of Seigaku however, her mind completely denied it. _If there's a will, there's a way! I will not lose to Shizuru!_

Shizuru however instead of being happy bitterly dismissed Oishi's words. "I highly doubt that. Souma-_san_ seems to have a better chance than I ever will. She has a much more pleasing personality than I ever will and would probably be the perfect girlfriend whereas I'm completely... opposite."

Fuuka's ears perked up at the brunette's words; was she actually giving up on him? There was no hint of sarcasm in the younger captain's voice. "I'm not going to chase him unless you do!"

Shizuru drew back, quite surprised by the red head's outburst. "S-Souma-_san_, what are you talking about?"

Fuuka jabbed her finger at the brunette, narrowing her eyes into a beady glare. "I will not lose to you by default! We are not fighting to gain his affection alone but to see who has the **right**."

"Tezuka-_san_ is not a trophy to be won," Shizuru furrowed her eyebrows, clearly annoyed by Fuuka's attempt at intimidation. "Souma-_san_, do you realize you're becoming the very thing you detest?"

Fuuka sneered back at her, this time gripping firmly onto Shizuru's loose wet shirt. "That's because you don't know him the way I do. Secondly, you already have Hyotei Gakuen's Oshitari Yuushi, Shishido Ryou and Ohtori Choutarou wrapped around your finger! Stay within your school!"

"Frankly," Niou cut in smoothly before the bitch fight could erupt into something bigger. "I don't mind dating a girl from another school. I mean – girls from other schools are usually better because they can't fawn over you like some brain-dead fan girl. One concrete example, my leading lady Isane."

The tall Sniper would have fainted if not for Haruka standing right behind her. "N-Niou-_kun_, maybe we should..."

"Sure _fukubuchou _can get really prissy," Niou shrugged nonchalantly while throwing another dart accurately onto the middle. "But you have to remember one thing: he has a lot more firepower than Tezuka right now."

Everyone focused their attention on the Trickster who stared at them dully. "Unless you guys haven't heard about what Yukimura-_buchou_ can do despite being as frail and sickly as he is?"

Everybody felt the air grow colder as their spines shivered at the very image of Yukimura Seiichi dominating the world. Horror immediately seized them while inching a bit away from Niou. Despite Yukimura being sickly and handicapped, everyone knew that behind that face was a man who could make Hitler look like a child. The name "devil" somehow should not have been given to Kirihara but more to the serene faced Rikkai Dai captain who made the tennis world worship Rikkai Dai.

"Who said that he won't be getting help from me either," Niou sniggered, knowing the exact reaction of everyone in the room. "Bluntly put, I think _fukubuchou_ needs someone to make him stop being a slave driver. I think Kurenai-_chan_'s got the treatment for it no? I don't see Isane plopping and fainting on her bed the moment she gets home. Most of my weekends are spent sleeping because of him."

"He's a chauvinist," Momo scoffed at Niou completely cutting Shizuru off. "He won't even last a day with Shizuru. He's too slow."

The Trickster cast a wary glance at the female cousin before letting out a stressed sigh. "Trust me, _fukubuchou_ has a hard head and wouldn't believe in something unless it explodes in front of him. Another concrete example, when we were in first year – he wouldn't believe things could spontaneously combust until Yukimura played with some Manganese on some trash and flashed a camera at it. He practically set that thing ablaze."

Fuuka however continued to keep a steely gaze towards Shizuru who didn't even inch away from her former spot. Both girls refused to step away from one another as the two of them glared holes into one another as a dark silence weighed upon their shoulders. The tension dropped down on everyone and people near them could feel their mouths running dry and their lungs choking desperately for air.

_This game is not over, Shizuru!_

_I do not intend to lose, Souma-san and neither do I believe that you should win with that kind of conviction._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Wow, this chapter was LOADED with drama. XD I won't be able to update as fast as I usually do anymore since I have my studies to focus on but I'm still working on those oneshots. Another is that I've been having some thoughts about pairing some of the other girls so if you don't mind – would you pass around some suggestions? For example, there can be AiJirou or FlorenceYagyuu and then state your reason why. It can be any of the female characters. I'd love to hear your comments.**

**I love SomeDayDream now! They're so amazing~!**

**Please review!**


	43. Numbered

**Me: Hahaha, I decided to put a little fluff for Kiyone and Shiraishi since I feel as if I've been neglecting that pair. I'm sure everyone's on the edge about Ayane and Atobe since they're heading into the climax of their little "bet". Will the tangerine haired vice captain forgive her long forgotten childhood friend [and crush] or will a certain red head still manage to win? Oishi's still torn by the fact he's in love with two girls but somehow – let's make it work now shall we? I know a lot of people are miffed about the sudden SanadaxShizuru moment but that's all part of the plan [of Yukimura] anyway. Guys, please don't forget that I don't own Prince of Tennis! If I did, there would be more girls and Tezuka would have fallen in love as part of the plotline.**

**imnobeautyqueen: Yeah I know he should have but don't worry – Shizuru will have her fluff with him too. It's just that he's all the way in Germany and if you look at the e-mail part of this story. I think you might see a little development there no? XD**

**Thanks to .animelove13, imnobeautyqueen, Ayane2996 and Kyouei_shurei!**

Chapter 43 – Numbered

Ever since the gathering at the Atobe Mansion, Rin warily checked everywhere she passed while imagining the worst case scenario. The five girls had just emphasized on travelling around as a group to avoid being kidnapped or getting caught in a crossfire and she went solo all because her house stationed itself at the other end of Tokyo. As the black acrobat swam through the stressful crowd at the subway, the chattering and blaring of announcements racked Rin to the point of completely sweating and shivering. Her mahogany red eyes scanned the crowd suspiciously until someone touched her shoulder.

"Rin," –a hand dropped gently onto _Heilongjiang_'s shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Without any warning, Rin grabbed the person's arm and let out a bloodcurdling shriek, flipping over the perpetrator in the process. Down at the subway, everyone focused their attention to the screaming female teenager and a groaning brown haired male who visibly winced from the agony of being slammed onto the cold concrete floor.

"Oh my gosh," Rin gaped and covered her mouth in shock, only to find Kajimoto groaning on the ground. _Argh, right reaction, wrong guy! I slammed Kajimoto-kun by mistake!_

Kajimoto, rubbing the back of his head before sitting up, chuckled sheepishly. "Well, that should be a good reminder not to sneak up on you like that."

Rin extended her hand to him, helping him clamber up to his feet. "I am so sorry! This place really kills my hearing and everything seems so loud, _kuwee_~!"

"No worries," Kajimoto twisted his body a bit, hearing a few cracks here and there. "I've gone through worse really..."

Rin yelped and started yanking her low pig tails before dragging Kajimoto by the arm into the bullet train. "Wait; let's go inside the train first!"

Being completely ignored, Kajimoto seated himself next to Rin as the train hummed to life and lurched forward. An awkward silence wedged in between them while Rin suddenly faced him and started apologizing repeatedly, earning more bewildered looks from people on the train. Despite him assuring her everything was fine, the black acrobat continued to wail.

"I'm really sorry, Kajimoto," Rin bawled while slumping onto the floor. "I hope your tennis style remains unaffected...!"

Kajimoto, seeing no other way to silence her, leaned in and pressed his lips firmly onto the acrobat's. Noticing her vision was starting to fog up, Rin drew back but slowly relaxed into the kiss when Kajimoto grasped her shoulders tightly to prevent her from escaping. A few cat-calls and wolf-whistles echoed throughout the freight car as Kajimoto pulled her up onto the chair, continuing the intensity of the kiss. Rin shivered as his hand started travelling up her back and pulling off her hair tie. The black dragon, starting to find her vision spinning, pushed away to breathe.

"Kajimoto," Rin murmured softly until she realized their faces were almost in contact, bonking her head childishly. "Oh no - why do I keep doing stupid things today, _kuwee~_?"

Kajimoto, watching another one of her crazy outbursts again, resigned himself to the fact that Rin will continue to whine and freak out. "Rin, its okay..."

_Heilongjiang _finally lowered her voice while averting her gaze away from the male acrobat. "K-Kajimoto-_kun_..."

"Yeah?"

Her body trembled violently as she remembered the straightforwardness of the Jyosei Shounan male's kiss. The tenderness caused her hair to stand on its ends while she imagined the passion again in her head. She couldn't evade him forever; Haruka would be laughing at her and would be having kittens if she found out how the acrobat received her first kiss. The _Wu Shu _practitioner traced her finger across her lips and recalled the sensation screaming inside her conscience.

_You just got owned by a hot man, Shimohi Rin! A captain nonetheless..._

Despite trying to speak, the raven haired acrobat tried to break the silence only to have her fail miserably due to the voice trapped in her throat. She could already imagine the business-like smile of Hitomi in her head when she finds info along with Mai's and Haruka's triumphant smirk seeing that she had her first kiss taken by her Jyosei's acrobatic counterpart, Kajimoto Takahisa.

Racking his mind for a subject meanwhile, Kajimoto's thoughts remained clouded by how sweet her lips tasted due to all those donughts she had grown fond of eating. His body screamed for him to alleviate the awkwardness between them but nothing seemed to suffice. Instead, both acrobats' heads were filled with the intensity of the last contact they made. Skating and holding hands, fine – kissing on a bullet train to silence someone...

_Kajimoto, that was the worst idea ever._

The Jyosei Shounan captain rummaged through his thoughts for anything that could salvage the situation only to let out a defeated sigh and accidentally bumped his head against the window. Again, the acrobat let out a disgruntled groan as a pregnant pause forced its way in between them. Both tennis players could feel other people's eyes focusing on them, waiting for a plot to develop or at least a small reaction or exchange between the two. However, the uncomfortable staring and silence made the two even more cautious on what to say, hoping not to get any of their ideas mixed up.

"I," both of them faced each other, not realizing all the heat rushed up to their faces as the image of them kissing flashed again into their head.

_This should be no different from confronting an opponent right, _Kajimoto bit his lower lip hard nervously. _Why can't I concentrate properly?_

_Okay Rin, think of it as a high leap, _the female acrobat inhaled sharply before shifting her position to face Kajimoto but only to fail miserably and become as crimson as a tomato. _No, it's not! This is totally different! Calm down... it's no big de- NOOOOO, ITS DISASTERIFFIC!_

"Disasterrific," Kajimoto repeated only to have Rin whimper and whine but slowly started chuckling at the sound. "Nice way of putting it."

Soon, both of them started to laugh themselves sick while the tension seemed to lift up easily. The humour softened things up before the situation would have been more _disasterrific _as the two had put it. The bullet train suddenly jerked everyone forward as the PA announced their destination. Finally boning up on some courage to respond, Kajimoto faced Rin with a softened expression other than his serious one.

"Want to," Kajimoto chuckled nervously, offering his hand to Rin. "You want to get some yoghurt or something?"

With her eyes sparkling at the mention of something sweet, the girl gleefully nodded before hauling over her tennis equipment and bag. "Sure, where to?"

Checking out for a small ice cream parlour, Kajimoto walked along with her while pulling out an umbrella for them to walk under. All of a sudden, Rin started whistling and splashing the small puddles at their feet, earning herself a snicker from the brunette. Unlike most that would be in contempt, Kajimoto found her childishness quite... _endearing_ for lack of better word. Many girls could be childish but Kajimoto found most of their childishness directed to him cloying and irritating which added more stress onto his mind in finding ways how to avoid his fan girls. How Wakato managed to live a life like that without snapping remained to be a mystery ever since their freshman year.

"Ne, Kajimoto-_kun_," Rin ran out into the rain while stepping into huge puddles. "Join me, _kuwee_~!"

Kajimoto glanced at her for a moment, completely bewildered. "Wait, Rin-_chan_ – that's not really..."

Latching onto his wrist and forgetting about the yoghurt idea, Rin yanked Kajimoto and dragged him into the _plaza_ nearby with huge puddles of water and the most amount of rain. Despite the typhoon coming in, the rainfall had weakened considerably and couples took their daily stroll with either their boyfriend or someone they want to confess to. For Rin however, she started splashing water into her companion's face to which Kajimoto could only shield himself from the watery barrage using his hands and umbrella.

"Aww come on," she pouted impishly, folding her arms. "Don't be such a spoilsport!"

"Rin-_chan_, you're really going to get a fever," Kajimoto responded tersely while trying to get a word in edgewise through the watery ambush. "Besides, I think we're the only ones playing with the rainwater. Everyone else is probably huddled up in their _kotatsu._"

"Boo," Rin stuck her tongue out cheekily. "That's no fun in the rainy season, _kuwee_~."

Kajimoto scratched his head, wondering how Haruka managed to pacify a hyperactive Rin. Perhaps the black dragon was simply meteoric? Impossible, that would mean she would be miserable in the rain and not the other way around. However, her playfulness and wild splashing caused Kajimoto's mouth to curve up into a smirk. Although talking would have been a solution to him, the captain felt a little challenged himself.

"Alright," Kajimoto placed his umbrella down on the ground, drawing out two lines. "These will be the boundaries and whoever forces his or her opponent behind the lines first wins."

Rin, seeing that Kajimoto caught in pretty quickly, showed no hesitation in sending waves of water flying his way. Being an acrobat gave Kajimoto a huge advantage and despite the slippery surface, the brunette landed easily with only slight skidding.

_Whoever invented rubber shoes is a genius,_ Kajimoto splashed another ripple of water towards Rin who cheekily dodged it and sent more torrents of water coming.

"Wheee~," Rin leapt up into the air to evade Kajimoto's attempt to splash her backwards. However, the watery terrain sent Rin sliding and sprained her ankle. "Owie..."

Kajimoto rushed over to her, slinging her arm on his shoulder. "Rin, what happened?"

Realizing that he had dropped the suffix, Kajimoto inwardly cursed at his carelessness but his self-annoyance suddenly got washed away by Rin's cheeky grin. "Victory...!"

Quizzical at first, Kajimoto then looked at the ground and saw that he had indeed stepped past the designated lines but ignored it all together soon after. "Rin, we should get you inside. The rain composition isn't normal anymore. There's a chance it could be acid rain."

"Global Warming," Rin sang as Kajimoto positioned her for a piggyback ride, adjusting herself effortlessly. "Yay, Kaji-_kun_'s giving me a piggyback ride!"

A defeated sigh escaped from his lips but the weight didn't seem as burdening as it should. Kajimoto himself didn't understand why but perhaps it was because the black dragon he loaded onto his back snuggled against his body while falling into a short slumber. Glancing at the stormy grey skies, the captain snuck one last peek at the napping female before deciding where to go: his place or hers whichever was closer. Bending down as to pick up his umbrella, Kajimoto could not comprehend as to how he, a serious and mature person, had developed feelings for someone who was completely opposite to his personality and could effortlessly and innocently send his mind driving onto a huge emotional highway.

_Then again,_ a wistful smile appeared. _I guess that's Wakato meant about the weather messing up everything..._

As if things could not develop, he felt Rin nuzzle her cheek against his back while murmuring things softly. Kajimoto felt a chuckle bubble from his throat while he shifted her sleeping position, taking care not to drop her or anything. His expression softened considerably while feeling a sense of relaxation and relief flood through the fibres of his being. A black strand strayed towards his shoulder but the said captain chose to ignore it and continue making his way towards his house. Fortunately for him, Hanamura-_sensei_ remained out of sight otherwise – the teasing would be endless. Wakato had always nagged him to get a girlfriend and use whatever charms he had [to which Youhei and Kouhei mentioned he had an abundant amount of] to snag any girl he wanted. Kajimoto refused the first time, seeing how fast his friend managed to crash and burn when he accidentally asked out a college student.

_No one ever said about a knight and a dragon being together... especially when the dragon was actually the princess..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Strolling alongside Oishi, Hitomi found themselves taking the detour after hearing how crowded it was. Being forced to circle around, the blonde Mastermind felt more comfortable than waiting in a train station. According to her research, there were higher chances of them being ambushed there and none of them were well-equipped to deal with a contract killer. The Seishun Gakuen male vice captain solemnly gazed at the neon green ball in his hands, attempting to recover from the news of his cousin's death.

"I," Hitomi mustered enough strength to lightly place her hand on his shoulder. "My condolences and... I'm sorry about my captain's insensitivity..."

"That monster," Oishi murmured softly while fingering the fur off the tennis ball with a melancholic sigh. "That _Peasant_... those were just remains of Haruhi right?"

Hitomi stiffly nodded, a part of her tightened as her stomach tied itself up in knots. His miserable expression knocked all the wind out of her, forcing her to settle with simply analysing and observing him as the boy with the strange haircut stared into nothingness. Her blue green eyes glimmered sadly before she slid off her glasses to wipe off some salty crystalline hindering her vision.

"Yamaguchi-_san_," Oishi handed her a handkerchief with a bittersweet smile. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make the atmosphere that depressing."

"A more dangerous storm is the one that does not start rainfall first but signals with nothing but flashes of lightning," the Mastermind gave him a hollow giggle before placing her round framed eyeglasses back on. "It's alright; you're probably overwhelmed by everything that occurred within the last three days..."

Although the two sat next to each other, Hitomi felt an impregnable wall surround her as she tried to comfort the grief-stricken male. Seeing people die may have not be a daily incident but the curly blonde haired team manager found her own heart sinking at the imagination of losing people around her. Despite often being left alone in the house, Hitomi never found herself used to the dark emptiness that filled the place she supposedly called "home". No one had been able to fill that void and her friends at least managed to remedy it gradually but they could only reach a certain extent.

"Oishi Haruhi," Hitomi suspended her hand above Oishi's with a consoling expression. "She was one of the people who always gave me a run for my money in academics. Truly, her intelligence was fearsome... But, I don't believe she is the type also to relish in her family's suffering."

The dark haired vice captain subconsciously leaned against the female while letting out a yawn. "Thank you..."

"We're not the type to tolerate things like this," Hitomi assured him with much determination, balling her hand into a fist. "This time... the perpetrator should consider himself blacklisted."

Another awkward silence came in between them until Hitomi decided to clarify a few things. "I want to know something..."

The groggy male faced Hitomi who had a serious expression etched onto her face. "Tezuka-_san_, when will he confess or at least admit to himself that he loves her?"

Oishi sighed in defeat, knowing how stubborn his best friend could be. "Tezuka's not the type to impose and neither is he the type to act upon impulse. Secondly, he's a disaster in the emotions department. Normally, he'd get someone to go in between in terms of emotional issues."

"But in this case," Hitomi assessed Tezuka's behaviour. "He's not going to do anything at all... Unless..."

Oishi noticed a strange glint in the Mastermind's eye as she started muttering something about using "Sanada's invitation" as a springboard to provoke Tezuka into making his move. "Yamaguchi-_san_, Tezuka I think would appreciate us more if we stay out of his romantic affairs. It's already bad enough that everyone now knows that he loves her."

"A well-guarded secret doesn't always stay sealed away forever," Hitomi evilly sniggered at the many inspirations she had gained from the information laid out before her because all that remained was to manufacture different coincidences. "Shizuru may not wait for him forever. Even if she herself has a strong attachment to him, there will come a moment when he will realize his mistake too late."

Checking out the grey skies, Oishi admitted feebly while watching small droplets drizzle against the train's windows. "Yeah but... what can we do? Sanada has Niou and Yukimura reinforcing his chances. Rikkai Dai can be violently supportive if they want to be especially if it will work all in their favour."

"Fuji Syuusuke won't be alone in his attempts," Hitomi grinned, earning herself a shudder from Oishi. "While the girls and he manufacture chances, you have to pound and drill into Tezuka's head about his affections towards Shizuru and that he should confess unless he wants to surrender her to Sanada."

"Even a bulldozer won't make a dent on Tezuka's thick head," Oishi snorted at his poor attempt to sound optimistic. "Knocking him on the head with a tennis ball won't do either."

"Perhaps a slap from reality may affect his judgement a little," Hitomi mumbled to herself while structuring her plans together, calculating the risks of being found out but then again – most of her plans were foolproof and idiot proof. "Honestly – who do you believe deserves her more?"

Oishi simulated the thoughts in his mind with different scenarios along with Fuuka's and Shizuru's contrasting characteristics and personalities. _Bluntly put, Shizuru has a greater amount of inner strength that Tezuka would appreciate more. Fuuka on the other hand can earn up to the same amount of motivation as he can. Both girls command the same level of ability; both of them are capable of making an assassin beg for mercy..._

"Won't I be a little biased," Oishi folded his arms while rethinking through Hitomi's ideas.

Hyotei's Data Master shook her head while pulling out a notebook. "Psychologically speaking, you're the only one who knows him for every mannerism he makes. Fuji although may have some dirt but that is for his blackmailing purposes. I do not want your suggestion but only your opinion on who you feel he's better off with."

"Shizuru," Oishi mechanically replied before tossing the ball up into the air. "Tezuka may not show it but his eyes reflect his emotions towards her. Those incidents in the tennis camp made him rethink his playing style and instead of risking his injury, Tezuka works around it instead. Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ found that to be a big improvement on his part."

"Somehow," Hitomi giggled at their similarities. "I wonder why that part of him didn't influence our captain on their primary meeting."

"Maybe it's out of fear or concern," Oishi shrugged while dribbling the ball with his racquet. "So, what do you intend to do now? Sanada's going to be her companion for that whole time and anything could happen. Tezuka's going to be in Germany until the start of the Nationals and by then, Sanada would have at least attempted to confess due to Yukimura-_san_'s prodding."

Hitomi, tugging her lower lip lightly, constructed a scenario until an evil glint appeared in her eye. "Who's the one who can irritate him the most?"

There was a little bewilderment and an 'oh-no-what-does-she-have-planned' expression. "That would be Fuji."

"Fuji will have to be the scapegoat for this one," Hitomi drew out the schematics on her notebook. "Another is – someone has to intercept Yukimura often to make sure he forgets. While retarding the progress of their plans, we can drill some sense into your captain's titanium head while Momo tries to foil any attempt that Sanada has. This is a chess game now; worst part is – our opponent is Yukimura and Niou. Only _Kami-sama_ knows what that devil and trickster can do."

Before anyone could react, a car slid across the slippery road and nearly collided into two of them if not for Oishi's fast reaction that sent them both tumbling onto the ground. People yelped out in fear, murmuring and crowding up the scene of the accident before the police came running. The light post however dangerously loomed above the two tennis players while the light nearly fell out of its housing along with the wires sparking to life.

"It's an honour to work with you," Hitomi chuckled, only to have her face betray her when she discovered the distance between her body and Oishi's and considered their compromising position.

_His groin area nearly came in contact with her pelvic area._

_Both kids were soaking wet, making the clothes cling against their bodies._

_His hands were firmly locked onto her wrists and he was on top. _

Now, does anyone not get this picture?

"Oh no," Oishi and Hitomi chorused in unison before pushing each other away and adjusting their clothing, avoiding the falling debris just in time.

_I would have been the whole laughingstock of the team if they found out,_ Hitomi pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head disbelievingly.

_If Inui were here, everything would have been more complicated, _the vice captain fought down the blush as his eyes strayed towards Hitomi's blouse which clung tightly to her breast. _No, my hormones are running insane! Relax, focus on tennis-related subjects...!_

"Oishi, there's a 90 percent chance that Inui will still find out what happened," Hitomi pointed out in a matter-a-fact voice while the male continued to contemplate on the situation. "Secondly, the chance of this appearing in the news and reaching our teammates has now increased to 75 percent."

Oishi gulped hard at the worst case scenario. Rumours would be flying all over the place, incessant teasing would be ringing out the court and Tezuka probably demanding an explanation. His parents too would be really disappointed that it happened in public. Private, fine – public embarrassment remained _taboo_ to every family member. Oishi felt the need to write his will while he envisioned that horrible nightmare. However...

He couldn't convince himself to think that the view in his former position was quite breathtaking.

With her bright blonde hair falling behind her ears along with her round rimmed glasses, Oishi found his throat tightening up and his lungs screaming at his brain to gasp for air. The blonde had a very pretty smile also instead of that scary and sadistic one that she and Hyotei's _tensai_ seemed to share. However, Hitomi proved to be a very intellectual individual and even without knowing Tezuka personally and basing it only on his observations, she managed to construct a plan within minutes during their little walk. A sheepish sigh escaped from his lips as he watched Hitomi focus intently on generating plans in case on fails. Her blue eyes glimmered with anticipation and excitement as well as confidence on the success rate of her plan. So many equations flooded out of her pen to the point Oishi could've sworn she was the daughter of a professor from Massachusetts University.

"Tezuka inherited an insane level of deductive skills from his grandfather," Oishi started wondering; his best friend never left openings for his opponent to exploit. "The moment he sees something suspicious he'll counter it right away."

Hitomi grinned sardonically at that thought. "Hence, we will anticipate that counter and thus, I need Inui's data. Do you mind if I pull him out of practice for awhile?"

"Sure," Oishi gave her an approving nod. "I'll just have to settle things with Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ although, I highly doubt that _sensei _can restrain him from getting into something this juicy."

Upon hearing this, an expectant smile graced Hitomi's lips. The data master of Seigaku had a knack for finding the darkest secrets of each and every tennis player possible which made her plan work better than expected. The possibilities were all calculated; everything started to fall into place and all she needed now was someone to initiate it. Her eyes scanned her notes and characteristics of each of the tennis players and a grin carved itself on her lips while making a small list people who could fall in without realizing that they were being manipulated by a puppeteer.

"You have anyone brash enough to start a huge commotion," Hitomi sardonically grinned at Oishi who slightly shuddered at the dark aura but recalled that there was one pair that could.

"Momoshiro and Kaidoh."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Despite the bloody instances, Atobe convinced [although more like forced] Ayane to go with him to a French restaurant to go grab something to eat. He refused to hear anymore of the tangerine haired girl's vehement protests as they arrived at the fanciest place in Japan. The vice captain gaped at him while still fuming, undecided whether or not she should ditch him or beat him up for dragging her out without giving her much say in anything.

"Atobe," Ayane balled her hands into a fist before spitting out venom. "You have exactly twenty seconds to explain why you dragged me all the way here!"

The purple haired captain chuckled before sexily smirking at her. "Shall we go inside?"

Ayane, puzzled by his sudden invitation, begrudgingly walked inside while attempting to discern the reason for him to bring her to a swanky European restaurant. His blue eyes flickered with the usual arrogance but the tangerine haired freshman could tell the nervousness from his hands. Trembling violently didn't match the usual arrogant Atobe Keigo and neither did a worrisome flicker in his icy blue orbs. Although Ayane remembered one thing about the Hyotei captain, he can make even the most incomprehensible things become sensible.

_The prices here are so freakin' exorbitant! Doesn't this man have any sense of thriftiness?_

Taking the seat that the waiter had pulled out for her, Ayane warily watched Atobe silently pick up the menu. She let her emerald pools focus on the icy blue ones that quickly scanned through the menu as the older teen gave out the orders already. Being abnormally quiet somewhat unnerved the both of them as their eyes kept on meeting but never held fast to one position. The Hyotei tennis players, the same two who often had an argument in three seconds upon coming across each other, remained in a dreadful silence while trying to sort out one another's thoughts.

"Atobe," Ayane raised an eyebrow, quizzical by his sudden impulse. "Did you get struck by a bolt of lightning or something?"

Atobe, chuckling on Ayane's assumption, swirled the water in his glass before taking a sip. "Is it wrong to go out and eat dinner?"

"No," she retorted darkly before folding her arms. "But it's presumptuous of you to think that I'd want to go out right now!"

"Your vocabulary somewhat expanded, Ayane," he smirked, noticing her lower lip tightly curling up. "The dictionary appreciates your hard work."

"That's because _buchou_ speaks in English almost everyday!"

Despite the extremities of Ayane's snapping, Atobe restrained his urge to retort back at her while trying to maintain a gentlemanly stance. His temper flared up as well but his face maintained calm and collected. Although he was known for exploding as well, the male Hyotei captain knew that his time with the _kansai_ genius had been very helpful to situations regarding Ayane. The poker faced bastard [as Atobe often addressed him] somehow maintained his cool head despite having people raving at him and how he did it, Atobe could only leave that as an unsolved mystery.

"How can you be so apathetic," Ayane curled her hand into a fist, seething her teeth in anger. "When you know that the your most respected person is out there, getting involved with some shady government business that could cost her life? Can you actually settle the feeling of being helpless and sleep peacefully tonight? I don't know if you're just insensitive or too stupid to understand the situation, Atobe Keigo! Besides, I know you don't give a damn because she doesn't worship you like most girls do! So why even bother confiding these things in you?"

During those moments, Atobe silently watched Ayane rant endlessly before taking a small breather. "Feel better?"

The girl's anger simmered down almost immediately. "W-what?"

"_Ore-sama_ is asking if you feel better," Atobe repeated until a sigh escaped from his lips. "Don't tell me you became deaf due to the volume of your own screeching, banshee."

Ayane's blood started boiling while the said girl started sputtering. "E-Excuse me!"

"Your screeching definitely can shatter several window panes," Atobe retaliated hotly. _How does that kansai bastard stay collected even with Kobayagi Ayane threatening to tear his head off?_

However, instead of snapping or trying to decapitate him – the vice captain smiled wryly before taking her seat. "Yeah... somehow... that was... relaxing..."

"_Arn~,_ she always makes your life so damn stressful," Atobe raked his elegant fingers through his hair with a disgruntled snort. "Doesn't that woman care or is she just that insanely reckless? Oh, there's actually an adjective for that kind of persona: masochistic?"

Upon hearing Atobe's words, Ayane couldn't control her urgent desire to laugh as she started throwing fits and giggling. The king of Hyotei, seeing her finally crack up, relaxed himself a bit on the chair while a sincere smile engraved itself on the male's face. His heart's pounding became much lighter than before, memorizing the moments in which they did not get into a wild argument or a destructive quarrel like always in Hyotei. Most students along the Hyotei hallway would even describe the debates similar to a volcano that had been dormant for the last three hundred centuries. Although being a senior would have at least inherited some respect, there were times that the brash freshman across him would stubbornly refuse to comply.

"If you say it that way," she wiped a tear from her eye before giggling again. "Yeah, _buchou _can appear to have a distorted, pain-loving personality."

Atobe nonchalantly shrugged as their pasta came in. "Getsugan did harp about something about you being carnivorous..."

Ayane's eyes widened at the size of the meatballs on the plate along with the aroma of the Spaghetti Bolognese wafting through her nose. She smiled dreamily after mumbling _Itadakimasu_ and twirling her past around her fork. Atobe snuck a few glances at her, chuckling inwardly to himself before reminding himself to start eating.

_I could stare at this forever..._

"Atobe," a teasing tone separated him from his fantasy followed by a giggle. "Unless food's better eaten mushy and soggy along with some mosquitoes, suggestion: start shovelling food into your mouth."

As dinner finished up, Atobe flagged down a waiter as a _Panna Cotta_ was placed in front of them.

"Are you that obsessed with _Panna Cotta_," Ayane grumbled before scowling at the perfectly decorated gelatine. "Or was mine so disgusting that you came here everyday to rid yourself of the taste?"

The King nearly choked on his food. Heavens no, it was probably the best he's tasted so far. Of course, the only one armed with that knowledge would be his ever-faithful companion Kabaji and the nosy _kansai_ poker faced _tensai_ who he spends most of his sanity with. Atobe smiled distantly at the thought of the pudding melting in his mouth. The wild combination of tastes often made him rethink whether or not his sanity had taken a drastic decrease when he agreed to the unintentional bet of the vice captain in that supposedly "friendly" match of badminton.

"Kobayagi Ayane, never let it be said that _ore-sama_ had insulted a woman," Atobe managed to clear his throat after that sudden inquiry. "Just enjoy the night before worrying yourself to oblivion."

Muttering a small 'thank you', the tangerine haired female spooned a small slice of the pudding before sliding it into her mouth. Unlike the _Panna Cotta she made_, Ayane felt the complement of the flavours as it sent her on a really sweet ride of bliss. Her eyes stared dreamily at the ceiling for a moment before relishing and savouring the taste.

"I'm not too fond of the flavours," Atobe's critique snapped Ayane out of her state.

"But it's even better than mine," Ayane vehemently protested before waving her arms into the air. "Had you tried this more than once, how can you still believe mine tastes better?"

"It's not straightforward enough. The taste's impact is too negligible and abysmal," the Atobe heir poked his food, making it slightly jiggle.

"Desserts are not supposed to be strong or metallic in taste like champagne, retard," Ayane facepalmed before putting another spoonful into her mouth. "You're impossible."

"And making you understand my emotions is mission impossible," Atobe countered with slight cringing at the snappiness of his current companion.

Ayane fell silent before shaking her head at him. "No, you're the one who's impossible! After all these years, you never learned how to be sensitive at all! Britain probably didn't hammer you enough damage to engrave some permanent thoughts about sensitivity! Didn't my words back then mean anything to you...? Damn it, you're freakin' taking advantage of the fact I'm overemotional!"

However, Atobe stood up from his chair only to cup her face gently to make her gaze straight into his eyes.

"If they weren't effective, _ore-sama_ wouldn't have had any complications of bidding you farewell that day."

The freshman finally understood why so many of Atobe's fan girls longed to see him up close and personal. Her heart skipped a beat and her blood rushed all the way to her face, adding a new rosy feature. She mentally cursed her weakness for blue eyes, especially those that withheld strength and confidence. Her brothers would have been hooting in laughter and the teasing would never stop ringing in her ears but the vice captain conceded to letting Atobe move in much closer.

"_Ore-sama_ is and has always been in love with you," Atobe pressed his forehead against hers before closing the proximity between them, releasing all his pent up aggressions and emotions. "Honestly, is this what all the ruckus and grudge-bearing was about?"

Spluttering while feeling her hair stand up on all ends, Ayane trembled slightly as his warm breath fanned against her skin. "S-shut up, most dangerous and screwed up things happen only when you're attempting to do something grandeur and freakin' out of proportion..."

"If that is what _ore-sama_ needs to do to get his spring fairy's attention then, why not," Atobe hummed with his usual deep sexy smirk plastered on his face.

Ayane, flustered and bewildered, let Atobe's hands guide her as he crashed his lips against hers. The scent of the _Panna Cotta_ mixed with his musky scent, melting Ayane all the way to her knees instantly. She tried to shove him away but his arm snaked behind her and pulled her closer to him as the female freshman felt her bosom touch Atobe's perfectly toned form.

"This is what they usually mean by _female fatale,_" Atobe smirked mischievously as he parted to inhale deeply. "A woman can be so addictive that she can easily bring a man down without sweating."

"Let's not forget the injection-phobia," Ayane giggled while teasingly poking his cheeks, earning her a childish pout. "God, it must be the atmosphere. It's too romantic."

"Who's complaining?"

"I definitely wasn't," Ayane hummed contentedly as Atobe continued pressing his lips against hers. "This is the agreement's entire fault."

Atobe sniggered at the dizzy strawberry blonde vice captain before he paid the bill and helped her up. "You're the one who interrupted _ore-sama_ before he started giving the conditions."

"Yeah, minor details," Ayane waved her hand dismissively, rolling her eyes with indifference. "No one's gonna want that anyway."

Atobe scowled for a moment, flicking her elbow. "Don't curse; the last thing wanted right now is hearing the condescending tone of that cocky brat from Seigaku."

"Tezuka-_san_ allows Echizen to use profanities?"

"You still beat him in the snarling and insults department," Atobe chuckled at his former childhood friend now girlfriend, holding her hand tightly.

"Someone has to make sure your ego doesn't humiliate Andromeda," Ayane's emerald orbs sparkled while giggling simultaneously before ruffling his hair; something only she managed to get away with.

"Kobayagi Ayane," Atobe faced her with his icy blue eyes gleaming seriously. "Those fan girls should be afraid if they try to make your life miserable."

Ayane shrugged nonchalantly, earning an "are-you-insane" expression. "I'm no princess, kumquat. Who was the one who bullied those European brats for you?"

"Ayane, you're not allowed to bring a frying pan everywhere," Atobe argued heatedly albeit more concerned, knowing her weapon of choice for every bullying encounter the two formerly had. "Kobayagi-_san_ will erupt when he realizes that the impression on his old skillet is the result of your gorilla-like temper and strength. Secondly, expulsion from school – you know how the rich and the luxurious work. Your teammates are counting on you and Getsugan to seal Doubles One and your captain will not be happy to hear that you thrashed several people **again**."

Horrified, the vice captain whimpered at the nightmare of her brother discovering. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"The origin of where your temperamental thinking came from is evident," the senior ran his fingers through her hair before sighing exasperatedly, seeing a flower shop on one end. "Wait here."

The vice captain glanced at Atobe buying something and came up with several instances: one, he'll give her a dozen roses, two: he's gonna fill her house tomorrow with flowers and three: he's scanning for potential gifts to fill her room with. However, Ayane disregarded the latter choice and submitted herself to the fact that there may be a garden in her room the tomorrow. Although, the vice captain always resorted to break his eardrums like almost every time they get into a quarrel and a hullabaloo. Besides, Ozuma couldn't stand too much flowery scents – his allergies would evolve into nonstop sneezes and coughing.

_This guy is so,_ Ayane folded her arms in disappointment with annoyance marring her features.

"_Cliché_ may be the description you're looking for," Atobe stood in front of her without a bouquet but with definitely something hiding behind his back. "_Ore-sama_ may not be an elephant but he definitely remembers that the eldest Kobayagi_-san_ cannot tolerate the presence of flowers very well."

As Atobe revealed the small potted plant behind his back, Ayane fingered the delicate petals in her hand gently. "Wh-what the... Alright, how many zeroes did it have this time?"

Atobe gaped at her stupidly before exhaling sharply. "Ayane, have you forgotten who your boyfriend is?"

Again, Ayane could have sworn she had this conversation centuries ago. "Atobe Keigo, duh."

"And what am I exactly?"

"A dobe who has no romantic expertise unless he asks his _kansai_ teammate who is a hopeless romantic? Or," Ayane pretended to stroke an imaginary moustache and formulated another insult. "A rich brat who burns more money than owner of Microsoft ever will. Shall I go on?"

"_Arn~_," Atobe grumbled before he averted his icy pools from her, shoving one hand into his pocket. " Do you really think that badly of _ore-sama_?"

Ayane flicked his nose impishly with a grin, laughing at his stupefied expression. "Silly man, that's why some relationships don't work. Besides, Atobe..."

"Keigo," the purple haired male groaned before measuring the distance between the house and them. "Is it that difficult to pronounce?"

"Tsk," Ayane clucked her tongue in irritation, whipping around away from the Hyotei senior. "Just because you bedazzled me doesn't mean I can address you instantly first-name basis, Keigo!"

"You just did."

"Darn it," Ayane pursed her lips while Atobe broke out laughing. "QUIT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY CARELESSNESS, YOU HORNY IDIOT!"

Atobe teasingly ruffled the locks of his dearest tangerine haired freshman, laughing at her vermillion coloured face. "Ayane... do you happen to know what flower this is?"

"You bought a flower without knowing what it is," Ayane folded her arms with a quizzical look. "Geez, you're more impulsive and insane than portrayed."

Atobe gave her his mock-offended expression before giving her his usual charmed smile but expressed more sincerity. "Ayane, this is... a Myrtle."

"I hate symbolisms," Ayane swivelled her head towards his direction, folding her arms in defeat.

"Ask your _buchou._ She's a romance writer like that damn Oshitari. She should know its meaning."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Saturday morning strolled by with the winds continuing to howl and the roads being flooded. Nobody expected that kind of heaviness coming from a tropical rainfall but many were fortunate to live on higher ground. Students stayed huddled in their _kotatsu_ or their beds while the temperature suddenly dropped.

However, that didn't work with five specific girls who stood in front of a mental asylum.

"God, this place stinks with psychopaths," Natsuki scornfully grunted before moving under the shade to retract her umbrella. "Fuuka, why the hell are most of your sources nutcases?"

"Despite being psychologically inept," Fuuka swung the door open, letting out a low snarl. "At least some of their intelligence remains intact."

Shizuru stood in between the two, casting a glance to the two princesses. "Fighting won't get us anywhere. Let's just meet Souma-_san_'s client, okay? After our conference, we can go home and brainstorm with whatever info he has."

"Who said anything about my client being a 'he'," Fuuka sniggered at the Hyotei sophomore captain as the remaining three sauntered after the female Seigaku captain.

Patients groaned and clambered against the walls, some other inhabitants even started headbutting against the steel-reinforced barriers. The hallways echoed with the whines and complaints whereas there were some distinct bestial howling in the background and wailing in horror. Banging sounds echoed off the wall as the warden of the area led the girls in.

"You sure you kids will be alright," he chuckled humourlessly, spinning the keys around his finger. "These people aren't humans anymore."

"We get it, dickface," Fuuka shoved the chubby man aside roughly, hissing venomously. "Get out so I can conduct my business!"

Shizuru apologized along with Yukimura while the other three L.X.A members found a woman sitting down in a straight jacket. Her wavy blood based blonde hair cascaded past her shoulders while a pair of dull silver eyes stared at the dustless floor. The room remained empty with only a window as the source of illumination in the elder woman's confinement quarters.

As the metal dungeon door was slammed behind them by a grumbling warden, Fuuka introduced the team of four to the woman.

"Everyone, this is Marishka Eidoleon – the former Leon-representative."

Hanging her head albeit low, Eidoleon chuckled darkly while pitifully grinning back at the red haired captain. "Tsk, tsk, is that the way to treat an old upperclassman, _Otome_-_chan_?"

"Che, you've degraded yourself into the dirt that's under a worm that I've crushed under my shoe," Fuuka exhaled sharply before sitting in front of her. "So, anybody fancy your tastes?"

Eidoleon licked her lips, malevolently gazing into the dark lavender eyes of the red haired teenager. "It's been awhile a delicious meal walked in. By the way, who's the new Piscean?"

"Shizuru," Fuuka beckoned the brunette standing a considerable distance between them. "Kurenai Shizuru replaced you after your so-called 'discharge'. You fucking razed a village to the ground and only God knows how many children were digested into your disgusting stomach."

Ignoring Fuuka's disgusted grunt, Eidoleon grinned evilly as her silver eyes gleamed lustfully at the four. "So... you're all part of the Twelve Zodiac Princesses?"

"Instead of trying to pick your next meal," Natsuki growled at the beastly woman, curling her hand into a fist. "Give the information you promised Fuuka."

"How unfitting for a Capricorn personality," Eidoleon tossed back her long wavy hair, unfolding her legs to reveal her elongated body. "Humility is also a virtue respected by the Earth Signs."

The Rikkai Dai captain then plopped down on the ground with pleading eyes. "Please Souma-_san_ might go ballistic and the damages might escalate..."

"According to Natsuki, Peasants have been showing up all over Japan," Florence questioned further with her arms folded together while crossing her legs elegantly. "Kurenai-_san_, there are two possible methods to dealing with this: either, we beat it out of you or negotiations can be made."

Eidoleon clucked her tongue before facing the current princesses. "You guys know what those weapons you really wield are right?"

Baffled by her statement, the five girls exchanged glances with one another before the elder continued with her explanation.

"Those weapons you wield are what the organization dubbed as CHroMEs which is the abbreviation for **C**onstellation's **H**a**r**m**o**nic **M**echanized **E**mblem," Eidoleon sneered darkly at the five princesses for their naïveté. "There are only 12 Constellation CHroMEs and probably more than 200 Nova CHroMEs on this planet. The materials used to create those abominations came from their former experiments known as the "Royalty Project" in which bio-engineered weapons were created to attack and destroy opponents who would dare threaten Japan. However, a problem came about – the experiment resulted into creation of monsters such as the _Peasants_ which were failed females who were supposed to be converted into a Princess. Only 1 out of every 50 can have a 100 percent success rate of the girl becoming a Princess. And only one out of every seven hundred girls can control the Constellation CHroMEs and if they don't... they become a Royalty."

The five girls drew back, revolted as Eidoleon's canines gleamed maliciously despite the dim lighting. "You five were lucky. Your bodies were practically perfect in combination all except one..."

They all turned to Yukimura as Eidoleon let out a gleeful cackle.

"That's right – the CHroMEs only work on females for it reacts to the double X chromosome in our DNA structure. They wanted Yukimura Seiichi but because he was a male – the organization was left with no other choice but to resort to invitro-fertilization in which they manipulate which genes were accepted and others denied. The four girls – Souma, Kurenai, Hoshimura and Amakusa were all rejects and failures. The flaw is that you can only use one CHroME whereas Yukimura..."

"Can utilize all 12 regardless of the conditions given," Natsuki whispered, horrified before staring back at the frozen pale blue haired female. "That explains as to why she has Hoshimura's level of agility, Kurenai's skill power, Fuuka's berserker-like strength and fury and my flexibility. The only thing lacking from our composition is the cunningness and sadism originating from Yukimura Seiichi."

Fuuka, however, slugged her with a mean left hook and sent the elder woman to the floor. "Bullshit, if that were the case – we would have all been dead and the organization would have only needed Yukimura! That doesn't even answer the question as to why there are so many freakin' _Peasants_ and how ZODIAC managed to get hold of the technology similar to L.X.A so damn effortlessly!"

Eidoleon sniggered at the obnoxious teenager. "Why don't you check the basement?"

An uncomfortable silence settled between them until Shizuru's phone started ringing. "Hello?"

"_Buchou_," a familiar child-like voice wailed on the other end. "Yane-Yane's missing and even mole diva doesn't know where she is! Not only that, he's in the hospital!"

Shizuru's eyes widened considerably, resisting the urge to crush her phone. "Kiyone, where are you?"

"I'm with Shiraishi-_kun_ in the police station filing for some missing person whatever," Kiyone continued to wail and panic. "_Buchou_, what am I gonna do?"

"Remain calm and don't leave, I'll come and get you," Shizuru put down the phone line. "Guys, we have a problem."

Everyone's eyes widened at Shizuru's revelation.

"Kobayagi Ayane has been kidnapped and Atobe Keigo has just been hospitalized."

A pregnant pause came in between them, forcing them to retrace their steps and trying to solve the whole thing. _Peasant_ attacks were coming everywhere and now Shizuru's vice captain has vanished without a trace. Atobe didn't retain the slightest idea of where she may be taken and Kiyone fortunately had Shiraishi who probably had better memory retention than the latter captain. Somehow, Shizuru exhaled in relief while remembering that Tezuka had his rehabilitation in Germany so by the time he would return – all of this would be over... hopefully. Her friends had already gotten a gist of the situation and how Shishido's reaction would be; she wasn't looking forward to it. Ohtori would probably be as confused and bewildered as they all were which would completely stunt the progress of the investigation.

"So, they've made their move," Eidoleon darkly grinned into the nothingness in the room. "You girls better start moving."

Fuuka stormed out of the room whereas the others trailed behind, leaving Yukimura Ai to converse with her.

"Eidoleon-_san_," Ai's lower lip quivered as the mental patient raised her head to meet the fifth princess. "Is what you're saying true...?"

The woman let out a soft chuckle until it started getting hair-raising and maniacal. A psychotic sneer etched itself on the elder's face as Ai trembled from where she stood.

"What do you think?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"_Ore-sama_ can only remember a blinding flash and several gunshots," Atobe sourly hung his head while gripping the blanket tightly. "Before he knew it, blood pooled by his feet and figured it out only later that the liquid on the ground splattered from him."

The whole Hyotei team along with the five princesses' demeanours plummeted down immediately, leaving nothing but a horrible deathly silence. The members of both the male and female tennis team then forged an alliance while contemplating on their next move. Gakuto gaped at the state of his captain and even Kabaji showed a visible sign of wincing at his best friend's state. Oshitari leaned his head against his elbow, shaking his head in distraught and the other teams rushed over to check on the Hyotei male captain's condition.

"If Kobayagi were here," Oshitari scanned his eyes all over the luxurious room. "She would have murdered you. This place is like a suite and you reserved the whole hospital for yourself."

"Frankly, _ore-sama_ would like to get out of here as quickly as possible," Atobe scornfully chortled at his injured state. "_Ore-sama_ will personally hunt down those kidnappers and before they know it, they will wish they have never existed."

Hitomi went over the details from the crime scene provided by Shiraishi, Kiyone and Isane's brothers, imagining the scenario in her head. "It was a hit and run situation. Snagging Ayane off the road like that while taking a running shot at Atobe would have only been possible if they had a vehicle. Do you remember what the vehicle was?"

"Ford Fortuner," Atobe shook his head bitterly and vehemently, slamming his fist against the bed. "_Ore-sama_ doesn't recall seeing the plate number but he remembers hearing Ayane's screams..."

Fuuka punched her hand with a determined yet cocky snigger. "Kobayagi shouldn't be so hard to find. All we need to do is anticipate where they may strike next."

"Don't worry about that," Isane shyly volunteered although nodding eagerly and firmly. "We'll handle the paperwork and digging. Hitomi, did you find the venue and schedule for the _Urabutousatsujin_?"

Hitomi gave them a business-like smile. "Don't worry, your transportation, profiles and registrations have all been taken care of. The matches will be held in an island near Kyushu and most of the fighters will be veterans coming from the army. Many of them are currently AWOL and some are psychotic criminals. Souma-_san_, Kurenai-_buchou_, Yukimura-_san, _Amakusa-_san_ and Hoshimura-_san_, are you sure of your survival rate? The chances can dwindle to the single digits as well."

"If we hesitate, we die," Fuuka bluntly stated. "That's how the jungle works."

"I love these do-or-die situations, Yamaguchi-_san_," Natsuki cracked her knuckles with a cheeky sneer. "The only thing remaining will be the trail of destruction left behind by us."

Shizuru showed no reluctance in her crimson eyes, resorting to her merciless and ruthless persona. "... _Kare-tachi da itte shindemiru..._"

Florence shrugged nonchalantly while sighing in defeat. "Someone will have to watch two of the nitwits destroy half of the island and annihilate every living organism. Shizuru's probably going to go on a vengeance spree while competing over there...so, why not before my surgery? _Carpe Diem_, excitement – it's demolition time!"

Ai graced them with no response while hanging her head, absorbing whatever Eidoleon had revealed to them. Accepting the fact that she never would have existed if not for her brother was already difficult but her being a combination of the other four made her imagination race more wildly than before. A heavy depression dropped down on her conscience while she tried to define her existence; if she did not exist, who would have been the captain of the tennis team? Will her brother even remember or bother acknowledging his younger sister?

"Oi," a snap dragged Ai back to reality. "Are you coming or do we ditch?"

Quivering at the angry aura, Ai gulped at the annoyance evident in the headstrong Seishun Gakuen female's condescending tone. _Souma-san's so eccentric... it reminds me of that character from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya! Waa, now I know how Kyon feels like when he's being commanded. _

"A healer is an essential in every team," the Rikkai Dai sophomore, grinning widely, tousled with her curly blue hair while whispering feebly. "You can totally trust me~!"

Skeptical of Yukimura Ai's emotional stability, Fuuka brushed the issue off her shoulder before turning back to the team. "When's the departure?"

"You guys give the go signal," Hitomi typed out on her laptop, handing them also their tickets. "Everything has been accounted for. The hotel you'll be staying at is part of the Getsugan Enterprises. Your suites have been reserved and Kiyone's mom generously lent us the luxurious suite so you guys can relax in full comfort."

Fuuka tossed her duffle over her shoulder, swiping her tennis racquet and sledgehammer and headed for the door. "Let's bust this joint. We got some garbage to throw out."

Shizuru glanced one last time at her team before packing up any of her necessities. "Um, Florence – why do you have... 4 luggage bags?"

Ai, Natsuki and Fuuka threw a surprised and flabbergasted look at Florence who calmly dragged her suitcases. "One suitcase has my medicines for my _Alpha 1 Antitrypsin_ and my nebulizer_._ Another would be my clothes," –the British Jyosei enumerated monotonously. "My toiletries have its own storage. Don't you guys prepare this way?"

"Not with the whole house," Fuuka distastefully shuddered at the amount of junk Florence insisted she bring along.

"The only thing left that is not in there is the kitchen sink," Natsuki coughed out before slinging her own set of things on her shoulder. "Yukimura Ai, we're leaving!"

Without any hesitation, the blue haired sophomore dashed after her comrades for the _Urabutousatsujin._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Watching the clouds swim by him, Tezuka inhaled sharply before releasing the tension burdening his shoulder. Germany broadcasted the bright blue sky along with some flying doves and pigeons, gifting him with a sense of relief. He gripped his shoulder, remembering the agony that shot through him that day during the _Kantou_ semi-finals and how he worried his teammates. However, the worried expressions written across their faces did nothing to alleviate the disappointment that disoriented him when two familiar Hyotei females stood by the bleachers.

The situation itself unnerved him and the thought of him not being able to muster enough courage to tell her was simply exhilarating.

"Aww, what's wrong with my little rookie," a teasing voice came from the doorway, earning a sigh from the bespectacled teen. "Are you having romance problems, sweetie?"

Rubbing his temples, Tezuka raked his fingers through his coffee blonde hair before focusing on his studies once again. "My concentration's a little fuzzy. Maybe..."

"Maybe you're thinking about this pretty princess you left at home no," the buxom trainer leaned against the desk with her breast in plain view in which somehow – most men would have their faces changing into vermillion whereas his expression remained very stolid that soon transformed into a deathly glare. "Ooooh, jackpot~!"

"Coach Rothenberg I'm sorry," Tezuka biting his lip hard while restraining his furious blush as much as possible only has a twitch replace it. "But, weren't you supposed to deal with some other businesses of the other trainees here?"

She wagged her finger with a mischievous smirk, as if implying a certain bespectacled male was that dense. "Try dialling up her number; striking a conversation between you two should be good enough to re-establish your concentration. Birds of the same feather flock together after all."

Tezuka felt that his sanity had taken a drastic drop ever since he had started his rehabilitation in Germany. His dark orbs focused on the misty morning sky with his imagination somewhat wandering away and not towards the algebraic equations that sat in front of him. For the first time, he started daydreaming and the only thing he could see was that bewitching smile that somehow – entered his head again.

"Ooooh, you have some interesting gossip on your phone," his coach sang before pressing a few buttons on his phone and trespassing on his privacy.

Managing to disguise the horror that would arrive on his face, Tezuka immediately snatched it back while trying to defy his "blessed" coach. "Coach, I'd like to read my messages now... in **peace**."

Her lips formed into a childish pout before skipping away merrily. "Okay, but you'll have to narrate every detail that was written in that phone~!"

Closing the door behind her, Tezuka exhaled in relief and somewhat in annoyance while scrolling through the messages in his phone. Many of them came from Oishi until a distinct one caught his eye and instead of a written message, it was a video call.

"Hi _buchou_," a loud chorus in unison nearly blew his eardrums as many faces appeared on his small cellphone screen.

"Hoi hoi, when are you coming back _buchou_," Kikumaru cheerfully waved while squeezing in to fit in the tiny screen. "The whole club feels different without you, _nyah_!"

Oishi sheepishly chuckled in the background. "Yeah, the physical presence you emit is actually noticeable when you're all the way there in Berlin. Don't overexert yourself okay?"

"_Saa_ Oishi, always worrying," a familiar smiling _tensai_ identified himself in front of the camera, chuckling bemusedly. "Tezuka... there's some news that we need to tell you~."

Momoshiro waved his hands in the air frantically, knowing the consequence of what Fuji was going to spill. "_Senpai_, maybe we shouldn't tell him about that Rikkai Dai vice captain who's escorting Kurenai-_san_ to the Rikkai Autumn Ball," –he gulped and clamped his hand on his mouth. "Uh-oh."

Tezuka froze at the whole sentence that Momoshiro had sputtered out. The Seishun Gakuen senior distinctly heard the Boomerang Snake-specialist yelling and strangling his rival in the background but the words thundered once again.

_Sanada... Rikkai Dai Autumn Ball... Kurenai... escort..._

Somehow, Tezuka felt slight annoyance and some bubbling anger from deep inside as an image of them dancing appeared in his mind. Normally, the ever-mature captain wouldn't blow a fuse and would use his authoritative tone to easily win something but against Shizuru – all his defences melted away immediately. The smile completely disarmed him and Sanada sounded serious in pursuing her that night; unless Someone decided to electrocute the vice captain with a thunderbolt, the latter asking out Shizuru had low probabilities to happening [according to Inui].

"_Saa~_ are you going to let him win, Tezuka," Fuji's amused voice sliced through his thoughts. "To think I thought you had more gall..."

Right now, he didn't care whether or not Fuji goaded him and although his expression didn't alter – the coffee blonde male curled his hand into a fist while trying to think of a method. As of now, being in Berlin placed him in a disadvantage while Sanada had Yukimura to prod and propel him forward to give the other male more balls to confess his feelings to the brunette. He shook his head at the horrible scenario; glancing at his left shoulder, Tezuka tightened his grip on his fist.

He was going to have to impose on himself to auto-regenerate faster than ever, whether his coach liked it or not.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Ooooh, I know Tezuka may be a bit OOC but he can have several ways to demonstrate his passion for something after all. It's about time – I didn't expect Ayane to succumb easily to Atobe either but then again – the captain did win the bet prior to the events anyway...**

**Ayane: I WAS NOT IN DENIAL!**

**Me: Weh, states the girl who agreed to be his girlfriend in a bet.**

**Ayane: WELL, YOU'RE THE AUTHOR!**

**Atobe: You shouldn't have interrupted **_**ore-sama**_** in the first place.**

**Ayane: AGH, SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE MOLE DIVA!**

**Me: Anyway, someone remind our dear readers...**

**Hiyoshi: Please don't forget to review...**

**Me: O_O Where did you come from!**

**Hiyoshi: ...**


	44. Fatal Response

**Me: Must've been that horrible huh? I probably should kick up the rating with all the swearing that little Ms. Souma Fuuka's going to spout off. Poor sophomores, she's such a bad influence. XD [Fuuka: Grr, I heard that, bitch!] Then again, there may be times that there will be awkward moments but it doesn't mean that IT happened but instances that one may be tempted. Ah yes, I'm referring to you Oishi. **

**Oishi: The floor was slippery! Oh no what if the whole school gets the wind of this? Argh, Tezuka's going to be demanding an explanation! (Rants on incoherently)**

**Me: That man's going to be the death of me... Anyhow, I started noticing that the chapter titles no longer have any relation to the content so I'll try my best to think of better stuff. XD**

**Fuuka: That's because you're so freakin' scatterbrained.**

**Me: At least I don't have a garbage mouth.**

**Shizuru: Guys, please stop fighting! We have to start the story!**

**Me: Right! You should be more pacifist, war freak! Anyway, anyone want to do the disclaimer?**

**Hitomi: Scarlette Shizuru does not own Prince of Tennis except the OCs and some concepts such as L.X.A and ZODIAC. **

**Me: Thank you, Yamaguchi-**_**san**_**! Now, on with the story...**

Chapter 44 – Fatal Response

Fuuka groaned while watching the clouds float past her whereas Yukimura Ai had a whole luggage full of candy and wondered if the bluenette ever had cavities. Florence on the other hand a novel in hand whereas Shizuru started watching combat videos of possible competitors. Natsuki decided to play paddle ball but then got annoyed and contorted for her _yoga_ training which freaked out the red haired female. Glancing at the small octagonal device in her duffel, the Seishun Gakuen captain let out a disgusted snort before checking out the window again.

"Fuuka," the brunette tapped her shoulder gently. "How long do you think we can make this?"

"At the most three months," Fuuka grunted in irritation. "Unless most of our players are ninnies, we might have to miss the _Kantou_ Tournament."

"This puts Rikkai Dai, Hyotei Gakuen and Seishun Gakuen on equal handicaps then," Natsuki slung her bag over her shoulder while roaming their private jet [courtesy of the Amakusa family], earning quizzical expressions from the three teams' captains. "Without their captains, everyone is on the same level. Everything will be based on intellectual strategizing and caution. By the way, do you think Royalties would show up while we're gone?"

Fuuka balled her hand into a fist, spitting venomously. "Those things won't make it... not as long as the _Bel of Touhoku _exists. Besides, I'd zoom there by myself if needed."

"Necessity often gives us strength to speed things up," Shizuru kindly reassured the others. "We will get home on time before anything else happens."

"If there's something unwanted," Florence closed the book calmly, leaning against the backrest comfortably. "That would be one of our teammates getting hurt due to carelessness. Hopefully, the paranoia doesn't drive them insane."

Ai opened the TV while surfing through channels, finding nothing but cartoons. However, the moment she passed the news – everyone crowded at her seat in horror. Fire and smoke wafted into the sky as screams echoed throughout the cabin with the all-surround speakers. Natsuki averted her eyes from the flat HDV screen while Florence covered her mouth in shock. Ai whimpered as Shizuru shook her head, completely in denial that things were getting worse. Fuuka indifferently folded her legs before hissing in disgust.

"This will be the final curtain call," Fuuka crushed a soda can in her hand, ignoring the warm ooze of liquid seeping out from her palm. "Their resistance... is futile..."

Ai giggled while pointing at Fuuka, breaking down the serious atmosphere. "Fuuka-_chan_, you've been watching Star Trek: Voyager!"

"Ah shut up," Fuuka snarled before lunging after the younger Yukimura who giggled childishly while running around in the plane.

Shizuru analysed her opponents before clicking a few buttons on Natsuki's iPhone, revealing a whole selection of fighters and their winning streaks. "Natsuki, your database of fighters here is incredible. How were you able to get all this?"

"Do remember what the Amakusa family was known for," Natsuki plopped on one of the bouncy sofas while popping open a bottle of sparkling grape juice. "Anyone want some?"

Earning a 'no' from the others, Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly while chugging it down whereas Ai started taking track of their global positioning.

"We'll be there in the next thirty minutes," Ai grinned childishly while slumping to the floor. "You guys are so anti-social! Let's do what we used to when we were kids."

"We're anti-social because we're busy concentrating on the matches," Fuuka popped open another can of Coke. "Damn it, Florence hand me another one."

Florence sighed in defeat while handing the red haired girl another can. "Drowning yourself in Coke will not erase your misery that easily."

"All I remember is that we used to brawl with one another and increase the amount of property damage for every mission we had," Fuuka halted for a moment before brushing off the British's advice, throwing back her dishevelled red hair. "Screw that, you're not my nutritionist."

"Most of the destruction was your fault," Natsuki pointed out flatly, stretching out her elongated body. "We're not the one on a rampage half the time."

Fuuka pounced on Natsuki, grabbing the other female's collar. "You wanna say that again, Amakusa?"

"Wow, staying in school does lock up a lot of your pent-up aggression," Florence chuckled humourlessly before sitting down on the carpet. "So Ai, what do you have in mind?"

Ai seemingly stole the empty bottle of sparkling juice from Natsuki, singing with an impish smile. "Let's play "Truth or Dare"!"

Colour from the all four girls' faces drained completely upon hearing the game as well as remembering how destructive Ai could be with her dares. Then again, they remembered that she was the clone of Yukimura Seiichi and that his sadism had transferred to her as well. Guillain-Barré Syndrome apparently didn't blend well with Ai's genetic encoding. Natsuki and Fuuka huddled next to each other while Shizuru and Florence inched away from the devilish girl.

"Play with me~," she sang like a small child, bouncing up and down.

_Damn, who gave her that kind of sugary arsenal,_ their glances all shouted in unison as they found the Rikkai's angel's suitcases loaded with more sweets and goodies. Their faces rivalled the colour of winter before turning back to the smiling bluenette who tightly gripped the empty bottle in her hand. With a defeated sigh, the four settled down on the floor warily watching Ai spin the bottle cheerfully.

"Which one of you morons gave her permission to bring candies," Fuuka glared hard as venom dripped from her every word.

Natsuki chucked a piece of chocolate into her mouth while eyeing the bottle's spin rate. "You said bring every necessity. For her, sugar is an absolute must. If there are two people who can't survive without sweetness, it would be Marui Bunta and Yukimura Ai. Honestly, didn't Hitsuma Karin tell you anything about this?

"If she were my opponent then yeah," Fuuka coldly scoffed as the bottle landed on her.

Ai clapped her hands gleefully. "Yay, Fuuka – truth or dare?"

"If I were Mishima Kazuya," Fuuka curled her hands into a fist before glaring daggers at the perpetual smiling girl. "Fine, dare."

Ai innocently tilted her head to one side, thinking deep about the dare until her eyes brightened up. "Fuuka-_chan_, you have to call up Tezuka-_san_ and tell him you're dating another guy!"

"Over my dead body," Fuuka spat icily at the bluenette who comically started to well up with tears. "Oh no, don't think I'm gonna give in because of you're freakin' face!"

Florence chuckled while folding her body, bemused at the colour of Fuuka's face. "My goodness, Tezuka-_san _would be wondering how much champagne went down your throat."

"Shut your trap, Brit," Fuuka snarled before letting some flame appear in her palm which Ai remained perpetually cheerfully. _WHAT THE HELL, DOESN'T ANYTHING SCARE THIS WOMAN?_

Ai bounced up happily, hyperactive with all the candy ingested. "Go~, call him!"

"Wait, she can't," Shizuru firmly locked down the bouncing hyperactive bluenette who blew up another bubble. "Calling overseas takes too much money and Tezuka-_san _is in Germany. I'm sure Souma-_san_'s only on prepaid load for her cellphone. Also, we need that load in case of emergencies. No wasting in silly matters like this."

Fuuka mentally thanked the brunette despite the stony expression on her face. _Damn it Kurenai, you sure know how to handle imps and gremlins._

Ai pouted, thinking up another one. "I know: show us how you would confess to Tezuka-_san_~!"

Fuuka realized her sanity was taking a drastic drop and also, an aneurysm began to form. Her jaw furiously twitched at the preposterous idea of the female Yukimura while assessing for any escape routes. Shizuru blushed furiously also at the disastrous idea while the other two elder ones snickered at her. Florence crunched on another potato chip while watching Fuuka in amusement with a sardonic grin whereas Natsuki chugged down another bottle of soda.

_Bitches, I'm going to murder you,_ Fuuka glared holes at them but her intimidation lost its effect. "Fine..."

Shizuru sighed while Ai hung herself in front of the brunette's face, cheerfully giggling and applauding. "How about you, Shizuru-_chan_? Why don't you show me how you're going to confess to Sanada-_san_? Fuuka-_chan_ is with Tezuka-_san_ and you're with Sanada-_senpai_... so entertain me!"

"We're not for your entertainment," Fuuka hissed venomously at the youngest.

"Ai-_chan_, please," Shizuru revealed her bewitching smile, causing Amakusa and Hoshimura to shiver.

The elder ones of the five realized that angel from Rikkai Dai demanded a death wish from the two rivals and proceeded to intervene and force her down. "Ai, don't do that!"

"Do you want to die that badly," Natsuki whispered harshly at the youngest of the captains, bonking her on the head.

Upon sensing the deathly intentions from the two, Florence chided the bluenette sharply. "Ai, you understand how intense their rivalry is..."

"But I wanted to see them fight," Ai whined before pouting like a small child. "Fuuka-_chan_ and Shizuru-_chan_ never fight~!"

"That's because they are well-aware on how dangerous the other is," the two coaxed the younger Yukimura in unison.

Florence reminded the demigod's clone politely, remembering how angry the youngest could get. "How many times do we need to remind you that their rivalry and powers are insane?"

"Didn't we engrave those facts deep enough," Natsuki cracked her knuckles, annoyed by the girl's tactic. "How about a welding torch to finish the job?"

However, a heavy tension slammed against them when they found the temperature of the cabin rising gradually with Fuuka baring her teeth at an equally murderous Shizuru who beadily glared back at her. Dark intentions dripped venomously and excessively from every part of their body as they stood up to full height.

"This match isn't over," Fuuka hardened her glare at the brunette, biting her lip hard.

Shizuru ignored the warm oozing liquid dripping out of her hand from her nails cutting into her hand. "You're such a simple-minded fool."

Ai, seeing how touchy the subject became, inserted herself in between the two princesses while grinning childishly. "Come on, let's play another game~!"

Silence settled horribly amongst the five until a loud beeping interrupted their trail of thought, causing Florence to run towards the cockpit. The five girls quickly jumped into the captain's cabin while checking all the altitudes and graphs, seeing nothing until several triangles started tailing their airplane. Natsuki muttered a string of curses before leaping over into the chair and switched off the auto-pilot.

"It looks like we have an air raid coming after us," Natsuki grinned as she gripped the wheel. "Hang onto the handles; topsy turvy's the only thing that's going to happen around here."

The plane hurtled through the sky as missiles relentlessly pursued after them. Despite the aerial acrobatics, the missiles flawlessly flagged them down and soared through the sky with a screaming whistle. Smoke trailed along the sky as the jet spun around to disorient the trackers to no avail. Some managed to crash into each other and a few more continued their merciless pursuit towards the five females.

"Crap, heat seekers," Fuuka hissed under her breath before checking the weapons panel. "Why doesn't this thing have any weapons?"

"Because I knew you would try using it," Natsuki shot back as she swerved the airplane out of the way and sent it spiralling down into the sea.

Florence's eyes widened with terror, clinging on to her seat. "Did your common sense abandon you? Why are you attempting to plummet us into a watery grave?"

"Ai, start shaking those _maracas,_" Natsuki banked on a hard left which sent everyone tumbling to the right side.

The demigoddess quickly grabbed the pair of musical instruments from her bag while noticing the missiles now running alongside them. "N-Natsuki, what's going on?"

"What the hell are you gambling on," Fuuka gripped Natsuki's shoulder hard, earning her an annoyed glare from the Shitenhouji captain. "Yukimura can't make any freakin' force fields!"

Ignoring the red haired girl's protests, Natsuki glanced at Florence and Shizuru. "You two – get on the wings! We're going to need some firepower to bring down those hostilities!"

Albeit reluctant, the two quickly ran back inside the cabin and flung themselves out the window to land safely on both wings. Shizuru drew out her _naginata_ whereas Florence readied herself with a pair of claws, having both girls stare beadily and analytically at their targets. Sweat slowly trickled down their faces as they awaited the sudden lunge of the strikers.

_I hope this gamble of mine is accurate,_ Natsuki, biting her lip, tightly gripped the steering wheel before watching the missiles come after them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Along the streets of Berlin, Tezuka strolled around while glancing at the stores since many of his friends demanded that he bring back souvenirs. He shook his head distastefully; what possessed him to even go shopping anyway? The street bazaar lit up the misty streets as he observed many children splashing on the puddles that formed in between the rocky sidewalks. Bargains flew back and forth as he shoved his hands into his pocket, quietly berating himself for underestimating the cold.

_Japan never froze over like this..._

Tezuka brushed the snow away from his shoulders, examining the people around him until he found another man confessing to a girl. In the man's hands, there was a bouquet of small white flowers instead of what the bespectacled teen expected to be red roses in full bloom. In most cases, girls would wonder what those are but Tezuka was taken aback when the girl threw herself into the arms of her new boyfriend, hugging him tightly. In the Seigaku male's current vision, he instead imagined Shizuru embracing him which caused a smile to creep up his lips. Suddenly, his phone vibrated and as he popped it open – his coach had texted him.

_Stop mulling in the rain and snow, boy. I have an idea how to settle your romance problems._

Tezuka's lips thinned into a line as he slightly twitched at the thought of his coach of coming up with something bedazzling. If there was anything he didn't want anyone to know, it would be the affection he held for the Hyotei sophomore. All the times he spent with Fuuka sounded more like obsession as if she followed after him like a Scottish Terrier begging for food but Shizuru befriended him not for the tennis captain that he was but as a mere little boy back then. She met him, played against him and Sanada and threw the world into complete discourse. Fuuka harped on everyday to beat her and the male did remember Shizuru somehow commenting on Atobe's eccentricity to beat him as well.

_Then again, two of them make the world go insane._

Their competitiveness [Tezuka although believed more or less that being competitive was an understatement] reflected on how far they were willing to sacrifice for the team. Atobe threw away his pride of using his true style to bring him down, Fuuka dedicated all her time to bringing down the four queens of Hyotei and many captains sacrificed everything personal to them to accomplish their teams' dreams and ambitions. He remembered the pain that shot up his shoulder when Shizuru appeared by the bleachers with her lavender haired upperclassman, gripping his shoulder tightly to erase the memory.

_What possessed me to become drastically reckless?_

Finally, he reached the rehabilitation centre where he was recovering at and sauntered in quietly. The receptionist greeted him with her usual courteous smile as the bespectacled captain ushered himself to his coach's office in which had red velvet chairs and sofa along with a collection of lava lamps mounted on the top shelf.

"Coach," he lightly tapped the frame of the door. "You wanted to see me?"

His coach swivelled her chair while stroking a cat, smiling evilly. "I've been expecting you, boy."

Tezuka furrowed his brows a bit, folding his arms. "Coach, we're not in the mafia."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed before shooing her feline friend off her lap. "Is it bad to at least let in a little comedy? Geez, your maturity's that of a sixty year old! Get a grip, Tezuka-_san_! Anyway, I'm sure you had your trip out in the night market?"

"Ah," Tezuka monotonously nodded before taking a seat that his coach beckoned for him.

"This girl you like," –a 'turtle-turn-runner' smile appeared on her lips, reminding Tezuka on Fuji's insanities and causing him to slightly shudder. "She's a tennis player as well I presume?"

Tezuka's affections for the female Hyotei captain were a well-guarded secret and only a handful of individuals knew about his fancy. The training camp only intensified his feelings further especially when he found out Fuji's ridiculous plan to make him confess by spiking his drink with a whole bottle of vodka and margarita. Upon arriving back home, Fuji found himself running laps until Tezuka told him to stop but never found the ulterior motive as to why the _tensai_ pulled it off. Did the sadist know anything about Sanada's pursuits? He definitely didn't have that information back then but that question continued to nag the senior captain until then. His eavesdropping also earned him a new discovery that he stole Shizuru's first kiss which somehow made pride and joy bubble deep inside. Despite his stoic expression, the Seishun Gakuen captain fought his urge to become tomato-faced and shook himself away from the shock that his coach had given him.

"Silence means affirmative," the coach continued, cutting Tezuka off from his trail of thought. "Anyway, how do you intend to swoon this girl if you have as much personality as that of a cardboard box?"

_Definitely without any interference,_ Tezuka let out a disgruntled snort before letting the older woman continue.

"Experience dictates that being the way you are will just make you a senile old man," she wagged her finger, lecturing him as if he were that dense. "Do you intend to lose her to your rival in love?"

Tezuka never thought that Sanada would be his rival in anything else but tennis. Both of their families were quite close and they often get into a mess and rivalry. Although the bickering wouldn't be bitter, Tezuka and Sanada definitely took it to the next level much to the amusement of the patriarchs of the respective clans. The coffee blonde male leaned against the chair and imagined hard on what would happen and what was possibly happening back at Japan.

"You're a twit," Laura bluntly stated before flicking his forehead with her finger. "You let Sanada-_san_ bring Shizuru-_chan_ to the freakin' Rikkai Dai Autumn Ball? Do you know what this implies?"

Tezuka shook his head stiffly. "This conversation about the romantic aspect of my life is unimportant. We should..."

"He's going to confess to her," Laura shouted, nearly throwing Tezuka off the chair. "Are you that dense to not realize the affections that this girl may have for you? Are you telling me you're going to surrender? If so, what are you here for? Fix your arm – sure why not but don't you also have some inspiration as to why you play? Oh wait, I forgot – your heart's nothing but icy and frozen. You don't give a rat's ass whether or not some random jackass steals your..."

Before being able to continue insulting him, Laura jumped when she heard a loud _bang_ on the table with Tezuka averting his eyes away from her. His fist curled hard and his knuckles were turning visibly white along with his eyes glimmering malevolently. Her eyes widened upon seeing Tezuka react in such a dark violent manner and upon staring back into his gaze; it looked heavily intent on tearing apart whoever the "random jackass" was. Nobody had ever seen the male lose control of his temper but this time, she knew that he finally got frustrated with the situation.

"The only thing I can do now is recover," Tezuka murmured mutely but icily. "That's why this conversation should not have begun in the first place."

_I expected a bigger outburst than this but,_ Laura smiled before placing her feet on her desk. "You're only fourteen, Tezuka-_san_. It's normal to feel that anger boil inside of you. It's something people dub as 'jealousy' and 'desire'. I know I have you annoyed but if nothing happens now – what if her affections will go down the drain? What if she turns out to be a slut like most of the fan girls?"

"Shizuru-_chan_ is not that fickle," Tezuka whispered a note of finality, glaring even more glacially than ever. "Secondly, you have no idea on what Shizuru-_chan_'s character is."

"You only seem strong when temptation is weak," Laura quoted from the Maxims as she placed down her notepad. "Let's assume that Sanada is just as romantically as dense as you are. But... isn't there anyone who would manipulate Sanada to confess to Shizuru so they can use her to hurt you or force you to break her?"

His mind found itself amidst a turbulent storm of emotions at the mere imagination of him breaking her spirit. Silence seized Tezuka's mind as pieces and scenarios started to sink into place. Recalling all the members of the Rikkai Dai Team, Tezuka had concluded only two possible and capable culprits: Yukimura and Niou. Many witnessed on how Rikkai Dai suddenly became an amphibious school and how Yukimura easily manipulated the situation to cover up for Niou's sudden pranking. The mere imagination of what kind of disaster Yukimura could deliver caused the tennis player to shudder and knowing how supportive the captain was of his best friend, Tezuka for the first time found himself helpless. All possible actions would render him open for questioning.

_What do I do now?_

"Those white flowers you asked me about," Laura slid a book towards him, redirecting him to page. "It's called a Honeysuckle."

_Honeysuckle, where have I heard that before,_ Tezuka ransacked his memory for any recall of Inui's mundane data ranting but only to remain in silence.

"Do you know what it means," –her cerulean blue eyes gazed hard into his dark orbs. "You better listen up carefully because I will repeat this information only once. This may be your chance to turn the tables against whoever this Yuki dude is."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow at Laura. "How do you know Yukimura?"

"I've heard rumours about the kid," she pulled out a lollipop from her drawer before hungrily sticking into her mouth. "They say he's the _Demigod of Tennis_. The kid's probably just that damn talented and then all of a sudden – he's a divinity of the tennis circuit. People are probably more intimidated by the fact that he smiles like some sadistic freak show. Rumours have it that his game of tennis is more psychological than it is physical. Nobody has ever lasted six games against the kid since the victims are robbed of their senses when competing against the girly-boy."

Tezuka nodded slowly as the woman passed him a hot mug of Green Tea.

"Alright, lesson entitled "Romance 101: Romance for Dummies" will now commence," Laura eased herself into her corporate chair before popping in a small piece of _Mentos_. "Tell me, how long have you known your object of affection?"

"She's not," Tezuka interjected until he nearly got suffocated by his buxom coach's assets.

"Answer the question damn straight," retreating back to her position, Laura popped open a bottle and chugged it down. "You want some?"

"I can't drink liquor," Tezuka declined politely, fearing for the worst case scenario such as him doing something beyond logic.

Laura shrugged nonchalantly as she slammed the bottle on the table, exhaling her alcoholic breath. "Anyhow, describe her to me."

Tezuka, quizzical with his tipsy coach, resigned himself to his fate.

"She's a very dedicated tennis player," Tezuka calmly and monotonously explained with his face slightly cringing from the putrid smell of Vodka. "Hyotei Gakuen admires her highly for her kind heart but... I overheard other students saying she's a doormat. There are really some people who are born that way – to serve and keep on giving regardless of the consequence. My friend heard her purpose of doing those things and being people's doormat: it made her feel alive. It's the same way how tennis unleashes that adrenaline rush inside..."

"That damn metaphor made no frickin' sense," Laura snorted before throwing her arms into the air with a disgruntled groan. "Stop referring to tennis, damn it and start sketching her with your own words."

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Tezuka justified to the somewhat drunken coach. "Coach, the alcohol's controlling your statements."

"Shaddup gremlin," Laura slurred with her alcohol-smelling breath fanning itself in his face, nearly making him vomit if not for the hardened discipline. "Use another method!"

Tezuka resisted the urge to stand up and walk out of the room but realized that Coach Laura did point out a few notions. Tennis brought both of them together and they hit off famously and never once did he have to worry about her letting out a high pitched girly shriek regarding his games or how cool he is or even adding the "-sama" suffix to his name. His heart relaxed a little upon his mind conjuring an image of a smiling Shizuru who offered to walk with him. However, two things obstructed his way: one, he was in Germany and she was in Japan and two, Sanada got persuaded by Yukimura to gain enough courage to actually ask her out.

He found that realization simply exhilarating.

"I sense that you're seeing a better picture of your relationship's status," Laura drank down another bottle of Vodka, jabbing her finger in his direction. "There's someone I want you to meet though."

Tezuka, bewildered of his coach of actually making sense, stared at the small paper that his coach wrote down on.

"This website is kind of an advice column or a story writing section," she grinned goofily, swinging her bottle around. "A lot of kids go here to read the stories and even adapt some of the methods of confession here. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from the administrator of this website."

Tezuka nodded stiffly, before uttering a small 'thank you' and failing to notice the name of the website.

_www. freewebs. com/ queen_of_diamonds/_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The rain eventually weakened, allowing Seishun Gakuen and Rikkai Dai to start the semi-final matches. For the girls' side however, they needed to use the court right after the male tournament and soon – the whole area flooded with female tennis players, fan girls and female news reporters. Jyosei Shounan, Fudomine, Yamabuki, Seigaku, Rikkai Dai, Hyotei and almost every school was there to witness the match between the two captainless teams. Sanada sauntered towards the net with Momoshiro trying his best to remain confident for the team. Kaidoh gave him a big goofy grin with Momoshiro next to him while Kaidoh looked ready to rip through Rikkai Dai. Fuji maintained his smiling facade but Momoshiro trembled at the sight of the _tensai_; Fuji's murderous intentions dripped from every side the moment Kirihara Akaya came to view. Inui nodded curtly at Yanagi who maintained his usual meditating expression whereas Kawamura sheepishly scratched his head upon glancing back at Jackal.

"We're not just here to play but we're going to win," Oishi mustered enough courage for him to raise his voice at Sanada.

_Oh God, am I insane?_

Oishi yelped inwardly, hoping not to show anything discouraging to his teammates. Tezuka always did the handshakes and how he remained completely calm truly baffled the vice captain. Sanada's deathly glare sent shivers down his spine and as he weakly sauntered back, Kikumaru pat him reassuringly on the back with a gigantic grin. As the teams headed back to their benches, two doubles pair remained on the court with _Mamushi_ with his scowling face and Marui with his usual arrogant smirk.

"_Senpai_," Echizen gulped a bit of more grape _Ponta_. "This is their Golden Pair?"

Inui shrugged dejectedly as he sat next to Kawamura, wiping off the perspiration trickling down his jaw line. "Jackal and Marui are known for their awestruck synchronicity and they are known for their strong sense of style and play. Often times, they are known to even take down professional players."

Kawamura gulped at the thought. "They're that good?"

"Precisely that."

Sengoku whistled in anticipation as he found Momo standing with her arms folded sternly at the match about to unfold. He inconspicuously slid over to her, creeping up behind to shock her.

"I know you're behind me," Momo calmly noted without batting an eyelash. "You're many things, Sengoku but a thief or a mugger isn't one of them."

Sengoku, pouting impishly, swung over in front of Momo giving her a cheeky grin. "Aww and I wanted to surprise you~!"

"Not today," Momo sternly chided, making Sengoku whine and complain about she being so cold. "This match is important to me."

The orange haired male pursed his lips for a puppy pout. "But your cousin isn't even playing against Echizen yet..."

_He's playing against the rookie,_ Momo reflected on his words, slightly amused. If the 13th head lost to the Seigaku freshman, she shuddered at the uproar it would bring not only to the tennis world but also to the entire Sanada clan and everyone else. The Sanada family considered defeat almost as disastrous as shame or perhaps even worse, considering how the _Seppuku_ became the punishment for those who have been defeated. Since hair no longer signified anything, disownment became most of the punishments among the clan members. Momo's fist tightened as she warily analysed the tension surrounding the whole court. Both playmakers took their positions by the baseline with Momoshiro warily eyeing Jackal.

"Finals match between Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku Chuu and Seishun Gakuen Chugakkou will now begin," the announcer declared as he took his place in the referee's chair. "Doubles Two will now begin: Rikkai Dai's Jackal-Marui pair versus Seishun Gakuen's Kaidoh-Momoshiro pair! Best one out of one set, game start – Momoshiro to serve!"

"How's your first year doing," Jackal eyed Echizen who sat calmly on the bench with a can of _Ponta _in one hand.

Momoshiro cocked his head a bit to the left. "Huh, what are you talking about? What do you know about...?"

"_Shikuyoro_," Marui cheerfully put up a 'v' sign before blowing up a huge green bubble. "Since you were able to make it this far, I'm gonna show you my miracle genius-like skills before we go home!"

As the Seishun pair retreated to the baseline, Momoshiro glanced at their wrists. "By the way, I just wanna ask..."

Marui and Jackal halted in their steps as Momoshiro pointed out. "Aren't you gonna ditch those weights?"

The red haired _tensai_ snickered before pointing at the black porcupine haired sophomore. "Try and make us."

The black haired dunk smasher narrowed his eyes as he motioned to Kaidoh, watching the Brazilian's movements carefully. "Hey Kaidoh..."

"Ah," Kaidoh brushed him off as he moved towards the net.

With a loud "FIRE!", Jackal exploded the ball towards Momoshiro who narrowed his eyes before carefully placing his Jack Knife and shocked Marui. The _tensai_ gaped in horror and had no other choice but dodge.

"Holy _Kami-sama_," Marui leapt out of the way. "Was that a freakin' Jack Knife!"

Jackal rolled his eyes as he chased after the ball, striking it back towards Momoshiro. "Geez, don't just dodge it!"

The Brazilian quickly returned the shot with a backhand, not expecting Kaidoh to set-up for the Boomerang Snake. The ball curled around the post as it flew towards Jackal, allowing Marui to try attack the shot. Despite Marui being occupied, Jackal managed to drive Momoshiro into a corner as sweat poured down the Jack Knife wielder's face. Kaidoh backtracked and deflected the ball while Marui easily squeezed in his tactic to return the volley. Momoshiro regrouped immediately while Jackal retreated to recover for the next attack.

"Wow," Horio gaped in awe. "They're keeping up with Kaidoh-_senpai_ and Momoshiro-_senpai_ so easily!"

"Jackal Kuwahara was known as the Iron Wall," Inui indicated as he flipped past his notes. "He was known for his insane defences and nobody has gotten a point of it. Eventually, their errors lead to their own destruction."

Oishi stumbled back as he took notice of Momoshiro and Kaidoh both had sweat pouring down their faces. Kawamura gulped at the intensity of the match coming from Seishun's players compared to the more lax Iron Wall and Magician. Marui yawned a bit as he slapped the ball passed Kaidoh who curled the shot around for the Boomerang Snake. Jackal quickly backhanded it in which Momoshiro found himself distancing from the bandana wearing Boomerang Snake specialist.

"_Mamushi_, switch positions," Momoshiro dashed forward towards the service box in attempt to regroup for the next shot.

Kaidoh darted back to the baseline to face-off with Jackal and started keeping up with his pounding once again. The Iron Wall nonchalantly brushed off Kaidoh's bravado and narrowed his eyes at him after taking note on how calm Kaidoh was still breathing. As the rally between Marui and Momoshiro began, Kaidoh continued pinning down Jackal until the ball flew nearby and had Marui sliced it over for a new net shot.

"Whoa," Momoshiro retraced the trajectory of the tennis ball while trying to resimulate the attack. "Holy cow, what was that?"

Marui chuckled before blowing up his bubble again. "_Tsunawatari. _How do you like my genius?" [Tightrope Runner]

Shaking off the daze received from the shot, Momoshiro retreated back to the baseline as he replayed the whole rally in his mind. Kaidoh snorted as he whacked his partner at the upside of his head, earning himself a glare from Momoshiro.

"Contemplating on it isn't going to get you anywhere," Kaidoh snapped. "Quit being amazed!"

"I'm not amazed, _Mamushi_," Momoshiro shot back as they bumped foreheads against one another again.

Everyone from the crowd stood in shock, including Hyotei's members. Jirou gaped in awe, now being able to witness Marui's skills finally. Kiyone couldn't help but gape her jaw at the level of control Marui Bunta had while Haruka stared speechless at Jackal's quick reaction time to cover up for Marui's lack of physical strength. Rin rubbed her eyes while trying to figure out everything what had just happened whereas Hitomi had pulled out her camcorder to record the entire match on a memory card.

Oshitari leaned against the rail. "Momoshiro acted as a decoy for Kaidoh to hit the boomerang snake but because of that miracle skill of Marui's, they've completely lost the initiative. Not only that, the psychological damage on them will be very huge. Furthermore, this will drive them to be more impatient."

Inui read out from his notes. "Jackal Kuwahara and Marui Bunta are known as one of the best pairs in the entire Japan. No one has scored a seven game set against them."

Upon seeing the set up and after overhearing it from some loudmouthed freshman, Marui chewed his bubblegum leisurely before shrugging.

"Eh is that so," he lowered his racquet with a snigger. "Then, I will let him hit it. But be warned – it's gonna be cleanly returned."

Momoshiro failed to disguise the shock and bewilderment on his face. Although he remembered about Inui saying that Rikkai Dai was like having seven Tezuka's in one team, the Dunk Smasher felt a lot more confident since the passing months ever since he had been hammering down training not only from Seigaku but from Fudomine's Tachibana An.

"By Jackal," Marui jabbed his finger at the tanned tennis player's direction.

"Hey, why me," Jackal sighed, remembering how Marui loved throwing him into random situations.

"What? You don't wanna," Marui relaxed his arms behind his head.

"It's not that," Jackal protested before letting out a defeated sigh. "Never mind."

Kaidoh grimaced at the thought but still put on a tough facade. _What did he say!_

"Game, 0 -3, Kaidoh to serve," –the bandana wearing boy tossed the ball high up into the air.

"ORA," Kaidoh exploded the tennis ball down the court, heading straight for Marui.

Marui shuddered slightly from the volume as he backhanded it. "Oi, oi, oi, don't need to be so angry~! Here, I'll let you hit it."

Momoshiro imagined his jaw literally crashing into the pavement. _What! He actually aimed for the corner! It's true that the Boomerang Snake can be fired properly only from that angle!_

However, Kaidoh darted towards the ball and proceeded to that very corner for the perfect angle. _Don't underestimate me, Kaidoh Kaoru!_

Momoshiro desperately racked his brains for a solution and explanation. How could they know how to hit it? How could they know where exactly it should originate? How did those two guys know he could only hit it from that position? They've never seen him hit it before right? Where the hell did they get that knowledge... unless...

Soon, horror stabbed Momoshiro through like a newly forged knife.

"STOP! KAIDOH, DON'T HIT IT," Momoshiro spun around to warn his partner only to find Kaidoh completely engrossed in releasing the technique.

Jackal found the Boomerang Snake flying towards him after screaming under the referee's chair as he started moving into another position. _Indeed, it's exactly as Yanagi said. He hit a nice shot..._

Kaidoh backtracked on Marui's words as he watched Jackal prepare a counterattack for his technique. _Impossible, is he trying to-!_

The Snake specialist remembered Echizen's taunt of technique not being perfected, scowling at the memory. He recalled Inui's training regimen that stretched his arm muscles beyond boundaries that he had never imagined. Every time he swung the wet towel in the river, the towel doubled its weight and Kaidoh soon found himself straining his whole arm and hips to punch more power into lifting the insanely soaked towel. His _senpai_ had explained the theory and the secrets into performing the perfected Boomerang Snake.

_In order to swing that towel, it's not just in the wrist; you must use your whole arm, starting from the shoulder without forcing out any unnecessary strength. You must use the natural power in your body and swing naturally!_

Yanagi muttered while watching Jackal anticipate the shot. "The possibility of Jackal's around-the-pole shot going in is 100 percent."

With a mighty swing, Jackal effortlessly replicated Kaidoh's shot except it didn't slide under the arbiter's chair.

"Love-fifteen," –shock evidently displaying itself all over the Seishun Gakuen students' faces.

The chanting increased in volume, soon becoming a deafening howl. "We're invincible, Rikkai Dai!"

Marui chuckled good-naturedly, spinning his racquet on the ground. "So you saw through it right away – as expected of Seigaku's sneakiest bastard."

Momoshiro narrowed his eyes at Rikkai's Doubles Two pair. _Just as I thought, they already processed our techniques and skills..._

Marui gave a thumb up to his South American doubles partner. "You still have a long way to go before we ditch these," –he gestured to the black bands. "These little suckers."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"The matches are starting today," Mai smiled weakly while watching Yukimura prepping himself up for his operation. "How are you doing?"

Acknowledging the red haired _tensai_ standing by the entrance, Yukimura greeted her with a determined expression. "While Sanada and the others are defending their title, I have a long overdue battle that's been postponed for awhile. Low risk or not, this surgery HAS to be successful. The competition is steadily growing and it will not be long before they crumble."

"You should have faith in them," the red haired _tensai_ frowned a bit at Yukimura's lack of confidence. "They're all _Zenkoku Taikai-_level right?"

Yukimura's smiling face somewhat faltered. "It's not their lack of ability that is the area of concern. It's their mentality."

Mai raised an eyebrow as Yukimura sat down quietly on the hospital bed, staring out the window. The melancholic gaze in the demigod's eyes killed the cheerful mood as the sun created a small pool straight through the window with small clouds swimming through the sky. The Hyotei _tensai_ inched slowly towards him until only a small distance separated their hands.

"Yukimura-_kun_," Mai sighed before looking out the window, watching a small white dove fly into the air. "You're going down the same path my captain once did."

"Once," Yukimura repeated before raising an eyebrow at the red head. "What do you mean 'once'?"

"Shizuru believed that the weight of the world should become her responsibility," Mai gripped the sheet tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Our former _senpai_ made her into this self-loathing marionette that sacrificed everything regardless of how the people who are concerned feel. The team hated that side of her; it took all our efforts to resurrect the same girl who brought down every rival team out there and gambled on chances even if they were dangerous. Shizuru retarded her own potential and her team's without realizing it all because everything in her view became black and white."

Yukimura chuckled before running his fingers through her hair. "There should be some gray areas in that vision of hers..."

"That's why," Mai smiled wistfully at him. "Trust your teammates; if Sanada says he can bring home victory then, believe in his stone-faced high blood-pressured self!"

A laugh passed from the captain's lips as he gently pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "Thank you Mai. But for now, there's an operation that needs to be done."

Flushing into a brighter red than her locks, Mai demurely backed away as the nurse came in to fetch Yukimura.

"Yukimura-_san_, it's time."

The serene smiling captain stood up before walking towards the stretcher waiting outside, bidding goodbye to the _tensai_. As he got wheeled away, Mai quickly ran outside – realizing the chances of this surgery were dangerously low. Yukimura had told her all sorts of stories regarding the success rate and worst case scenario would be he would be reduced to a catatonic blubbering vegetable with no memory of self.

_Now or never, Nagisaki!_

Mustering up enough courage, Mai stood her ground as she hollered with the loudest volume possible.

"YUKIMURA, I LOVE YOU!"

Her voice echoed off the white solemn walls as he disappeared behind the swinging doors. Silence engulfed the entire hallway while Mai stood there frozen as the humming of the aircon became the only thing audible. The cold white walls glared back at her as the _tensai_ fell to her knees, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over her. Hot salty tears welled up in her eyes as her body trembled from the fear of this being the last time of her getting a good view of Yukimura. Their conversation shot through her with pain realizing how far her captain was now. Physical wise, Mai knew that Shizuru recklessly jumped into situations and managed to keep her body in one piece but mental wise and emotional stability seemed a little debatable. The pasts of the captains entwined themselves with one another without her even realizing that their destinies were actually woven in that manner.

_Ewww, too much Naruto,_ Mai shuddered at her morbidity. "Yukimura can't die there; he's the demigod. He's... YUKIMURA!"

Her body trembled violently, weakly standing up while averting her attention from the surgery. Her molten gold eyes glimmered; hopeful for the Rikkai Dai male's successful operation.

_He's keeping his promise to them,_ Mai curled her fingers into a fist; a new determined glimmer appeared in her molten gold orbs. _It's my turn to keep mine!_

With no hesitation, Mai sprinted off towards the tennis court to maintain her promise to the _Kami no Ko. _Nurses gaped incredulously at her flash past them with astounding speed. Only a crimson blur remained visible as the _tensai_ made her way to the _Kantou_ Regional matches. Fortunately, the courts remained nearby the hospital that Yukimura had booked in and the loud chants allowed the _tensai_ to easily tracked down to where the matches were being held.

"So, what did I miss," Mai squeezed in among the crowd, finding a good watching spot amongst Hitomi and Isane.

Isane gulped at the score, shielding her eyes from the numbers. "They're getting slaughtered out there..."

Horrified, Mai snapped her head towards the scoreboard only to find out that Seigaku continued on with a score of 4-0 as Kaidoh started messing up. He stumbled a few times, easily earning Rikkai Dai another game as he collapsed onto the ground. His heartbeat pounded hard as everything seemed to fade away into the darkness and heard nothing but a deafening silence. The snake felt his confidence wither into nothing as the very foundation found itself rocked by someone who probably only saw the technique once. The image of his doubles match with Inui against the Yamaguchi-Uchiha pair flashed before his eyes as he remembered the towering girl's determination to cover up for her fallen blonde friend. Despite being fearful of him, Isane battled hard and even resorted to using her 'Illusion' technique to throw them off-balance.

"Hmm," Marui chuckled as he volleyed it over. "Well, at least you guys lasted this long."

Momoshiro darted forward for a shot as Jackal sent it far back. The Brazilian cautiously predicted the landing point while watching Momoshiro cover up for Kaidoh's mistakes, smirking at the scenario.

"Doubles is supposed to be played by two people you know," Jackal fired another backhand towards the baseline.

Momoshiro winced at the fatigue overcoming his body as sweat poured down his face. His lavender eyes sparkled with defiance as the Dunk Smasher continued defending their baseline while Kaidoh froze on the court. Looking deep into his rival's eyes, the sophomore sensed the horror and shock washing over Kaidoh after being defeated by his own attack. He recalled his match with Sengoku and even until this match; the psychological damage didn't ebb away. However, Momoshiro decided to pick himself up rather than just drop way down even if it earned him an earful from Tezuka-_buchou_.

_I know that agony,_ Momoshiro spared a glance for his doubles partner. _That agony of having your very own technique being returned to you... but you're not alone, Kaidoh! Just give me a minute, I'm gonna pull you out of that mess!_

As Marui flung another volley towards him, Momoshiro darted for it only to crash and tumble on the floor.

"Crap, I'm seeing stars," Momoshiro shook himself from the daze after kissing the pavement.

Before he could clamber up to his feet, Momoshiro found a green bandana hanging in front of his face.

"Here, use this," Kaidoh stood in front of him.

Momoshiro snorted before raising an eyebrow. "Keh, a dirty bandana? Well, it's better than nothing."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY! ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT," Kaidoh snatched Momoshiro by his jacket, glaring daggers.

"OBVIOUSLY, CAPTAIN OBLIVIOUS," Momoshiro bumped his forehead against the Boomerang Snake specialist's.

Marui and Jackal stared at the two nitwits, puzzled by their sudden outbursts and yelling.

"Well it seems you've recovered earlier than expected, Kaidoh," Momoshiro smirked before grabbing the other male's jacket. "Lend me your ear for a moment will ya?"

After a few minutes and a few nods, Kaidoh sauntered sulkily to the front as Momoshiro took his position at the back. Marui readied himself at the baseline for receiving the serve, noticing a new glint in the snake's eyes. Momoshiro tossed the ball for a bullet serve, forcing Marui to only lightly volley it and found Kaidoh by the net. The snake narrowed his eyes and blasted it with a different shot: the Short Snake which zoomed past Marui and went straight for Jackal. The Brazilian lunged for the shot and found it coming at him repetitively, obviously irking him.

_You must persevere, Kaidoh! If there's anyone who's got more willpower than this guy, it's you!_

Kaidoh continued plastering Jackal with the Short Snake, watching Jackal pour buckets of sweat and hyperventilate. Revenge for crushing him fuelled his determination even more as Kaidoh kept on attacking with that very same shot.

_Screw you,_ Kaidoh glared as he hit the next Short Snake harder than before, forcing Jackal to lob it into the air.

"Here's a present for you, Momoshiro," Kaidoh muttered as his Doubles partner leapt high into the air and sent a Dunk Smash streaming straight down at them, echoing with a loud explosion.

The moment Momoshiro landed, a huge smirk appeared on Momoshiro's face. "Hey, aren't you guys going to remove those yet?"

Marui scoffed at the black haired Seigaku sophomore, dangling his weighted wrist in front of him. "Heh, I told ya: try and make us!"

Kaidoh continued with that very same strategy, striking the Snake again and again. Jackal found himself running around and Marui's attacks were rendered useless. Momoshiro grinned inwardly while analysing the situation again. As long as Marui had nothing coming at him, Jackal had to defend for Marui. He knew that they were specialists in only one place thus making a huge fatal flaw into what seemed flawless: "baldy" [as he referred to Jackal] would never leave his spot in the baseline; it was his pride and same applied to the red haired bubble gum guy [referring to Marui in his terms]. His lavender eyes sparkled mischievously as Marui continued to get frustrated down at front since Kaidoh's shot sped too far away from him to reach. Despite Jackal knowing the Boomerang Snake, Kaidoh knew the ingenuity behind it since he did start using this technique first.

"Game, Momoshiro-Kaidoh: five games to one!"

Seigaku, with renewed hope and vigour, chanted louder than ever. Echizen smirked while watching his two _senpai_ duke it out with Rikkai Dai's pair, leaning back with his eyes glistening with amusement.

_This ought to be fun._

Marui snorted as he watched the attacks zoom past him again. _God, he really is Seigaku's sneakiest fellow. I bet he and Niou would get along well._

Soon, Jackal started faltering bit by bit – realizing the repetitiveness of the attack. However, Marui quickly found an opening and returned it with the _Tetchuu Ate_ and sent the ball rolling right in front of Kaidoh. The snake refused to be intimidated by that one shot and continued attacking as soon as Momoshiro fired his service. However, Kaidoh smirked as he reinvented the Boomerang Snake from the Short Snake into...

"It's a Reverse Snake," one of the _Ichinen _exclaimed with amazement. "Its pathway is different!"

Due to shock and late reaction, Marui staggered backwards while Jackal forcibly lobbed the shot into the air. Momoshiro quickly seized the opportunity and smashed a cannonball straight towards them, knowing the impact of his own shot. The red haired self-proclaimed _tensai_ however decided to shift roles as he darted for the other end of the court.

"Marui's going on defence," Haruka gaped at the turnout of events. "That shot's going to fracture his wrist if he does it wrong!"

Rin squeaked at the strength of the Dunk Smash, cowering behind the Pearl Dragon. "Ayane's the only one I know who can return that without straining!"

Fortunately for Rikkai's Magician, Marui lobbed the shot forcibly but not without skidding on his arm on the court.

"It's too high," Momo calmly analysed it with a bitter smile. "It's going to be an out."

Soon, the wind started blowing harshly against the ball and created a strong spin.

"Go in damn it," Marui desperately howled out as the ball slowly descended right at the edge of the baseline.

Hitomi, noticing a change in the wind's speed, shook her head to contradict. "No, it's in."

As the ball bounced at the very edge, Momoshiro and Kaidoh darted for the shot as they clashed their racquets together.

"Now," Momoshiro and Kaidoh swung their racquets for an extreme power shot.

The little neon green ball continued its journey until ultimately slamming into the net and rolling by the Seigaku pair's court.

"Game, Marui-Jackal pair: six games to one!"

"It's alright you guys," Oishi smiled comfortingly, ushering them back to their seats. "You guys gave it your best shot."

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ nodded with affirmation. "This is your first time coming in contact with Rikkai Dai's monsters. Remember it well."

Momoshiro and Kaidoh nodded before slumping on the benches. Sweat formed into puddles from where they sat as their hands trembled lightly after the match. Water splashed against their faces as the only source of comfort from the humid climate. The two rivals found themselves sitting right next to each other before drinking down their water in synchronized motions.

'Not bad doubles play, _Mamushi_," Momoshiro smirked as he doused himself with more cold water, sinking deeper into his seat. "You wanna have another go at it some time?"

"Fssh, maybe," Kaidoh grunted before facing upward to the sky. "But this time, we kick ass."

Momoshiro grinned cheekily, punching the air. "You bet your hissing ass we will!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ smiled at of the two rivals finally not trying to murder each other or trying to break their foreheads against one another. However, the score caused her to frown seeing the complete slaughter the two sophomores received. The imagination of the boys being crushed by their defeat seemed a little plausible especially with the kind of psychological damage that Rikkai Dai can inflict. Although Rikkai Dai proved their ruthlessness, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ knew what kind of explosion there would have been if Tezuka had not gone to Germany but she forgot to take note of the more dangerous lurking within the Seigaku Team.

Fuji Syuusuke maintained his perpetual smiling face before facing Kirihara Akaya.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Damn," Fuuka scratched her head before surveying the crowds. "Half the brutes here remind me how big that gorilla from Hyotei is."

"Kabaji-_kun_ isn't a gorilla," Shizuru sternly chided before examining the other competitors.

Fuuka snorted with irritation. "I didn't mean him, douche."

Florence sent in their application forms and Natsuki slumped onto the bench before exhaling out a sigh of relief. Throwing off those heat seeking missiles probably would have embarrassed any Air Force pilot with the way she plunged the whole jet into an aerial acrobatics performance. Ai childishly swung her legs while hanging around the luggage whereas Shizuru and Fuuka stood next to one another, watching new competitors enter through the large doors.

"I'm glad you have all made it," a silky voice came from the projector TV. "It seems to me we have a lot of fighters."

_No shit Sherlock,_ Fuuka cussed under her breath before glaring daggers at the announcer. _It's about time you showed up, Ueda._

"Ueda Shigure," Natsuki hissed venomously while beadily staring at the screen. "Although a philanthropist on the outside, he's actually the leader or one of the main components of ZODIAC."

Shigure, as if sensing their presence, grinned maliciously at the others. "Now, before you enter – we have to see if you're capable of taking down merciless fighters hence the elimination round! You guys have to beat them all, kill them if you want. Have fun girls~!"

Fuuka's temper boiled up instantly. _This man's going down!_

Shizuru pulled out her _naginata_ while watching the approaching opponents, calmly anticipating their movement and showing her trademark smile. "Guys, we might have to apprehend these enemies first before we massacre Ueda-_san_."

"More like castrate the son of a bitch," Fuuka unleashed her huge mallet, grinning sardonically at the huge burly brutes. "Bring it on, jerkfaces!"

Natsuki chuckled before reloading her pistols. "Here we go."

Florence unsheathed her claws before licking it slowly. "Well, it seems we have to teach these imbeciles a lesson or two."

"Hooray, kick butt time," Ai whooped in joy before pulling out her _maracas_, dancing into a new rhythm_._ "Let's dance~!"

Without any warning or reluctance, fists flew as the five girls dodged out of harm's way. Shizuru drew her _naginata_ before extending it to strike within point-blank range. Slashes appeared all over their arms as yowls of agony echoed through the dome's metal framework. Fuuka's battle cry struck fear into many as she played "Whack-an-Idiot" with them with her extremely heavy mallet whereas Ai danced around, pissing off her opponent as Natsuki put bullets in between their eyes. Florence dug her claws deep, ripping through their stomachs and chests with a menacing glare from her bright blue eyes. Agonized cries of terror and mercy continued to reverberate along the hallway as a figure amusingly watched the five girls massacre their opponents.

"What a splendid show," a clap came from screen as the man chuckled sadistically before turning to his attendant. "They dance very well, don't they?"

"Yes they do, Ueda-_sama_," the woman mechanically responded while standing next to him.

Fuuka pounded another one with a glacial glare flickering from her violet orbs whereas Shizuru maintained her grace with her bewitching smile. Florence maintained her composure despite having a hard time containing Fuuka's destructive tendencies as the Seishun Gakuen captain hurled another combatant against the steel girder. Ai whirled around for a roundhouse kick as Natsuki performed a headstand to lock one of the men down and crack his neck. Florence flashed behind one of them, appearing as if she had phased through them before dealing a finishing blow to one of the attackers.

"Forty seconds," Fuuka inhaled sharply while glancing at her watch. "We beat a freakin' army in forty seconds."

Florence counted the number of injured. "More like we defeated a battalion in forty seconds. Army's like a hundred plus people and there were only like thirty fighters in here."

"That means the big guns are at the other side of the door," Natsuki mused before kicking over another man to see his bloodied and rearranged face. "Wow, Ai went all out with this one."

Ai giggled happily before latching onto Fuuka who scowled in annoyance whereas Shizuru nonchalantly walked past all the bodies, not even wanting to know the destruction Fuuka and Ai caused by themselves. Natsuki snorted before scornfully shoving the huge gates open to find a stadium with a whole audience waiting for them to die. Florence adjusted the length of her jersey before entering the ring with chants and insults exploding throughout the arena.

"What the hell is this? A bunch of kids?"

"This is a freakin' human derby! Go home, video game addicts!"

Fuuka cracked her knuckles before throwing nasty looks at them. "They should go wet their beds."

"Souma-_san_, maybe we should concentrate on the match first," Shizuru kindly pushed Fuuka away from the audience, restraining her rage in her throat. "After all, we're here to locate my missing vice captain no?"

_To think you were Project Megara_, Fuuka spat venomously in her mind. "Anyway, who are our opponents now?"

"That would be us," a velvety voice sent shivers up Fuuka's spine as the red haired captain froze in horror.

_Holy Kami-sama, I hope it's not who I think it is..._

The moment she swivelled around, Fuuka's jaw dropped the moment a tall slender lavender haired female strode in with a pale while _kimono_ along with her hair decorated for a _geisha_. No make-up marred her features as a slothful smirk appeared on her lips. Behind the young woman stood three lean men and one huge muscular one.

"Oh it's Kotetsu's little marionette and Fuuka-_chan_," she mocked disappointment, yawning a bit. "I thought you would remember me better than that."

"Jesus Christ," Fuuka fumbled around with her words. "I thought Kotetsu lost her mind but you too – Sanhyoujin Ami-_senpai_?"

Ami mildly dismissed the insult before the smirk diminished from her face. "Well, the Sanhyoujin family has been shielding ZODIAC for years. Besides, after tennis ended – I grew a little bored."

"So you decided to prance in and imitate a prostitute," Fuuka twitched horribly at the sight. "God, do you want to get raped – _senpai_?"

Ami shook her head, sadly wagging her finger at the red haired female. "Your usage of language is so vulgar, Fuuka. Didn't we fix that last year? Besides, what would Kaori say if she heard such a masculine conversation coming from your trouty mouth?"

"Yeah until your mind took a whole 180 degree turn and you went insane," Fuuka spat venomously, pointing her finger angrily. "I thought you were kidnapped after the incident in the S.S. Sakura!"

Ami shook her head, sighing. "Tut, tut, it's the art of deception. Do you not remember what the Sanhyoujin family is known for?"

_One of the most highly esteemed ninja clans during the Edo period,_ Natsuki remembering performing research about the ninja clans as possible opponents for their _Urabutousatsujin_. "So, what's a noble woman like you doing her amidst the criminals?'

"Like I said," she reiterated coldly at the _kansai_ captain. "I'm just here for entertainment. I can't wait to see you die though, Souma. Think how Kaori would mourn for her favourite little chew toy."

Fuuka spat out viciously, preparing to lunge at the woman. "Screw you, bitch!"

Florence and Natsuki quickly barricaded the Seishun female from ripping out Ami's throat, struggling heavily against her amplified inhumane strength. "Fuuka-_chan_, save your violent reactions for later! We're going to fight her team anyway!"

Fuuka calmed down immediately but not before snapping her jaws at Ami. As they reached their position, the matches had already been decided.

"Welcome to the _Urabutousatsujin_! Today is the fortieth year and we have many new competitors today," the announcer proceeded with her introduction. "My name is Maya and I will be your host for this whole tournament!"

"She didn't have to wear such skimpy bathing suits," Shizuru winced visibly at the bright neon colours distracting her from the announcements.

"Disgusting isn't it," Florence ruffled the hair of the brunette teasingly. "Anyway, here's the order for the matches."

Maya giggled childishly before redirecting everybody's attention to the LED screen. "The match will be between the Constellation Chaos versus Team Ninja 5!"

"_Senpo – _Kurenai Shizuru," she gestured to the red eyed brunette. "Versus Takehashi Yusuf!"

"Hn," one of the lean men stepped forward, brushing back his long silver tresses.

"_Ninpo – _Amakusa Natsuki versus Inugami," she ushered both the slate gray haired female and the dark haired tanned male onto the stage.

Ai punched her fist into the air. "Yay, here we go~!"

Inugami dangled his long tongue. "Geez, what a weirdo..."

"Meanie," Ai sniffed before pouting impishly.

"_Chuku_ will be Hoshimura Florence versus Hiiragi," the announcer found Natsuki warming up next to her along with the male brushing his hair daintily before beckoning Fuuka, Ami, Ai and another male. "_Shacho –_ Yukimura Ai versus Kiritsuga Dante! _Taisho_ – Souma Fuuka versus Sanhyoujin Ami!"

The other four members promptly stepped off the stage as Shizuru and Yusuf stood face to face. As the audience fell into a terrible silence, Yusuf drew out an extendable staff while Shizuru unsheathed her _naginata_ along with an octagonal shaped device in her hand. Heartbeats echoed in both combatants' ears as sweat trickled down their skin, breathing in synchronization before lunging towards one another.

"Kurenai Shizuru versus Takehashi Yusuf – begin," she declared as the alarm set off.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Hahaha, finally – epic tennis! I know it's a little out of order but heck, I'm reading the manga again to make sure! Hooray for YukimuraXMai! Now all we have to do is wait for the dude's response to her confession! Will he turn her down or will he reciprocate her affections? Ah yes, Tezuka is finally starting to get a bigger picture although – I wasn't sure how exactly to depict his frustration. Somehow, twitching seemed a little too normal so I tried something a little more effective. Sorry if it made him slightly OOC.**

**By the way, my dear original characters - please remind the readers what they're supposed to do.**

**Female Hyotei Regulars: Please send reviews! **_**Onegaishimase!**_


	45. Dancing Around An Illusion

**Me: Hello again my dear fans! Thank you for your ongoing support! I don't own Prince of Tennis! Don't forget to review please! I only update when my latest chapter has received at least two reviews! Also, I've been working on a new Bleach story called the "Providence of Redemption". I haven't uploaded it yet but I'm getting there. **

**Kyouei_shurei: Whoops, thanks for pointing that out to me! XD**

Chapter 45 – Dancing around an Illusion

Yusuf wordlessly started his attack as Shizuru blocked using the device and sprung away with her _naginata_. Shizuru focused on her opponent's rapid movement as his staff thrust past her, dodging any attempts as to anything it comes in contact with gets completely pulverized. A slight frown marred her features as the Hyotei captain feinted to her opponent's right to shoot up her _naginata_ only to have his kick meet her face but defended back with her device. Sweat poured down both fighters' faces but Shizuru winced visibly as the staff came in contact with her left knee to which she managed to evade barely but hurtled straight into the cement wall.

"Shi-_chan_," Ai dashed towards her as the smoke cleared, revealing a virtually unharmed Shizuru. "Are you okay?"

Shizuru shook away the daze before gathering up her weapons, ignoring the agonizing pain in her leg. "Nothing a good sleep will fix after this match is over."

"You might want to recheck your diagnosis," Natsuki pointed down as Shizuru found blood trickling down from her leg.

Fuuka slapped her forehead, staring incredulously at the Hyotei female. "Geez, what the hell happened?"

Shizuru carelessly shrugged before hauling herself up to the stadium again. "Oh, it must have come from the last attack."

"You can't dodge again with that leg," Fuuka sternly pointed out to the younger captain. "That stick's gonna pulverize you in the next turn if you keep up your same strategy."

Florence nodded vigorously, gesturing to the silvery blue device peeking out of Shizuru's Hyotei blazer pocket. "Shizuru, release your CHroME already! It can finish this fight easy!"

"Don't worry," Shizuru smiled kindly at her teammates before resuming her match. "That will be the last attack originating from him."

Yusuf wordlessly prepared for another assault as Shizuru pocketed her device and unsheathed her _naginata_, causing it to extend into a double-edged halberd_._

"Tell me," she revealed her trademark bewitching smile; her silver _naginata_ gleaming under the spotlight. "How do you attack something with a whirling defence?"

Pondering over, Ai grinned before waving her hand in the air. "Will it!"

Fuuka rolled her eyes before folding her arms with a grunt. "Just destroy the damn thing."

Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly, raising her eyebrow. "Uh... annihilate the power source?"

Florence facepalmed at all their answers, sighing into her hand. "Well, at least Natsuki assumed something probable unlike the other two idiots."

Shizuru chuckled lightly at their responses before watching carefully with her blade. "I will demonstrate, using my _naginata_ and not relying heavily on my CHroME."

Yusuf let out an enraged battle cry as he lunged at Shizuru with his whirling staff. Shizuru sidestepped before flinging her _naginata_ towards his head for decapitation. In response, the male spun around for a kick while Shizuru ducked for a scissor-lock. Yusuf struggled against her lock as she twisted his ankles but not before he dug his staff into the ground and pulverized the stones in between them. Dust flew into her eyes as her _naginata_ clashed against the whirling staff.

"You're part of the _SPETSNAZ_ [Russian Special Forces]," Shizuru narrowed her eyes at Yusuf's stance, her smile becoming more faint and ghostly. "That's the Russian Combat Sambo you're using. It's mainly for grappling but why use a staff I wonder."

Roaring furiously, Yusuf continued his wordless assault before meeting Shizuru's foot in his face as she coiled her _naginata_ around him. His eyes widened when he found her blade in a complete extension and Shizuru's crimson orbs glittered compassionately before she averted her eyes from him.

"Purify thy soul," Shizuru murmured before releasing a variety of quick-draw slashes, tearing through his clothes.

Yusuf retreated before applying pressure onto his wound, hissing venomously at Shizuru. The brunette barely flinched as he continued his attack with a flurry of punches and kicks. Dodges became useless as the pain shot up Shizuru's leg from the wound inflicted by the Russian-Japanese's staff. He connected a left hook to her jaw to which she retaliated with a bicycle kick and sent them both stumbling towards the edge. Anger and annoyance flickered in the male's eyes whereas Shizuru positioned herself for another volley.

"Damn, this man's got perseverance," Fuuka whistled before leaning against the stadium wall, sniggering at the male. "Kurenai's got him."

Ai jumped up and down with a huge grin. "Finish him off, Shi-_chan_!"

"After all, who can defeat someone who was the epitome of grace," Florence chuckled, bemused at the man's situation. "He has nothing on her."

Shizuru kicked off her planted _naginata_ before spinning in the air and slamming her leg into his shoulder, shattering it. Yusuf howled incessantly before grabbing her neck in order to suffocate her, tightening it considerably. The brunette gasped for air until finally drawing out her CHroME, barely keeping her consciousness. Darkness slowly overwhelmed her vision before she clamped her hand on the Russian's wrist and her own mechanism.

_Condemned into an eternal dance,_

_Gate of the Fish, unlock – Eternal Pisces!_

A large powerful influx of energy surrounding her body screamed into the air as her _naginata_ pierced her Constellation. Her CHroME replaced her Hyotei uniform with a blue nymph-like robe with her _naginata_ now emitting a bright blue glow from the runes engraved on the blades. Unleashing a bicycle kick for release, Shizuru lashed out a series of slashes as Yusuf crumpled at her feet. Blood pooled under the male bodyguard as she proceeded to bring him to the other side.

"He fought a magnificent fight," she smiled kindly at the other members, ignoring some of their astonished and dirty looks. "Please tend to his wounds immediately."

Satisfied with her victory, Shizuru quietly sauntered down the stairs as Ai tackled her for a hug with Natsuki ruffling her hair and Florence smiling proudly at her. Fuuka scoffed as she brushed past Shizuru's shoulder chuckling humourlessly at the win.

"You're lucky he's not the elite of the team," Fuuka sniggered with a challenging glint, patting her shoulder. "You barely released 5 percent of your abilities back there."

"I had no intention of killing him," Shizuru stated with an as-a-matter-of-fact voice, smiling gently. "But, if you're willing to make a bloodbath – who said I'm holding you back?"

Clucking her tongue in disgust, Fuuka averted her gaze as Natsuki stepped up to the stadium to face her opponent. Faces amongst the audience stared in awe as Shizuru calmly took down someone who supposedly had been recruited by the SPETSNAZ while Natsuki's expression clearly spelled out "Is all this crap really necessary?" The vermillion crowned captain shivered at the nightmare Natsuki unintentionally caused people but her whole body cried out for submission when the image of Yukimura dominating the world flashed into her mind.

_If there's anyone who's more fearsome than her, it's that Yukimura. Her brother's a sociopath but she's freakier._

"_Ninpo_ – Amakusa Natsuki versus Inugami," Maya gleefully introduced to the spectators as both fighters narrowed their eyes beadily. "Are you guys ready?"

Gnashing her teeth together, Natsuki cracked her knuckles as he tightened her grip on her pistol's holster whereas Inugami dangled his long tongue at her maliciously. An angry gleam shined through the _kansai_ captain's violet orbs before she positioned herself for a quick finish. Inugami let himself down on all fours as he bared his claws and fangs.

"So, a battle between the hunter and the hunted," Natsuki reloaded her pistol before aiming it at him. "It's time to meet your creator."

As the signal rang, Inugami leapt hungrily towards her before trying to claw at her flesh. Natsuki swiftly sidestepped but narrowly managed to embed a bullet into his leg to which he back-flipped for a kick in her face. Staggering back and wincing from the last attack, Natsuki swept him off from the ground before firing a few more shots into his hands which miraculously healed instantly. A hesitation in her actions allowed Inugami to tear off a part of her latex suit which dug deep into her abdomen, nearly making her scream in agony. Blood splattered against the male's face as he started licking the red liquid up thirstily, causing the slate haired female to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Blood type A positive," he cackled before licking the blood off his claws, gasping greedily for more. "Such a delicious composition – perfect nutrition and perfect diet..."

Natsuki cringed horribly and started opening fire, disgusted by his analysis. "Sorry, I'm not a blood bank for hire!"

Gunshots echoed throughout the stadium as Inugami somersaulted and weaved his way through the deadly crossfire with bullets zipping by. The female Shitenhouji captain, wrinkling her nose, twisted her body before firing another array of bullets before revealing almost serpentine beady violet eyes. Shuddering violently with sweat pouring down his face, Inugami howled as he raised his claw at her.

"A serpent has always been overwhelmed by the wolves," he declared before bringing down his attack upon her.

Natsuki uncoiled out of the way and with a slug with the butt-end of her gun, sent her opponent reeling back before tossing her CHroME into the air.

_Dedicated to the ambitions of man,_

_Gate of the Goat – Capricorn Deception!_

Shimmering with an olive green glow, the octagonal device transmogrified as Natsuki shot a bullet through it – revealing a thick horned sea goat standing before her. The eyes emitted an eerie aura with its neon green orbs staring intently at its opponent and controlling him with the mastery of an Arabian snake charmer. Silence enveloped the entire stadium as Inugami stared horrified at the grotesque creature as it revealed a yellowish toothy grin.

"Fatality," Natsuki murmured while imitating a gun with her fingers, chuckling bemusedly. "Going down with a bang."

With a demonic bleat, the sea goat sprinted towards Inugami before impaling him on its horns and ramming him against the wall. Inugami unlocked every depth of his strength and willpower only to be kicked and stampeded upon by the goat's blood-stained hooves, desperately trying to shove back the maniacal goat with very little success. Natsuki scoffed at his pitiful state before aiming the gun carefully at the male's head.

"_Ja,_" –with this, Natsuki ended his misery.

Fuuka shook her head, amused before giving the charcoal gray-haired teen a high five. "Not bad for someone who hasn't been using a gun for the last six years."

"Shizuru-_chan_'s more skilled in the _euthanasia_ department," the _kansai_ female admitted mildly, locking her gun back into the holster. "I prefer torturing them and then killing them painlessly after."

The crimson haired captain flicked her scraggy hair back, hearing some audible cracking sounds from her neck. "Tch, Kurenai knows squat pertaining to killing ruthlessly. After all..."

_Kurenai Shizuru was only entitled the "Corpse Princess" due to her aesthetics during combat. In the end, her real title is "Shizuru the Merciful"; Yukimura Ai's reputation is far more contradictory than hers._

Fuuka growled gruffly before rolling up her sleeves and unveiling her CHroME, glaring icily into the other competitors. Soon, disgusted comments were thrown towards Team Ninja Five and even tomatoes and rotten eggs were pelted towards them. The Seishun Gakuen Captain bristled at their pathetic state of immaturity as she stepped up to the plate, only to be tugged at the collar by a honey haired British Japanese middle school student.

"Tsk, tsk," Florence gently yanked Fuuka back while chuckling bemusedly and wagging her finger disapprovingly. "There are other civilized ways than brute strength and violence to deal with people."

With a disgruntled snort, Fuuka snapped around on her heels before glaring daggers at the next fighter. "Don't let me see you lose, damn it."

"How can you think so lowly of me," Florence heartily giggled at the assumption. "You really have horrible standards, Fuu-_chan_."

"Don't call me that," Fuuka seethed venomously, balling her hands into fists as her knuckles visibly changed into white. "That's relatively harmful to my reputation."

With a nonchalant shrug, Florence elegantly presented herself as she drew out her claw-like weapon as Hiiragi flashed out a huge _Basho _fan. Quizzical and slightly amused, the British female lowered her centre of gravity with her bluish white claws gleaming under the spotlight as she taunted with a smirk. The blonde male demurely dusted his pants before placing his finger on his lips.

"Please go easy on me, Hoshimura-_sama_," he blushed albeit slightly as a shy smile appeared on his lips.

Florence shuddered at the fashion before removing herself from the distraction. _This guy... what the world... why is it... his murderous intent is so...?_

In a blinding flash, Hiiragi vanished until Florence managed to sputter and saw a soulless Hiiragi striking her down with his bladed fan. His orange eyes glittered, enraged, as he continued to strike her only to have her form disappear before him. Florence kicked him from behind, forcing him to skid against the cement with a ferocious snarl. The Flash Goddess sprinted towards him before lashing out nylon strings from her claws as the male leapt and evaded all her attempts to bind him or tear him apart. However, Hiiragi replayed the same technique and this time sent her down.

"Goodbye, Hoshimura-_sama_."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Upon noticing the loss, Ryuuzaki-_sensei _shook her head while watching the next set of players come down. From Rikkai Dai's area, a silver haired male sauntered in along with a bespectacled brunette. A visible creased appeared in her wrinkled forehead as she analysed the situation. Rikkai Dai always won the matches without breaking much sweat but now with them throwing off their weights and limiters all save for one certain Trickster who sauntered down with his lax composure, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ shuddered at remembering the dangerous monsters behind those middle school faces.

Upon seeing the last match, Sanada folded his arms as a small smirk curved up his lips. "Everyone, take off your weights. Play at full power."

The chants howled and deafened anyone nearby, seeing that Rikkai's players began removing their limiters. Kirihara dumped his in his bag while Marui shrugged his off before throwing it aside somewhere. Jackal slid his off while walking off to find where Marui had thrown his. Yagyuu silently removed his as his Doubles partner stood up with a snort. The tension increased as the aura thickened in the air, causing Rikkai Dai bystanders to roar wildly in a complete uproar.

"Niou, remove your power wrist," Sanada sternly reprimanded upon seeing the Trickster with his still tightly latched on. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

Niou scoffed before returning his glare with a nonchalant shrug. "Don't glare at me like that. I'll decide when I want to take them off."

"Hoi hoi, let's do this Oishi," a cheerful energetic voice snapped Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ from her mulling as she found Oishi and Eiji making their way down into the court.

The bouncy redhead alleviated the seriousness of the situation as Oishi calmly stood next to the acrobat before examining the condition of his wrist. However, the black haired doubles expert warily glanced at the other two. The brunette maintained a serious face whereas the other didn't even seem intimidated despite his own vice captain snapping at him. Oishi shivered slightly at the aura as he recalled how many times they had dreamed in facing Rikkai's amazing doubles pairs. He never expected however that the most dangerous one would appear in front of them as their opponent. Eiji often fantasized of beating the best doubles players out there but did he have it in him to be as manipulative as the Trickster at the other end? After watching the previous match, anxiety throbbed in his head taunting him with the knowledge of the importance of his match.

"Are you done daydreaming," Niou drawled before stifling a slight yawn.

Yagyuu chided his doubles partner with a tap of his racquet. "Niou-_kun_, don't insult people like that. They're probably still getting accustomed to the surrounding."

"Who cares," Niou shrugged nonchalantly as a mischievous smirk appeared on his face when he found his leading lady at the bleachers. "Besides, I can't afford to lose today."

Isane suddenly felt her face become increasingly hot as she cowered behind Hitomi. "Hitomi, it's that smirk again."

"Uchiha Isane is a sucker for the 'bad boy smirk'," Hitomi scribbled down with an evil business-like smile, mounting her pen on her ear. "I find that quite adorable really."

"Hitomi-_chan_," the silver haired Sniper yelped as she tried to slap the notebook out of the blonde's hand. "Please don't announce that!"

The dancing _tensai_ giggled at the redness of Isane's face with her molten amber eyes glimmering with amusement. "_Senpai_, you're really hopeless. Besides, that's already an obvious fact with your vermillion face and all."

Kiyone giggled impishly before clapping her hands, singing cheekily. "Yay, Trickster-_san_ and Sniper-_senpai_ are gonna end up together~!"

Mai flicked Kiyone's knee, shushing down the other team members while earning a whine and pout from the youngest volleyist. "Guys, let's just concentrate on the match okay? I'm sure _buchou_'s gonna want to know what happened while she's out there."

"That's why God gave us brains to invent cameras," Haruka fished out a camcorder in her bag, accessing the recording option.

"Fifty yen says it's full of pictures of Pachinko Head-_san_," Kiyone sang yet again as the pinkette clamped her hand over the sandy blonde volleyist's mouth, flushing madly.

Rin snatched the camera and began examining it, wondering about the appearance of an error message. "Haru-_chan..._"

"Yeah," Haruka diverted her attention to the Black Dragon. "What is it?"

"There's no memory card," _Heilongjiang _popped open a latch that housed the small SD memory card. "I think we left it inside your computer."

Haruka groaned into her hand before rummaging through the dark abyss known as her bag, realizing that she had forgotten to put it back after uploading all evidences of projects and Kiyone's bet. "Dangit, hopefully nobody even bothers to try and hacking through the password."

"The Doubles One match of the Kantou Tournament finals will now begin between Rikkai Dai's Yagyuu-Niou pair versus Seishun Gakuen's Oishi-Kikumaru pair!"

As Oishi continued calming his inner self, he warily took the baseline while focusing on the match. However, the mischievous smirk plastered all over the Rikkai Dai Trickster's face easily unnerved him as the pounding of his heart echoed even louder in his ears. Blood rushed back and forth as his palms became clammy and sweaty, nearly prompting him to drop his racquet. However, his forehead got flicked as the black haired Seishun Gakuen vice captain found a very effervescent Kikumaru Eiji wagging his finger in a disapproving manner.

"Nyah, just stay cool Oishi," Kikumaru grinned childishly, giving him the 'v' symbol. "Don't worry so much! Oishi, look behind you nyah~!"

"There he is," a familiar voice echoed into Oishi's ears, causing the black haired vice captain to direct his attention towards the bleachers.

A woman stood there with her husband along with a little baby giggling along with the loud cheering coming from the Seigaku supporters. Oishi warmly smiled back as the baby waved energetically at him while blowing him a raspberry, earning a small laugh from the mother. Kikumaru grinned at the lightened tension coming from his doubles partner, slapping Oishi's back affectionately. The pressure lifted off his shoulders as a reassuring smile appeared on Oishi's lips.

"Now we really can't lose Eiji," Oishi emphasized on the "can't" as he spun his racquet on the ground determinedly. "Let's strike first!"

Kikumaru jumped energetically, running to the service box. "Alright, you can count on me –_aibou_!"

Niou scoffed with disinterest, rolling his eyes indifferently as he faced Kikumaru. "You're a little too invigorated to be celebrating."

Oishi began his service, ignoring the beads of sweat pouring down his face. Yagyuu quickly fired it towards Kikumaru who pounded the ball back to the Trickster. Niou lazily smirked before slapping the ball back towards them in which the black haired vice captain managed to cover up for Kikumaru. As the Moon Volley flew into the air, the red haired acrobat opted for his new technique that he had experimented on Saeki of Rokkaku for and confused the periwinkle haired Trickster for a moment. However, Kikumaru got himself blasted by the tennis ball that sent him sprawling out on the floor.

"E-Eiji," Oishi darted towards his fallen doubles partner before glaring at the _Petenshi_.

"_Puri~,_" Niou smirked while watching the stretcher come in and haul Eiji away. "That's two for Rikkai and zero for Seigaku."

_That's right; Inui said there was someone in Rikkai he didn't have data on,_ Oishi bit the nail on his thumb, recalling all the data Inui informed them of all except one player. _If I remember right, it was the Trickster of the Courts – Niou Masaharu._

An ambulance rushed in with the people overlooking the situation with suspense, wondering if the red haired boy could still play. However, Kikumaru had taken a pretty good hit to the head – creating a minor concussion and thus needed him to be brought to the hospital. As the red haired acrobat was hauled away, Oishi bit his lip as he fought back his trembling. The weight of their quick defeat slammed into his face, sending his world in complete disarray and the whole crowd into a wave of fear. Oishi's shoulders shuddered; the vice captain realized the idea of his comeback match made him subconsciously overlook one thing and caused a disastrous miscalculation.

"_Zannen... munnen... mataraishu_," Niou sniggered while watching the whole situation from where stood, mounting his racquet on his shoulder. ["Better luck next time"]

Upon hearing Niou's words, something within Oishi snapped loudly in his ears. His eyes narrowed visibly and darkly as the grip on his racquet tightened up with his nails digging into his palm before slowly turning to face the guiltless Trickster. The silver blue haired trickster lazily tossed his racquet around while loosening the cracks in his neck while Yagyuu quiet remained behind the net.

Oishi winced visibly at Niou's words before wheeling around with a snap. "You bastard, you did this to Eiji on purpose!"

"Oishi, that's enough," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ rose from her seat, trying to appease the normally calm vice captain.

"But Ryuuzaki-_sensei_," Oishi protested only to be firmly interrupted by his coach, knowing it was a wiser choice to snap his mouth shut.

"It was an accident, Oishi."

Seeing the sequence of unfortunate events, Rin glared daggers at Niou for a moment as she rolled up her sleeves and unhesitatingly lunged at him. "That's it – lemme at him!"

Haruka latched her arms onto the other angry short-tempered vice captain, struggling against Rin's struggling and wriggling. "Thank God she's not Ayane!"

Isane disapprovingly shook her head before averting her eyes from the tennis court, twiddling with her thumbs. _Hasn't he ever tried playing without hurting people physically for once?_

Niou chuckled before sparing another glance to Isane at the bleachers but his face changed from his cocky smirk into a crestfallen one when he saw her disappointingly watching the match. Yagyuu noticed a slight shift in emotion in his Doubles partner who seemingly stared for a long time at the bleachers at the lanky silver haired aggressive baseliner_. _The Gentleman relaxed his hand on Niou's shoulder but the Trickster didn't bother looking at him either but continued to gaze at the sidelines.

Meanwhile, the acrobat struggled to fight against the numbness of his body. Nothing in his body would comply with his signals to move but he could feel that someone was carrying him off somewhere. All his cries to Oishi in telling the people to put him down remained locked in his mind. Every motor nerve in his body froze with terror, recalling the impact of the tennis ball straight into his eye.

_Didn't we promise to win the Nationals together?_

_Flashback_

First year Kikumaru Eiji snorted in boredom until he overheard the criticisms pertaining to the soon-to-be vice captain of Seigaku in both the hallways and the tennis courts. Some of the older students noted how he, Oishi Syuuichiro, would follow after Tezuka like a dog or more bluntly put how he was hanging around the soon-to-be captain like droppings from a goldfish. Kikumaru frowned a bit even hearing how despite his plain tennis made it to become a reserve for the practice matches. As far as he was concerned, he'd have to be as good as Tezuka to easily attain that position.

_What's with this Oishi guy,_ Kikumaru absentmindedly twirled his racquet over his wrist before illuminating up with an idea. "Prepare to be punished by Kikumaru-_sama_'s acrobatics!"

Practice passed on normally with the twelve year old Kikumaru Eiji absorbing compliments about his acrobatics and level of skill from his opponent. The freshmen were ordered to pick up the tennis balls as practice slowly came to an end which allowed the _nekojin _to his plan into action. Then, the red haired boy quickly challenged Oishi who readily accepted but realized at the latter end how fast Kikumaru's reflexes were.

"How's my acrobatics," Kikumaru performing his signature in between the legs shot as he slammed the ball far beyond Oishi's reach, tumbling over for a recovery.

"Game, Kikumaru: three games to one!"

Oishi stumbled a bit, seeing how fast Kikumaru could contort his body in all sorts of directions and look like he could still keep up his consistency until the tiebreaker. However, visible beads of sweat pouring down both their faces although the acrobat looked like that plants were bound to grow on the court due to the sweat or a raincloud had mysteriously appeared above his head and drenched whatever spot he stood in. Oishi wiped some sweat off his cheekbones before gathering some of his wits back from the last assault.

"Yay, what's wrong Oishi," Kikumaru jeered from the other side, cracking out an arrogant smirk. "How did you get to the reserve status when your skill level's just that horrible?"

However, Oishi shook away the daze as he composed himself again – bewildering the red haired feline boy with his response.

"Your movements are truly amazing. I cannot predict your attacks at all," Oishi smiled kindly at the other boy, wiping away the sweat from his brow. "Would you like to play doubles with me?"

Kikumaru grinned cheekily, tossing the ball up into the air and ignoring him completely. "What are you talking about? Your movements are too simple and are easy to read, hoi!"

Despite the speed of the rally, Kikumaru felt his chest tightening up for more air and watched Oishi slide back and forth to return his shots. Kikumaru somersaulted with an underhand shot which Oishi lowered his centre of gravity for to drive it down the line. The _nekojin_ punched his hips for more power as the ball sped from his backhand and zoomed straight towards the other boy's left side.

_He's surprisingly persistent,_ Kikumaru pursed his lips into a thin line, chasing down another of his shots. _I'll finish him in one shot!_

However, the result slapped Kikumaru's face and the red haired boy stood there completely stunned, horrified and drained of the colour of his face, revealing to everyone the most flabbergast expression he could muster.

"Game, Oishi: six games to four!"

Kikumaru gaped before shaking his head in denial, pulling his hair out in horror. "What? No, impossible! No way! Time out! Wait a second, that was just practice! I'm gonna take you seriously right now!"

Seeing his determination, Oishi simply shrugged. "Eh? That's fine with me..."

However, no matter what strategy Kikumaru came up with – Oishi anticipated three steps ahead of him. The red haired acrobat found himself completely frustrated by this bowl-cut haired boy with his plain boring tennis. The _nekojin_ increased the speed of his rallies; Oishi returned them in the same method and again defeated the latter in his own territory. Finally irritated and fed up, Kikumaru sulked away to his usual place of serenity: the green dumpster.

"Damn it," Kikumaru mulled over inwardly before glancing at his racquet and then at the sunset coloured sky, watching the clouds drift off the horizon. "Why can't I beat the boring guy? He's not even that strong! It pisses me off!"

A loud _clang_ to the dumpster caused Kikumaru to reel back in shock as he found his boring opponent volleying against the dumpster again and again. The boy couldn't help but stare in awe at the other who practiced without letting the ball zip past him. With his motion sight ability, the ball remained completely clear to him but the neon green ball created a streaming line that according to his knowledge had to be extremely talented like in his words "Tezuka-talented". Oishi gnashed his teeth together as the next shot sprung away from his racquet and collided against the solid metal green wall, inspiring Kikumaru with an idea.

"Oishi," Kikumaru stood up, earning the boy's attention. "Until I can defeat you, I'll play doubles with you!"

_Eh? This isn't exactly what I had in mind, _Oishi gaped, completely puzzled as Kikumaru offered his hand.

"During that time, I'll find out all your weaknesses! I'm Kikumaru Eiji by the way," the red haired boy grinned impishly back at him, pulling up the black haired boy. "But, you can call me, Eiji."

_End of Flashback_

Re-inspiring his resolve and determination, Kikumaru impressed everyone with his new revival with a handstand spring off the stretcher and landing right next to Oishi.

"Be prepared to be punished by Kikumaru-_sama_'s acrobatics," Kikumaru fiercely slapped himself out of a daze, grinning cheekily at the Rikkai Dai pair.

Yagyuu calmly congratulated the two. "In any way, I'm glad it was nothing serious."

Niou clucked his tongue in amusement before wheeling around to position himself at the other side of the court, raking his hair indifferently. "_Puri_, the terror has just begun."

As the match resumed, Oishi played in amazement as his doubles partner quickly recovered from his last blow. Kikumaru often times would just wait for Oishi's orders but now – Kikumaru learned how to function independently without losing the synchronization with him. The vice captain made a mental note to thank Momoshiro later on for expanding his partner's horizons during the Hyotei match between Gakuto and Oshitari. However, he froze when Kikumaru started moving fast enough to create phantasms of himself and nearly throwing Niou off and despite the failure [being hit by the tennis ball] – the red haired acrobat refused to surrender as Niou found himself again victim to his special step. The Golden Pair half pondered for a moment how long Kikumaru had been working on that new technique but reminded himself to ask Fuji.

Niou narrowed his eyes, irritated as Kikumaru continuously repeated the same tactic. The effect in itself would have made any average tennis player dizzy and confused but Niou instead looked down and watched the pattern of the acrobat's feet.

_Left, right, left, right, left, right, _Niou rolled his eyes and kept up with Kikumaru's instantaneous movement and bursts of energy, smirking as he noticed a certain point of hesitation. _He's at the left!_

Striking at Kikumaru's right side, Niou assumed the red haired _nekojin_'s blind spot only to have the boy twist his body in the air and attack the ball head on.

"Kikumaru Bazooka," Kikumaru grinned before shooting it far past Niou.

"Fifteen all," –Seishun Gakuen students' eyes glimmered hopefully as their chanting and cheering became louder than ever.

Yagyuu sauntered to Niou who lazily supported his racquet on his shoulder. "It's time to stop playing around, Niou."

Niou snickered at the Gentleman, regaining some interest to play seriously. "_Puri_."

"After all," Yagyuu adjusted his glasses a bit, smirking ghostly at the Trickster and gesturing to the audience. "You cannot afford to embarrass yourself in front of your "lady luck"."

The silver blue haired Trickster averted his glance to Isane who smiled shyly from the stands as he flipped his racquet around with a mischievous glint reflecting off his bright blue eyes. He dejectedly stared at his weights before sparing Seishun's Golden Pair a glance.

Suddenly, a snigger engraved itself on his expression and earned him a few quizzical looks and some completely bewildered and horrified.

Kikumaru eagerly repeated the same strategy and although Niou figured out which side the acrobatic player would appear in, Oishi covered up for him with a time difference attack and rendered his poach useless. The audience stared in amazement and awe at the synchronicity of both players and with no signals nonetheless, remaining completely silent as the ball cracked off their racquets.

"We can actually win this," Horio exclaimed, stamping his foot on the ground gleefully.

Inui however shook his head all-knowingly. "It's only for now since Yagyuu hasn't used it yet."

"Used what," the Ichinen Trio redirected their eyes to ask for an explanation only to see the ball zoom extremely fast right past the Golden Pair.

Inui murmured while obtaining new data, closing his eyes ruefully. "Yagyuu's famous technique... The Laser Beam and known for its one-shot guaranteed kill speed. Nobody has been witnessed being able to return it and perhaps only someone on _buchou_'s calibre may have a chance to repel the technique."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Clucking her tongue in disgust, Florence dashed away from Hiiragi's last attempt to tear her body in half. The honey haired British female quickly vanished from his line of sight before landing a kick on his back and sent him sprawling to the floor. The formerly meek male rampaged with an assault of blade fans slashing through the grounds and creating deep crevices which flung dust and debris into the Jyosei Shounan captain's vision. She peeked a bit at her CHroME before taking a stance to spring back at her opponent and collide her fist with his abdomen, forcing him to stagger back for a retreat. Hiiragi rushed towards her again with a huge whirlwind appearing from his fan and blasted her towards the wall behind her.

Noticing that her Jyosei Shounan uniform being torn apart and revealing her L.X.A latex armour, Florence pursed her lips into a thin line before pulling out her own CHroME to defend from his attacks. A flurry of punches followed up soon after with her dodging every attempt before she landed another kick to his knees and sent him doubling over. Letting out a feral snarl, Hiiragi unleashed another hurricane again for a flesh-tearing wind which Florence managed to run from despite some part of her tresses getting caught and now earning split-ends. A frown marred her features as she slid under him as he attempted a flying kick before hitting him straight under.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt," Fuuka winced mockingly, smirking at Florence's manoeuvre. "Castrate him if you need to!"

Florence groaned in disgust at the Seishun female's suggestion, shaking her head disdainfully. "Now why would I want to do that?"

"Cause he's trying to hammer your ass," Fuuka retorted while raising an eyebrow, narrowly dodging a stray pressurized wind cutter. "Florence, better speed it up!"

"I'm working on it," Florence hollered back before tearing against the man's upper torso with her razor claw weapons. "Unlike your preference for complete and brutal demolition, I prefer finesse!"

Fuuka grinded her teeth together, bristling at Florence's snappy retort. "Screw elegance, Hoshimura! You're more cutthroat than this crazy," –referring to the brunette cleaning her CHroME. "This crazy brunette who can barely commit homicide on someone without crying out guiltily or apologizing!"

Shizuru, pinching the bridge of her nose, shook her head dejectedly before advising the honey haired British girl. "No use beating around the bush, _senpai_."

Florence nodded weakly, restraining her urge to let out a whooping cough. Her body wobbled after all the running and their attacks destroyed the whole battle floor, leaving nothing but debris of cement lying all over the place. Hiiragi inhaled deeply before batting his eyelashes demurely, earning a disgusted snort from Fuuka. Natsuki shook her head with a contorted look of bewilderment while Shizuru twitched a bit at his mannerisms.

"Hoshimura-_sama_," he bowed courteously, mournfully smiling at the teenager. "I do not wish to battle such a beautiful woman such as yourself but if you persist – I will dice you and feed your entrails to the dogs. After all, that is the predicament of those who do not survive and thrive properly in this bloody environment."

Florence chuckled darkly, shaking her head sombrely. "Then I'm afraid you'll have to attempt to tear me apart because – if you don't, you're going to be the one with a tragic death."

Hiiragi mournfully shook his head until his demure smile suddenly became demonic. "Really – I wonder..."

He suddenly vanished, rattling and agitating the other female as she found the top of her combat suit completely shredded off. Florence reeled back to start her attack only to have herself get the lower part of her pants torn off. Her blue eyes flickered with annoyance as Florence shook herself out of the agitation but Hiiragi seemingly disappeared from her line of sight. She quickly tried to soothe her nerves and pounding heartbeat but realized seconds late that Hiiragi had remained behind her and trapped her in a half nelson, strangling her in the process.

"You have auditioned yourself for such a dramatic tragedy," he mournfully shook his head, drawing his fan blade back and revealed a knife glinting maliciously. "It's such a terrible fate for the beautiful."

Florence bit her lip hard, arguing with her pride over practicality. As Hiiragi prepared to impale her through, the honey brunette noticed her CHroME lying on the cement as she desperately tried to relieve herself of the male only to screech in agony as the blade protruded at the other end of her body with her blood dripping out of her abdomen and mouth. Silence filled the whole room until the audience howled and cried out for more violence and even ordered for her death. Red crimson droplets decorated the floor as Kajimoto's female counterpart hacked and coughed violently while trying to regain control of her senses.

"Florence-_senpai_," Shizuru panicked, gaping in horror.

"Son of a bitch," Fuuka unveiled her CHroME, narrowing her eyes with a deathly glare. "That's it; you're going to kiss the sunlight goodbye!"

Ai shivered with tears slipping out of her eyes before bellowing in a terrible rage; her CHroME glowing with a bright green colour and veins bulging at her temples. "MURDERER, MURDERER, MURDERER!"

Hiiragi drew back, terrified and revolted as he released Florence from her lock before staring in horror at the bluenette whose once innocent façade disintegrated to reveal a vengeful satanic glare. Recovering from the impact, she found the male member of the Ninja Five staggering back as Ai unhesitatingly lunged at him with her CHroME shining in a brighter light that engulfed her body and instead revealed a navy blue skinned one horned quadruple winged humanoid with three pupils in one eye and her sclera becoming completely yellow, maintaining only Ai's true hair colour which extended all the way to her feet. The former Rikkai Dai captain revealed a flowing armoured skirt and a halo with blades protruding with appendages as claws began to form at the tips of her fingers before snarling angrily and hungrily at the blood splattered on Hiiragi's body. Florence froze to the ground with her body, shivering fearfully at the demon. Ai screamed bloody murder and paralysed everyone with horror as her bloody wail echoed throughout the hallway. The audience remained silent as Ai savagely unleashed her berseker fury against Hiiragi.

"Ai, stop," Florence let out a raspy cough, drawing her blood unto her CHroME.

_Judged by their sins and by their goodness,_

_Gate of the Scales, Libra's Redemption!_

A full howl of wind burst forth from Florence's CHroME, knocking down Hiiragi and shoving Ai off the platform. Ami, covering her mouth and the colour pouring down her face, trembled violently as Ai's body pulsed with more power and changing her mentality to that more of a beast. The female Yukimura violently thrashed around, recognizing neither friend nor foe.

"Crap, she's going through Coronation," Fuuka unleashed her CHroME, striking a match against it.

_Suffering by the hand of Jason of Argos,_

_Gate of the Ram – Aries's Scourge!_

However, before Fuuka could transform completely – Shizuru leapt up high into the air before pushing Ai's face against the ground. The Rikkai Dai sophomore struggled and wailed loudly, sending shivers up everyone's spines. Bodily fluids dripped from every edge of Ai's body along with extreme amounts of energy, nearly suffocating Shizuru if not for her CHroME as she pierced it through with her halberd. Blue clashed with green as it screamed straight into the air, blasting a hole through the roof. Hiiragi repeatedly begged for mercy only to have Ai desperately try to shake off Shizuru's attempts to pin her down.

"Damn it," Natsuki pulled out her CHroME and pistol, beckoning to Florence. "Hoshimura, finish the match!"

Florence, nodding in agreement, launched herself towards Hiiragi before allowing Ai to unleash another volley of attacks. With a swift kick to the stomach, Florence forced her opponent to keel over after switching her target to Ai. The bluenette unleashed a claw which nearly pierced through the British female as the Rikkai female let out a terrible feral snarl before lunging towards Ninja Five's dancer once more. However, a blue light consumed them as Ai reverted back to normal with Shizuru heavily breathing in attempt to slow down her heartbeat.

"Never thought it would be possible," Shizuru exhaled sharply, smiling in relief.

Florence, Natsuki and Fuuka exhaled deeply while looking at the damage caused by the bluenette alone. The Shitenhouji captain scratched her head sheepishly while averting her gaze from the audience and directed it instead to the competitors who were still shivering fearfully at the war-torn female Yukimura.

Ami unsheathed a few knives hidden in her _kimono_ sleeve, grinning. "So, what are we waiting for? Anybody want a battle royale out there?"

The crowd howled in delight as all members of Ninja Five lunged towards the girls, revealing their weapons as the four girls prepared to receive their fury. Fuuka's CHroME took form of full-cloaked red horned gauntlets with her mallet cracking open to reveal the insignia of Aries emblazed on Fuuka's hip on her left side along with a one-sided horned helmet. Natsuki summoned her Capricorn Deception with her slate charcoal hair blowing with the wind as her familiar rampaged against Inugami once more. Florence, with the wind billowing behind her, unleashed her claws along with a protrusion of nylon strings as they slashed through her opponent, Hiiragi. Yusuf, despite his bleeding state, lunged with his fists as Shizuru dodged them elegantly before sweeping him off his feet.

"Well, well, well," Ami chuckled arrogantly before throwing a few knives at Fuuka; she slowly smiled. "I didn't know Katsuki's little angel could go brazen."

Fuuka glared darkly at the elder, swinging her hammer to defend. "She submitted to her Coronation. I'm surprised Kurenai synchronized brainwaves and pulled her back. That whole process is a one way path and once down it, you can't return."

Ami shrugged nonchalantly, unravelling her ribbon before snaking it towards Fuuka and thus wrapping it around the mallet's stick. "Oh – I haven't seen you enter a Coronation state."

"Nor do I ever plan to, to satisfy my curiosity," Fuuka hurled her mallet before clashing it against the ground, creating a huge crater beneath Ami who managed to jump out of the way.

Ami, snickering inwardly, observed Fuuka lunge towards her with a venomous glare as her mallet came in contact with other things. Flame burst forth and incinerated part of her _kimono_ sleeve, initiating a full-out war as the former senior kicked the red head in the gut and sent the girl reeling backwards. Shizuru lashed out her double edged blade as Yusuf desperately tried tearing it off his neck. Ai remained unconscious as Natsuki had her familiar and her to defend the both of them. Florence drew out her scales as Hiiragi nearly strangled her only to find himself trapped by a huge tornado that began shredding him through.

"Oh my," Maya dodged a flying chunk of debris, cowering fearfully behind the commentator desk. "This has turned out to be a full team battle!"

The audience demanded more violence as Natsuki inserted three bullets into Inugami's leg and Shizuru knocked out Yusuf for an indefinite period of time.

"What happened," Ai looked up innocently, rubbing her eyes after awakening from her unconscious state. "Did something happen?"

Florence zipped right next to her before slashing down Hiiragi, kicking him away. "You were nearly crowned. Luckily, Shizuru pulled you back since she's pretty much an expert in energy control."

Ai remained silent, standing up before punching her chest and closing her eyes.

_Astraea shall judge thee,_

_Gate of the Virgin, Virgo's Touch!_

White wings sprouted themselves from Ai's back as her joints became hock-jointed with her hair flowing animatedly with razor sharp blades. As Florence vanished from Hiiragi's line of sight, the younger Yukimura took her stance before lashing her hair towards the male and constricting them as tightly as possible. As one came up behind her, Ai furiously shaped it into a drill before skewering the attacker through and pummelling him into the wall. He lavender eyes glinted angrily with her energy flaring up as feathers shot out and stabbing them through. Shizuru quickly withdrew her powers while the others evaded Ai's unsuspecting assault as Ninja Five fell to oblivion.

"We should have let Ai beat them shitless," Fuuka snorted before inactivating her CHroME, glancing at the opposing team pitifully. "She really knows how to be a Yukimura."

Florence rolled her eyes, earning a disgruntled snort from the Seishun Gakuen senior. "That's because she's cloned from Yukimura Seiichi, remember? Technically, she's what people refer to as a _homunculus_."

"A CHroME transmuted into a human," Natsuki tapped her chin while reassessing the possibilities. "Where did they get the intelligence to do that?"

Shizuru however remained occupied with other thoughts. The kidnapping of her vice captain made no sense and locating her down here would be possible although the chances of her already being dead were at least 90 percent. Quickly cancelling the pessimistic scenario, the Hyotei captain steeled herself to address the problem at hand as the Rikkai Dai sophomore brought upon a berserker outrage towards the other members – some who have not even began their battle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Oishi found himself baffled by the speed of Yagyuu's famous Laser Beam as it screamed past him right in between Eiji and him, rubbing his eyes constantly to see any change of consistency. However, the attack quickly streamed past them again – rendering Kikumaru's motion sight to be more of a liability rather than an asset as the red haired acrobat founding himself gasping and heavily breathing to maintain his focus. The vice captain quickly ransacked his memory for any countermeasure but his latest attempt caused him to trip over his feet and crash against the pavement of the court. Yagyuu massaged his wrists while staring intently at the struggling Golden Pair of Seigaku, giving them an acknowledged smile.

"Oishi," Kikumaru started poking his best friend with concern written all over his face, examining every inch of his doubles partner. "Are you okay, _nyah_?"

Oishi shook himself away from the bewilderment of seeing the insane speed of the Laser Beam. Yagyuu showed no fatigue despite performing the attack in succession without losing any accuracy at all, causing Oishi to remember Ryuuzaki-_sensei_'s reminders about Rikkai Dai Team having seven "Tezuka's" in one roster. The accuracy and the speed of the attack paralysed both him and Kikumaru in a single strike, reviving a wave of helplessness and anxiety as it washed over him.

_It's just as Inui mentioned – Yagyuu's famous shot: The Laser Beam!_

Yagyuu chuckled lightly, watching them trying to regain their composure. "Golden Pair... You play good tennis."

Kawamura narrowed his eyes at the situation. "That passing shot was really fast, wasn't it?"

"That was incredible," Momoshiro grit his teeth before smiling grimly. "He was able to shoot in between the two of them with pinpoint accuracy."

The honey haired male _tensai_ wrinkled his nose slightly, gripping the railings tightly. "If they focus too much on the laser, their attacks will become passive," –watching Yagyuu toss the tennis ball for the next service. "This is a dangerous situation."

Yagyuu cracked his service as Kikumaru dove for it, accidentally lobbing it and leaving Niou with a chance shot. Oishi quickly regrouped for his fallen partner as Kikumaru desperately attempted everything to recover and discover a weakness in the attack. However, the ball zoomed quickly past them without any difficulty as both players stubbornly challenged the shot to find a way to return it.

"Game, Rikkai: one game all!"

Shishido let out a disgruntled snort, folding his arms. "It's become a one-sided match already. His hands and feet can't react to the speed of that laser and to think he's stubbornly trying to challenging those shots just to experiment with all sorts of crap he has for a potential counter-attack."

Oshitari nodded bitterly, adjusting his glasses. "Right now, Rikkai has complete control of the match."

Momoshiro gnashed his teeth in frustration, racking every possible method to counter the Laser Beam. He directed his attention to the score: 2-1 with Rikkai Dai leading. The Dunk Smash specialist knocked his fists together hard, coming up with a completely blank slate. The speed of the technique proved to be more monstrous than imagined; nobody probably had the ability to return it unless they're extremely talented like Echizen or god-like comparable to Tezuka. Silence filled the court as Seishun Gakuen nervously awaited any response from their famous Golden Pair until Oishi broke out a small smile.

"Eiji, it's slower than we thought – isn't it?"

Kikumaru grinned energetically, ignoring the beads of sweat pouring down his face. "Yep – thanks to your strategy, my eyes have gotten used to the speed now!"

The two knocked racquets together, furrowing Yagyuu's eyebrows in irritation.

_He dared to use off-speed shots to challenge my technique so that Kikumaru's eyes could get used to the speed of the Laser Beam, _Yagyuu wrinkled his nose before narrowing his eyes at Seishun Gakuen's vice captain. His hand still trembled from the recoil of his consecutive use of the technique but the Gentleman quickly disguised his fatigue.

_That Oishi Syuuichiro – he's truly a frightening man._

The whole audience of Seishun Gakuen supporters whooped for joy as their eyes glimmered hopefully for a change in the climax. Freshmen jumped on the railing, cheering loudly as Kikumaru and Oishi prepared themselves for the next shot.

"Watch closely, this is Seishun Gakuen's Golden Pair!"

Yagyuu grunted as he readied the Laser Beam, restraining his anger. "Return my shot first before you start celebrating."

The Laser Beam flew as the red haired _nekojin_ grinned mischievously before diving down to catch the shot, much to the Gentleman's dismay. The shot flashed back to Yagyuu, exploding right in between him and Niou which erupted a loud howl and cheer from Seigaku. Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ applauded lightly as her lips curved up into a thin smile, watching the infinite growth of the Golden Pair. Rikkai Dai's supporters however stared in complete and utter dismay and shock as Kikumaru gave Oishi a high five. Soon, the Golden Pair revealed their old-time favourite as Kikumaru sauntered to the middle of the net while Oishi took his position behind the red haired acrobat.

"Awesome, it's the Australian Formation," Horio cheered as he punched the air.

"Ooooh, this is really getting interesting!"

"Are those guys going to bring down the reign of Rikkai Dai's Doubles One?"

Speculations flew back and forth as Seigaku's chanting increased in volume. Yagyuu stoically returned the shots, despite his futile attempt in masking his surprise. Kikumaru returned the shots with his usual cheeky grin as Yagyuu and Niou played it out with the two. Oishi discovered Yagyuu's shots becoming relatively slower than normal as Kikumaru no longer strained himself to return a speed ball.

"Nice, he has completely read their movements!"

Kirihara however had a huge smirk plastered on his face as he took note of one of his _senpai_ who showed nothing but complete disinterest, shaking his head. "There are some shots that even though you can analyse – you won't be able to return it, am I right Yagyuu-_senpai_?"

The Laser Beam screamed past Oishi and Kikumaru, causing them to reel back in shock as they found Niou firing the Laser Beam.

_What the,_ Oishi rubbed his eyes before replaying the sequence in his memories. _Why did Niou hit the Laser Beam_?

However, Yagyuu scratched his head sheepishly with a sigh. "As expected, the 'real' Laser Beam has a completely different power eh, Yagyuu..."

_Why did he call Niou 'Yagyuu' unless,_ Oishi's face paled when he recalled what Niou said prior to the whole match. _Up until now, the one hitting the Laser Beams was Niou..?_

"_This is when the true terror begins..."_

Yagyuu messed his hair up as it reverted back to its original colour, removed his glasses before revealing a terrifying mischievous smirk.

"_Puri_~," Niou sniggered as he handed back Yagyuu's glasses to him, chuckling darkly at the Golden Pair's predicament. "Thanks for lending me your spare."

"That's quite enough. You're going to go blind one day, Niou-_kun_," Yagyuu grabbed his eyeglasses roughly before inspecting and wiping off the sweat on the rims and frame, frowning a bit at his doubles partner. "If I recall right, you have 20/20 vision?"

Niou raised an eyebrow at his doubles partner, shrugging nonchalantly. "And your point is?"

"Are you that desperate to render yourself blind," Yagyuu chided lightly, checking the grades of his eyeglasses.

However, the whole crowd of Seigaku supporters began an uproar as two Niou's appeared before them with a calm smirk curving up their lips.

"The Trickster Niou – there are two of him!"

Inui's lips curved into a thin line before smiling grimly. He remembered recording the simulation of the Laser Beam and somehow, the first several shots were below the normal standards. However, the thought of Niou impersonating Yagyuu never crossed the data master's mind. Comparing the speed of the original Laser Beam and the mimicked one, Inui roughly estimated the speed with all variables included but nothing amounted to the fear that caused Kikumaru to shudder and Oishi to retreat back to square one.

Kirihara smirked as he folded his arms triumphantly, sparing a mocking glance towards Seigaku's Doubles One pair. "As expected, Niou-_senpai_'s a real scary guy but even the Gentleman Yagyuu-_senpai_ is equally as scary. He's grasped all their weaknesses right?"

After re-tying his rat-tail, Niou smirked as he glanced at the lanky Sniper who blushed as crimson as the Hyotei female _tensai_'s hair the moment she saw his mischievous smirk. However, her expression melted into a sorrowful one as she glanced at Seigaku struggling against Rikkai Dai. Niou frowned a bit at her kind-heartedness but shrugged it off nonchalantly before striding past Yagyuu.

"You should check out their faces," Niou's blue eyes sparkled a bit. "They won't be able to defend themselves from two lasers."

The Laser Beam flew consecutively past them with Kikumaru being the only one capable of returning it despite his quick recovery from the first one. Games piled up on Rikkai's side as Oishi and Kikumaru found their play to be faltering all over the place. Sweat profusely dripped from Kikumaru's face as the Laser Beam fired in two opposite directions, cross court while Oishi forced himself to try and repel the shot itself with very little success.

"Game, Rikkai Dai: five games to two!"

Seigaku found their best pair being pounded into the ground ruthlessly; a wave of disheartedness and hopelessness washed over them while watching Kikumaru barely maintaining the consistency of his shots and Oishi playing out every strategy possible to deceive the Trickster and the Gentleman.

"How could this happen," Arai slammed his fists against the rail, crushing it angrily. "That's dirty! They tricked us!"

Momoshiro shook his head bitterly. "Nope Arai, outwitting your opponent is one of the tennis tactics used. On top of that," –directing his attention towards the Illusion specialist. "To be able to hit the Laser Beam at such a high level – he's no ordinary guy."

Katsuo felt tears stinging his eyes, hanging his head sorrowfully. "It's hopeless... It's hopeless... I guess the champions Rikkai are really destined to win this match."

Kaidoh, infuriated, glared holes into the freshman before hanging the almost balding boy by the collar of his shirt. "What did you say! Don't you have any faith in your _senpai_?"

Despite the loud hullabaloo created by Seigaku's resident Viper, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ narrowed her eyes at the outcome of the match. "What an outrageous trick they used. Indeed, Yagyuu who's hitting the Laser Beam along with Niou who is performing a fairly close imitation of the Laser Beam. They really do have seven Tezuka's on their team."

Oishi exhaled sharply as Eiji desperately attempted to reboot his senses.

"But," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ folded her arms and smirked before patting the two on the shoulders, causing shock to evidently splash itself on the two boy's expressions. "You two don't plan on letting it end like this now do you? After all, who often quoted that 'There are unlimited possibilities in doubles?' If you're not going to use that formation, when are you actually intending to utilize it?

"Alright, Rikkai Dai has one more game!"

"We're invincible Rikkai Dai!"

Niou rolled his eyes sarcastically at the cheers thundering about while spinning the racquet around. However, he scowled slightly after noticing the expression of Isane's face that foretold a lot of compassion she held for the losing pair. Despite this, Niou knew and simply obeyed the unspoken law of Rikkai Dai: one must never lose – no matter what the circumstance. He cringed slightly at the memory when Sanada had that pounded and thumped into his memory ever since freshman year. The silver-haired _Petenshi_ maintained his poker face but even a sad face from Isane slowly chipped away his resolve.

_Typical, I've always been casted as the villain, _Niou dejectedly raked his fingers through his silver blue hair, averting his gaze from the Sniper.

"Let's close the curtain on this game already, Niou-_kun_," Yagyuu determinedly faced his opponents, redirecting the Trickster's attention.

However, their expressions threw Yagyuu completely off-track.

Kikumaru continued spinning his racquet and balancing it on his wrist whereas Oishi discarded his usual gentle demeanour.

_The atmosphere is different now,_ Yagyuu exchanged glances with his doubles partner who did not inch from his spot. _As expected of Niou-kun, looks like he felt it too._

With a determined look, Yagyuu continued bouncing the ball before beginning his service towards Oishi as the chanting and cheering became louder.

_That's fine, I will serve with everything I have... what will your answer be?_

"We came here to win," Oishi lunged forward to receive the service, preparing a strong forehand.

"And only to win," Kikumaru grinned with determination and confidence flashing in his eyes.

As the service crossed the net, Oishi suddenly switched positions with the usual attacker Kikumaru and earned them a complete uproar and shock. The Gentleman himself found their tactic quite baffling although he remained concentrated on the game. Loud jeers erupted from Rikkai on whether or not Oishi had submitted to his fear and anxiety as he chose to attack both Yagyuu and Niou while Kikumaru withdrew for a defence.

"You're too naïve," Niou chuckled humourlessly as he hammered the shot towards the back.

Oishi, finding the shot zipping past him, signalled Kikumaru. "It's out, Eiji!"

Kikumaru, despite using his Doppelganger technique, quickly reverted back to normal as the shot – exactly as Oishi had predicted landed outside the court.

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ smirked while watching the two boys make a startling comeback. "With Oishi standing up front, it gave him the chance to fully analyse their abilities and thus seal the two pesky lasers. Only Niou has been able to have leeway to hit it but as long as Oishi stands in front – he can make full use of his game-making abilities as he starts sending signals to his partner at the back where Kikumaru has a choice to strike anywhere thus broadening the range and variety of attacks. This is what they call... the "Oishi Territory"."

Yagyuu darkly frowned at the situation as Seigaku snatched two games from them. _Does that Oishi have eyes at the back of his head?_

Niou however smirked and began blocking Kikumaru who instantly fell for it and sent a lob.

"Eiji, don't! Niou's just a decoy," Oishi ordered as the ball floated into the air.

"Oops," Kikumaru grit his teeth sheepishly as the ball landed right next to Yagyuu who had a triumphant smirk on his face.

"You both still haven't been able to touch my Laser," Yagyuu sneered as he prepared to fire the shot across.

Niou chuckled darkly at his partner, relaxing a little. _All it needs is one more Laser._

However, a drop shot floated across with Oishi diving down for a return and having Yagyuu to attack it with the real Laser Beam. Seigaku drew back in horror as Rikkai Dai cheered on Yagyuu and Niou for their superior doubles play however; Kikumaru launched himself with his famous "Kikumaru Bazooka" to seal off the other Laser Beam. However, the ball slammed into the net – giving the final match point to Rikkai Dai.

"Game and match, Yagyuu-Niou pair: six games to four!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_'s eyes widened with amazement at the rapid evolution of the two. Rikkai Dai housed the strongest players known in Japan's junior tennis history and these two nearly broke their stronghold. Kikumaru pouted with disappointment with Oishi reassuring him that they would win next time but the old woman failed to conceal the smile on her face. Despite their loss, she knew that the next time they meet – the two would have become more powerful than that pair.

_Now, for the singles matches..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Whoo, that was chapter 45! I know Yukimura Ai went a little insane back there but heck; she is a Yukimura after all and still a kid. Don't worry, there will be other developments and I know I put hints of NiouIsane but I will make sure I load the chapters after this with more romance!**

**Please review!**


	46. Convinced

**Me: Thanks for all the reviews so far! I know you guys are feeling a little awkward with all the action-adventure going on but I promise to put more romance! The last chapter was loaded with gore and stuff but heck – don't want to keep you guys bored now do I? By the way, I do not own Prince of Tennis! Also, please try reading my other stories. I posted two new stories "Beyond the Stars" [Fairytail] and "Providence of Redemption" [Bleach]! Don't forget to review them! Thanks~**

Chapter 46 – Convinced

After rehabilitation and intense therapy for his shoulder, the bespectacled coffee blonde wiped the sweat off his brow before settling himself onto his chair while facing his laptop. The Seishun Gakuen captain frowned slightly before letting a thin line appear on his lips. He held the paper in his hands in which the website where his coach had advised him to go, contemplating whether or not to attempt accessing the website. Tezuka preferred the logical side of things in which it is easily explainable by Science, Math, anything practical or by Inui which led him to glare holes into his laptop. He folded his arms, swivelling the chair around before taking a glance at the clock ticking away.

4:00 PM.

Tezuka redirected his attention to the laptop, wondering if there was anything bet upon. Two scenarios popped into his head: if his coach were correct, he would at least figured out a way how to make signals or suggestions that he liked the brunette. Second scenario would be the worst case in which if left unattended, Sanada would be gaining the upper hand and thanks to Yukimura's prodding and Rikkai Dai's violent over-supportiveness – Sanada would attempt to make a confession and Shizuru would accept it without even knowing his own affections towards her. Although most girls would prefer being fawned over by the two men, Tezuka could not imagine Shizuru being that sort of person. Her sense of responsibility overrode everything that would have made her a fan girl which made him appreciate her company and earned her a few jealous onlookers from his school [most of them fan girls and Fuuka being one of the few who are still "normal"]. However, a smile crept up his lips when he traced his fingers over his own. Despite having quite a hangover from that event, Tezuka distinctly remembered the scent and taste.

_She tasted like honey... strong yet unimposing..._

Upon receiving Fuji's text, Tezuka deleted it on the spot – hoping that his "highly endowed" coach wouldn't try to read and violate his privacy. However, the question nagged him repeatedly as both girls appeared in his mind. Fuuka, being the captain of Seishun, obviously had the drive and motivation that could propel a team. However, her violent outbursts made it almost impossible to reason out with her and even an explosion wouldn't make her change her choice. Shizuru viewed things differently and without any boisterous action instantly commanded the team. However, she didn't have a backbone to insult anyone let alone hurt anyone. To physically injure for small damage then that would be plausible but somehow, he couldn't imagine her taking down people with martial arts unlike Fuuka who had a long juvenile record. Why Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ actually agreed to someone so violent he had no idea why but Tezuka acknowledged that the girls' team wouldn't be anywhere without Fuuka.

He leaned against the backrest of his chair, pondering on the images of Fuuka and Shizuru. Tezuka shook himself out of the daze; he silently berated himself for being irked by trivial matters such as romance.

However, the thought of Sanada escorting Shizuru to the Rikkai Dai Autumn Ball did nothing but drastically decrease the temperature in his room.

Tezuka lamely typed the website address and began rummaging through the forums and stories posted online. The page unlike its indicated address revealed pictures of blue roses and honeysuckles along with an embedded MP3 player to play all sorts of songs. A guestbook loaded with comments filled the page and most of them said how successful the person's ideas were. A frown marred his features as he continued scrolling down. Seeing nothing but compliments, Tezuka found himself completely frustrated for the first time in his life. Nothing seemed helpful until the coffee blonde teenager decided to click on the embedded MP3 player, causing a song by Elliott Yamin to echo around the vicinity.

_How do I get close? _

_When she looks like an angel _

_A moment of her time just seems impossible to me _

_It's hard to find the words, to get to know this stranger _

_I'm scared of what she'll say if what I say sounds incomplete _

_And it feels like we belong together _

_Can someone tell me where do I start? _

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the song before checking the title, wondering whether or not Fate wanted to laugh in his face. The coffee blonde teenager could easily imagine Fuji being the administrator of the website and having a triumphant smirk scrawled across his feminine features but flowers never appealed to the crazy _tensai_. The only flower blooming plant the honey haired _tensai_ appreciated would be the Night Blooming Cereus which his sister had bought for him overseas. After navigating and surfing through pages, he located one of the stories written online by the "Queen of Diamonds". Romance never occurred to him and neither did it become his _forte_. However, one line at the conclusive paragraph quickly caught his eye:

"_Love does not impose yet it forces the walls built around the heart to come down."_

_That's ironic_; Tezuka frowned a bit before he began typing his review and comment about the conclusion. However, the Seishun Gakuen captain could not help but notice the milieu of the story.

_Walking along the tennis camp pathways, Agito exhaled sharply before turning to the crimson-eyed brunette keeping up with his pace. "Saya, do you play tennis for recognition or... is there any factor that contributes to your ability?"_

Tezuka blinked for a few moments, wondering how similar Agito sounded to his mannerisms. The only difference between them would be that this character "Agito" seemed slightly more talkative and straightforward compared to his usual monosyllabic personality. The character portrayed almost his exact reactions – as if, this administrator knew him personally. Tezuka twitched a bit, wondering whether or not Fuji was the crazy administrator but cancelled his suspicions again when he noticed the female companion in the story. Her appearance and description quickly called up the image of a smiling Shizuru in his mind until he snapped himself away from his trance. The bespectacled male proceeded to close the website before he felt his sanity had taken a drastic drop but decided against it when he saw the FAQ portion on the left column. After a few minutes of loading, tips and advises for romance flashed in his face when he noticed multiple people thanking the administrator and publisher. Two familiar names showed up on the screen "_Kansai Casanova" _and "_Queen of Diamonds"_ which caused the boy to continue screening it.

_Posted on: 9/8/2011_

_Relica says: "How do you get a boy to notice you when he is absolutely dense to the point he doesn't understand when a girl flirts with him?"_

_**Kansai Casanova**__: "Simple, you have to make it more obvious or tell him straight. If your object of affection isn't the type for mushy stuff then, the best would be to make it subtle and direct. Although, I'd go for the more romantic approach though."_

_**Queen of Diamonds**__: "I'd start it off with a note. Sometimes, writing things down can make a good foundation for things."_

Tezuka leaned against his palms before weighing his options. Telling Shizuru straight out would jeopardize both reputations, make her a target for fan girls and all other things considered – their tennis careers would suffer. Seigaku's golden boy always never left anything to chance and now he himself found a situation where almost anything was possibly disastrous [in his opinion]. Out of pure amusement, Tezuka decided to leave a comment to see if it would earn any response.

_Posted on: 14/8/2011_

_KT_1007 says: "What do girls appreciate the most?"_

_A simple question will suffice,_ Tezuka warily rechecked his question before erasing and changing the entire dominant impression. After posting it, the Seishun Gakuen captain prepared to shut down his laptop but the song continued playing. His hand halted before clicking the big red 'x' at the rightmost corner as he closed his eyes to listen. The melody soothed his jumping nerves while images started to float through his imagination. Shizuru stood at the other end of the hallway in a pretty white dress with her gentle and sincere crimson red eyes staring back at him while presenting a warm smile, reaching out for his hand. Tezuka let a chuckle bubble from his throat while trying to abandon his fantasies at the back of his head.

_She's always on my mind, there's no room left for thinking _

_I'm tired of waiting slowly fading it needs to happen now. _

_Cuz I'm running out of time and I feel this ship is sinking _

_The doors are closing I am frozen I need her around _

_And it feels like we belong together _

_Can someone tell me where do I start? _

Feeling a sense of calmness and somewhat agreeing with the lyrics, Tezuka shook his head before looking at the name of the song. "Can't Keep Loving You from A Distance" by Elliott Yamin," –he opened the search engine and found several sites with the piece until a notification appeared on the website. _Someone responded already?_

_Posted on: 14/8/2011_

_KT_1007 says: "What do girls appreciate the most?"_

_**Queen of Diamonds**__: "It highly depends. How is this girl like? Although, if you don't want to post it here for all the general public to see - you can e-mail me if you like at backstreetgirl_22793 yahoo. com. jp so you won't be inconvenienced. There are some conversations that can be private but that's at your own discretion."_

Tezuka's eyes widened albeit slightly at the e-mail address; the very same person who collaborated with him in article writing managed this website! The coffee blonde male quickly scanned his messenger list to check who remained online despite the ever changing time zones. Most of his teammates were already asleep but one remained awake, his writing colleague. His mind debated whether or not he should disturb his partner for something so trivial but recalling how Sanada currently had the upper hand quickly settled his issues.

_kt1007: I didn't know you managed a romance website on freewebs._

_backstreetgirl_22793: XD Yeah, surprises surprises huh? So... what's this girl like?_

_kt1007: How can I be very secure on knowing that you will not disclose this sensitive information to anyone?_

_backstreetgirl_22793: Palabra de Honor, signor. :)_

_kt1007: ...What?_

_backstreetgirl_22793: It's a Spanish term that the Spaniards used when they make promises to other clients. The meaning in itself is "Word of Honour"._

Tezuka hesitated for a moment, staring at the white keyboard before wondering how he could describe her. Instead of entering it in the chat box, the teenager opened up a new e-mail tab but inspiration refused to help him as the page remained completely blank. An uneasy stillness settled in his stomach; he contemplated on what words would be best but never could find any. Literature and English always required this from him but most of the time – his topic would be about tennis and something philosophical instead of something whimsical such as getting the girl of your dreams to accept the sincerity of his feelings. His mind ran into a wild confusion, throwing his trail of thought into a topsy turvy chaos while he continued to ponder on how to sketch out her character graphically with words alone.

_Her smile bewitched anyone who glanced at her direction and with an aura of a commander; she gathered a set of people who believed in her ideals as the tennis captain of Hyotei Gakuen. Completely contradictory to the persona of that of the captain of the boys' team Atobe Keigo, she reveals not only in her tennis style but also in her way of dealing with people that she has become the epitome of elegance and simplicity..._

Tezuka furrowed his brows at his first set of sentences before wondering how he could extend it into a paragraph. Inspiration did nothing for him but slowly his hands started typing things out mechanically. Clicks became the only thing audible next to the low humming of the air conditioning unit.

_I once met her when she had yet to become the captain and she already had prominent skills, even managing to corner Sanada – one of Rikkai Dai's demons. Yukimura also admitted that he was impressed by her performance in a sense that she kept up with boys without much difficulty. A smile spread across her face each time the tennis ball collided with her racquet as if she had been given a new toy or a reason to live. "I play tennis because it makes me feel alive," she maintained her trademark benevolent smile while I remained completely astounded by her style of play. She inspired first year students to rise beyond those who have more experience than them and put back together a team that nearly disintegrated, according to certain rumours floating around. _

A crease appeared on Tezuka's forehead as he narrowed his glare at his laptop screen. Seconds slowly transformed into minutes ticking away as he quietly contemplated in front of the blank e-mail.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey Shizuru," Fuuka sauntered out of the bathroom, wiping her face after a steaming bath. "Your laptop doesn't engrave magical runes out of nowhere. What the hell are you waiting for anyway?"

The brunette continued playing the puzzle game she had downloaded online while waiting for a certain somebody to respond. A bitter laugh nearly escaped her as she went back to the website regarding her romance stories that she had collaborated with her favourite _kansai_ _senpai_, Oshitari Yuushi. Both of them preferred writing with no restrictions hence the inspiration to create a website capable of housing their stories although Oshitari did most of the writing and responding to his female fans. Shizuru checked the stat counter at the right side of her window, seeing that over a million people had logged in to check out what the site entailed.

"Oshitari-_senpai_'s going to be happy when he finds this out," Shizuru giggled softly, scrolling down to look at the other comments. "Oh," –a loud ringing echoed through the luxury suite. "A new message?"

The message instead of being a short concise one became an extremely graphic and detailed character sketch.

_To: backstreetgirl_22793_

_Fr: kt1007_

_Her smile bewitched anyone who glanced at her direction and with an aura of a commander; she gathered a set of people who believed in her ideals as the tennis captain of Hyotei Gakuen. Completely contradictory to the persona of that of the captain of the boys' team Atobe Keigo, she reveals not only in her tennis style but also in her way of dealing with people that she has become the epitome of elegance and simplicity. Amongst the students in the school I attend, many murmur and whisper her name not only in fear but also in reverence. She naturally makes anyone underestimate her abilities before taking them down but congratulates her opponent for an attempt, a very rare trait in most athletes nowadays. _

_I once met her when she had yet to become the captain and she already had prominent skills, even managing to corner Sanada – one of Rikkai Dai's demons. Yukimura also admitted that he was impressed by her performance in a sense that she kept up with boys without much difficulty. A smile spread across her face each time the tennis ball collided with her racquet as if she had been given a new toy or a reason to live. "I play tennis because it makes me feel alive," she maintained her trademark benevolent smile while I remained completely astounded by her style of play. She inspired first year students to rise beyond those who have more experience than them and put back together a team that nearly disintegrated, according to certain rumours floating around. _

_And those words continue to repeat themselves in my mind as if it became some mystical mantra even until today._

_Comparing her to Souma Fuuka who attacks problems with such brutality would be trying to make similarities between apples and oranges. Yes, they are both captains with skills that are worth fearing, revering and perhaps envying but a frown always mars her gentle features whenever people cower at the sight of her. Instead of taking that to her advantage, she extends her hand to help her opponent improve – hoping that they would understand their own limit and exceed it. However, many people would often dub her as a "doormat" and would abuse her kindness which I believe she does not deserve. Not once have I seen her lose her calm and benevolent composure; she always intrigues me to as if whether or not she developed a backbone in talking back to bullies. _

_If I were asked what her most striking characteristic it would be, that would be her eyes._

_People deemed blood red eyes like hers "demonic", similar to a certain Rikkai Dai's ace's bloodshot eyes when he becomes extremely enraged. However, they never promised murder or held any malevolent intent. With her gentle heart and the fact that she is a knockout in the looks department, she is guaranteed any boy that she confesses to when there is someone who becomes her target of affection._

Shizuru contemplated on it for a moment, reading the descriptions repeatedly to ensure that her eyes were not deceiving her. Realization thundered itself in her mind as a throbbing sensation spun the world around as she tried to convince herself that there may be another person with the same description. However, the specific phrase "tennis captain of Hyotei Gakuen" pinched the brunette hard that everything screamed legitimate and reality. Her body trembled with anxiety while she pondered on an appropriate response, contemplating whoever this person could be. Her memory rewound back as far as it could but the only several people who appeared that far back along her childhood would be Tezuka, Sanada, Oshitari and Shishido.

_Could anyone possibly come up with something this accurate?_

As she continued to ponder, the honey brown haired Jyosei Shounan captain loomed over Shizuru's shoulder curiously. "So, who sent you that?"

Shizuru squeaked before slamming her laptop shut, fighting the blush that threatened to crawl up her face. "Um, it's someone asking a little advice is all..."

Florence swivelled back and forth, trying to discover the sender while Shizuru tightly gripped onto her laptop. Slightly frowning at the baffling predicament, the British captain faked annoyance and frustration before quickly feinting on the Hyotei female's left side before snatching the gadget cleanly while dodging any of the younger girl's attempts to retaliate. The crimson eyed female clucked her tongue before narrowing her eyebrows, lunging at Florence to reclaim her precious laptop.

"Hmmm," Florence wrenched her laptop open before scrolling through the messages, sighing with amusement and curiosity. "Who's kt1007? You have a boyfriend already?"

Shizuru's eyes widened with denial as her face flushed into thirty different shades of crimson; the sophomore captain launched herself towards the former Flash Goddess as yelps and evil chuckling echoed throughout the suite. The door from the neighbouring suite creaked open, revealing Natsuki with a tub full of _mocha_ ice cream who bemusedly seated herself while watching the two grapple and battle each other for the laptop.

"My, my, my," Natsuki drawled with her thick _kansai _accent, spooning another scoop of _mocha_ ice cream. "Someone explain to me again why we're required to withdraw another twenty million yen from the bank accounts. Honestly, I don't think our executives are gonna concur with the idea of withdrawing almost everything from the treasury just to repair a building or an island Shizuru and Fuuka accidentally blew up due to romantic affairs."

Shizuru frowned darkly, pointing accusingly at Florence. "She started it by trying to invade my privacy."

"I was asking who it was," Florence protested defiantly, folding her arms impishly. "_Ojou-sama_ wanted to know what our little princess had to hide."

"A carcass disguises nothing but maggots and dead rats," Fuuka scoffed mockingly, earning a slight glower from the younger brunette. "Besides, it's probably some sappy romance story."

Florence frowned disapprovingly at the Seishun Gakuen Tennis captain, shaking her head distastefully. "Must you always antagonize our younger sister simply because you're both after the same man?"

With a disgusted snort, Fuuka stormed away before slumping on the bed while plugging her ears with her earphones. Florence shook her head while Shizuru sadly averted her vision from the red haired captain until noticing Florence patting her on the shoulder with a reassuring expression. Ai barged in with a basket full of candies with a lollipop stuck in her mouth, jumping up merrily and childishly before plopping onto the bed next to sulking red head.

"Hey, why's Strawberry-_chan_ steaming again," Ai titled her head innocently to the side, exchanging glances between the two Tokyo captains. "Ooooh, did Shizuru-_chan_ confess to Sanada-_senpai_ yet?"

Fuuka scowled darkly before looking straight up at the ceiling with the crystal chandelier, folding her legs. "Unfortunately, not even a deathblow from our opponents could terrify her into confession mode. Besides, we still have a score to settle with one another before one of us surrenders."

Florence, rolling her eyes in surrender, quickly walked up to the two girls and pinched both of their ear lobes earning her a glare from Fuuka and a slight yelp from Shizuru. "Will you two assert your priorities before having your romance lives ruin our chances of survival and earning back Kobayagi Ayane?"

Shizuru lowered her gaze away from the British-Japanese female, curling her hands into fists – remaining silent. However, the Jyosei Shounan captain visibly winced from the sudden change of colour in the younger captain's aura. Fuuka's physical presence pounded against the tension as Ai and Natsuki stagger back slightly, noticing the demonic aura emitting from both captains. Florence noticed aura's suddenly change to green, reflecting jealousy while Shizuru's reverted back into ebony – revealing her restraint over her frustration. Slightly furrowing her eyebrows, Florence dragged them towards the bathroom before throwing them both into the bathtub and filling it with cold water.

"HOLY GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU," Fuuka yowled before kicking herself out of the tub, tumbling onto the ground in her now freezing state. "I JUST TOOK A BATH DAMN IT!"

Shizuru glacially glowered and whispered fiercely before dragging herself out of the tub, soaking wet and frozen. "Florence..."

"It was the only way to cool your tempers," Florence shrugged nonchalantly before handing both of them the towels provided by the hotel. "So, who's our next match?"

Fuuka growled darkly before throwing off her drenched clothes, suiting up into a spare set before plopping down on the carpeted floor. "Well, now that Ninja Five is down since the psychotic bluenette over there," –referring to Yukimura Ai who daintily sat on one of the chairs before innocently swinging her legs, "massacred and eradicated them out of existence. We'll end up fighting one of the teams sponsored by Ueda. A lot of them not being a potential threat."

"We can't assume that," Natsuki pointed out sternly before opening her Palm Pilot and laying it in front of them, folding her legs next to the scraggy red haired captain. "Many of our opponents will either be genetically engineered or extremely trained and well-equipped to deal with Princesses. Most of them could slaughter an entire village in one night if deprived of their daily dose of senseless violence. Another factor in consideration is that just because we're girls – doesn't mean our feminine pheromone will add to our advantage. In fact, it would sensually arouse the fighters to attempt fighting and defeat us in every way possible; cheating or not."

Florence began typing on Natsuki's Palm Pilot before checking the database of LXA, inputting her CHroME serial number as her password. "Well, for now – I was able to tap into the system of ZODIAC using the hidden servers provided by LXA to locate the missing vice captain," – seeing a red circle zoning in, the British female blinked for a few moments while trying to confirm the results of the search. "Hold on – that's impossible! It says here that she's located somewhere on this island."

Fuuka grinned evilly as she revealed her CHroME in hand, tossing it up and down determinedly. "Ready for a little spring cleaning, ladies?"

"Ueda-_san_ wouldn't be that brainless," Shizuru tapped her chin, pondering on any possible situation. "He'd try something that would erase his signature or presence within the problem."

"The typical coward response to a kidnap is that he will use Kobayagi as one of the competitors," Florence frowned darkly at the predicament, checking every possibility. "Does she have any martial arts background?"

"Three of her brothers are fighters or body builders," Shizuru recalled Hitomi mentioning a little background on Ayane's life during their match with St. Rudolph however, she began praying and hoping Ayane would not be included amongst the fight roster. "So, her fighting style would be basically wrestling."

_It would be worse if Fuuka or anybody else would fighter asides from me._

The current Hyotei captain leaned against the front bed frame, contemplating on any possible pattern for combatants. She shuddered at the imagination of Fuuka being Ayane's opponent; both of them knew nothing about temperance or self-control. Their boisterous yelling often reminded Shizuru to stand at least two feet away from them in order to regulate the volume of their voices reverberating in her ears. However, their short-tempered fuses contributed to their extreme destructiveness – verbal or physical hence making Shizuru pray even harder that Fuuka would remain in the last slot of the fight roster which would be reserved for the captains.

_Ayane's safety all depends on our abilities – we definitely cannot forfeit!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wow," Horio gaped from the bleachers, glancing towards Oishi. "Inui-_senpai_ must have been really tightly knit to Yanagi, huh?"

The Seishun Gakuen male vice captain nodded slowly before watching the match carefully, easing a little more into the bench. "Inui and Yanagi were former doubles partners and in fact, could surpass senior players in the Junior Tennis circuit. Although, I only know their history a little bit but apparently, Yanagi had moved away without telling Inui anything so – to them, this is kind of a reunion after two years."

"He's been watching Inui-_senpai_ use his Data Tennis in the first half," Momoshiro narrowed his eyes for a moment before observing him more closely. "After he sees that _senpai_ has confidence in his data, he begins his counterattack."

Echizen moved slightly towards the edge of his chair, interested by the sudden change of play.

"No," Fuji's cerulean eyes revealed themselves as he watched Yanagi begin his decimation. "He's trying to destroy Inui-_kun_'s data tennis."

Inui's eyes widened with horror and disbelief as all his targeted shots began zooming past him with insane speed. Although he could predict the pathway, having to physically apply the principle increased the strain on his body. Sweat poured profusely down his face as he continued to maintain a defensive position throughout the entire set. Yanagi quickly began his attack and repelled the Sonic Serve despite having the Data Master to have anticipated the suppression.

"Your tennis won't work on me anymore, Sadaharu," Yanagi curtly stated as he walked away from his former partner, casting a somewhat withering glare towards him. "Although I have to commend you, indeed – you have completely grasped all the data pertaining to my playing style and personality. However, it is also because of that data – is the very reason as to why you cannot win. After all, who was the one who taught you data tennis?"

"Game, Yanagi: three games to two!"

_Rather, it has been four years, 2 months and 15 days to be exact._

Inui mentally repeated the time-skip while overhearing Oishi narrate his doubles history to the freshman. He frowned slightly but fired another forehand towards Yanagi's left side while anticipating another cross-court shot coming from his former doubles partner. Bodily fluids trickled down his face as he ignored his glasses slipping off while attacking with a light backhand. As the drop shot floated over, Yanagi rushed on forward and drove it to the very small corner which flew beyond Inui's reach.

"Fifteen – love!"

Staggering backwards from fatigue, Inui struggled to disregard any thought of falling back into submission. The memory of both him and the Professor being unable to finish their Singles match against one another completely irked him but the pressure of the match weighed down heavily on his shoulders. If Seigaku loses this match, they would have broken their promise to Tezuka – being unable to win the Regionals to permit them to enter the Nationals. As a lob sailed into the air, Inui leapt up for a hard smash only to have Yanagi easily return it with the _Kamaitachi_ speeding past him.

"Thirty – love," Inui knitted his eyebrows together before glancing at the notebook that solemnly lay on the coach's bench.

He closed his eyes, meditating for a moment before visualizing the whole match in his mind. It didn't require any statistical help for him to conclude his defeat if his style of play remained the same. However, his hands balled up into a fist as Inui bit his lower lip – baffled and bewildered with his decision. Although it meant abandoning everything that he had trained for, his data based on Yanagi proved to be ineffective and deemed useless.

_Here it goes..._

Inui smirked, pointing at Yanagi as his friend prepared for his service. "It seems you were right about that, _Kyoujyu_."

Yanagi glowered a bit before tossing the ball into the air for a fast service. As the ball zoomed towards him, Inui slammed his racquet against the tennis ball for a speeding volley while Yanagi stopped its speed effortlessly on the other end. Watching the ball float towards him, Inui closed his eyes – realizing the gamble his choice was going to be before exhaling sharply and facing the ball.

_Starting from now on, I shall forsake all my data...!_

Yanagi furrowed his brows a bit, perceiving a slight shift in Inui's personality. "There is no victory for one who would forsake their style."

However, Inui leapt up into the air and with a brash decision – smashed the ball straight towards Yanagi's racquet and knocked it straight out. Yanagi flinched slightly from the speed and strength as Inui landed back on his feet, allowing him to go and retrieve his racquet for a few moments. Rikkai's data master flexed his wrist for a moment, smirking inwardly at the new power that suddenly emerged out of nowhere now that Inui abandoned his normal style of tennis. A smile curved up his lips; his data had been right – the very thing that held his friend back had been the data provided.

"Perhaps I may have relied too long on my Data Tennis," Inui stood upright with his mystifying green eyes revealing themselves behind his thickly made glasses. "With this, I abandon whatever data would work and rise above the past!"

Soon, Yanagi found Inui running amuck all over the place with complete unpredictability causing him to run calculations in his head and at the same time maintain the consistency of his shots. Despite the distance between him and the shot, Yanagi found himself baffled onto why Inui would actually expel much energy in chasing down the shot if with much difficulty. Momoshiro, Kaidoh and the whole Seigaku tennis team stared in astonishment as their data master awakened himself to a new style of tennis in which he would ditch the data and attack randomly.

"N-nice fight," Momoshiro gaped before trying to slap himself out of his daze.

"This is Inui after he forsakes his Data Tennis," Oishi shook his head in disbelief and amazement. _Tezuka's missing a lot in Germany..._

Horio punched the air enthusiastically before jumping up and down confidently with a huge grin. "I don't understand what _senpai_'s going at but this is awesome!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ smiled while easing a bit more comfortably into the coach's bench. "Instead of thinking with his head first, his body will react faster. After all, now that he doesn't have many things to consider – all the energy will concentrated solely on attacking and returning all the shots. There's no doubt about it...!"

"Game, Inui: four games to three!"

"You're relying on animal instincts to defeat someone like Yanagi," Sanada frowned a bit while watching the match, scoffing darkly at Inui's desperate attempt. "Such an absurd notion of tennis would be defeated by Rikkai Dai."

However, his head kept on swivelling around - checking the bleachers where Hyotei Gakuen stood. Atobe remained leaning against the fence with Oshitari and the others whereas the female Hyotei team watched carefully. He recognized Uchiha Isane basically through Niou – knowing she was legendary to have clocked the fastest serve for the women's division. Momo, being his cousin, now hung around Yamabuki's vice captain much to his chagrin. Getsugan Kiyone, the smallest girl, reminded him more of Kirihara except being more innocently sadistic whereas the devil ace naturally lashed out anything. Yamaguchi Hitomi would function as Yanagi's female counterpart. Nagisaki Mai became Yukimura's tutor mate if he recalled right although he wasn't sure exactly what Yukimura needed help in other than his health. Hikifumi Haruka and Shimohi Rin obviously fought on par with Marui and Jackal, resulting to him working the two boys into the ground even more. However, he noticed the considerable decrease in volume now that Kobayagi Ayane was absent but a crease appeared on his forehead.

_Where's Shizuru?_

He also recalled Yukimura Ai being absent from school and also the other three major captains missing from their teams. However, Hyotei took on a heavier brunt with Kobayagi Ayane missing and their strongest last resort – Shizuru missing. His eyes reverted slightly into a melancholic gaze at the ground despite his never-changing stoic expression however; Sanada continuously reminded himself that he would bring home the gold for Yukimura. Although deep in his mind, he wanted her to watch him decimate Seigaku and the only thing is that his opponent was not Tezuka.

The mere thought pounded him with excruciating annoyance, causing him to gnash his teeth as inconspicuously as he could manage.

However, the victory would definitely be a plus. Shizuru concentrated her efforts on victory; an ideology that he, Tezuka and she shared in terms of fighting against other teams. Nothing would satisfy them best except the taste of victory. Sanada stared at himself inwardly in disbelief, wondering how awkward it was for him to actually think about how to get a girl to like him. Obviously, he would try to impress her but the one thing he didn't understand was how. Watching the match of Niou, he knew Isane wouldn't approve that kind of tennis – especially if it involved physical injury. The main concept the female Hyotei team built itself on would be acquiring victory through non-violence. He directed his attention back to the game while wondering who his own opponent would be now that Tezuka went for rehabilitation in Germany, somewhat preparing himself to take on Singles One. However, his thoughts wandered off again the moment the month of September clearly posted itself on his watch – causing his face to become a bright crimson to which he tried to conceal with his black cap.

"I didn't know it was that hot," Niou mischievously hung his head in front of Sanada with a "cat-got-creamed" smirk. "Oh, your little vampire isn't there?"

Sanada glared daggers at the blue eyed Trickster goading him, curling his fists tightly. "Niou, continue watching the match and secondly, she's not a vampire."

"_Fukubuchou_," Marui leaned against the coach's bench with a cheeky grin, swivelling his head towards him. "You're thinking about Yane-_chan_'s _buchou_ aren't you?"

"Of course he is, Marui-_senpai_," Kirihara grinned deviously while leaning against Sanada's head, surveying the match and ignoring the bulging temple. "Yanagi's obviously got this whole match sewn up so, you can relax a bit."

Yanagi on the other hand wished he could contradict Kirihara right there and then but focused on the match as he took note of his increasing chances of winning. Inui randomized his pattern however the Professor easily identified a pattern and began attacking the blind spots.

_The moment you abandoned your playing style, _Yanagi furrowed his eyebrows before jumping off the ground, bringing down a strong smash. "You have destroyed all your chances of victory!"

"Game, Yanagi: five games to four!"

As both players headed back towards the benches for a time-out, Inui hung his head and averted his eyes from his coach. The data master slowly extended his hand towards his notebook, wondering if everything had been done properly.

"So, you really can't play without your data, Inui?"

Seishun's data master swivelled his head towards his old coach whose lips thinned out into a grim line. "Are you sure you're incapable of taking him down without the data?"

Inui halted for a moment before flipping through the notebook and nodding stiffly, heading back towards the court lifelessly to face Yanagi once more. The tension weighed heavily onto his mental stability and he prayed for once that his body will not collapse under the heat and tension.

The Professor, Yanagi Renji, exhaled sharply while trying to calm the rapid pacing of his heart before directing his attention towards his former doubles partner – Inui Sadaharu. Sweat poured down both of their faces although he managed to maintain his upright position, his mind screamed at him that he overlooked a particularly small detail. However, Yanagi remained deeply engrossed with obtaining victory and control over the match while brushing away a drifting leaf from his shoulder before glancing towards the scoreboard.

"Here I come, Sadaharu," Yanagi placed the ball in front of him, readying his service.

"I won't admit defeat just yet, Renji," Inui gasped heavily for air while trying to maintain his composure.

Yanagi however ceased his talking the moment realization drummed itself into his head. He cautiously analysed the ball, the tension, the score – everything. His body slightly trembled, never realizing that he would be the one played instead of being the one utilizing the data for manipulation. His eyes widened a bit as he watched Inui smirk in confidence.

Without losing his calm composure, Yanagi lifted his racquet before pointing accusingly towards Inui. "You purposely played it in a method that we would end up wherever we left off, didn't you Sadaharu?"

The Seishun Gakuen data master at first said nothing at first as his glasses slowly slipped off his nose, revealing a pair of mystifying emerald eyes. "Perhaps... or consider it whatever you believe."

"You repeated the same mistakes in that match," Yanagi tightened his grip on the racquet, feeling a wave of nostalgia and foolishness crash against him. "Not only that, there were some attacks that were returnable with many loopholes but you chose not to pursue."

Inui readied himself for the service, adjusting his glasses. "You were saying I abandoned something? I seem to have forgotten. Did you think I have abandoned my data?"

Yanagi narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Are you telling me you let me hit according to your data – in order to recreate the same development of that time?"

"However, that all ends here," Inui chuckled humourlessly as he lowered his stance. "Renji, from here on – there will be no data!"

Tossing the ball into the air, Yanagi responded with the same determination. "I'll make you eat your words, Sadaharu!"

Inui forehanded the ball straight towards Yanagi for a down-the-line shot, expecting another drop shot from Yanagi. As the ball floated over, he drove down the shot but Yanagi slicing it under with an abrupt spin that bounced away from the other data master and forced Inui to chase it down. The ball flew for the other end of the court as Yanagi effortlessly hounded the ball while Inui prepared himself at the baseline to receive the shot.

On the topmost area of the bleachers, the male Hyotei captain stood next to Kabaji while observing the growth of Seishun Gakuen. Atobe's icy blue eyes narrowed slightly not only because of Inui's sudden growth but also his impatience as to where Ayane could be. Right after he had confessed to her and Ayane slowly became a little more comfortable with reciprocating her feelings, someone drove out of nowhere before putting a bullet into his hip [which happened only to be a minor graze] and snatched her despite her putting up a good fight. A wave of helplessness washed over him as the captain gripped the rail tightly.

"It seems that this match will be a miracle," Atobe utilized his _Insight_ as he cast a withering glance towards them, smirking slightly. "Your players are growing well, na, Tezuka?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Welcome back to the _Urabutousatsujin_," Maya announced cheerily, dancing around as more howls and chants demanding for violence echoed throughout the stadium. "After the elimination of Ninja Five, let us welcome Constellation Chaos for the next round!"

Fuuka sauntered in with her usual glacial militarian glare before letting out a disgruntled snort while Shizuru maintained her benevolent composure despite having Ai jumping around excitedly with Florence and Natsuki trying to contain the hyperactive and childish girl in one location. People howled and chanted in anticipation for the next set of fighters, revealing an old man shuffling in followed by several gaudily dressed characters. Each of them carried an air of dominance over the other players as some of the audience staggered back in horror.

"For the challenging team, we have Ueda _Majin_," the scantily clad umpire beckoned the other team with enthusiasm as they all walked in with a frosty and arrogant demeanour without casting a glance or attention towards the audience.

Fuuka raked her crimson dishevelled hair back with annoyance, scoffing momentarily with a darkened glare. "Where the hell are these guys from – the circus? We're not freakin' freak-show tamers!"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes while watching them take their positions by the battle platform, twitching slightly. "That's odd – I can't sense anything..."

"Frustrating isn't it – to not be able to discover anything about your opponent? To have your own empathic senses blocked," Florence sighed disgustedly at the situation in frustration, running her fingers through her honey blonde tresses. "I'm not very fond of whistling in the dark either but what choice do we have?"

Fuuka cracked her knuckles, sporting a sardonic grin. "Alright, which bastard gets to die first?"

The LCD screen flashed five open slots while creating a roulette with all their images; all battle positions remained empty and with question marks, indicating random selection. Fuuka sulkily leaned against the wall while Shizuru began her stretching with Florence warming up for an agility-based battle. Natsuki loaded her pistol with bullets before polishing her CHroME, remembering the teams marked on her palm pilot depending on their potential strength and threat. The clamminess of her palm agitated her to nearly drop her gun but she tightened her grip on it, remembering her mission as an LXA agent. Ai showed no significant difference as she rested her chin onto the stadium floor while watching the other members of Ueda Majin enter the platform.

"There will be a new set of rules," Maya gestured for everyone to observe the screen, smiling cheerfully and energetically. "The battle scenario and combination of players will be decided via roulette. There will be four kinds of battling: all-out war, tag team, singles or triple threat. Triple Threat will select three random players from each team and they will be forced to battle one another until only one is standing whether or not they are teammates. Tag Team is a partner-type battle with one dominating over the opposing pair. All-Out War is when the whole team enters the ring to combat one another until one team remains standing and the Singles is self-explanatory. Are there any questions?"

Both teams remained silent as Maya understood it as a negative, singing out jovially. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

The roulette began flashing many pictures as the battle stadium took on a new appearance with a forest appearing with a Mayan Pyramid erupting from under the ground. The pictures flashed:

_Battle Area: Mayan Pyramids_

_Battle Style: Tag Team Match_

_Combatants:_

_Souma Fuuka- Kurenai Shizuru versus Rigald-Kobayagi Ayane_

Shizuru's expression drained itself from colour as her body trembled in horror with the results staring mockingly in her face. "We can't fight her...!"

"Oh shit," Fuuka muttered a longer string of swear words right after, glaring at Shizuru. "Not that I care that your vice captain's our opponent but, I'm your damn partner?"

Florence facepalmed in a surrendering manner, sighing dejectedly. "We're doomed; Fuuka's the type to rush into combat and go completely berserk on us regardless of how much injuries she has received."

Natsuki folded her arms with a frown marring her features, shaking her head in disbelief. "Who's Rigald? Nobody has stats or special information about this guy."

"Someone who we have to beat the shit out of," Fuuka coldly stated before hauling herself up onto the platform, eyeing her opponents in their costumes. "Well, who knew I get to kick both your asses since Kurenai's got no ruthless bone included in her body structure."

As their extravagant costumes fell, Kobayagi Ayane stared lifelessly at Shizuru and Fuuka while Rigald smirked at them. "I see you're very well-acquainted with my partner."

"No shit, Sherlock," Fuuka snarled icily before drawing out her CHroME, revealing it before him. "I'm gonna pummel your filthy butt before you can lay a hit on me."

Shizuru reluctantly unsheathed her CHroME although hesitated when she glanced at Ayane whose emerald eyes became a dull olive green hue. Her aura immediately darkened when her gaze met the old man's as he cackled gleefully at her, taunting her to reveal any ruthlessness. Steeling her resolve, Shizuru displayed her CHroME for everyone to see as the aura surrounding the octagon-shaped device evolved from silvery blue into a royal cerulean colour that flickered wildly. Ice crinkled and cracked as the floor froze with Shizuru's murderous aura, causing Fuuka to slowly inch away from the younger captain while whistling in astonishment.

_Calm before the storm huh,_ Fuuka watched Maya declare the match to begin, lunging forward for the beginning of their assault. "Kurenai, let's - whoa!"

However, Fuuka slipped on the sheet of ice as everything within a two meter radius of Shizuru froze upon contact. The brunette flashed forward with her double edged _naginata_ flying around towards Rigald who effortlessly dodged the attack. Ayane wordlessly attacked her with her fist colliding with Shizuru's stomach. However, the female Hyotei captain didn't even flinch as she performed a bicycle kick to force Ayane back. Fuuka leapt onto Rigald's shoulder, pummelling him down onto the ground before bringing out her CHroME as flames draped themselves all over the Seishun Gakuen female captain as a shawl with a pair of horned-gauntlets locking themselves onto her arms. Ayane headbutt Fuuka but not without the crimson haired captain slugging her with a mean left hook, causing her to stumble back. Rigald zoomed forward while trying to impale Fuuka who found himself constricted by the lashing chains from Shizuru's extendable _naginata_.

"Wow, this is rare for Kurenai-_chan_ to reveal so much power," Maya exclaimed before dodging a stray debris of rocks flying all over the place.

Analysing Rigald's attacking pattern, Shizuru's eyes glittered demonically and vengefully as Fuuka maintained the same pace to keep up with the Hyotei captain. Rigald and Ayane hounded Fuuka, seeing how her speed barely equalled Shizuru's before splitting up. Rigald's silver eyes glimmered, enraged, before he began punching Fuuka with a fast motion whereas Ayane managed to lock her captain with not much difficulty by simply crossing the Hyotei captain's arms behind her back. Fuuka dug her heels into the ground, preventing herself from flying back further before catching Shizuru as Ayane hurled her across the platform.

"You idiot," Fuuka seethed angrily before shoving Shizuru away from her, shaking her by the shoulders. "I know you're boiling mad at your inability to snap Ayane out of it but hell – don't drag me with your wallowing self-pity! We have to win – not get ourselves killed!"

Shizuru stood frozen for a moment before glancing at Ayane and then at Fuuka, hanging her head a bit low. "Alright... defeat Ayane but only knock her unconscious," –she glared holes into the vermillion crowned captain. "Do not kill her or hurt her lethally – or something very unfortunate will occur with your life after this..."

Fuuka waved her hand dismissively, walking ahead of Shizuru. "Yeah, yeah, whatever – I just want to get this over with."

Shizuru's murderous aura changed back into her normal colour as she sprinted after Rigald, clashing her blades against his claws. Fuuka charged at Ayane before swinging her gauntlets and pounding the ground with flames boosting her strength. Ayane easily parried the crimson haired captain despite her being pushed back as they both got into a shoving match while Shizuru exchanged limitless strikes with Rigald who managed to cut a small strand of hair from her. As Fuuka prepared to decimate Ayane with the Scourge of Aries, her punch got deflected by a black octagon-shaped device as it started changing form.

"Shit," Fuuka muttered under her breath before springing away, watching a huge crimson gauntlet swallowing up Ayane's right arm. "Holy God, what is that?"

Shizuru stared in horror before dodging another attempt from Rigald. She sprinted towards Ayane who released a set of chains before constricting Shizuru and pounding down Fuuka. The Hyotei vice captain mercilessly flung them around effortlessly as Shizuru crashed against the pavement while Fuuka flew towards the VIP seats in the stadium. Dust and smoke wafted into the air as Fuuka shook herself out of the daze while Shizuru wriggled herself free before attacking Rigald and Ayane again.

"You can't defeat her," the old man cackled mockingly at the other two defenceless and desperate captains, leaning against his cane. "That is the Void CHroME of Aries – the Ram's Revenge! You will not survive against any of her attacks! Among all my experimental subjects, she is the only one with enough mental and physical capacity to maintain a strong control over the CHroME!"

_That explains why he kidnapped a lot of girls each with an extremist shit of a talent, _Fuuka bristled her teeth at the old man, lunging for him until a huge force field deflected her attack and exploded her own strength back at her. "You son of a bitch...!"

Shizuru evaded most of Rigald's attacks and parried Ayane's as much as possible, praying she would not be forced to disable her own vice captain let alone – terminate. She saw the CHroME emblazing itself onto Ayane's right shoulder as the gauntlet continued to engulf her entire body parasitically as the tangerine haired vice captain emotionlessly created a crater beneath all three of them. Leaping up into the air, the brunette rained down another assault of limitless strikes – targeting the main core of the CHroME in hopes of snapping Ayane out of her trance. Rigald however flashed behind her before kicking her back and plummeting the sophomore into the cement and crushing her head with his hand.

"Unfortunately, she cannot recognize your voice," Rigald mournfully smiled as he tightened his crushing grip on Shizuru's head, earning him a slight yelp from under. "You made a disastrous calculation in not wishing to harm her. She does not care if your body is turned into masses of scarred tissue; the CHroME is her mind now."

Fuuka leapt onto Ayane and throttled her, tangled the tangerine haired freshman in a full-nelson. "Damn it, get up Kurenai! Kobayagi has the strength of Hercules! I can't hold her down forever!"

Rigald thrusted Shizuru's face deeper into the pavement, grinning sociopathically as she continued to struggle desperately for oxygen. He lengthened his nails into claws before pressing it against Shizuru's neck, narrowing his eyes at the slowly unresponsive female. Shizuru's struggling halted as a silence engulfed the entire stadium until the cries and demands of the crowd were heard; some wanting for him to crucify her naked. Fuuka snorted with disgust as she hurtled Ayane towards the wall before rampaging towards Rigald until a bright blue light emitted from beneath him and water sprayed from beneath stadium, encasing him in a sphere of highly pressurized rippling water. Shizuru inhaled deeply for air after releasing herself from his grip as she deactivated her _naginata_ before it became a complete robe around her body.

"This is what happens when you enrage the moon and the ocean," Shizuru twitched before ruefully chiding him, clambering up to her feet.

Gripping his throat tightly, Rigald hyperventilated and desperately clambered around the sphere for available air pockets as Shizuru continued to compress the hydrosphere into a smaller compartment. Fuuka smirked approvingly before engulfing herself with a blazing inferno with malice glinting in her eyes, glaring at Ayane. The tangerine haired girl mimicked the exact movement with black flames surrounding her without showing any reaction as it lashed against her skin, burning it away and healing the wound at the same time.

_Damn, that's going to cut down her lifespan like anything,_ Fuuka concentrated all her flames into her right fist as she charged towards Ayane who bolted towards her with the same speed. "You may have the same bloody CHroME as I do but that doesn't mean you have the same amount of experience as I have!"

With one exploding punch, Fuuka shattered the Void CHroME as life and lustre simultaneously returned into Ayane's eyes as she stumbled back in horror. "Wh- what the heck? Where am I?"

"You're in an _Urabutousatsujin_," Fuuka indifferently responded with a sarcastic roll of her eyes, glancing towards Rigald who burst out of the water sphere. "Well, looks like he survived..."

Rigald coughed heavily and repeatedly until Shizuru pinched a nerve in his neck, causing him to fall asleep. "Maybe we should have done this the first time..."

Fuuka gaped at her as if she had grown a second head, resisting the urge to clobber Shizuru on the head. "Geez, how long did it take you to figure that out, Captain Obvious?"

"Winner: Souma-Kurenai pair," Maya announced enthusiastically as the crowd demanded more bloodshed and violence, howling and chanting.

Fuuka and Shizuru led a badly shaken Ayane off the stadium as the captain sat next to Ayane, guiltily hanging her head apologetically. "Ayane, you're not even supposed to see that..."

"That you participate in underground tournaments and that's why you're always full of bruises," Ayane smoothly and coldly interrupted before beadily staring back at her crestfallen brunette captain, folding her arms. "How much money do you guys even make with all the deaths piling up?"

"It depends," Natsuki cautiously responded, hoping Ayane didn't prove to be the inquisitive type.

"No wonder you're always messy, _buchou_," Ayane stood up as she began wagging her finger, nagging her _senpai _with a shrill motherly tone. "That's why people are always so terrified of you because you always surround yourself with brutes! Secondly, raise that chin – you weren't raised in a barn or a sewer for that matter! Third – have you even consulted the others of where you're going? Do you even have any medications with you in case your knee submits?"

Natsuki and Florence sweatdropped as Shizuru visibly shrank from the shrillness of Ayane's voice, wondering how the younger captain managed to survive that insane amount of nagging everyday. Fuuka chuckled lightly, somewhat grateful that Vera didn't have that ability of nagging people. Ai giggled childishly as Shizuru tried to get a word in edgewise but failed miserably as Ayane continued harping and scolding her as if she were some kindergartener that played in the mud.

"I, I'm sorry," Shizuru tightly closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of Ayane's infamous Phantom Backhand. [N/A: adopted from Anna from Shaman King! XD]

Silence fell upon the whole team until Ayane embraced Shizuru, causing the brunette to stumble back in surprise. The Hyotei captain noticed her L.X.A uniform soaking up salty crystalline tears as Ayane hugged her harder than before, clinging onto her as if the apocalypse would occur the next day. A quiet sob echoed from the vice captain as Shizuru pat Ayane on the back as comfortingly as she could, smiling bitterly at how much worry and concern she had caused. Another sigh escaped her as she remembered that this kind of activity was the main reason why she kept on rejecting every confession or never conquered her difficulty of being able to make strong tightly knit group of friends. Some even dubbed her as the "Ice Queen" but she knew it was out of safety.

"This tournament will be where I will make my last appearance," Shizuru reassured Ayane while trying to stop the vice captain from hiccupping due to her crying. "After that, my devotion will remain strictly on tennis. I do not want to endanger any more lives and this part of my past was supposed to be buried along with everything else. But ever since ZODIAC started acting up again, things resulted into taking a different course of action."

Fuuka scoffed before throwing a dirty glare towards the old man, dusting her clothes from all the cement and leftovers. "Anyway, we'll need you to remember everything that happened while you under that crazy old coot. Secondly, damn – what do you use for a strength training regimen: trucks?"

Ayane shrugged unknowingly before admitting meekly, completely unable to remember the weight requirement. "My brother usually lends me his barbells so – I end up using them. I never check the weight of the barbells but whatever it is – it sure helps a lot."

Soon, the roulette reappeared on the screen as the images started flashing rapidly. Ayane shuddered with horror as she hid behind Shizuru with their images flickering back and forth, praying she would not be included in the line-up. Fuuka wiped away the trickling sweat as the battle results showed up, calming her pounding heart as best as she could. Natsuki readied her pistol while Florence sharpened her claws before revealing them to the other team members with a dark glint from her platinum blue eyes.

_Battle Type: Singles_

_Battle Arena: Parthenon_

_Competitors:_

_Yukimura Ai versus Suhiyoshi Genma_

Upon hearing the declaration of her match, Ai bubbly jumped onto the stadium while rolling up her sleeves and lowering herself into a battle stance. "_Sou ka_, it looks like I'm taking on their leader."

Genma leaned against his cane as small bit of russet peeked through under his wrinkled eyelids, chortling darkly. "You're an overconfident brat."

_Trust me,_ Fuuka whistled with confidence, leaning against the wall. _You're talking to the wrong person when you say that to her._

Without any hesitation, Ai placed her left hand over her chest to reveal her CHroME as an armoured skirt surrounded her along with blades and a halo levitating over her head. Genma unsheathed a _katana_ out of the cane as the bell rang throughout the stadium, signalling the start of the match. He launched himself forward as Ai flung a set of swords towards him only to have them blocked while he feinted behind to prepare for a death blow. Ruffling her armoured skirt, Ai ducked under him as his sword collided with the metal plated fauld while the halo sprouted a new set of blades and relentlessly tracked him down. With a back-flip, Genma flicked his wrist to repel the blades and re-direct their attack only to be challenged by Virgo herself as she performed a pirouette to unleash another assault of flying swords and daggers.

_Interesting,_ Genma leapt higher into the air, avoiding the blades as he sailed through the air.

"Tch, he keeps flying around," Ai clucked her tongue in annoyance as she grabbed one of her blades and lunged towards him.

_It seems she's a combination of the other four,_ Genma blocked her attacks as she swung perilously near his neck before he managed to create a distance between them. _The speed of the British girl, the superhuman strength of the red head, the skill and grace of the brunette and the accuracy and flexibility of the charcoal haired one. An artificially created being perhaps?_

Ai landed on the ground gracefully as she beadily observed his next movement. Genma backtracked a bit, placing his sword over his shoulder for an impaling technique. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she darted towards him with five swinging swords coming at him until he sliced through her defence, shattering all the blades. Ai stumbled forward as her face collided with his roundhouse kick, sending her to the ground. The female Yukimura quickly recovered before rolling out of the way as the sword clanged against the bloodied pavement.

"You're an interesting one," he grinned toothily at her, evading her other attempts of hacking off his limbs. "How would you like to participate as one of my experimental subjects? You're the perfect blend of all the four yet there's nothing mentally or emotionally contradictory about your personality. There seem to be no adverse effects either to your body. How could anyone wield the technology to create such a flawless weapon?"

Ai puffed up her cheeks impishly as she released another set of swords, wielding two broadswords single-handedly. "I'm not a weapon!"

"Of course you are," Genma somersaulted into the air, watching the swords deeply implant themselves into the ground before grinning malevolently. "You must be the clone of Yukimura Seiichi no? The little boy I was supposed to perform an operation on regarding his... Guillain-Barré Syndrome?"

Ayane wearily glanced towards her captain as Shizuru silently bandaged her bleeding arm and aching knee, sitting next to her wordlessly. "_Buchou_, will you tell the others?"

"Eventually," Shizuru bitterly smiled at their predicament before glancing at her fresh slashes and gashes, scratching her head sheepishly. "I don't know how I'm going to narrate every single detail vividly but is it alright if I leave out the gory details and summarize everything instead?'

"Mai-_senpai_'s going to sense if you're lying and hiding stuff," Ayane giggled softly at Shizuru's bewildered expression, hugging her knees close to her. "How do you plan on escaping from the tournament?"

"We're not leaving until we locate Ueda Shigure," Natsuki strode over to them smoothly before sitting in front of them. "However, Ayane – the plane is waiting for you outside in case you want to return home immediately. Hyotei cannot stand without the captain, vice captain or both. They need a leader and Atobe left fifty messages on our answering machine so I assume he's growing white hair from all the stress your kidnapping has provided him with."

Ayane warily glanced at her _buchou_ who gave her a reassuring smile as Florence escorted her away from the battlefield with Ai as a diversion.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Ooooh, Shizuru got mad~. One of those very rare moments in time when she does. XD I know I totally screwed up the tennis part but Ayane was bound to show up sooner or later. XD Don't worry – all this gory action will end at maybe the next chapter or the one after this. All this will then return to the tennis drama so – yep.**

**Btw, please don't forget to review! I only update when I receive at least 2-3 reviews!**


	47. Coming Back To The Light

**Me: Hi guys, now that Ayane's been recovered – what will the girls do to escape now? Ai's currently fighting through stuff and yep – their tennis matches will start soon. Thank you for the multiple reviews that you've been sending me! Although the story alerts, favourite author notifications are very much appreciated, the reviews help a lot more in updating. XD By the way, I do not own Prince of Tennis! I just own the OCs and the plotline of THIS story – not the anime or manga itself.**

Chapter 47 – Coming Back to the Light

Ayane trailed after Natsuki and Florence as they led her back to the private plane provided by the Amakusa clan, pondering whether or not she should have remained. Despite her soullessness during the match, she shivered violently upon remembering her captain's brutal nature. The speed of her _buchou_'s attacks rendered her speechless as the brunette didn't even show any signs of fatigue or instances in which she had drawn out her sword or inched away from her spot. Fuuka's strength equally terrified her; she glanced at her hands before shaking her head in distraught and disbelief. Perspiration trickled down her forehead as she halted in her steps.

"Guys, how long are you going to keep fighting," Ayane trembled, hugging her body tightly to prevent any more shivering. "The battles out there – they're not normal!"

"Nothing was ever normal in our lives," Natsuki shook her head with acceptance before sighing dejectedly with her thick _kansai_ accent, raking her fingers through her charcoal gray hair. "You can't expect things to always be served on a silver platter. All our lives were screwed up by the wheels of Fate – nothing ever came easy to us. Did you think your captain had a bright happy life? Please, not when her father's an insane megalomaniac hell-bent in resurrecting whatever that demon's called and unaware that she's alive; the hell with it – she doesn't even remember who she really is. Fuuka's got a father who sold her off to the government for some cash for gambling, Florence was born with a bad set of lungs but heck – her parents dote upon her like anything. Ai was created solely for providing Yukimura Seiichi another set of organs and serving L.X.A and the government and me – I lost my parents in a car crash. The only thing remaining in our memories is the pain and sorrow we've endured to become women we are today. It's like an orange; the juice is sweet but the skin and zest taste like crap. Not many people are allowed to have the juice – many of them in the end receive the rinds after others have taken in the sweetness of the juice. Sweet can be memorable but bitterness is unforgettable."

The Hyotei vice captain remained silent, reflecting deeply on the Shitenhouji captain's words. Her emerald green eyes flickered with sadness before glancing back towards the darkness that she had emerged from. She balled her hands into a fist, biting hard into her lower lip as the images of her captain fighting desperately flashed in her mind. Her feet cemented themselves to the ground as she hesitated to advance towards the airplane.

"Amakusa-_san_," she trembled before choking out a sentence, fighting back the tears of guilt stinging her eyes. "Is there any way I can help my captain?"

"Not much can be done really," Natsuki mournfully noted before looking at the endless darkness. "All you can do for now is fight for the gold for her in the Regionals. Secondly, stop making your team worry with your kidnapping and I'm sure Atobe's going to throw a hissy fit. The best course of action would be keeping the rest you have seen as a secret. Otherwise, Florence and I may have to eliminate you permanently."

Ayane swallowed hard while imagining the torture the two could put her through before following them on board the aerial vehicle. She made her way to the seat, wondering how the team managed without her and their captain. Natsuki boarded along with her as she set the auto-pilot on the airplane before nodding reassuringly at the vice captain. Florence turned on all the air conditioning units while programming everything to make sure the Hyotei female would be comfortable on her way back.

"Don't worry," Natsuki pointed to a cordless phone on the side. "There's a phone there that you can use in case you want to contact any of us. Also, whatever you do – don't touch the controls. That's your only way home unless you know how to fly an airplane which I highly doubt you don't. Also, there's cable TV – a lot of candies courtesy of the crazy Yukimura out there fighting. Shizuru also brought some magazines and novels to tide you over the ride. It's a three hour journey back to Tokyo and don't worry – we already have clearance for you to land in the airport. Oh the heck with it, call Atobe."

Ayane giggled softly while looking over her cellphone, dialling up Atobe's number.

_First thing I bet he's gonna do is say that 'ore-sama is wondering how you got kidnapped so easily despite your irritating voice'_

The dial tone greeted her as the ringing continued on for the next ten minutes until the phone clicked.

"Arn~, _ore-sama_ speaking," –the usual pompous voice echoed through the phone. "Wait, Ayane – is it you?"

"What do you think, mole diva," Ayane chuckled lightly, leaning against the chair with a glass of strawberry iced tea she found in the refrigerator. _Somehow, it feels nice to hear his voice..._

Suddenly, the line became very silent until Atobe softly broke the silence. "I'm sorry..."

Ayane's eyes widened for a moment as she pondered on what he said. "Wait, why are you saying sorry? The hell with that – you're not using _ore-sama_!"

"_Ore-sama_ is more than capable of finding you by himself," –Ayane's sudden shock fell away as she heard the bitterness lacing his voice. "Yet, he had to rely..."

"Atobe, it's not easy," Ayane sighed dejectedly at the same time, wondering how to nurse his bruised and wounded ego. "Kazama – I mean, Kurenai-_buchou_, Hoshimura-_san_, Amakusa-_san, _Souma-_san_ and Yukimura-_san_ have been training in this line of field for a very long time. At least, I wasn't injured or assaulted or anything. I mean – the only thing I'll probably come home with is a few bruises."

Atobe slammed his hands on the table, shocking Ayane on the other end. "Where did those come from?"

"Uh, did I say bruises," Ayane quickly shifted him away from the topic as soon as she could, realizing how nasty Atobe could get upon hearing when his girlfriend gets hurt. "I meant blouses!"

"Ayane, the two words are very different in sound and meaning," Atobe scoffed disbelievingly, easily detecting her lie. "You're as horrible as Kurenai when it comes to lying."

Ayane pouted on the other the end, folding her arms impishly. "Atobe, promise me you won't murder anyone when I tell you."

"Call me Keigo and maybe I'll reconsider," Atobe relaxed a little, remembering that Ayane had barely addressed him by his first name.

"I want that to be certain," Ayane argued back, tightening her grip on the cellphone. _God, please don't make Keigo argue with me..._

Silence deafened the cabin as Ayane slumped deeper into the bucket seats, wondering how to appease a murderous Atobe on the other side. The dangerous part about the violet haired captain remained in the fact that everything he needed was just a push of a button away. She ran her fingers through her long tangerine hair frustratingly while contemplatively tapping her chin. Sweat trailed down her cheeks as she held in her breath, praying Atobe would agree.

"Alright," Atobe sighed through the phone, leaning against the computer chair. "First question, where are you?"

"I'm on an airplane heading back to Tokyo," Ayane carefully spoke until realization hit her like a lightning bolt. "Damn it, Keigo! I should be worried about you! You're the one who took a shot to the hip! Secondly, there wasn't only one bullet fired – it was repeated and you could probably have one imbedded in your knee or any of your joints! Do you know how dangerous that is? To get you walking again, you're going to need surgery and rehabilitation! You're doing a Tezuka stunt!"

Atobe brushed it off uncaringly, waving his hand dismissively. "Ayane, it doesn't matter. _Ore-sama _survived completely unscathed."

"No, you're not," Ayane snapped angrily, throwing Atobe off guard. "Did you have your wound checked? If that lodged deep into your hip, you're never gonna play tennis again! What is wrong with you? I'm a big girl! You're a guy who just took a bullet and cheated death after trying to play the hero! Are you some kind of a nut!"

"_Ore-sama_ will admit he is a nut," Atobe sighed while raking his slender fingers through his purple hair. "But, he is only a nut because he cares."

Ayane sighed helplessly at her predicament as a horrible awkwardness wedged itself in between them once again. Glancing out the window, the tangerine haired vice captain melancholically gazed at the drifting clouds as images of the battle continued to flash in her head. The desperation flickering in Shizuru's eyes and the murderous intent spilling out of Rigald's body caused her to shudder fearfully especially with the image of blood splattering against her face. She shivered before bringing the phone closer to her face.

"Okay," Ayane inhaled sharply before messing up her strawberry blonde hair. "The truth is – I don't remember much other than being KO'ed with chloroform and being shoved into the trunk of the car. After that, I was tossed out into some warehouse where there were those neon green tube thingies that had stuff that were basically unidentifiable. The heck with it, you'd say it was the worst looking thing you ever seen."

Atobe nodded slowly on the other end, gathering and imagining the information Ayane gave him. "Did you hear anything outside? Do you remember anything distinguishable to narrow the place down?"

"All I know is that I left some crazy port since there were some seagulls and I heard rolling waves," the tangerine haired vice captain reminisced slowly before noticing the airport below her. "Keigo, by the way – where are you? I don't hear a crowd or a Hyotei cheer behind you."

"_Ore-sama_ had himself brought to Tokyo Airport," Atobe responded smoothly while looking up into the sky, suddenly walking forward. "_Ore-sama_ sees a huge airplane with the Amakusa symbol scrawled across it. _Ore-sama_ will be there to get you."

Ayane sighed as the dial-tone met her ears, clamping her phone shut as the airplane slowly began to descend. While the tangerine haired teenager cast a weary glance out the window, she pondered upon the predicament of her captain. As the clashes of steel continued to echo in her mind, the female mindlessly descended the steps as Atobe rushed over only to grab her by the shoulders.

"Ayane, what happened," Atobe stared into her emerald orbs, shaking her violently. "Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?'

Ayane snapped out of her daze, grabbed the older male's collar and shook him equally as hard as Atobe's icy blue eyes blazed wildly. "Ato- I mean Keigo, stop shaking me! You're not helping by shaking out all the information, you shit-for-brains!"

Atobe, upon hearing her response, weakly let go before averting his eyes and letting out a defeated sigh. "Ayane..."

Seeing the worry flicker in Atobe's eyes, Ayane slowly raised her hand to his cheek. "Hey, I'm alright. Don't worry about it. You said it yourself; it'll take more than a tank to bring me down. Besides, you don't need more white hair – your hair colour's gonna look awfully wrong if it's purple and white. Besides, where's that insane arrogance you always had especially when it came to other people getting caught and not you?"

Atobe chuckled humourlessly before glancing at the transport. "The Amakusa family actually let you use the jet? Who was with you?"

"Amakusa-_san _and Hoshimura-_san_ escorted me home, Keigo," Ayane responded slowly as she watched Atobe survey the plane. "Keigo, they put it on auto-pilot. They couldn't leave Yukimura-_san_ alone to fight whoever that crazy man was. He started fooling around with animals and even with people's lives, Keigo. I'm amazed that I survived actually."

Atobe's glare instantly froze as his hands balled up into a fist. "Do you remember the man's name?"

Ayane shook her head dejectedly, massaging her temples. "Sorry, everything's still so fuzzy. All I remember is holding this black octagon-shaped thing and then – everything went pitch black. After that, I found Souma attacking me and _buchou_ fighting this other guy whom she actually ripped to shreds."

"You're exaggerating," Atobe folded his arms in annoyance, rolling his eyes. "Kurenai is anything but violent. That's your division."

"You know the kind of person who has a calm and taciturn expression as her sword slashes at all the vital points?"

Atobe raised an eyebrow sceptically at the tangerine haired female. "She pulls off a Sanada tactic?"

"You can say that."

_Octagon shaped thing, _Atobe bit his lips hard as he started drawing out an image. The Atobe Corporation had not come up with a device like that and in doing so would require his father to invest millions. He remembered seeing one of the weapons belonging to the girls but never realized their function, combative ability and strength. A frown marred his features as he leaned against his left foot, tapping on the ground impatiently. He glanced at the jumbo jet for a moment as he started walking towards the plane.

"Atobe, where are you going," Ayane darted after him as his pace quickened. "Atobe Keigo, what the hell are you doing?"

As her words fell on deaf ears, Atobe immediately searched the cockpit as he started pressing buttons to access the GPS system. A holographic projector revealed a huge globe and a magnified version of the island of Japan with a grid and dots blinking brightly. His icy blue eyes narrowed darkly while he fished out a piece of paper from his pocket, scribbling down the coordinates. As Ayane's footsteps rapped louder against the stairs, Atobe immediately shoved the paper into his pocket until he swivelled around to meet the female vice captain.

"Keigo, what are you doing," Ayane raised an eyebrow while looking past him. "Why's the GPS on?"

Atobe pulled out his cellphone, quickly dialling buttons. "_Ore-sama_ will make sure that he will regret living his life."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game, Inui: seven games to six!"

The bespectacled data man of Seigaku adjusted his eyeglasses before walking towards the bench, receiving praises from his juniors and fellow teammates. Seigaku's audience and supporters chanted louder and louder as Yanagi sauntered towards the bench with a solemn expression. The Rikkai Dai team remained silent until Sanada stood up from his chair and a crisp sound echoed into the air with the Professor staggering back until Kirihara blocked it with his own racquet. The crowds fell silent as the Emperor glared sternly at his fellow teammate.

"Yanagi, do not forget why we are doing our best," Sanada narrowed his eyes at his fellow demon, glancing at the score.

Yanagi nodded solemnly before walking towards the bench with Kirihara flipping around his tennis racquet with a mocking grin. Niou whistled at the huge swelling mark on Yanagi's cheek whereas Marui blew up a huge bubble. Yagyuu remained completely silent with Jackal leaning contemplatively on the bench. Kirihara on the other hand arrogantly sauntered towards the court as Fuji made his way to his end as well while maintaining his usual cordial smile.

"God, looking at Fuji smile like that's giving me the creeps," Haruka shivered slightly as Kiyone swallowed hard, tugging her collar. "Imagine what he could do to Mai but he was only at half his normal potential that time."

The red haired _tensai_ narrowed her bright molten gold eyes at the feminine _tensai_ while checking her watch. Her eyes widened all of the sudden before she stood up.

"Haruka-_senpai_, you'll have to take charge," Mai slung on her tennis jacket while snatching her cellphone and wallet out of her bag. "I need to check something!"

Watching Mai's figure disappear from a distance, she shrugged her shoulders. "What in the world?"

"She's probably worried about Yukimura," Momo checked the date on her cellphone before flipping it back into her pocket. "She's always been like that. Yukimura mentioned about her visiting him a lot."

Hitomi nodded before adjusting her glasses, glancing towards the scoreboard. "Mai is not the type to break her promises to her friends. Secondly, Yukimura and she often have contact with one another especially in the tutor houses. After hearing about Yukimura's recent collapse in the Kanagawa train station, Mai rushed over to help him. She cares for him deeply the same way she would care for Shizuru. Do you think she'll actually stand back and watch us get hurt when comes a point in time?"

Everybody remained silent for a moment until Isane broke the silence. "But, does he even understand her approaches?"

"We can only assume that he doesn't," Hitomi shook her head distastefully, folding her arms. "Yukimura may be the demi-god of tennis but that doesn't mean he's excellent in everything."

"It's like assuming that Sanada can kiss a girl shamelessly in front of the crowd just because he's an emperor," Momo added while watching the game between Seigaku and Rikkai Dai. "The _tensai_'s playing around with the devil apparently. Although, the longer he does that..."

Fuji fired a fast forehand to which Kirihara lunged for a volley while the _tensai_ sprinted off to fire a cross-court shot. A small glitter of cerulean sparkled under Fuji's long lashes as Kirihara maintained his cocky smirk with his emerald green eyes glimmered with arrogance. Students stared in awe as the honey haired _tensai_ leapt up into the air, executing an aerial smash. The tennis ball cracked off Fuji's racquet before spiralling towards Kirihara's knee, throwing back the sophomore ace.

"Game, Fuji: one game to love!"

Seigaku whooped for joy as Rikkai Dai watched in horror. Kirihara shuddered fearfully at Fuji's unnerving smile while picking up the tennis ball.

"You're the one who attacked Echizen's knee," Fuji revealed his mystifying cerulean blue eyes, glaring daggers into the sophomore's psyche. "Aren't you?"

Kirihara, trembling slightly as terror and guilt seized him, quickly disguised it with his cocky smirk. "So, what if I did?"

Upon noticing his reaction, Fuji resumed to smiling his usual patented smile. "Ah, it's nothing. I was just confirming my suspicion is all."

As Kirihara turned around, the black haired sophomore inched away bit by bit with sweat trickling down his face and his heartbeat pounding in his ears. "What in the world...?"

Niou shook his head disdainfully at Kirihara before glancing at a very wary Isane. She maintained her usual shy and timid appearance but on the court – her personality may sometimes take a whole 180 degree turn. Stories of the Hyotei female tennis players being downright vindictive and cruel had spread all over _Kantou_ and even towards the other areas. Niou chuckled darkly; her playing style simply targeted specific points on the court. However, the one he distinctly remembered watching long time ago was the match of Rikkai Dai and Hyotei. He remembered seeing Homura Katsuki brag to Naomi Kotetsu regarding her newest addition Yukimura's younger sister, Ai. However, he shivered slightly the moment he saw the members of the Hyotei team. Chihiro's malicious and bestial grin firmly imprinted itself into his memory while the aura emitting from Isane's former doubles partner – Ferero Lulu clearly indicated she could clobber a man single-handedly.

_Bakaya thinks Fuji's scary? That's crazy – he hasn't seen the captain unleash hell yet._

The trickster lazily leaned against his bag before plucking out a lollipop from Marui's bag, throwing the wrapper carelessly at Yagyuu.

"Niou-_kun_, you shouldn't be miserable just because she disliked your style of play," Yagyuu frowned while throwing the wrapper into the trash can, shaking his head distastefully. "If it's your natural style of play, you shouldn't forsake it."

"Who said I was miserable over that," Niou scowled darkly as he shoved the lollipop into his mouth. "For starters, who said I was miserable?"

"You're in denial," Yagyuu pointed out sternly, folding his arms before directing a gaze towards his doubles partner. "You're actually becoming more sensitive."

"That's really bad for my image, Yagyuu," Niou rolled his eyes while returning his gaze towards Kirihara's match. "Just watch the game."

"You've becoming moodier each and every time you see her," Yagyuu seated himself next to his doubles partner. "Mind telling me what?"

Niou glared daggers at Yagyuu who barely flinched until realization hit him like a thunderbolt. He never used to glare; it was more he would smirk and whoever received his prank was the one glaring at him. The silver haired trickster exasperatedly ran his fingers through his hair while glancing at the bleachers now seeing Isane exchanging notes with Shishido.

_He shouldn't care right? He's just doing his usual..._

"Niou, you're actually falling for this girl rather than leading her around, aren't you," Yagyuu glanced at Hyotei's position on the bleachers, noticing only Kiyone, Haruka, Rin, Hitomi, Isane and Momo stood there. "For starters, it's contradicting your usual way of just going around with girls for fun and you're quite unsure on how to deal with it."

"You're not a psychologist, Yagyuu."

Niou snorted in annoyance before casting a glance towards the scoreboard and reminiscing through the match that he had recently played. Kikumaru did take a nasty hit to the eye although; injuries were highly common in sports. He recalled the time Sanada's _Ka_ sent him flying towards the wired fences and how it made sure he couldn't climb up onto his bed without any difficulties. His bright blue eyes narrowed darkly as Kirihara took more than a beating until his eyes became bloodshot. Fuji soon found himself being pushed back by Kirihara's brutal force as his racquet strings nearly snapped with an unbearable _twang_. Kirihara chortled maniacally as Fuji darted left and right on the defensive while Kirihara's shots echoed throughout the courts.

"Come on, attack me, Fuji," Kirihara grinned psychotically before backhanding it towards Fuji. "What's the matter? You look a little pale."

Kirihara continued to beat down on Fuji with exploding forehands and backhands while Fuji spun them over to all sorts of directions to prevent the devil from blasting another shot. However, the _tensai_ found himself exceeding his limits and wondered inwardly to himself what pushed him so hard. He recalled Tezuka's match against Atobe – seeing him go all out, baffled him to no end.

"I see an opening," Kirihara gleefully cackled as he smashed the ball straight towards Fuji, clobbering the _tensai_ on the head.

His racquet clattered on the ground as Fuji reeled back but managed to keep a stable stance. However, the moment he looked up – everything remained pitch black. He touched his face and searched for his racquet before wobbling around. Sweat trickled down his face as he desperately began looking around until the darkness swallowed him up.

Seeing her student nearly crippled, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ walked over to him. "Fuji, are you alright?"

The _tensai_ shook himself out of the daze. "Yes, I'm fine. Please continue the ma..."

_I, _Fuji's eyes widened with horror as the whole mocked him with its darkness. _I can't see!_

Fuji recalled the moment in his head, tracing the trajectory of the ball. He remembered pondering about Tezuka – wondering how his friend managed to find a drive. The _tensai_ soon found himself baffled by most captains as to how they became so amazing. The match he had in the camp against Mai and Shizuru flashed through his mind, making him question his ability. Fuji rubbed the aching spot where the ball had come in contact with in his head before flinching slightly due to the pain.

"Because of the blow to my head," Fuji whispered low to himself. "My vision's become temporarily impaired... what a terrible miss I've committed."

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_, finding the ball near her, picked it up before handing it to Fuji. "This person... He's purposely targeting your body..."

Fuji swished his hand around, wondering where the ball was much to Ryuuzaki-_sensei_'s horror.

"Fuji, don't tell me," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ retracted her hand immediately but Fuji managed to snatch it back.

"Whatever you do," Fuji walked back towards the court with his cerulean blue eyes glittering despite his blindness. "Don't withdraw me from this match!"

Upon releasing his service, Fuji darted forward for Kirihara's next shot as the ace easily returned it with a mocking grin etched on his face. Kirihara licked his lips contentedly as he started targeting Fuji's body again and again. The tennis ball collided with Fuji's shoulder, causing the _tensai_ to reel back.

"Game, Kirihara: one game to three!"

Momoshiro pounded his fist against the railings, gritting his teeth angrily. "That bastard, he's doing it on purpose!"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ visibly winced at the sight of her student taking a harsh beating; her lips thinning out grimly. "This is bad. If Kirihara were to find out about Fuji's condition, he would go straight for Fuji's weakness."

As the ball rolled away, Kirihara snickered with his bloodshot eyes gleaming delightfully. "I'm going to make you pay for making this match go beyond thirteen minutes."

Kirihara easily targeted open corners due to Fuji's blindness and one shot even made its way to the _tensai_'s elbow, causing Fuji to stumble back. The devil smacked his lips with satisfaction as he continued his relentless assault against Fuji. The _tensai_ ignored the sweat pouring down his face as he desperately made every attempt to return the shots, biting his lower lip hard as the ball's explosion echoed loudly in his ears.

"Game, Kirihara: three games all!"

Horio winced at the beating, shivering fearfully. "Fuji-_senpai_'s getting completely dominated..."

"Game, Kirihara: four games to three!"

As Kirihara darted for another shot, he smirked while watching Fuji stumble around to grasp his surroundings. His eyes lost their focus and concentration on the ball, allowing him to strike at any point he wanted. He chuckled to himself as the black haired sophomore of Rikkai Dai prepared a forehand.

"You're doing pretty well despite you being unable to get a visual," Kirihara taunted as he exploded the shot towards the corner.

Fuji, breathing heavily, desperately chased after the ball until he finally made contact with it for a backhand.

Marui shook his head with dismay, gaping with shock and surprise. "No way, he returned it? Sure, he could've done it with the service because he's in control but in a regular rally without a visual – that's downright impossible!"

Kirihara prepared for a strong smash, grinning determinedly. "Yeah – it's just a fluke!"

As the forehand flew across the court, Fuji slowly closed his eyes before stabilizing his stance. The wind and speed of the ball brushed near him as he pounded it back despite his darkness.

_Those limits I thought I had, they never existed now did they?_

Fuji smiled weakly to himself, remembering the matches he had with all the people who managed to drag out his full potential. Echizen forced him to reveal two of his counters, Mai dragged him out despite her taking a severe beating and Shizuru only used three of her techniques to seal him off. Tezuka soon questioned him what would make him use his full power. Inui always noted that he could never get any real data from the _tensai_ as well. A dark smile appeared on Fuji's face as he continued attacking the ball with his new grasp on the flow.

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ staggered onto her feet with shock clearly written across her expression.

_He has far exceeded my expectations..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sunlight penetrated the white walled room as a bluenette visibly shifted on his bed. His lavender eyes groggily opened to see the IV drip and heard the pacemaker beeping soundly as he adjusted himself. His body weighed him horribly as the feel of anaesthesia flowing through his bloodstream forcefully dropped him onto the bed. A relieved yet dejected sigh escaped his lips as he wearily swivelled his heads towards the shining sunlight. He lifted his hand, contemplating at fortune of his surgery. Subconsciously, Yukimura smiled lightly while relieving himself of the light-headedness.

"Yukimura-_sama_," a small feminine voice peeked from behind the door as it slowly creaked open, revealing a brunette with high pigtails shyly smiling at him. "I heard your surgery was a success... How are you feeling?"

"Oh, Sumiyagi-san," Yukimura propped himself against his pillow, regaining some of his senses with the anaesthesia wearing off. "It's nice seeing a friendly face after a surgery. I trust the Student Council is handling things well?"

Watching the brunette quietly peel the apples, Yukimura shook his head as his memory remained completely fuzzy. He leaned against the pillow with a frown marring his delicate features before running his fingers through his long blue tresses. Before entering the surgery room, he recalled hearing an echoing voice ringing in his ears. His vision blurred horribly before he collapsed onto the bed again, completely exhausted.

"Yukimura-_sama_," Rena suddenly stood up, rushing over to the bluenette's side. "Are you alright? Do you want me to call the nurse?"

"It's alright," Yukimura chuckled sheepishly with a weak smile gracing his lips, sinking deeper into his pillow. "It's just a little side-effect from the surgery. They loaded me with a lot of sedatives after all."

Rena smiled as she gently brushed away the locks covering Yukimura's pale face, blushing suddenly before averting her eyes away from him. "Oh um, Yukimura-_sama_ – there's something I need to tell you... Um, Sanada-_san_, he's currently..."

"He's currently trying to impress Kurenai but she's not there am I right," Yukimura raised an eyebrow at the girl as she started twiddling with her thumbs. "Whenever my sister vanishes, Kurenai and the other captains go along with her. It's been like that for several years now. Mom and dad know something and they're not telling me anything so – I'm guessing that I'm not really supposed to have a sister but she was created for the sole purpose for keeping me alive..."

Rena's eyes widened as she gaped in surprise. "Yukimura-_sama_, how is that possible? I mean – maybe it's some leadership training..."

"Perhaps," Yukimura swivelled his head towards the girl with an intense stare. "However, there's something else you want to tell me isn't there?"

Rena hung her head as she bit her lip hard, playing with an imaginary dust bunny on the ground. "Yukimura-_sama_, the truth is – when I visited you the other day, I really wanted to tell you that... I..."

Yukimura watched her pensively as she shyly handed him a box of chocolates. "I know this is really out of the occasion but here..."

Yukimura's lavender orbs surveyed her burnt fingertips as he found nicely crafted chocolate waiting for him inside. They had white swirls on each of them and when he cracked it open – white chocolate filing melted into his mouth. The blue haired Rikkai Dai captain savoured the taste in his mouth before turning towards Rena who continued to smile demurely at him. The bluenette captain looked up as she hung her head abashedly at him.

"Yukimura-_sama_, the truth is – I really like you," Rena murmured softly as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

Yukimura found himself speechless as to what to say. He could not reject her, not that she had done much for him already. His body trembled with the world swirling around him while Rena tensely stood in front of him with crystals rolling down her cheeks. The suspense caused his heartbeat to thunder loudly in his ears as he tried to come up with a response. She had been accommodating everyone ever since his sudden admission to the hospital. Nevertheless, he couldn't simply reject her after everything – it would have been too awkward for them to continue. The feminine captain lightly placed his hand on her cheek before gently lifting her head up for better eye contact.

"And perhaps, so do I," Yukimura smiled at her, causing Rena's expression to significantly brighten up.

However, he did not notice the sudden change of red from his door along with the slightly tapping on the ground.

The red haired _tensai_ of Hyotei fought back the salty crystalline that threatened to spill out of her eyes. Her knees wobbled horribly as she continued to run faster than ever. The hallways swirled around her as her pace quickened while she carelessly bumped into people. Her molten gold eyes suddenly dulled into dark amber as she stumbled over and collided against the freezing marble pavement. Her necklace rattled across the floor as the chain snapped and lay in pieces. For a few moments, Mai found her body completely paralysed with darkness slowly overwhelming her. Her body trembled violently as she wobbled back and forth while clambering to her feet.

_He didn't hear me after all..._

Mai leaned against the wall with her bangs falling over her eyes as her fists tightened. Her heart pounded wildly into her ears as she stared at the ground, defeated. Tears trickled out of her eyes as the white walls of the hospital towered over her with their flickering white fluorescent lights. The steel lined windows permitted a small amount of light as it reflected off her silver necklace as she lifelessly picked up the pieces of her favourite necklace. Her whole word crashed against her shoulders as her face contorted with annoyance and frustration.

_Never mind,_ Mai brushed it away dismissively, wiping away much of her tears. "Maybe I should go back to watching. The team's going to need me soon. I can't just sit here and mope the whole time."

Glancing one more time at the hallway, Mai snapped her head away before beginning her sprint. The _tensai_ resisted the urge to turn heel and return back to Yukimura's hospital quarters and tell him the truth or drill it into his head until nothing else would be able to counteract it. However, the responsibility of handling the team weighed against it as she quickened her pace towards the courts until she bumped into something really _soft._

"Oh sorry," Mai swivelled her head and found Ayane stumbling back and landing on her butt, beaming in amazement. "Ayane, you're okay! What the hell, Atobe where did you go?"

"_Ore-sama_ went to fetch her from the airports," Atobe frowned slightly at Mai's crude greeting. "I throw the question back to you."

Ayane shook herself out of the daze, grinning cheekily. "You betcha I am! Where are the others?"

"They're the in courts," Mai latched onto Ayane's hand before dragging her all the way to the courts, completely ignoring Atobe altogether before he sprinted after them. "Fuji's getting decimated right now hence, we're going to have to wait awhile. Knowing him, he's probably got some ace cards up his sleeve to shock Kirihara into oblivion. After that, he's gonna annihilate Kirihara with a heck of attacks. After all, we're talking about the same Seigaku that your crazy boyfriend has been harping about almost everyday in school on how he'll beat them and bring them to the Nationals."

Atobe snorted in disgust. "_Ore-sama_ is simply ambitious, Nagisaki."

Ayane blushed beet red before digging her heels into the ground, causing Mai to nearly tumble over. "Wait a minute, how did you find out?"

"Ayane, do you forget who you're talking to," Mai raised an eyebrow at the vice captain, urging the tangerine haired vice captain to sigh hopelessly.

"Yes, I forgot," Ayane rolled her eyes sarcastically before feeling the _tensai_ pull her once again. "But seriously, I want to know."

"With Atobe, news gets around easily," Mai continued to dash forward until they reached the entrance of the match, suddenly stopping in her tracks and hanging her head. "Everyone missed you, you know. You're crazy, getting yourself kidnapped like that."

Ayane helplessly sighed at the sophomore until she noticed Mai's grip slowly loosen. "Mai, what happened?"

The _tensai_, noticing shiny beads of tears falling out of her eyes, quickly wiped them away before letting out a fake sickeningly sweet chirp. "It's nothing! I'm cool!"

"You cannot escape _ore-sama_'s _insight, _Nagisaki," Atobe prepared to see through her lie until Ayane placed her arm in front of him.

Ayane folded her arms before raising her eyebrows, skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"I just hate the heat," Mai chuckled sheepishly before freaking out at her hair, pulling out a strand. "It's getting all stringy again."

As they reached the courts, the whole Hyotei team screamed in delight as they hugged or nearly suffocated their vice captain. Ayane gasped for air as Kiyone grabbed her by her collar, shaking her silly before comically crying out fountains of tears. Haruka laughed as she ruffled Ayane's hair with Rin pouncing on top of her and hugging her tightly that the whole team could have sworn that Ayane turned blue for a moment, gasping for oxygen. With no hesitation at all, Atobe grabbed her out of the crowd before spinning her around into his arms causing the whole crowd to become excruciatingly silent. Ayane blushed wildly as Atobe's slender fingers entwined with her own until realization drummed itself into her head.

"Atobe Keigo, what's with all the drama," she screeched before struggling against him until Hyotei's king forced her to face him, bending forward to press his lips against hers and making her nearly fall backwards. "What the...?"

Atobe smirked before running his fingers through her hair. "_Ore-sama_ forgot to show everyone else that you're his."

"Argh, you stupid arrogant peacock," Ayane prepared to slap him but averted her eyes from his piercing amused blue eyes instead. "Did you leave your brain behind at the airport?"

Both teams erupted in a loud laughter until another large explosion echoed into their ears as Fuji landed on the ground, completely exhausted and Kirihara stunned.

"Game and match, Fuji: seven games to five!"

Seigaku howled and chanted gloriously for their _tensai_ as Fuji, with a little help from Oishi, made his way to the bleachers. Rikkai Dai's cheerful and confident atmosphere slumped considerably as Kirihara walked lifelessly back to bench in his fatigued state.

"Fujiko-_chan_, that was amazing _nyah_," Kikumaru jumped onto Fuji, glomping his best friend and teammate. "You really showed him!"

"I didn't know you could literally play with your eyes shut, _senpai_," Momoshiro declared loudly as well before handing Fuji a towel. "It's all down to Singles One now. Even with your eyes damaged, you were able to beat that crazy doofus."

Fuji chuckled before looking up to the sky. "Well, it's because I couldn't see that I won..."

As his sight slowly returned to him, Fuji stared in surprise when the first sight that greeted him was Seigaku's flag billowing against his face. Memories of his conversations with Tezuka flooded into his mind as he recalled every moment during the match. He let out a sarcastic laugh – the irony of his blindness amused him before he took another swig from his water jug. A ghostly smile appeared on his lips before he checked the scoreboard, realizing the pressure on the next player as Echizen stood up with a cocky grin on his face.

"Bring it on."

Kirihara weakly and shamefacedly sauntered towards Sanada before standing firm. "Please hit me, Sanada-_senpai_!"

Silence descended onto the crowd as the vice captain of Rikkai Dai stood firmly in front of Kirihara Akaya. A dejected sigh escaped the female Sanada's lips as she found Sanada Genichirou walking past Kirihara with a disappointed glare for an expression. Momo narrowed her eyebrows a bit until her cellphone vibrated in her pocket, urging her to pick it up. Her cellphone lit up, revealing her sender to be none other than Midoriyama Nanako.

_To: Sanada Momo_

_From: Midoriyama Nanako_

_Thanks to you, I'm having my surgery for my legs done today._

_I realized there was so much stuff that I missed out on and I felt_

_that you should be the first to know. Naomi had isolated herself from a lot of us but,_

_She's opening a little more now. I thought you might wanted to know since it's still true that_

_Shizuru does care for her but not in the same way she used to. All of us are waiting for you guys to bring home_

_the championships. Not for us but, for your sakes. Do not forget who you are, Momo. Believe in your strength. Survive,_

_live and continue on the true legacy of being Hyotei's Shinigami._

Momo, puzzled as to why her former doubles partner would send her such a message, proceeded to reply only to discover that the number was shut off right after. The purple haired _Shinigami_ sighed quietly to herself before watching cranes fly across the sky as the tension between Sanada and Echizen built up.

_Thank you, senpai._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Staring at the blank sheet of bond paper in front of him, Tezuka remained completely unsure of what to write. The last message he had sent to his advisor in romance apparently asked him to try sending a note of getting know her as to not freak her out. Stalkers often ended up being tracked by the police after all. An annoyed crease appeared on his forehead as he tapped his sign pen on the desk, pondering as to what to write. Time ticked away with the clock somewhat beeping every minute with him continuing to stare at the blank sheet of paper. A frown marred his features before he tipped his glasses above his nose, glancing at the clock.

10:30 PM.

The Seishun Gakuen male captain pondered on the thought whether or not he should try writing a letter. He barely began his communication; most people started it for him in order for him to get the flow of things but never did he find himself in the position to be the one to initiate a conversation with a girl. A girl from Hyotei, his crush and possibly Fuuka's next murder victim nonetheless. Tezuka leaned against the swivel chair before glancing at his notes that he had prepared to study over the week but nothing seemed to enter his head. He prided himself on memory but the problem lay now in his inability to concentrate due to his other problems.

"Kunimitsu," a soft voice prodded him gently in his head as he swivelled around only to see no one.

_Why am I hearing things now?_

Tezuka massaged his temples in annoyance before redirecting his attention back to the blank sheet of paper. The bespectacled male continued to sigh to himself before opening a small drawing book, thinking he could copy anything from the scenery to the market places or the mountainous areas. Unfortunately, what stared back at him were sketches of Shizuru smiling, laughing, blushing and all sorts of other things of how he suddenly put those there. The teenager scared himself the next day when he saw the contents; he refused to believe his ability in art. Fuji did most of the artistic stuff along with Kikumaru since they're probably the most artistic there despite their grade school-like drawings. He traced the linings of the drawing until his computer let out a loud _ding_ to reveal an e-mail from Fuji.

_To: kt1007 yahoo. com_

_From: smiling_sadist gmail. com_

_Saa, Tezuka – I have some new photos for you. Although I'm not sure you'll want them but maybe you will. XD_

Tezuka scrolled down to the bottom portion of the e-mail revealing five pictures and the download button sitting right next to it. The bespectacled teen warily clicked the button, wondering what kind of photos Fuji would send him at this crazy hour. Fortunately, the internet speed didn't drive him crazy like most times as the images appeared on his screen. The first one was Shizuru going for a service shot towards whoever. A chuckle bubbled from his throat as he recalled her intense concentration every time she took the shot. The next image was of her laughing and smiling with whatever antic her teammate pulled off. His heart lightened a little as the next image appeared with her sleeping against the tree with her racquet lying dutifully beside her.

He picked up his sign pen and suddenly began to write.

_Dear Shizuru..._

Tezuka shook his head away from any sappy romance that may appear on the letter. The bespectacled coffee blonde teenager nearly choked on the contents of his mind before writing more things. His pen remained a few inches away from the plain white sheet as he pondered more on the contents. How would he approach a girl if she barely knew him?

_Dear Kurenai-san,_

_You're truly an amazing person. Your tennis matches from what I hear are amazing. I hope to watch much more of your matches._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Anonymous_

Tezuka soon found himself wondering whether or not if this was all his IQ [Intelligence Quotient] and eloquence could come up with before thumping his head against the wooden desk. For the first time, a wave of cluelessness and bewilderment washed over him as the letter remained completely short and barely one-fourth the paper. Crumpling up the paper, Tezuka pitched it into the black trash can before resuming his work. He slowly started scribbling more things but continued to create a huge pile of papers filling up the trash bin. He continued to stare at it again until a loud _ding _woke him up from the stupor.

backstreetgirl_22793: need any help? XD

A helpless smile appeared on his lips as he typed back.

kt1007: you have no idea how much help you're going to be right now.

backstreetgirl_22793: I'm guessing it's the love letter you're trying to send to your angel, ne?

kt1007: ...

backstreetgirl_22793: oh come on, a guy has a pet name for every girl they like. There's got to be one for yours too.

kt1007: ... I don't know any...

backstreetgirl_22793: why can't you?

Tezuka sighed into his palm while watching his conversation with his literary colleague get nowhere. However, the Seishun Gakuen senior did cringe at the thought of someone calling Shizuru "sugar pie" or any of all those disgusting pet peeves he's seen on those romantic comedies. The mere thought of Sanada calling her that irked him beyond imagination as he typed back.

kt1007: it wouldn't be befitting of someone for her class.

backstreetgirl_22793: I'm sure there's a word out there.

kt1007: the best thing I can describe her as... is nothing...

backstreetgirl_22793: what do you mean by that?

kt1007: if I were to choose a word to describe her, it would never be good enough to do so.

backstreetgirl_22793: anyway getting back to the topic, what do you want to do with that love letter first?

kt1007: how do I tell a girl I love her without freaking her out with an anonymous note?

backstreetgirl_22793: if she were extremely popular, she would be used to getting those things.

Tezuka frowned at his predicament and was now mentally kicking himself for following his crazy rehabilitation coach's advice.

backstreetgirl_22793: hey this gives me an idea. Why don't you try it out on me first? I can comment and give you a good idea of what she may like.

Tezuka leaned against the swivel chair, pondering on the suggestion before typing it out. Closing his eyes for a moment, Tezuka slowly conjured an image of Shizuru in his mind. She was playing tennis, completely sweaty from the hard work out with a bright smile on her face. Tezuka found himself standing at the other end as he looked at the score: 6-6; a helpless smile appeared on his face until the whole imagination suddenly shifted into something else. He stood in the auditorium as bright Christmas light floated around as Tezuka's eyes widened with shock as Sanada held Shizuru's hands with his own, closing in the gap. Their foreheads were pressed together as a small smile appeared on Sanada's lips while Shizuru giggled softly.

Snapping his eyes open once again, Tezuka stared at the blank e-mail page that mocked him. He shook his head disdainfully, wondering why he would be trifled by such matters.

_Ah, you have Sanada as a competitor don't you?_

Tezuka frowned slightly at the idea of Sanada smiling with Shizuru, let alone staring or admiring her. Somehow, an idea of kidnapping Shizuru appeared in his head but he quickly cancelled it after realizing how horrible his rationale started becoming. The bespectacled male leaned against his swivel chair until it slightly tilted backwards before searching the ceiling, wondering if answers do descend from out of nowhere.

_Your ability has mesmerized me. I am unable to tell you how amazed I am by your skills. To be honest, I have not seen just your tennis skills but with everything else. Everyone's mood seems to lighten when you speak to them. With a gentle sense of authority, you were able to command an elite team. Perhaps your skills are not just in your ability to associate with other people but how well you can charm them without being so extravagant._

_-Anonymous_

Tezuka sent it to his partner to check and after waiting anxiously for five torturing minutes, his computer let out a loud _ding_ as the message came back.

backstreetgirl_22793: Simple, short – not bad.

kt1007: is it workable?

backstreetgirl_22793: she'll probably be more interested with this more than the usual "Kurenai-_san,_ please go on a date me". XD

kt1007: that's... subtle. You sound like you know her...

backstreetgirl_22793: I hear stories a lot. XD

kt1007: ah.

Tezuka once again daydreamed about returning back to Japan, regarding the Nationals and other things. The slow ticking of the clock caused him to slightly twitch before he stood up from his chair and began pacing around. With a disgruntled snort, Tezuka mechanically picked up the remote to watch the news as image of a burning battle stadium flashed in front of him. The news woman spoke in German and although he was Japanese, Tezuka prayed that his ears deceived him as more smoke rose from the burning dome.

_In an inhabited island of Kyushu, a battle dome owned by the Ueda corporation had been ignited by the Urabutousatsujin held by the family companies. A team called Constellation Chaos immediately decimated teams one after the other as the bets on them increased even more._

"Constellation Chaos," Tezuka murmured before leaning on his elbows, watching intently. "Where have I heard that name before?"

_The audience has been screaming for more bloodshed as the fighters go after each others' throats relentlessly. Welcome to Japan's Kumite matches, live in Kyushu! We'll go now to you, Steve! _

The screen shifted to a blonde man who stood amongst the crowd. Tezuka narrowed his eyes and plugged his ears from the volume of the audience's demand for more blood. He visibly flinched from the loud clashing of steel and scrunches of breaking bones as Steve dodged another flying projectile.

_Well, right now – Constellation Chaos is about to fight their next opponent and they've been doing a good job holding up their end. _

Glaring darkly at the screen, Tezuka immediately killed the television before fishing out his racquet from his bag. The smoky image flashed in his mind, wondering how people managed to even get a vivid camera view of the underground tournaments. The bespectacled male headed out towards the courts as he continued to contemplate on his situation with the enigmatic Hyotei brunette, ignoring the echoing of his footsteps in the hallway. The lights slightly dimmed as the Honeysuckle flowers in the hallway were tinted with a light white to make the blue shine out more outright

"You must be Tezuka Kunimitsu," a voice caused the coffee blonde bespectacled adolescent to spin around and face another coffee blonde male with a more muscular body.

The bespectacled male narrowed his eyes at the other man that stood across the hallway. Unlike him, the other male stood straight with a strong build in a silver motorcycle jacket and white straight cut pants. He tightened his red gloves before folding his arms, analysing Tezuka carefully. The tennis captain slightly stepped back, watching the man's steps cautiously.

"Who are you supposed to be," Tezuka narrowed his eyes darkly. _How does he know...?_

"My name's none of your concern," the male advanced forward with a pink haired robot standing behind him. "Alisa, scan him for any weaponry."

The pink haired robot remained motionless for a moment before Tezuka heard another _ding. _"No hostile weapons contained. Identity confirmed: Tezuka Kunimitsu, Seishun Gakuen captain. Lars-_kun_, why are we looking for him?"

_Lars,_ Tezuka raised an eyebrow while throwing back stern glare towards him, regaining some of his composure. "Is there something bad that I have done that I'm not aware of?"

Lars maintained a stoic expression, remembering the data he received from his grand-nephew and his nephew. He also knew the family himself but Lars preferred confronting face to face rather than sneaking behind the shadows. He softened his gaze before retreating to a more calm and controlled stance.

"No, there's nothing," Lars smirked slightly before turning around, throwing a glance back at him. "I just wanted to make sure of something."

As Lars walked away, Tezuka remained bewildered by the sudden approach as the gaze from the other male somehow paralysed him in place. His racquet clattered down onto the ground before the tension ceased strangling him. The physical presence rocked through his nerves somewhat similar to being cornered by a lion, nearly throwing him back. Silently berating himself for his carelessness, Tezuka wobbled slightly to push himself from the wall before walking towards the training centre.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"OW," Fuuka yowled before scratching it, glaring at Florence as she tightened the bandage. "Did you have to do that!"

Florence sighed defeated while applying more ointment on her wounds, earning more howls from Fuuka. "Well, you're the one who threw herself into a berserker fury in the first place."

Ai swung her legs around jovially while Shizuru manipulated a small bubble of water before hovering it over the bluenette's wounds. Natsuki opened her computer while checking the standings and potential opponents before finding an extra tab with a conversation in it. Scrolling through it, the female _kansai_ captain whistled profoundly while glancing towards Shizuru and then at Fuuka. A smirk appeared on her lips while leaning against the head board. Her deep set eyes strayed towards the glistening chandelier as they awaited their next opponent.

"So, who's after Ueda _Majin_," Florence glanced at Natsuki, shifting uneasily in the silence.

Natsuki sighed bitterly before checking the mappings and the standings. "So far, there's another match before we get to fight again in the semi-finals. Both teams sponsored by Ueda are going to fight one another and whoever wins will be our opponent in the semi-finals. I wonder," –holding up her CHroME in her hand towards the ceiling, the charcoal gray haired captain slumped down back on the bed. "Is it really us or our CHroMEs really the source of our combat capability?"

Fuuka snorted disgusted while tracing the lining of the linen bandages on her arms, lying halfway on the bed. "Thinking back, I guess we became too reliant on it. Before, we could handle ten big burly men without our CHroME. I guess we significantly lost our strength considering our inactivity and this was one of the very few times that we were actually pulled out of our normal lives."

Everyone remained silent once again while Ai picked up the remote to check the news. "Hey guys, can't we watch the matches from here? They said they're being televised."

"What kind of idiot would televise an underground tournament," Fuuka scowled darkly while watching the channel; her eyes widening with shock. "Is he insane?"

The five girls found the stadium being flashed on screen as the match between two men were revealed. Unlike his opponent, a young man stood with silver hair cascading past his shoulders as he smiled courteously at his opponent who towered over him. The opponent revealed his big burly arms until his eyes suddenly became demonic yellow and veins started bulging at his temples.

Fuuka winced slightly, sitting up with a puzzled expression. "Great, lemme guess – he's gonna grow hair and be as big as a sumo wrestler?"

Florence twitched a bit before pointing to the LCD screen. "How about – he gets big and ugly and shoots poles out of his mouth?"

Fuuka stared at her strangely only to gape in astonishment when she glanced at the screen. "What the hell... oh..."

The bigger man became enormous as he towered with poles sticking out of his back with hard scales enveloping his body while he greedily stared back at the silver haired man with his beady yellow eyes. Chuckling darkly, he raised his fist before smashing down on the stadium with debris flying into the air. Gracefully sailing through the air, the silver haired man transmogrified his right arm into a cross bow before unleashing black arrows that easily pierced through the bigger man's armour. Howling agonizingly, the attacker staggered back as his opponent found him up in the air with his right arm into a huge blade. A small smirk appeared on the gentleman's face as he immediately reduced the huge tanker into little morsels before kicking his decapitated head towards the wall.

Natsuki's eyes widened before she rubbed them to make sure that everything happened exactly the way she saw it.

Florence stared calculatingly, wondering how exactly he managed to reduce something that huge into pebbles.

Fuuka placed her hands onto her eyes, wondering if her eyeballs had rolled out of their sockets yet.

Shizuru held her breath in, fearfully watching the man land gracefully on his feet. _He's amazing..._

"Holy crackers," Fuuka slapped herself out of the daze, biting her lower lip. "How the hell are we supposed to beat this guy? He turned that tank into masses of scarred tissue in an instant!"

Shizuru however narrowed her eyes at the opponent. "He's in my aisle."

Everyone swivelled their heads towards her as she recalled his attacking pattern. "This guy is a quick draw specialist and his moves – none of them wasted energy like most people. If he were able to turn something that huge into little chunks then, his strength would be coming from the speed and grace – not physical sharpness itself. I'm the best equipped to fight him. We have similar fighting styles; I should be able to figure out his weak point much faster rather than just bashing him randomly."

Florence re-analysed the battle, pondering quietly as to wonder how things would turn out. "I guess Shizuru has a point. It's like deciding a position in a tennis match. However, who's going to take the first slot?"

Everyone became silent once again until Yukimura Ai smiled childishly before singing impishly, punching the air. "I'll take it!"

"Starting out strong might be a good idea," Natsuki pondered on the idea carefully, anticipating their most plausible combat order. "But we can't just go blasting all our firepower at the first part. The first matches usually don't matter; it's the last that counts."

Florence, searching their eyes, watched their auras flicker fearfully as they all changed into all sorts of colours. "I'll start us off. I'm not as strong as you guys and Shizuru, Fuuka and Ai can easily make up for me. Besides, as long as we outdo the opponent – Ai and Fuuka can go for a clean sweep with both you and Shizuru."

"You sound like you're the only one who's gonna have a hard time," Fuuka snorted with annoyance before leaning against the headboard, picking up one of her tennis balls before tossing it up and down in her hand. "Face it, Hoshimura – we're all gonna have hell to pay as soon as the quarter finals start. Even if we're done with this, we're gonna get an earful from our mothers back home."

"I'm an orphan," Natsuki raised an eyebrow questioningly as Fuuka rolled her eyes.

"Have you heard Kobayagi sermon Shizuru into the next eon and nag her about everything," Fuuka scoffed with a slight snicker, earning a defeated sigh from the brunette. "You should have seen her. Kurenai looked like she would rather get eaten and spat out than go through another nag session courtesy of the crazy vice captain."

Everyone giggled except the brunette who sighed in defeat while shrugging. "Well, she's simply showing she cares."

"Yeah but that's quite an overload isn't it," Fuuka folded her arms, impishly grinning at the junior. "You have to admit; your ears were beginning to bleed."

Shizuru refused to grace her with a response as she glanced at her light blue CHroME, reflecting away the light from the lamp. She stared at it for a moment while pondering on the many possibilities and ideas on how she could take down an opponent with such grace. As she stood up, her wallet fell to the ground open – revealing a picture of the team when they first started out. A nostalgic smile appeared on her face as she gracefully squatted down to lightly close her wallet before eyeing the octagon shaped device waiting for her on the table.

_The last thing we need – is one of us dying!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**I'm sorry for the really late update! I've been having a lot of projects and less inspiration bursts lately. :( But hopefully, I will continue to have the drive in writing this story! Please don't forget to review! By the way, I'll also be posting a set of one-shots. First up – AyaneXAtobe! XD**


	48. Smile For Me

**Me: Hi, this is Scarlette Shizuru! I know I haven't been updating in awhile and yeah – it has been one heck of a week! Don't worry – all the drama will resume back soon. As soon as Fuuka and company finish off the team, things will resume to normal and off to romance! XD Rikkai Dai and Hyotei will have their highly awaited match as soon as the girls return and arrest the guy. Also, I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OC's! :D Thank you for the reviews by the way!**

**Kyouei_shurei: I'll try to put more romance since the Kidnapping of Ayane arc is finally coming to a close. :D Don't worry; there will be a lot more.**

Chapter 48 – Smile For Me

The crowds roared louder and chanted themselves into a wild frenzy, waving their huge plastic shields to avoid the splattering of blood. Their howls got louder as beasts of all sorts were brought in, shivering fearfully in their cages as they were tasered by their escorts. Mocking laughters and jeers echoed throughout the whole stadium as Constellation Chaos made their way in their signature L.X.A [League of Extraordinary Alchemists] uniforms while watching in disgust the wild madness.

"I didn't know monsters had hearts and could feel fear," Fuuka spitefully glowered at their audience, tightly gripping her CHroME. "These bastards ought to know what it feels like to be in a cage."

Shizuru sadly shook her head, glancing towards the scoreboard. "Sometimes, people act this way to disguise their disgust and pity. However, these people seem to be that of another kind of specie."

"Are they doing it at random again," Ai whined out of boredom, sitting on the ground. "I really hate it. Sometimes, you're not picked at all."

"Yukimura, I have no idea how you can enjoy this kind of violence," Fuuka shook her head in disbelief before standing on the sidelines as Maya took her place at the centre of the podium. "Yes humans are animals but are we truly?"

Florence coughed lightly, pulling out her inhaler. "I hope we get out of this dump soon. The _nitre_ here is driving me nuts."

Natsuki nodded determinedly as the list flashed on the board, folding her arms. "Well Fuuka, your anticipation was spot on. Whoever the silver haired dude is, he's fighting Shizuru for the second to the last match. The other members I don't recognize though."

"We're probably going to end up fighting the beasts in the cage or outside," Fuuka shrugged nonchalantly before darkly narrowing her eyes at the opposing team that entered. "There are times I wished that I never got employed by L.X.A. I mean – who wants to live a life full of darkness?"

"In that darkness, some people are capable of finding some light," Florence smiled as she opened her cellphone, revealing a bunch of text messages from her very concerned teammates.

"Yet there are some who decide to create their own source and illuminate their own path," Natsuki smiled grimly as she glanced at her hand covering the bright stadium lights, wincing a bit at the glaring light. "The problem is – what are the sources of their "light"?"

Maya, upon seeing both teams, quickly grabbed the microphone before greeting the crowd with a huge smile. "Hello, audience! We're live here today for the _Urabutousatsujin_ semi-finals! Today, we have two teams competing for the right to fight the best team in the tournament: Team Constellation Chaos and Ueda Fang! To face the champions, they must fight it out to the finish and leave no opponent alive! According to the rules, if one player is unable to kill their opponent – he or she forfeits the chance of winning the match henceforth losing it completely."

Fuuka paled considerably before casting a glance at Shizuru. "The hell, Kurenai hasn't killed anyone before!"

"Pray that most of our opponents are demons so we don't need to feel guilty," Natsuki glowered at the upper box audience where she saw Ueda chuckling darkly inwardly before balling her hands into fists. "Then again, understanding Ueda's definition of demon is almost like fighting another human anyway."

"Kurenai, you better pray that this silver haired faggot is not human," Fuuka bristled angrily as the brunette remained completely silent. "His abilities didn't make him look human though."

Inhaling deeply, she pulled out a small letter in her pocket that the L.X.A organization had received on her behalf. Puzzled and curious, Shizuru prepared to slit the envelope open until the bell rang with Natsuki stepping up to the plate first. Her opponent smiled kindly at her as he stood with his lanky structure and his hands calmly placed into his pocket. Raking his slender fingers through his long tangerine hair, he gazed back at her politely with his bright blue eyes. The charcoal gray haired _kansai_ captain narrowed her eyes cautiously before widening her battle stance with her hand ready to draw out her CHroME, watching his movements closely.

"You must be the Amakusa's daughter, non," his thick French accent echoed throughout the stadium as he bowed down gentlemanly like. "I am Rokuso Pierre, son of the Rokuso family. I believe we have somewhat met during those _Yakuza_ meetings, Amakusa Natsuki?"

The female glowered darkly at his figure, sensing a deep murderous intent. "I don't remember seeing you but somehow – you can't keep up the illusion of fooling your opponents with that kind façade."

Pierre shook his head lightly with a small chuckle, drawing out a thin rapier from his sheathe. "I do not normally attack women but this tournament seems to be persuading me to do so."

"Then," Natsuki smirked as she loaded up her handgun, tossing her CHroME into the air. "Let's finish this quickly!"

Pierre lunged forward with his rapier as it lightly scathed Natsuki's face, forcing her to duck and slide on the floor to release several shots. The French-Japanese man stood erect once again as he pierced the bullets before splitting them into two. Clucking her tongue in annoyance, Natsuki launched herself into the air and started releasing another load of bullets before shifting the magazine over to the next loaded set. Pierre quickly dodged them as the bullets punched themselves through the floor before blood completely drained itself out of his face when Natsuki devilishly smiled with her CHroME right in front of her gun.

_Dedicated to the ambitions of man,_

_Gate of the Goat – Capricorn Deception!_

A thick horned sea goat lunged out of the CHroME as it rammed against the male with such astounding force, a crater appeared on the ground. Pierre tumbled back as more gunshots echoed throughout the stadium with him flicking his wrist to snake his rapier and parry the bullets. Natsuki unleashed her sea goat to rampage towards him as Pierre could only evade its attempts to impale him on his horns. Chuckling darkly, Pierre rushed the next attack and somersaulted over the familiar before landing in front of Natsuki with his sword tip touching her throat.

"You rely too much on your creature," he chortled haughtily, seeing the creature cease its movements as Natsuki remained paralysed by the end of his sword. "It senses your anxiety, darling daughter of the Amakusa family. What do you wish to do now?"

Natsuki, swallowing hard, reloaded her gun while cautiously watching the flicker of his weapon. Sweat poured down profusely from her face as she shuddered slightly from the sharpness of the blade. Glancing at the board and at her predicament, the Shitenhouji captain knew she could easily take him out point-blank. Judging by reaction time, she analysed the situation in her head as the clock continued to tick slowly. She left no room for hesitation as Natsuki spun around for a roundhouse kick and flicked away his rapier, able to point the gun at him as he stumbled onto the ground.

"Gotcha," Natsuki smoothly withdrew her gun with a smirk as Capricorn leapt high into the air and repeatedly stomped on Pierre's abdomen. "Well, you put up a good fight."

Pierre coughed up blood, staring blankly back at the charcoal haired captain. "Strike quick and painlessly, Amakusa-_sama_. I would rather die by an honourable hand rather than live in shame."

Natsuki stared at him strangely, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "What the heck – what period are you from – the Medieval? No way," –her voice trailed away upon remembering the win conditions. "Do I have any other choice?"

"If you spare me," he coughed out raspily, struggling under the weight of Capricorn's hooves. "Then, you will lose this match entirely. That is the Underworld."

"Well too bad," Natsuki dismissed Capricorn, extending her hand to help the fallen opponent. "From where I come from, the Underworld can go kiss my butt."

The whole crowd staged an uproar, howling with protests and demands of death. Pierre mournfully scanned the crowd before handing her his rapier while Natsuki shook her head disdainfully at the demands of the underworld crowd. Fuuka balled her hand into fists, throwing a withering glare towards the crowd. Shizuru winced from the reverberating volume while Ai cowered behind Florence.

"This is terrible," Ai whimpered slightly, watching the crowd demand for Pierre's death. "Don't they have any compassion?"

"That's the way of the underworld unfortunately," Florence shook her head disdainfully, glancing at the stadium. "That is also the way of reality."

"SHUT UP," the crowd suddenly snapped their mouths shut when Fuuka faced them with her CHroME burning a deep red flame along with letting out a low humming noise.

Natsuki ceased her dealing of the deathblow as Fuuka's CHroME engulfed her whole body in flames.

"If you people want him to die," she hissed venomously, bending her knees to leap towards them. "Then why don't you bastards come down here and do it!"

The whole stadium full of onlookers fell silent as Fuuka's aura gradually shrank down while murmurs slowly erupted from the crowd. Natsuki refused to pick up her gun until Pierre gestured her hand to hold it towards his chest.

"Remember the rules," Maya announced from her chair as Natsuki found her gun pointed directly on his chest.

"It's alright," he smiled weakly, placing his hand by the trigger, coughing out blood. "Your CHroME already dealt me too much damage. Besides, I just wanted an exciting life."

Natsuki narrowed her eyes while shoving the gun into the holster, scoffing darkly. "If you want to die so badly," –she kicked his rapier towards him. "Do it yourself."

Pierre weakly staggered to pick up his weapon, watching Natsuki turn her back on him. He repositioned himself for a lunge as the French-Japanese male swung his sword towards Natsuki. Spinning back, Natsuki immediately drew her gun upon second reflex and fired it without any hesitation. The gunshot echoed throughout the stadium as the bullet burst through the man's body. Silence engulfed the stadium as everything swirled around the gunslinger; sweat poured down her face profusely as Natsuki's heartbeat pounded incessantly in her ears, deafening everything else. The charcoal gray haired girl stared in horror as the man fell back with blood splattering against her face, trembling with a horrible realization. Pierre's body then lay motionless on the ground as Maya tiptoed over to check any signs of life. Shaking her head, Maya stood up while pointing towards the screen.

"The winner is Amakusa Natsuki!"

The crowd howled wildly and chanted for more bloodshed as Natsuki shakily stumbled down the stairs before falling into Fuuka's arms. The red head glared holes at Maya who shrugged fearfully at the Seigaku female tennis captain before pointing shakily at a sadistically chuckling Ueda Shigure. Natsuki stumbled towards the bench as she sat next to the Hyotei Captain while having the whole battle replay before her eyes. Shizuru made the sign of the cross as she ruefully looked at her opponents before them, inhaling deeply at the predicament. Ai drew out her CHroME while glancing at her potential opponents, wondering who would be hers.

"Up next," Maya directed everyone's attention towards the LED screen as the Rikkai Dai's captain showed up next to a woman's picture. "Yukimura Ai of Constellation Chaos versus Blood Soaked Agatha of the Ueda Spirits!"

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the red haired woman who seductively walked up the stairs as men from the bleachers ogled at her voluptuous curves. "I'm starting to appreciate fan-boys now."

Florence chuckled at Fuuka's disgust at Yukimura's opponent, polishing her claw-like gauntlets. "If boys from your school heard that, prepare to have a completely stuffed locker."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At the tennis courts, Seigaku onlookers and Rikkai Dai supporters watched with suspense and anticipation as Echizen darted all over the court while trying to return Sanada's attacks. Forcing himself to activate the _Muga__no__Kyouchi_, the Seigaku freshman ignored the buckets of sweat pouring down his face profusely as Sanada forehanded the next shot calmly despite the erratic shifts in tennis style. Sliding on the ground, Echizen unleashed the Drive B to which Sanada easily responded with a high smash. The ball rolled near Echizen as they prepared themselves for the beginning after a wild warm up.

Jackal glanced at his watch, biting his lower lip. "It looks like Yukimura's surgery has started."

Kirihara, narrowing his eyes at the scoreboard, hung his head abashedly. "Sorry..."

Marui and Jackal swivelled their attention towards him, raising an eyebrow in unison. "Who said we were blaming you?"

Niou chuckled darkly while leaning against his elbows, letting out his usual mischievous drawl. "_Puri~_, even our strategist..."

Yanagi averted his eyes from the team, clenching his hands into a fist. "Sorry..."

"Although we have that, we cannot afford a breakage in our concentration," Yagyuu tilted his glasses a bit, analysing the tension between Sanada and Echizen. "One moment of weakness and we'll surely be tripped by them. Sanada-_kun_ is a battle demon. The moment he steps onto the court; all distractions are rendered useless. The only thing probably passing through his mind right now is merciless obliteration."

As Echizen launched himself into the air, he smirked at the capped Sanada. "Hey, they're a lot of demons like you lurking around in the Nationals right?"

The smash came spiralling down as Sanada watched it zip past him, narrowing his eyes at the cocky freshman. "You're still too childish..."

Momoshiro chuckled good-naturedly, gripping the railing. "That Echizen – despite all the pressure, he isn't feeling scared or nervous at all."

Soon, chants of 'Emperor' coming from the Rikkai Dai side resounded off the courts as Seigaku out-powered them with their own cheers for their freshman player. Seigaku regulars shivered with anticipation, never seeing the day where they would compete against the Rikkai Dai demons. Spectators surrounded the courts as cameramen and news reporters wedged themselves into the bleachers to get a good shot or view of the climatic match between the two. Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ glanced at Echizen for a moment, recalling how Nanjirou Echizen used to have that same expression. A wry smile appeared on her lips as she pondered on the question: Will Rikkai win once again or will Seigaku snatch the gold?

Feeling the anticipation of the people, Echizen pointed his racquets at Sanada's black wristbands. "Are you sure you removed the weights?"

Sanada snorted disgustedly at him, glaring holes into Echizen. "I already taken out the lead weights. Don't worry about it. Fight me with all you have!"

Echizen shrugged nonchalantly as he bounced the ball a few times. "Is that so? Whatever you say."

The aura of the _Muga__no__Kyouchi_ swirled around him in a bright white opaque mist as Echizen's pupils lightly dilated. The Rikkai Dai students stared in awe, murmuring.

"Hey, wasn't that like Kirihara a moment ago?"

"The heck – he can activate it via willpower?"

Kirihara's eyes widened with astonishment before he glanced at his hand and then at Echizen. He gnashed his teeth together, wondering how a freshman managed to perfect something like that while he only managed to do it in a pinch. The devil ace of Rikkai Dai snorted angrily, pounding his fist against the bench before glancing at Fuji. He growled honestly at the thought of the _Muga__no__Kyouchi_ only activating when his mind was in a screwy mess, pondering on how to consciously activate such a raw amount of power.

Unleashing the Knuckle Serve, Echizen spun it towards Sanada's right side as the Emperor easily returned it with a smirk. However, the freshman slid around using Akutsu Jin's technique in combination of Fuji Yuuta's Twist Spin Shot much to Fuji's distraught and chagrin of being reminded of Mizuki. Sanada deflected the ball forcibly as it lobbed into the air, seeing Echizen jump high for it with Momoshiro's Dunk Smash spiralling down towards him.

"15 – Love," –Echizen grinned cockily at Sanada as everyone stared in shock and amazement.

"THAT FRESHMAN GRABBED ONE POINT LET ALONE THE FIRST POINT FROM SANADA!"

Soon, the _Zero __Shiki_ Drop Shot made its debut as it rolled by the net with Echizen copying the exact stance and expression of Tezuka.

Momoshiro punched the air, grinning triumphantly. "Oh yeah, second point! Keep it coming, Echizen!"

Kikumaru jumped up into the air, cheering loudly. "Yay, go _ochibi_!"

Seeing Echizen snatch the first point from him, Sanada narrowed his eyes slightly as the chants and cheers from Seigaku became much louder. The capped vice captain glanced back at Echizen who remained completely confident and cocky as the boy spun around the racquet, staring back at him with his dull amber eyes.

"It seems like I actually playing against a fairly strong opponent," Sanada mused to himself, smirking inwardly at the match-up. "However, I have gone up against the Nation's strongest players. I have been through much tougher battles than this. All of my opponents, they have all fallen before me. You, boy, are not an exception to the rule."

"Hey," Echizen tilted his cap up a bit, smirking deviously. "You have a cousin in Hyotei right?"

Sanada raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how the freshman managed to get Intel regarding his cousin. "How is that any of your concern?"

"I played against her before," Echizen shrugged nonchalantly, resting his racquet against his shoulder. "Frankly, she plays better than you."

Sanada quickly calmed himself down before his blood boiled upon Echizen's mentioning of Momo. Recalling all his past and recent matches, the Emperor could not recall a single blemish on his winning streak while comparing his record to Momo's. Sanada snorted disdainfully at her former partnership and blind loyalty towards Midoriyama Nanako, remembering how she would often be in awe of the Hyotei senior before tensions heightened considerably. The Sanada family despised Momo for her constant rebellions especially regarding a certain orange haired boy from Yamabuki and Sanada soon began to question himself: In what way did that make her any better than him? Returning one of Echizen's drive volleys, Sanada darted forward while pondering over the reason as to why Echizen would mention his cousin. Did he know it would irk him? He could not assume that but the mere mention of her being above him despite all her unorthodox methods infuriated him. Suddenly, the cocky freshman appeared above him with his racquet drawn all the way to his back.

"_Uncontainable __like __Water,__" _he smirked, noticing the visible shift of expression on Sanada's face. "_Sui_!"

The smash echoed throughout the court, reverberating similarly to the crashing of a waterfall. Sanada shook himself away from the distraction, realizing the truth behind Echizen's words. However, he analysed the freshman's playing style and replayed everything in his mind. The _Sui_ seemed restrained or rather completely forced out compared to the usual calm bring down his cousin would do. A dark chuckle nearly bubbled out of his throat; Echizen did not have enough weight to create the same impact the _Sui_ does when the _Shinigami_ herself executed it.

"30 – Love," Seigaku chanted loudly upon watching Echizen gracefully land back on his feet, similarly to a cat.

Momo frowned a bit, watching the match. "Echizen doesn't have enough body mass to create the same impact."

"You have more power due to your muscle mass index," Hitomi recalculated the speed of the smash, writing down extra data. "Echizen's version of the _Sui_ is only at 1/8 compared to yours."

Haruka chuckled slightly, remembering how small Echizen actually is. "Well, he can't help it. It's not his fault he's small."

"It's not in size and weight that contributes to the power of the smash," Momo glanced back at her cousin, shaking her head forlorn. "I'm sure Sanada figured out the flaws to that technique. Mai managed to pull off my _Sui_ before as a scare tactic with the same amount of power I've thrown into it."

Mai nodded lightly while watching Echizen receive another shot from Sanada. "It's the control of one's body."

"Muscle control is highly vital in performing the Anti-_FuuRinKaZan_," Momo pointed out to the team, watching Sanada backhand the next shot towards Echizen's right side. "While Sanada's focus is basically on his arms, I use my whole body to distribute the weight around. Unlike Rin who can contort and really flex her body, I use the gravity to my advantage. My shots highly accelerate due to this."

"If the mass of the ball is 0.0576 kg and factoring the acceleration due to gravity at 9.8 m/s2," Hitomi watched the ball zoom over the net. "The force would be 0.56 N however that is not including air resistance, tension of racquet strings and human application of force."

Ayane clamped her ears tightly, drowning out Hitomi's calculations. "Argh, too much math!"

However, their conversation regarding the issue was suddenly cut off when a speedy shot zoomed right past Echizen and landed exactly at the edge of the baseline. The capped freshman stared in awe as Momoshiro glanced back at his _senpai_ who couldn't say anything but complete gasp in shock. Kikumaru rubbed his eyes to assure himself he saw something but much to his horror, the ball lay on the other side as Sanada stared back with a deep piercing gaze.

"Swift like the wind," Sanada lowered his racquet while watching Echizen watch the trajectory and pathway of the ball.

Kiyone tilted her head to the side innocently. "Yane-Yane, he plays kinda like Momo-_senpai_."

"I devised my techniques to make them a complete anti-thesis of his own," Momo explained to the sandy blonde volleyist, shaking her head. "For once, he's actually getting rattled."

Yagyuu, on the other hand, stroked his chin in deep thought. "This is the first time he's used the technique this early in a match."

Niou scoffed darkly while watching the capped freshman perpetually smirk at Sanada. "That just proves how dangerous this freshman is..."

Yanagi lowered his head, recalling all of Sanada's techniques. "This is his ultimate technique set: Swift like the Wind [Fuu], Quiet like the Forest [Rin], Invade like Fire [Ka] and Immovable like a Mountain [Zan]. The moment he used Forest – everything else I used against him was rendered useless."

"Going against his _Ka_ technique had me completely overwhelmed," Kirihara shuddered darkly at the thought of facing it again. "Shit!"

Inui adjusted his glasses before explaining to the astounded freshman trio. "He can crush his opponents with various tennis styles. For Sanada, challenging his opponent directly is more his tennis philosophy. However, it is only because of his overwhelming strength that he can do this. Once he is uses this move set, in the end..."

Yanagi and Inui narrowed their eyes at the match's probable outcomes. "His opponents will lose their fighting spirit."

Shishido glanced at Atobe, recalling the rumours running around Hyotei. "Even our Atobe crumbled under Sanada's _Zan_, everything after that was deemed useless."

Upon being reminded, Atobe snorted at the mere mention of his defeat. "Aah, shut up."

The chants increasingly became louder with 'Emperor' resounding and echoing all over the place as Echizen began his service. Yanagi glanced at Sanada once more, opening his eyes albeit slightly while watching his fellow demon prepare another _Fuu_.

_So __you __intend __to __eliminate him __before __the __Nationals,__ Genichirou_?

As Sanada unleashed the invisible swing, Echizen immediately darted to the other side and countered it. Shock and astonishment clearly wrote on everybody's faces as Sanada darted forward with amusement, seeing that Echizen immediately caught on his attack despite only a single use. However, Echizen increased his running speed while watching Sanada fire another invisible shot. Fudomine's Tachibana watched in interest, watching the freshman who had recently floored Ibu in the Prefectural.

"There's actually someone who can run as fast as you, Kamio," Tachibana chuckled lightly as the red haired Fudomine speed player folded his arms with a snort.

"Geh, seriously," Kamio raised an eyebrow before mumbling. "He's really riding the rhythm."

Ibu scoffed at his fellow Fudomine teammate. "You're so easily copied."

Before the two can erupt into a loud argument, Tachibana pointed to the court. "Don't be so sure Shinji, the same goes for you."

Echizen soon had slices and top spins going all over the place, prompting Sanada create an error in his shot. Slightly frustrated, Sanada quickened the pace of the game as Echizen continued to evolve rapidly with all sorts of fusions of some he didn't even recognize. A pounding backhand came from Echizen as well until Sanada forced him into a volley as the speed increased continuously. The capped Rikkai Dai vice captain narrowed his eyes darkly; where did all these moves come from? He continued to deflect the rapid volley until the ball suddenly reappeared behind him.

"He," one of the Rikkai Dai students exclaimed in shock. "He copied Sanada-_fuku_buchou_'__s_Invisible Swing!"

"Game, Echizen: one game to love!"

Nobody could believe that an Awakened Echizen could force out Sanada beyond his limits. Even the vice captain himself was stupefied by the freshman's sudden progress as he picked up the ball from the baseline. Sanada pondered on debatability of the _Muga__no__Kyouchi_'s true potential, imagining himself to do such a thing. He shook his head at the absurd notion as Echizen confidently pointed his racquet at him.

"_Mada __mada __dane.__"_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ai stepped up to the plate as her bladed skirt appeared with two more swords appearing in her hands. Agatha tousled around with her wavy long red hair as she dropped her robe off, revealing her naked body to everyone. The men licked their lips wolfishly, gaping at her pale skin. The Rikkai Dai captain slightly tilted her head to the side before drawing back albeit revolted, pointing sheepishly at Agatha's sudden gesture.

"Um, isn't it a bit drafty in here," Ai tugged her shirt a bit, raising her eyebrow in puzzlement.

Agatha smiled lusciously while wagging her finger dismissively, winking seductively. "Tsk, tsk, you shouldn't be deceived that easily."

Preparing her battle stance, Ai watched Agatha slowly reveal her power as her eyes became demonic yellow. A low chuckle bubbled from the older woman's throat as a spider-like dome appeared from beneath her as Agatha seated herself pompously while examining her nails. Maya blinked a few times before realizing that she was supposed to initiate the fight, watching the tension rise between the two fighters.

Maya raised her hand into the air, bringing it down quickly. "Ready, set, fight!"

Without any hesitation, Ai immediately darted towards the legs of the dome as she brought down her blades to reduce it into useless meat chunks. Agatha stared disinterestedly while stifling a yawn and bringing down spiked tendrils. Debris flew from the ground as Ai evaded some while shredding a few into threads. With a bemused snigger, Agatha unleashed another volley of spiked tendrils as Ai darted and leapt out of the way before springing towards the top of the base.

"That's odd, she's been cutting the legs and it's still regenerating like anything," Florence ran her fingers through her long honey brown hair, watching Ai slowly struggle against the monotonous attacks. "Shizuru, have you located its weak point yet?"

Shizuru placed her CHroME in front of her, concentrating her energy into it until a grid and holographic image of Agatha appeared. "As of now, I don't have enough data go on. Ai's going to have to keep fighting it until something shows up."

"Can't you just search for the biggest clump of energy," Fuuka gestured her head towards the huge abomination fighting Ai. "By the way, any background information regarding this prostitute?"

Natsuki programmed her iPad to hack into the database regarding Agatha, widening her eyes in astonishment and disbelief at the data presented. "Guys, she's a former Princess..."

"Nova or Constellation," Fuuka warily questioned, fearing the worst possibility. "Please tell me she's not any of our group."

Natsuki scrolled down the page, reading throughout the data presented before exhaling in relief. "She's a Handmaiden; her CHroME is known as Cassiopeia of the Heavens but because she went through her Coronation – it's officially listed down as Void CHroME 003: _Gloria__de__Cassiopeia_."

"Translation," Fuuka raised an eyebrow at the slate haired girl as the _kansai_ captain sighed.

"Don't ask me; I never went to Spain for my missions," Natsuki shrugged uncaringly while watching Ai dart forward once again for another assault. "I have a question though..."

Fuuka and the others directed their attention towards the _Kansai_ captain as she bit her thumbnail. "Ai went through her Coronation but with Kurenai's help, she managed to pull back. But, isn't that usually a one-way trip to hell without any chance?"

"Ai probably has the strongest mental strength among all of us," Shizuru noted as she folded her arms, recalling that moment Ai went berserk. "Somehow, things don't feel right. In a sense that, they know we have school and that we're barely even legal. So, why send us?"

Fuuka smirked while leaning against her arms, chuckling triumphantly. "Simple, it's because we go for quality and quantity."

"Kurenai has a point but Fuuka also does considering we're one of their best performing agents," Florence pondered also on the thought, studying the circumstances. "So, there could be several things."

"Either that or we're extreme troublemakers to the point we're expendable," Shizuru bit her lip while watching Ai disintegrate the other tentacles before springing towards the crown of the dome. "That's it! Ai, aim for Agatha's hair!"

Ai stared at her quizzically with disbelief, sailing through mid-air. "Why?"

"That's where the concentration of her CHroME is," Shizuru re-analysed the structure of Agatha's dome as closed her eyes. "Another tentacle will be flying at you at 3:00!"

Ai ducked as fair enough to Shizuru's prediction, the tentacle flew way above the bluenette's head. The Rikkai Dai female captain launched herself while swinging her blades at Agatha who sprouted huge spikes from the dome. She lazily seated herself while watching Ai desperately cut through the vines and tentacles.

"My, my, my, aren't you persistent," Agatha chuckled humourlessly as she snapped her fingers, causing several tentacles and strands of her hair to rope around Ai's arms. "Interesting – you must be the Princess wielding Virgo?"

Ai refused to grace her with a response as she desperately tried to cut them off only to have the restraints tighten and threaten to pull her apart while Agatha laughed haughtily at the bluenette's predicament. With another snap of her fingers, Agatha commanded another vine to wrap around Ai's neck in order to suffocate her. The bluenette struggled, gasping for air as she swung her blades to cut down the vines. Agatha tousled her long curly crimson tresses while glancing from time to time Ai's constant struggle.

"For a perfect princess," Agatha scoffed haughtily while smirking at Ai's futile attempt to break free. "You sure lack the skills. Or is it because, you're a complete mixture of everyone else and your brother?"

Narrowing her eyes at Agatha, Ai managed to kick free while shredding some of the vines off and swinging around to bring down her blade. Agatha dodged easily before landing a kick on Ai's face as the bluenette countered with her whirling blades, throwing the woman off guard. Seeing some of her hair strands cut, Agatha's expression changed from relaxed to anger as she unleashed more tentacles to stab Ai and some that managed to bury themselves into the teenager's body.

"Ow," Ai winced visibly as she slashed some of the tendrils away, ignoring the gushing blood and the agonizing pain. "You're going to pay for that – big time!"

Agatha's eyes widened with fury as she lashed out more whip-like attacks before impaling Ai again on the ground. The younger female grit her teeth in agonizing pain as she withheld every urge to scream in pain, thrashing violently as her blood splattered against her face and floor.

The audience continued to howl and chant once more for her death.

Agatha sniggered evilly as her tendrils buried themselves into Ai's abdomen, licking the blood off her returning tendrils before skewering Ai through once more. The Rikkai Dai captain resisted the urge to scream as more blood trickled from her lips. Ai, shaking off the trance, watched Agatha in horror as the woman slowly raised her tendril out of Ai's body all soaked in the bluenette's blood.

"Sad, to think I thought you would be a fun plaything," Agatha chuckled bitterly as she snapped her fingers, causing the tendril to whirl up like a drill and spiral straight down towards her.

Ai bit her lip, pondering whether or not undergoing her Coronation would be a good idea. Shizuru stopped her the last time but her words echoed in her mind: _Ai __is __the __one __with __the __strongest __mental __strength __among __us._ The bluenette clenched her hands into a fist before facing Agatha down once more as a smirk appeared on her lips, causing a huge surge of energy to blow Agatha away.

The audience suddenly awaited in silence as Ai stood up from her fallen state.

_I __may __have __gone __berserk __the __last __time __but_, Ai's eyes suddenly changed from a kind lavender into a demonic yellow as veins started bulging all over her body. "This time, I won't lose!"

The huge surge caused Agatha to be blasted back towards the wall, shocking the rest of the crowd as Ai transformed back into the winged humanoid now with several upgrades. A halo now appeared on her head as her bladed skirt enveloped her long blue-skinned legs. Her hair sharpened themselves into flying blades and knives as the ground before her suddenly began to weather and wither away with every step she took as her white aura became a menacing dark violet that swirled around her.

"You really know how to piss off people ne," Ai smiled serenely with her sadistic nature appearing, causing Agatha to draw back fearfully.

"Here comes the Yukimura gene," Fuuka snickered as Ai immediately shredded Agatha's body into ribbons, ignoring the blood that drenched her razor sharp hair.

Ai quietly rose up to her feet before glancing at the shredded corpse of Agatha as she walked back towards her teammates. Maya shivered fearfully as Ai returned back to her blue haired form, not even bothering to spare her a glance. However, the mangled corpse suddenly started to move which caused Ai to stop in her tracks.

"_Saa,_ you sure don't know when to give up, do you," Ai immediately spun around to deflect the flying tendrils as Agatha's true body revealed itself.

Agatha hissed as she dislocated her jaw to devour Ai almost immediately until Ai zipped past her before slicing her in two. The body fell to the ground with the blood splattering onto the stadium with Ai carelessly flicking her sword to throw the blood off. Silence dominated the stadium as Ai narrowed her eyes at them.

"Wow, that's a real 180 degree turn," Florence watched Ai walk down the stairs as the bluenette took a seat next to Natsuki. _It__'__s __as __if __we __weren__'__t __even __reflected __in __her __eyes..._

Natsuki glanced at Ai warily, cringing at the enormous amount of bloodshed. "You're incredible..."

From her merciless nature, she serenely smiled back at Natsuki with a tilted head. "Well, it's the philosophy of the Yukimura clan: everything is a battle even Life itself."

Fuuka watched the next player rise to the plate, revealing a blonde haired woman rise to the stadium with her eyes shifting towards the crowd. Florence froze immediately when she saw the woman nonchalantly cast her glance at her as the British captain stood up before steeling her expression. She brushed her shoulder against Fuuka as she revealed her claws from beneath her jacket sleeves. The moment the woman and her caught eye-contact, Florence changed immediately into battle position.

"It's been awhile, Phantom Miria," Florence clenched her claws together, eyeing Miria warily.

"H-how," the blonde stared at her completely appalled, causing Florence's eyes to widen. "H-how do you know my name...?"

Florence bit her lip in bewilderment, wondering how Miria could be standing in front of her without any memory of who she was. The British-Japanese female pondered for a moment until she heard steel smoothly slide out of its sheathe with the woman standing in a battle stance.

"I don't know who you are," Miria reiterated slowly, watching Florence's cerulean blue eyes. "But I intend to cut you down. The same way I was commanded to destroy L.X.A!"

As she launched herself towards Florence, the British Captain followed the phantasm's trail carefully before bringing up her claws to block Miria's blade. The woman sprung away before landing a kick against Florence's crossed arms as the honey haired girl flew back while digging her heels into the ground. They zoomed towards one another as their blades cracked back and forth with small ignited sparks fell onto the ground until the two speed demons found themselves trapped in a speedy skirmish.

"How can you keep up with me," Miria narrowed her eyes in bewilderment as Florence shoved her away for a counter-attack.

"It should be obvious to you now," Florence bit her lower lip while springing towards her with flashing images. "Do you remember who you passed your technique to?"

Miria swung her claymore onto the ground, pushing off from it to swing around a kick towards the younger princess' face. "Unfortunately for us, I don't. The only thing you are is a threat to Zodiac!"

Nearly stumbling onto the bleachers, Florence launched herself into the air before unleashing a set of nylon strings as it lashed around Miria's arms. The platinum blonde nearly tripped over while struggling against the web-like structure. As Florence landed on the ground, she slashed her CHroME as a bright blue light emitted from it.

_Tears drawn from the jars of Heaven,_

_Let no one touch the ground – Aquarian Tears!_

Water spewed out of the octagonal shaped device as a huge water lynx appeared behind her. She directed her gaze towards Miria as the platinum blonde haired woman brandished her claymore before her. She narrowed her eyes once again as Florence lunged at her with no hesitation with the yowling lynx. Guilt seized Florence's heart while watching a former comrade strike back at her. Biting her lower lip, Florence steeled her resolve as she launched herself towards Miria.

_I__'__m __sorry; __I__'__m __going __to __have __to __put __you __back __into __your __grave __once __more._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shiraishi, glancing around the mall strip, walked around with Kenya as the Oshitari speed star desperately started searching in clothes stores, toy stores and all sorts of places. Shitenhouji's Bible warily examined Kenya's movements as he started counting the bills in his wallet before glancing back at a certain product. Tooyama on the other hand energetically dragged the sputtering Shitenhouji_tensai_ all over the place while observing some comic books and some manga. Hitouji and Koharu immediately departed for the nearest comedy bar to practice their latest jokes while Gin and Chitose found themselves admiring the Zen garden exhibits.

"What exactly are you looking for anyway," Shiraishi raised an eyebrow while Kenya continued searching anxiously around the stores. "You look like a man who forgot his girlfriend's birthday."

"You do know when Kiyone's birthday is right," Kenya reciprocated the same quizzical look his captain displayed, folding his arms.

Shiraishi pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"It's October 23," Kenya continued to search around anxiously, raking his fingers through his hair out of nervousness. "Do you know what day it is today?"

"It's August 29," Shiraishi froze the moment realization hit him, running his fingers through his hair. "So, what? It's still like a month away."

"But, can you tell when you're going to meet her again?"

All Kenya met was silence. "I thought so."

"Well, for starters – you really had no idea when her birthday was," Kenya tapped his chin as-a-matter-of-factly while glancing at the other stores, racking his brain for any idea. "The stupid part is – I forgot to ask Yuushi what she's into! The stupid part is – I only have one day to find something!"

Shiraishi rolled his eyes at Kenya, forcing back the evil green eyed monster before he lashed out at his fellow teammate. "You're panicking too much. For starters, she's not your girlfriend. Secondly, where's the obligation?"

"Dude, I want to make a more lasting impression," Kenya furrowed his eyebrows at his sandy haired captain, finding a book store lying by. "First of all, we are friends with her. Secondly, isn't it normal for friends to remember another friend's birthday? Hey, maybe she's into books."

"Harry Potter's the latest craze," Shiraishi shoved him forward teasingly while chuckling good-naturedly, mentally slapping himself. _Why__did__I__do__that?_

Watching Kenya glance at all the selections before shoving his hands into his pocket with slight pondering. Shiraishi inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself while reasserting his thoughts. The only image in his head became Kenya and Kiyone walking together, causing him to slap himself outright in front of a crowd of people. People stared at him queerly for a moment as he sheepishly made his getaway, praying that he didn't portray a psychological disorder.

"I'm guessing it's about the Hyotei's baby player am I right," –Shiraishi jumped the moment he found Chitose standing behind him with a hotdog in his mouth. "Dude, you're freaking out about a kid. Chill out, kids like what normal kids like anyway. Get her a toy or something."

Shiraishi narrowed his eyes at Chitose, sighing regretfully. "Chitose, that's the stupidest idea you can give. That's if her mentality is that of Kin-_chan._"

"What, I'm just spouting off random stuff," Chitose shrugged nonchalantly before taking another bite out of his hotdog. "Remember how her personality's like. That might give you a better edge over Kenya since you two are clearly shooting in the dark."

Shiraishi froze instantly on Chitose's last statement. "How did you know...?"

"You're exactly like a Bible," Chitose chuckled deviously while easing into a more relaxed position. "Easy to read but complicated to understand. It's something you earn over time. And after being your friend for the past three years, I think drawing a conclusion regarding your jealousy of Kenya's affections and advances towards Kiyone is quite easy. Are most captains this dense?"

Shiraishi folded his arms with a challenging smirk. "Alright, name me captains who are like that."

"Tezuka's a rock, self explanatory," Chitose immediately responded while chortling at the thought. "Most of the women do the chasing in his case but somehow – rumours have it that he has someone already. Atobe's barely in that department; he's the one who understands romance better than most of them. Yukimura, assuming something regarding him is like signing your death note. But, you, my good friend, landed yourself in deep crap. No probable method comes into mind other than competing with Kenya for her affections."

Shiraishi gnashed his teeth together, unable to comprehend anything that Chitose's trying to tell him other than chase after Kiyone. He absentmindedly fished out his wallet while glancing at his allowance before looking around at the vicinity.

Kenya, meanwhile, placed the book on the counter until Zaizen placed a pair of headphones next to him. "What's that for?"

"My left earphone is busted," Zaizen snarkily snorted while slapping a few bills onto the counter. "You on the other hand are letting yourself eat dust."

Kenya raised an eyebrow questioningly at the _kouhai_, sighing in defeat. "Zaizen, honestly – I'm one of the fastest players in the middle school scenario."

"Unfortunately, in a romance race – you're going at a turtle's pace," Zaizen shook his head disdainfully at his _senpai_, attaching his newly purchased earphones to his MP3 player. "Shiraishi-_senpai_'s already handing your ass to you. Are you gonna surrender or take it like a man?"

"Wait, slow down," Kenya raised his hands in completely bewilderment, waving them in disbelief. "How sure are you that Shiraishi's going after the same girl?"

"_Senpai_, why would Chitose-_senpai_ suddenly quote Yoda and why would _buchou_ go gloomy after you spoke to him about Kiyone," Zaizen mentally facepalmed, clucking his tongue in frustration at Kenya. "Didn't your cousin drill any romance into your head!" _God, __you __are __dense!_

"Unfortunately, there are still some screws loose," Kenya rolled his eyes sarcastically at Zaizen. "Look man, I don't think it should progress into something disastrous. It could jeopardize our chances going to the Nationals if we end up arguing over some girl."

Zaizen stamped on his foot, earning him a withering glare from his _senpai_. "This isn't just some girl! This is Getsugan Kiyone – one of the fastest female volleyists in the junior level! Not only that, she's the heiress to the Getsugan shipping company! Have you lost your mind!"

Kenya shrugged nonchalantly, throwing in his present for Kiyone into his backpack. "So, Yuushi's not that bad off either."

"Asides from status, isn't there any appeal she has to you," Zaizen grabbed him from his collar before shaking his _senpai_ violently, staring beadily at him. "Come on, man! Use your noggin'!"

Kenya remained silent while pondering upon Zaizen's words, noticing his captain also somewhat verbally harassing Chitose outside. The _Naniwa_ speed star imagined Shiraishi and Kiyone together and soon, his blood started boiling as a challenging smirk appeared on his lips. Although the two of them were both at a deadlock, Kenya remembered having once ace card in the romance department but wasn't quite sure about Kiyone's liking to Oshitari Yuushi's sappy preferences. His teeth sunk into his lower lip while trying to figure out any scenario in which he would actually follow Oshitari Yuushi's advice.

_Vomiting __would __be __the __first __thing,_ Kenya mused darkly, glancing at the book peeking out of his bag.

Fishing out his cellphone, Kenya searched for his cousin's number before preparing his questions and absentmindedly dialling it.

"Oshitari Yuushi," his cousin's smooth _kansai_ drawl echoed from the other end. "It's been awhile since you last called, Kenya."

Kenya remained silent for a moment, contemplating nervously regarding the consequences. _Was __it __a __good __idea __to __call __him?_

"You must be that anxious and desperate to talk to Getsugan-_chan_ if you're calling my phone and breathing absentmindedly," Oshitari chuckled darkly, causing Kenya's eyes to widen.

"I AM NOT THAT DESPERATE," Kenya thickly accented whispered dropped fiercely low, glancing around to check if he garnered any unwanted attention. "Yuushi, you have to help me. Someone's also...!"

"Someone's also after Getsugan and I'm guessing it's your captain," Oshitari's amused drawl came from the other end before he started chuckling bemusedly. "My God, you two are predictable."

"Shut up Yuushi and help me out here," Kenya hissed darkly, casting an observing glance towards Shiraishi once in awhile. "Yuushi!"

"Alright, alright," Oshitari chuckled deviously in mocking surrender, smirking. "Did you know Getsugan-_chan_'s right next to me and my phone is on speakerphone right now?"

Kenya paled considerably while squeezing his phone tightly; beads of sweat profusely trickling down his face. "WHAT!"

"I'm kidding; I'm just picking a bone with you," –Kenya inwardly wished that glares were transmittable through a cellphone, tightening his grip until his knuckles became visibly white. "Anyway, where are you guys? Most of the tennis teams are staying in the tennis courts. We're watching the match between Echizen and Sanada. You're missing out on a good movie."

"I'm guessing the girls' team will compete after Echizen and Sanada," Kenya sighed in relief but started coming up with murderous plans. _Yuushi,__you__bastard._

"That depends when the captains will arrive," Oshitari glanced at his watch before checking the sky for any trace of an airplane. "It's either that or the _tensai_ will be the deciding factor. I highly doubt that the captains' are going to release their serpent-like grasp on their prey."

"What in the world are they doing," Kenya blinked slightly, recalling Natsuki's absence for a few days. "Amakusa hasn't gotten back either."

"Atobe and the girls know and they're not telling me anything," Oshitari frowned slightly, lacing his voice with hints of annoyance. "So, is your whole team coming?"

"I guess," seeing an approving nod from Zaizen, Kenya nodded along mechanically as he lied. "I'm interested in the playing styles. I wanna see what I'm up against."

"Alright," Oshitari smirked all-knowingly on the other end, understanding the ulterior motives. "Just leave Shiraishi behind will you?"

"Yeah yeah whatever," Kenya waved his hand dismissively while watching Shiraishi lean against the trees, waiting for his other teammates. "Look man, I'm gonna meet you there. Although, Shiraishi's a human polygraph lie detector. It's as if he's telepathic."

"Nonsense, humans don't have that kind of ability," Oshitari reasoned out with his cousin, wondering how that would be possible. "That's because your foot keeps tapping whenever you lie and that's what makes it obvious."

Kenya frowned lightly, checking through the glass to see any changes. "I ditched that habit long time ago!"

"Well, start running over here because Kiyone and Ayane are already here," Oshitari shrugged bemusedly while watching Kiyone exchanged tactics with Ayane. "Maybe you can teach her a thing or two. I don't know; she won't listen to me."

"What more me if not you," Kenya sighed despondently at the possibilities. _Who __knew __going __after __a __girl __from __Hyotei __would __be __this __complicated?_

"Kobayagi-_chan _brainwashed her into thinking I'm some bad boy Casanova," Oshitari chuckled sheepishly at the reason, adjusting his glasses. "So, are you coming or not?"

Kenya glanced at his watch as his lips curved up into a smirk. "Give me ten minutes."

As the line went dead, Kenya rolled his eyes to check any hints of movement coming from his captain. "Zaizen, tell Shiraishi that Yuushi wanted to meet up with me."

Zaizen let out a disgruntled snort while pulling out an earphone. "Didn't you just say he's a human polygraph lie detecting machine?"

"He usually believes you," Kenya shrugged unknowingly, sheepishly scratching his head. "I don't know! I'm becoming too obvious when I lie!"

The Naniwa _tensai_ rolled his eyes uncaringly while increasing the volume of his MP3 player. "Well, be less obvious."

"Stop being so philosophical and help me out here," Kenya let out a disgruntled snort while scratching his head out in frustration. "Come on, Zaizen!"

Zaizen glanced out the window, tapping his chin for a moment. He then examined his desperate _senpai_'s expression until a huge smirk came into play, causing Kenya's face to drain itself of colour. Nobody on the team got away with lying except him and Tooyama. Obviously, Kenya lost that ability after doing it one so many times. Not only that, Shiraishi became increasingly observant especially at Kenya ever since the topic "Getsugan Kiyone" started sprouting about.

"Alright, time to outwit the senior," Zaizen cracked his knuckles, smirking deviously in delight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tezuka soon found himself writing a long letter, wondering what possessed him to do it. At first, things became hard to say until his pen started flowing out with all sorts of ideas and the bespectacled Seigaku captain discovered two pages worth of letters with his small handwriting. Nevertheless, he became more determined although how could he send it to Shizuru? To begin with, the coffee blonde male realized that he had no idea what her address was despite his asking of Inui who also seemed very interested in her whereabouts and location.

Those realizations alone exhilarated him.

The Hyotei girls made it no easier, considering the over-protectiveness of the team concerning their captain's naïvety and gullibility. Secondly, Shishido seemed less likely to simply hand over the third member of the Silver Trio and Ohtori showed no resistance but that alone irked him. Oshitari Yuushi proved to be an unwanted opponent but then Fuji could easily trample him down. Tezuka found himself cornered for once; where to begin?

"She likes little quotes and stuff," –a deep voice came from the door, revealing Lars standing with his arms folded.

"How did you," Tezuka shook his head in disbelief, wondering how someone like him broke past tight security.

Lars good-naturedly cracked his knuckles before lightly shutting the door. "Never underestimate a female and a former military officer. Alisa's having fun out there so I decided to walk in. You're trying to romance her aren't you?"

Tezuka noticed Lars' jet black orbs straying towards his letter, causing him to immediately snatch it away. "It's none of your concern."

"It is, since she is my," Lars hesitated for a moment, wondering how to phrase their relationship. "She is my subordinate after all. Your relationship with her may or may not affect her performance. Hurting her's going to result into you having a lot of hell to pay, Tezuka-_san._"

Tezuka remained completely silent, watching Lars carefully. His blood slightly began to boil at the mere thought of her getting hurt by him nonetheless. However, the situation rendered him helpless as he recalled the advantage Sanada gained over him in a few months time. The bespectacled boy checked the calendar; three more weeks before Rikkai's Autumn Ball – that was more than enough time for preparation in Sanada's case. His fist subconsciously curled up while he sifted through his computer files with a folder containing some of her pictures.

"The longer you keep that there the more you're going to be known as a stalker," Lars chuckled lightly, causing Tezuka to immediately click the delete button.

"Those weren't mine," Tezuka responded stoically with a hint of defensiveness.

"Sure they weren't," Lars rolled his eyes, mischievously chuckling. "You're quite the person to play around with, Tezuka-_san_."

Tezuka groaned in annoyance before regaining his composure. _What __kind __of __world __did __I __end __up __in __anyway?_

"Although I would recommend rushing your healing ability," Lars shook his head sadly, casting his gaze towards the window. "That would be a disastrous move towards your tennis career. So, the quotes should build a small foundation first. Send it with something else – like a simple flower or something. She's more appreciative of the little things in life rather than those big exorbitant jewellery those rich brats want."

Tezuka averted his gaze from Lars before glancing at the letter. With a frustrated sigh, the coffee blonde haired male swivelled his chair around towards his bag to find his sketch book only to find it in Lars' hands as the older man began scanning it with an amused glint appearing in his eyes.

"That's stealing," Tezuka narrowed his eyes sternly at the Swedish male, trying to take it back.

Lars lifted it above his head, easily managing to scan through the boy's sketchbook. "You have a pretty good memory to remember every tidbit of my subordinate. For starters, you actually got the waves of her hair right. Secondly, the smile actually came out realistic. Third, the shape of her eyes is exact – I envy your memory capability..."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, twitching furiously. "Please give it back."

Lars shrugged nonchalantly before handing it to Tezuka. "Well, I can't stop you. But, I do know one thing: you're on the right track. To be honest, you don't need to work as hard as you think. All it needs is acknowledgement and the perfect opportunity."

Tezuka, completely puzzled, swivelled his chair back towards his desk while glancing at the papers. He prepared to tuck it away however, Tezuka wondered how the situation would manifest itself without Fuji's insane manipulation and interference. However, the presence of Lars in his room continued to befuddle him with all sorts of ideas. Glancing at the papers, he finally decided to search and do things his way without any mayhem getting involved especially one with Fuji's signature scribbled all over it.

"I'll hand her the letter or whatever your sending her," Lars extended his hand to Tezuka, nodding reassuringly. "Honestly, Sanada wouldn't have a chance against you."

Tezuka's heart somewhat lifted upon hearing the former military officer's words. "He won't?"

"Still, it's best you don't let your guard down," –Tezuka steeled his expression once again while Lars pocketed the paper. "He does have the angel-in-disguise working behind him right? What he doesn't know is that you can't change a heart when it already has chosen."

The male Seishun Gakuen captain found himself to be more bewildered than ever. "What?"

"Looks like I said too much," Lars sighed before waving his hand dismissively. "I integrated my number into your cellphone in case you need any message sending again. Technology sometimes neglects the communication of emotions in messages."

Watching Lars walk away, Tezuka glanced at the man's vanishing figure before contemplating on the situation as of now. His body tensed slightly as he watched some of the tennis players show up while talking on their cellphones, regarding the girlfriends. As his arms hung limply on their sides, the bespectacled male smiled bitterly while feeling a warm gentle touch brush against his hands. He glanced at his side, seeing Shizuru gingerly holding his hand.

"Hi, Tezuka-_san,_" –a soft smile appeared until he heard someone in front of him.

"Shizuru, shall we?"

Tezuka looked up immediately and found Sanada gesturing Shizuru to walk towards him. Without any hesitance, the brunette ran towards him before casting back a friendly smile.

"I'll see you around, Tezuka-_san_."

Tezuka, upon seeing that image, quickly cancelled the probability of that ever happening. His hands clenched into a fist as he quickened his pace towards the practice courts, watching players quickly increase the pace of their matches. Tezuka picked up the tennis ball, staring down an imaginary Sanada on the court.

"I've never imagined the day that tennis would be the very thing that would breed my jealousy," Tezuka quietly berated himself as his serve cracked off instantly, slamming into the baseline.

People's eyes widened as more tennis balls zoomed from his racquet, spiralling straight down into the court. Smoke appeared from the extreme friction as the ball spun against the teraflex court, crashing against the net. He walked solemnly towards the ball machine before cranking it to the highest level and speed, begrudgingly recalling the image of Sanada tugging Shizuru along.

_Since when did Shizuru become a trophy to be won?_

He immediately reorganized his thoughts as the balls spiralled towards him with menacing speed. Tezuka slammed one back with his usual calm demeanour but couldn't help but imagine Sanada's head every time he sent it against the baseline before crashing it on the wall. The bespectacled boy glared holes into his imaginary opponent, ignoring the murderous aura he happened to emit. Walking towards the ball machine once more, Tezuka turned it off as his uneasily tried to lift his shoulder only to have it completely freeze in agonizing pain. He winced visibly as his racquet clattered on the ground as his eyes strayed towards his trembling hand.

_You're going to lose her, the same way you lost your grip on your racquet._

Tezuka narrowed his eyes visibly, subconsciously gripping his shoulder much tighter than he should. He felt the pain slightly alleviate but the weight continued to bring him down as he dropped to his knees. His lips thinned into a grim line as he tried to redirect his focus to his recovery, standing up in determination. He mentally kicked himself out of his daze, wondering how the situation could get any worse. The only thing he could do now is accelerate his healing process as Lars' said but, what chances did he have? Accelerating it would increase the possibilities of him returning to rehabilitation once again.

However, Tezuka smirked slightly to himself as he proceeded on.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Wow, that was a really late update! I promise I'll make things faster! XD Anyway, please don't forget to review! Two reviews or more earn you guys the next chapter!**


	49. Return Home

**Me: Hi guys! Thanks for your reviews! I highly appreciate it especially with those with recommendations! It's what moulds the story. :D No seriously, that's what it does! XD Please keep on reviewing! Guys, if you want to see the drawings of the characters – check my profile and look at the end, the link should be there. Time to end this vicious arc and head towards the romantic parts! This is practically the longest fanfic I've ever made. I thought I'd stop at forty. :)) By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis!**

Chapter 49 – Return Home

Blades clashed as sparks flew into the air as the whole crowd found themselves unable to peel their eyes off the intense match between both speed demons. Florence somersaulted over as she brought down her claw against Miria's blade as the woman left a phantasm behind her before landing a kick at the British-Japanese girl's abdomen. Flying back, the Jyosei Shounan female captain spun around in the air before sailing through it again to graze Miria's forehead with an 'x' shaped wound forming at her face. The platinum blonde woman showed no hint of agony as she launched herself again at Florence. Slightly flinching from the impact of Miria's kick, the Eurasian teenager spun around on her hands for a spinning kick as the older woman staggered back.

"Why is it you seem familiar," Miria coughed out, leaning against her claymore for support. "How is it you were able to replicate all my moves?"

Florence shook herself away from the daze as her body started to pulse with energy, controlling the flow. "I thought replicating your moves would help you remember who you are, former Aquarian representative Phantom Miria. You were the fastest princess alive and I was honoured to be your protégé. You made everything so simple as if the CHroME was simply a part of you. I respected your ability and we always worked together but I never foresaw the day I would be your executioner."

Miria narrowed her eyes as she lunged with her sword, coming in for a fatal impale. "Don't speak as if you know me!"

Florence sprung from her position with her claws positioned, watching Miria's attacking pattern. "Trust me, I know you more than you know yourself now!"

An immediate silence ensued as both attackers crossed with one another, landing on the other side. Florence winced from the impact as she felt a deep gash directly beneath her rib but not before the Eurasian adolescent discovered blood all over her claws as Miria collapsed on the ground. The honey blonde girl's cerulean blue eyes glimmered sadly at her mentor's state before she walked over to close her eyes.

"Rest in peace, my dear mentor," Florence performed the sign of the cross, slowly shutting her mentor's eyes before casting a withering glare at a sniggering Ueda Shigure.

Fuuka, angrily pulling out her octagonal-shaped device, transformed into flame draped version before preparing to launch herself at the man. "That's it! I've had enough of your bestial stupidity! You're going down, Ueda! I don't care if I have to spray your blood all over this stadium but as long as you stop taking lives for your own sick games!"

The beefy man chuckled darkly, entwining his multiple ringed thick fingers together. "As if you can bring me down – as long as your covers as middle school students stand, you cannot destroy me!"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes with a bitter smile, holding a phone behind her. "We don't need to destroy you. We just need someone to find you."

Debris suddenly rained from the roof as helicopters hovered over the stadium with dangling ropes. Operatives dropped down from the sky as the audience started creating a stampede in a mass of panic, causing the soldiers to gather them in one side. Gun shots echoed throughout the air as Ueda started scampering away with a terrified expression, shoving past his bodyguards.

"Natsuki, Shizuru, Ai and Florence, target's heading to the lobby," Fuuka immediately swam through the crowd, watching Ueda's movements. "Corner him!"

Without any word exchange, the four immediately disappeared into the crowd.

Ai jumped on people's shoulders, looking all around. Jumping onto one of the fluorescent light hangers, she swung herself over to the northern exit. Her lavender eyes glimmered sadly at the people running around and screaming in horror as the police kicked them over to one side. The blue haired girl hung her head melancholically before focusing on the mission at hand. Searching around the whole perimeter, the female Yukimura continued to jump around while springing off some people's heads.

"_Maa,_ how can a chubby man like him get lost in this mess," Ai pouted impishly while landing at the northern exit, singing to herself. "Better start cornering him~!"

Shizuru however wished she could easily move around like Ai.

Swimming through the stampeding crowd, the brunette evaded any person who may have the potential to either crush her or she may accidentally hit. Closing her eyes, she focused most of her physical strength into her legs before leaping into the air and landing on one of the higher edges of the stadium. She swung her body over, wincing at the strain of her knee. However, Shizuru located the trail of unconscious bodyguards while following them into another escape route. Analysing the area for any potential attackers, Shizuru drew out her CHroME before cautiously proceeding on to the next room.

Florence on the other hand nearly found herself suffocated by the amount of people, screaming in terror for their lives.

The Eurasian girl breathed haggardly while searching for the nearest exit or any place with breathing space. Pulling out her inhaler, she fuelled herself up for another strenuous run as people stared slamming against her while shoving one another for the exit. Florence darted towards the stadium centre while working out the fastest escape detour. Snorting inwardly in annoyance, she pulled out the CHroME before slashing it across. The device glowed brightly with a bright blue colour as it gave her an extreme wind-powered launch, allowing her to surpass the crazy traffic.

Fuuka decided to do the unorthodox way of getting through traffic.

With one solid punch, Fuuka burned down the wall as it crumbled into dust on her feet. Walking through calmly and ignoring the hordes of people squeezing through the other exits, the red haired Seishun Gakuen captain sauntered into the other rooms while tracing the crimson walls. Ornate paintings and _candelabra_ stood by at the hallway, lighting it dimly. She lightly tapped the walls while continuing her walk forward before hearing a hollow _thump_. A smirk graced her lips as her CHroME charged up her punch again, allowing her to destroy another heavily reinforced wall. Fuuka walked in leisurely when she found her way to the lobby with Ueda Shigure scampering for his helicopter.

"You rotten son of a bitch," Fuuka quickened her pace as she chased after him, pushing past the other people. "Where the hell are the other four?"

As the helicopter hovered into the air, the other four girls reappeared with them breathing heavily.

"God, that crowd was horrible," Florence inhaled sharply, watching the helicopter awkwardly stabilize itself on the air. "Oh, I'm guessing he's in there?"

"What do you think, Captain Obvious?"

Shizuru squinted her eyes a bit as she drew out her extendable halberd, looking for a place she could easily hook her blade. "Anybody up for an extreme thrill ride hanging from the chopper's legs?"

Florence stared at her incredulously, glancing back at her and then at the helicopter. "Are you crazy? You of all people can barely swim!"

"I'm not doing this whole thing alone," Shizuru pointed out immediately, disguising her quaking voice as she recalled her inability to swim. "I was hoping if Natsuki can help me."

Natsuki shrugged it off nonchalantly, cracking her knuckles. "Who said I was going to say no to begin with?"

Shizuru re-summoned her chained halberd, extending it far enough to hook onto one of the legs of the helicopter. Natsuki leapt up onto one of the legs as Shizuru started pulling herself up whereas Fuuka, Florence and Ai ran towards the plane they took in order to chase down their culprit. Fuuka immediately jumped into the pilot's chair, twisting the key.

"Here we go," she powered it up as the plane lurched forward, throwing the rest of the team back. "Sorry, I'm not as good as Natsuki when it comes to piloting jumbo jets!"

The jumbo plane lurched instantaneously as it hounded the helicopter across the sea. Fuuka tightly gripped the controls as the gun on the helicopter swivelled around to suddenly face them.

"Holy God," Fuuka jerked the controls, completely paling with horror. "That thing's armed with a Tommy Gun!"

Florence latched herself onto one of the chairs, struggling against the air turbulence. "Ai, start powering up a barrier!"

Drawing out her _maracas_, Ai flashed them left and right as the bullets sailed above the jumbo plane. The red haired Seigaku captain warily watched two of her teammates clamber up onto the helicopter while clinging onto anything for dear life. Maintaining a certain speed, Fuuka hovered right behind the helicopter at a safe distance while trying to make sure that the two wouldn't be thrown off.

"Kurenai's crazy, she can't swim to save her life," Fuuka snorted disgustedly, swerving to avoid the missiles. "Isn't it ironic? Her emblem is Pisces too!"

Florence shrugged while watching the missiles from outside the windows, watching them align with the plane. "Fuuka, you better know how to use the slipstream! We've got heat seekers on our tail!"

Clucking her tongue in annoyance, Fuuka threw the airplane into a wild spin as the missiles started flying around awry. Trails of smoke crossed the sunset sky with the planes roaring in their own jetstream. Natsuki and Shizuru on the other hand swung themselves over into the helicopter the moment it started flying around awkwardly.

"Get away from me," Ueda shrieked in horror as he started swinging the joy stick around, nearly throwing Shizuru out of the helicopter.

Natsuki immediately placed her gun to his head, glaring. "Land this helicopter into the next helipad. There's one waiting for you in Tokyo Airport."

Beads of sweat profusely poured down Ueda's face as he shuddered fearfully at the charcoal gray haired female. Shizuru swung herself up with slight difficulty but managed to place her halberd by Ueda's neck. The beefy old man shivered violently until he noticed a red button right beneath his elbow, smirking in delight. He started with a low chuckle before hammering it down, throwing the helicopter on a complete crazy wild ride. As the helicopter bucked a few times, Natsuki found herself flung against the wall while Shizuru shoved Ueda out of the pilot's chair in order to regain control over the helicopter. As the small aircraft slowly stabilized, Ueda pointed a gun to Natsuki's head but not before the charcoal gray haired girl pulled out two of her guns.

"I can pull that trigger faster than you ever can, chubby," Natsuki smirked, cocking the gun. "Putting a bullet in between your eyes is like eating to me."

As more airplanes began surrounding the helicopter, Ueda surrendered miserably as Natsuki and Shizuru began tying him up. Fuuka and the others guarded the helicopter as it landed in Tokyo Airport, letting everyone shakily leave the plane after a wild missile evasion. Ai shivered slightly, watching the trail of smoke in the air.

"I'm glad this is over," Florence wiped the sweat from her brow, noticing two men standing at a distance. "What are Mr. Decker and Mr. Sagara doing here?"

The five girls exchanged glances with one another before walking towards them. A tall bulky man folded his arms, raising his eyebrow before examining the situation. Sagara, on the other hand, smiled in approval while nodding at the outcome of their strategy.

"Good work," Sagara ruffled Shizuru's hair, sighing dejectedly. "I hope this didn't really interfere with your schedules."

Roarke scoffed darkly at the Japanese man's sense of worry, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "It doesn't matter. They already managed to bring him down. He was a global threat and all potential dangers must be brought down."

Sighing at his tactlessness, Sagara affectionately pat Shizuru's shoulder. "Well, I think you and Ai still have some responsibilities to deal with."

Shizuru and Ai exchanged glances with one another until a realization hit them. "We took that long!"

"Not necessarily," Sagara chuckled cheerfully, pressing a button on his car keys to beckon a Toyota Land Cruiser. "If you kids don't mind travelling off-road then, I think my car can get you there."

Fuuka grinned excitedly, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, let's get a move on!"

Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly, wondering about her schedule. "I've got nothing after this so; I guess I can kill time for a bit."

"Oh by the way," Sagara suddenly remembered, glancing at Roarke and getting an approving look. "The council discussed this and apparently, the vote was unanimous."

The five girls stared at him queerly as Roarke opened a box, gesturing to all of them. "Due to all your beyond standard work, you are highly respected members of L.X.A. However, seeing that you are still kids – it's time you put that world behind you. You're to retire from your lives as L.X.A agents and resume back to your normal lives. We have more than enough recruits to deal with the problems at hand. Also," the burly man showed them letters. "These are for each of you. Souma Fuuka, your father..."

"I'm not living with that old man ever again," Fuuka hissed venomously, tearing the envelope to examine the contents only to stare in surprise and completely admonished. "N-No way..."

"He never sold you to us," Sagara admitted sadly, folding his arms. "It was the only way to prevent people from attacking you and your mother. He never wanted to sell you to the scientists but what choice did he have? He may have been highly business oriented but that doesn't mean that he never cared for his only child. I knew your mother, Fuuka. She's much closer to you than you think."

Roarke's eyes widened with horror; he narrowed his eyes angrily at the Asian. "Sagara...!"

"It's time we tell them," Sagara shook his head in deep regret, holding Shizuru's hands with much loving care. "Shizuru, you were never an orphan and people have always been taking care of you. I was a friend of your father's back in High School and I knew your mother as well. By God, I can perfectly say that you inherited the way she looks. It was as if she transferred everything she had to you in order to protect you. Your mother's name is... Shuzen Naoto."

Florence gaped in astonishment, blinking her eyes several times along with picking her ears. "Do you mean the **Smiling****Virgin**?"

Sagara nodded weakly, unable to give direct eye contact to his adoptive daughter. "Shizuru, your memories of before you came to L.X.A were suppressed by your mother before she passed away. She wanted you to live a blood-free life. Both she and your father wished the same thing for you and your siblings."

Shizuru blinked several times. "I have siblings?"

Sagara wryly smiled at the other girls, kneading his knuckles against one another. "Fuuka, did you ever wonder as to where the CHroMEs come from?"

The red haired girl frowned albeit slightly, folding her arms in response. "Aren't they engineered from metals and meteors?"

"So they say," Natsuki narrowed her eyes at the Japanese man, tapping her foot on the ground. "You're implying that our CHroMEs are made from failed Princesses?"

Everyone's eyes widened with horror as they re-directed all their attentions to the two men. Roarke raked his fingers roughly, sighing to himself in complete frustration. The five girls were the best of L.X.A and hence forth the reason for the government's high security and low crime rate but bringing up this issue now would begin a revolution. However, he knew they couldn't avoid those facts forever. The five were raised to adapt to any environment regardless of the circumstance but one way or another, the emotional stability was bound to crumble.

"Not necessarily failed Princesses but those who have gone through their coronation," Sagara beckoned the girls to follow him to the alley behind the airports and away from the paparazzi. "Their bodies contain elements that are required to create the CHroME. Fuuka, your mother was the very first princess..."

Fuuka's eyes widened. "She used...?"

"Ophiucus," Roarke snorted in disgust as he folded his arms, admitting darkly. "Ophiucus the Magnificent is the 13th CHroME but due to your mother's coronation – it became the very first Void CHroME. Although, you shouldn't be talking to us about this – there's someone more informed about this project than we are."

Fuuka narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. "Save it, right now we better get Ai and Shizuru back to the Regionals. There's something I want them to decide."

Everyone directed their attention towards Fuuka as she grinned.

"Who's going to be the one to meet Seigaku in the finals?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sanada stared in horror and defeat, watching the tennis ball roll with extreme friction onto the ground before climbing up the fence. Rikkai Dai remained completely silent as Seigaku found themselves, staring disbelievingly at the scoreboard and the outcome. The ball quietly rolled near Sanada as the capped vice captain found himself paralysed with denial and fear. The world spun around him as he slowly fell to his knees, attempting to accept it.

_I'm sorry, Yukimura..._

"Game, Echizen: seven games to six! Winner is Seigaku!"

All the Seigaku supporters jumped around and whooped for joy, hugging each other. Some even burst out crying a fountain of tears as they began dancing around. Rikkai Dai sadly looked at their Regulars, seeing how much they wanted to win for their captain's sake. However, the cheers of the Seigaku students echoed throughout the stadium and even earning a few applauses from the other team. Atobe smirked, leaning against the wall as he wondered how the man managed to inspire his team despite him not being physically present. Ayane clapped enthusiastically along with Rin whistling and cheering for her friend, Kikumaru. Gakuto let out an indignant snort while watching Rin whoop louder. Kajimoto nodded in acknowledgement, clapping as well.

However, the Rikkai Dai female tennis regulars found themselves even more determined to win as they eagerly waited for Ai to arrive. Sanada huddled the whole team together, gripping their shirts tightly. The whole team remained silent at first with a disappointed Kirihara. Marui and Jackal hung their heads lightly, knowing the disappointment coming from Yukimura. Niou remained completely silent but his gaze often went towards Isane. However, Sanada steeled himself before facing his teammates.

"We may have lost now but the Nationals will be ours," Sanada declared with a determined glint in his eyes. "We will not lose again!"

Kirihara grinned smugly, patting his _senpai_ on the shoulders. "You betcha we're gonna floor Seigaku in the Nationals!"

With a loud chorus in agreement, the Rikkai Dai regulars left the courts to watch the next set. Silence engulfed the court once again as the girls' team entered quietly, steeling themselves for their matches. Mai tested the tension on her racquet, inhaling deeply before looking at the scoreboard. A blonde female immediately entered the court as she began stretching and warming up. The red haired _tensai_ remained completely silent but she knew the deciding point of this match. Although Momo, Haruka and Rin swiped victory by a bare margin, one mistake could send the tables tipping in Rikkai Dai's favour.

"Singles Two will now begin! Hyotei Gakuen's Nagisaki Mai versus Rikkai Dai's Sarah Jaëger! Game start, Nagisaki to serve!"

Niou slid over to Isane, leaning against the railing. "So, your _kohai_'s going to play now?"

"Most of them are my _kohai_, Niou-_kun_," Isane responded albeit coldly, remembering what he had purposely done to Kikumaru.

"Babe, why the cold tone," Niou drawled lightly while deciding to sit on the railing, facing her. "You don't normally sound that cold."

"I just remembered what my captain had told me long ago when she was to assume her position," Isane averted her eyes away from the Trickster's devious blue eyes. "Tennis is not a tool used to hurt people. You could have killed Kikumaru out there or even rendered him blind!"

Niou frowned a bit before letting out a nonchalant shrug, wondering why she would even care about someone like Kikumaru. "To be honest, it's his fault for getting in the way."

"Niou-_kun_, it's obvious you set it up," Isane sighed dejectedly, looking away. "I just want to watch this match. Hopefully, my captain comes and she'll be able to face off with Yukimura Ai in case things go bad. Mai's probably going to fool around for awhile; something seemingly I don't know – shattered her back there."

Rin hung her head, swinging her legs on the railing. "It's about Yukimura."

Everyone swivelled their heads towards the black haired acrobat, recalling then that _Heilongjiang_ had Insight.

"I don't know exactly what happened between them but it's just something to do with him," Rin sighed sadly, watching Mai steel herself for the match. "She's just trying to psych herself into _Muga __no __Kyouchi_ in order to forget everything that happened back there in the hospital."

Ayane nodded in affirmation, glancing to check Mai's face again. "Come to think of it, her face was a bit too red to be from the heat. Her face looked like they were tear-streaked or something."

As they got onto the court to shake hands, Sarah gripped Mai's hand in the handshake. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just thought of something sad is all," Mai shook away the emotions threatening to surge out of her, darkly smiling at her.

_No, __those __emotions __shouldn__'__t __mess __up __my __match. __Put __that __aside __for __now._

Sarah flinched slightly from the sardonic grin Mai gave her before walking to her end of the baseline. She lowered her centre of gravity, watching Mai bounce the ball carefully. The court overwhelmed itself with a deafening silence as Mai tossed the ball into the air, watching her opponent carefully.

_Here I come!_

Mai fired a fast serve to which Sarah immediately responded with a fast forehand. Dancing on her tiptoes, the red haired _tensai_ sprinted to the left side for a cross court backhand. Sarah narrowed her eyes at the speed of the ball as it created a hairpin on the net. She rushed forward only to meet Mai's stony gaze when she brought down a smash.

"Fifteen-love," Mai landed gracefully on her feet, staring at her beadily with her cat-like amber eyes.

Sarah inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, watching Mai continue to stare down at her. "Not a bad run but how long can you keep that up?"

Mai shrugged uncaringly, averting her eyes from Sarah. "I don't know. Just as long as it can keep me focused."

Watching her walk away, Sarah furrowed her eyebrows a bit as she remembered everything Amane Kira told her.

_Nagisaki __Mai, __the__ "__Dancing __Genius__"_, _has __never __lost __a __match __in __terms __of __speed __and __counterattack. __The __only __way __to __bring __her __down __is __to __whittle __her __stamina._

Sarah bit back her fear, feeling the horror and tension the red haired _tensai_ emitted from her presence alone. She inhaled sharply while recollecting her wit as another serve cracked off Mai's racquet. Sarah leapt forward in order to forcibly lob the shot as Mai jumped high for another intense smash. The German female launched herself in order to deflect the shot as Mai continued with a high speed volley. The ball immediately vanished as she slashed it with a top spin, sending the ball into the air. The sun beamed down, nearly blinding Sarah as Mai sniggered at her.

"_Kurosakuraso_," –the ball immediately descended with a hard drop as it spun away from her opponent. [Black Primrose]

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow at his red haired classmate as she danced around Sarah. "She's making short work of her."

"Mai's obviously nicked about something," Oshitari adjusted his glasses, checking his cellphone. _Hmm, __Kenya __isn__'__t __here __yet. __That__'__s __odd..._

"Hey cousin," a thick _kansai_ accent caused Oshitari and Kiyone to turn around, revealing Kenya walking towards them. "So, what did I miss?"

The blue haired _kansai_ prodigy snickered, folding his arms. "Only the greatest match in middle school history. Now, we're gonna watch another epic one as soon as the captains show up."

Kiyone grinned innocently at the tall sandy haired speed demon. "Hey, when did you get here?"

"Only a few minutes ago," Kenya scratched his head sheepishly, ignoring the fact that he ditched his team. "Anyway, who's attacking and who's getting squashed?"

Oshitari chuckled darkly at the flow of the match, watching Mai snatch another point. "Mai's already snatching points and Sarah's already sweating buckets. Need to say more?"

On the other hand, the Trickster found himself at a loss what to say about Isane's approach to his style. Sure, Kikumaru took a blow to his face but he didn't kill the guy. Although, he knew a blow to the eye could damage either any part of even visual perception with blindness being the worst case scenario. He shoved his hands into his pocket with a disgruntled snort until he heard some girls running, revealing Yukimura Ai and Kurenai Shizuru along with Fuuka, Florence and Natsuki trailing behind them. The whole Hyotei team swivelled their attention towards their newly arrived captain as Rin and Kiyone immediately jumped on her. Rikkai Dai rushed towards Ai; some even lifted her off the ground. Ayane however grabbed her captain by her jersey.

"Where have you been? We were waiting ages for you! You could have gotten killed! What is wrong with you," Ayane shook her violently, ignoring anything stammering out of the brunette's mouth. "No excuses! I'm going to nag you like anything until your ears bleed!"

Marui winced at the extreme lack of volume control the tangerine haired vice captain had. "Ouch, I would really hate to be in her shoes."

Atobe shrugged nonchalantly, sniggering at his fellow captain's predicament. "It's her way of showing that she cares."

Upon seeing the whole team back together, a huge smile appeared on Mai's face as she turned around to face Sarah once more. The blonde Aryan female tightly gripped her racquet, watching Mai's movements carefully. As the _tensai_ launched another fast service, Sarah jumped forward to volley the shot across with Mai running towards the net. Their speed increased considerably as Ai and Shizuru took their places on the captains' benches.

"Captain, where have you been," Yui wailed as she hugged Ai tightly, ignoring the fact that she may be suffocating her. "We've been waiting for you all week!"

Ai struggled to release herself from Yui's grasp, praying she had no broken ribs. "Yui, we still have a match to win. Please don't suffocate me!"

Rin leapt onto Shizuru's shoulders, nearly causing the brunette to fall over. "_Buchou_, don't leave us again!"

Shizuru tapped Rin's arms and gasping for air, smiling kindly. "I won't but please don't deprive me of oxygen."

Mai scored with another smash, screaming down from her racquet. The whole Hyotei crowd chanted and cheered with much vigour, scaring many of nearby supporters. Spectators from all schools soon became attracted to the loud noise Hyotei Gakuen became directly responsible for.

"Game, Nagisaki: one game to love!"

Sarah, wiping the sweat from her face, stood straight and tall as she prepared for a service. Fighting Mai would often be determined as a suicide match between her and whoever but Sarah smirked inwardly to herself as she began to contort her body. Staring from the baseline, Mai raised an eyebrow quizzically at Sarah's new technique.

"What in the world is that," Haruka rubbed her eyes disbelievingly. "Who in the world bends like a piece of rubber?"

Hitomi narrowed her eyes as she brought out her notebook. "It's a highly warped technique in a sense that if she does not use it – she would already be struggling against Kiyone in a Singles match. However this technique completely alters her ranking in the middle school books. She contorts her body in a way that she swings over like a pendulum. This is the unpolished version of Amakusa Natsuki's Serpent's Punishment. People dub Sarah as..."

"Sarah the Dust Eater," Ai smirked as the blonde became incredibly serious as Mai started dashing all over the place. "With this, her shots become more unpredictable as the speed increases. Using the physics behind the pendulum, Sarah warps her body in a way that she can use the momentum to throw back her opponent."

Hiyoshi leaned against his elbows, pondering in surprise. "Why is it only now that Jaëger chooses to wield that technique?"

"Perhaps it's a technique she refuses to use in public due to its warped nature," Taki followed her movement with his camera recorder, watching intently. "We can already see that Mai's being forced on the defensive. But..."

"Mai-Mai does have a plan for this right," Jirou pouted childishly at Atobe, watching Mai return most of Sarah's shots.

"Don't worry so much about it, Jirou," Atobe smirked as he placed his hand over his eyes, using his _Insight_. "Right now, it's Mai who we shouldn't be worrying about."

Another shot cracked behind Mai as Sarah ceased bending around.

"Game, Jaëger: one game all!"

Fuuka sniggered, folding her arms as she stood behind Shizuru. "So, how is she going to get out of this one now, Kurenai?"

Shizuru glanced at Mai, noticing a more determined look on her face. "I need not to worry. She can handle herself just fine."

Seeing her captain nod with a confident look on her face, Mai found herself smirking as she returned her attention to Sarah. "Your body flexes itself in order to return the ball in an awkward angle. In doing so, you delay the shot henceforth – making a lot of people miss and use up their stamina too fast. But that all depends on what kind of rhythm your using."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Mai as the red haired _tensai_ grinned darkly. "I'll show you that your Dust Eater technique won't even earn you three games."

"Fine," she sniggered with a challenging glare, throwing the ball up for the serve. "Challenge accepted!"

Mai launched herself forward with a strong backhand, throwing back Sarah. As the blonde unleashed the Dust Eater, Mai immediately returned to the middle of the baseline as she watched Sarah's shot fly towards her. With a pirouette, Mai spun around and flung the ball straight back at her with extreme speed as it cracked at the very corner of the singles court. Sarah stared, completely admonished and horrified at the quick adaptation.

"Your contortion is just there to agitate people but once they understand the mechanics," Mai smirked, resting her racquet onto her shoulder. "It becomes much clearer to them. It's true that the technique is extremely warped but in reality it isn't. You create a mirage that you're bending over but you're not even flexing. It's just the lengthening of your swing time. You wait for the ball to drop low to the point you have to bend low hence giving the image of you lusting for dust."

Sarah stared in shock as Mai's expression became a huge grin from ear to ear. Ai narrowed her eyes at the outcome of the match, knowing Mai's quick pick-up of attacks. Shizuru smiled at Mai's sudden progress as the _tensai_ continued her attack. However, Sarah didn't seem the least bit perturbed anymore now that she saw that Mai figured out the operation of the Dust Eater.

"Who said that was the only attack I knew?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Taking all his things, Tezuka walked over to the telephone booth. "Hello?"

"Tezuka, how are you doing there in Germany," a familiar voice asked, completely concerned.

"My shoulder seems to have worked out a few bugs, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_," Tezuka loosened his shoulder a bit, feeling relieved at the slightly alleviated burden. "I should be able to return home by later this evening. Is the team doing alright?"

Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ chuckled, congratulating him. "I should be congratulating you, Tezuka. Your team won the Regionals. Rikkai Dai didn't know what hit them when Echizen entered Singles One."

"That's usually the case," Tezuka inwardly smirked to himself, glad that his team pulled through. "Are there any other matches?"

"Rikkai Dai and Hyotei are both battling it out to face us in the finals," –Tezuka suddenly heard a loud crash in the background, hearing Kikumaru wailing along with his other teammates asking about him. "Hold on for a minute..."

Tezuka waited on the line as Ryuuzaki-_sensei_'s voice echoed through the phone, flinching slightly from the volume. "WILL YOU BOYS STOP JUMPING AROUND LIKE A BUNCH OF MONKEYS!"

A small chuckle bubbled from his throat, wondering what his teammates were doing. Spending time in Germany made him miss them as they were often a bunch of noise-makers. It seemed impossible for him to study now without something blaring through his ears but the mirth his teammates brought him despite being in Japan made him feel at ease again.

"Nagisaki Mai's bringing down Jaëger Sarah pretty easily but the girl's clearly holding back on her," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_continued watching the match between Sarah and Mai. "It's a battle for the finals but I think Hyotei's going to have this one in the bag. Considering their best pair has been taken down by Hikifumi and Shimohi, I don't think the Kobayagi-Getsugan pair is going to have a problem. So, I'm guessing you and Fuuka will have to cross notes regarding them for the Nationals. Although Hyotei did not make it into the semi-finals, I'm sure they would be selected as the recommended team."

Tezuka nodded absentmindedly for a moment, pondering about the matches. He merely concerned himself with the girls' team since Fuuka and him were classmates. However, he found himself wondering about Shizuru whether or not she could take it. Recalling his last match with her in the training camp, Shizuru would be condemning herself to a life in a wheel chair. However, Tezuka quickly cancelled that thought as Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ sighed on the phone.

"Anyway, the team called up to tell you to get better soon," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ chuckled, continuing to watch the match. "But I seem you're doing just that."

"Ah, I'll see you then, _sensei_."

As the phone line went dead, Tezuka hauled his bags over his shoulder as he finally felt some relief instead of a stabbing pain. He walked out towards the streets, heading towards the airports. The Seishun Gakuen captain peeked into his wallet, seeing what souvenir he could bring home for his parents. His friends were more the food type of people but after staying in Germany for weeks – the food would be expired by then. However, the joy of his team winning somewhat overwhelmed him as a smile appeared on his face.

"I see you're preparing to go home," a female voice caused him to turn around, seeing his coach standing behind him. "You've been recovering pretty fast. I guess you know the gravity of your situation now don't you?"

Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows slightly at his buxom coach, recalling the talk they had regarding Shizuru and Sanada. "Yes, I know."

"Good, so what are you going to do about it," his coach folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. "You can't let him get away."

"Tennis was never a weapon to breed jealousy," Tezuka countered, restraining his temper.

"I didn't say it needed to be in the form of tennis."

Tezuka remained completely silent as the woman patted his shoulder. "I know you have a lot on your mind but don't forget of what is precious to you. You care a lot for your team but don't forget to take care of yourself. You're a very selfless man, Tezuka. But sometimes, that selflessness will be the cause of your own misery."

Watching her walk away, Tezuka pondered on the older woman's words as he continued walking towards the airports. However, he made one stop to the post office. In his hand, Tezuka tightly gripped the letter as he wondered whether or not he should send it. Inui knew nothing of her address and the only place he knew she would often be would be in Hyotei Gakuen. Steeling himself, Tezuka hesitantly gave his message to the operator there while paying the fee and everything. His heart immediately stopped as he watched the mailman put it into a box heading for Japan, seeing the box sliding down the chute. Although he couldn't understand what possessed him to gain such confidence, Tezuka bit his lip hard; it was now or never. He opened his cellphone and began scrolling the numbers until he noticed an unnamed number. Quizzical, the Seishun Gakuen senior dialled it up.

"I see you found my number," Lars smirked at the other end on the phone, causing Tezuka to twitch. "By the way, Shizuru's currently about to enter her Singles One match after the Kobayagi and Getsugan pair finish off their opponents. Apparently, Singles Two got wrapped up pretty fast and Ayane and Kiyone are making short work of the other pair despite their National Calibre."

Tezuka continued to twitch a bit. "How do you know this?"

"Alisa has a built in camera that allows her to see through devices within the area," Lars continued driving around. "She's currently using the camera recorder of one of the regulars. I'm sure he doesn't even know that she's hacking into his signal."

Frowning a bit, Tezuka glanced at the sky before unknowingly walking into the city park. Couples were walking around, some were laughing and boys started taking their girls on boat rides. Some were simply walking their dogs and another was the girl had fallen asleep against the boy's chest with him wrapping his arms warmly yet protectively around her. Tezuka mentally kicked himself for his carelessness as he quickened his pace throughout the park.

"Anyway, what time's your flight," Lars questioned on the other end.

"In an hour," Tezuka began briskly walking once again, attempting to ignore all the romantic happenings around him. "Why?"

"I don't know – thinking maybe you could join me for some coffee or something," Lars suggested, watching the stoplight. "Maybe I can even drive you there?"

"No thank you I can walk there by myself," Tezuka exhaled in relief as he left the area only to find himself in front of a dance studio.

Curious, the bespectacled male walked in only to find them having ballroom classes. Another side had Street Dance classes and all other sorts of dance classes. However, he found himself primarily interested in the ballroom dancers as images started to change. He stared at one of the students dancing with her partner and instead of seeing them, Shizuru and him appeared. He spun her around as they continued with their waltz and imagining her in a gown made things even more appealing to his eyes. She looked amazing and if he recalled the last time, Shizuru barely wore any make-up. The teacher soon played the music as the song softly began to entrance him.

_Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm,_

_You by the light_

_Is the greatest find_

_In a world full of wrong_

_You're the thing that's right_

_Finally made it through_

_The lonely to the other side_

Tezuka knitted his eyebrows together, watching the dancers flow gracefully with the music. He felt the warmth on his hands and the atmosphere around him started to change. Everything soothed his racked nerves and anything about Sanada went down the drain. He felt her hand tug him gently as Tezuka absentmindedly followed her to the dance floor as she graced him with her gentle smile. He could feel the slow sway as his stolid expression suddenly faded. His heart rapidly pounded against his chest as she continued to waltz with him.

_You set it again, my heart's in motion_

_Every word feels like a shooting star_

_I'm at the edge of my emotions_

_Watching the shadows burning in the dark_

_And I-ei-ei-I'm in love and I-ei-ei-I'm terrified_

_For the first time and the last time_

_In my only life,_

Tezuka closed his eyes, wondering if this were a dream or not. However, the movements, the music and her interactions with him seemed very realistic as he slowly led her. People's eyes slowly focused on them as they began dancing in the gazebo area. Fireflies suddenly began to surround them with their bright yellow lights as the Night Blooming Cereus added much needed beauty to the Victorian structure. Roses bloomed from the bushes beneath them along with some ivy crawling up the posts.

_Mm-mm, (Mm-mm) And this could be good_

_It's already better than that_

_And nothing's worse than knowing_

_You're holding back_

_I could be all that you needed_

_If you let me try, hi,_

Despite the music becoming increasingly faint, the whole world around him started playing an atmosphere of its own. As their dance became to a slow halt, he drew her closer as she gazed at him intently with her bright vermillion orbs. Tezuka, dare he say it, developed a weakness for her smiles and her eyes. They could speak multitudes of which her mouth could not. His whole body tensed upon contact as her body lightly leaned against his. The bespectacled boy gently brushed his hand against her left cheek as he dipped down a bit to kiss her.

"Excuse me," someone snapped him out of his thoughts when he saw Alisa Bosconovitch tapping his shoulder. "Ah, I thought you passed out!"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the female android, wondering how long he had been out. "How long..."

"For a few minutes," Alisa smiled cheerfully, tugging his arm along. "But the traffic going towards the airport is quite bad; you might want to get a good head start."

Tezuka nodded half-heartedly, remembering the moment created by the very figment of his imagination. He brushed his hand, feeling her fingers entwine with his own. The bespectacled coffee blonde boy then joined Lars in his car as the _Tekkenshu_ commander drove towards the airport. The ride remained completely silent at first as Tezuka stared out the window. Nothing seemed to pique his interest and the reason as to why he walked into the dance studio truly irked him. Every fibre of his became hypnotized upon hearing the music but not in a horrific sense but rather when time seemed to stop altogether as the world redirected its attention at him.

"I see you were dreaming of her," Lars smirked with his "cat-got-creamed" expression, looking at the rear view mirror. "Instead of dreaming, go after her. Alisa mentioned to me that your hallucinations are getting worse. You're practically putting yourself through emotional torture."

Tezuka frowned as his lips thinned grimly. "It's not as easy as it looks."

"All it takes is the right timing and courage," Lars made a turn on one of the roads, taking a detour to the airport. "If you keep idling around, you'll lose everything. Shizuru may be sweet and kind but I don't think she has God's divine patience. We are but human after all."

Tezuka remained silent for a moment, wondering how his imagination was able to conjure something that realistic. His head throbbed lightly as he leaned back against the chair, glancing at the pink haired android who intently watched the cars pass by them. Exhaling deeply, Tezuka ran his fingers through his coffee blonde hair.

Alisa watched the fleeting scenes, seeing some couples kissing or making out. "Lars-_kun_, why are there some girls going into an alley with their guys?"

Lars blushed immediately, realizing he had forgotten to explain a few things to Alisa. "Ah, it's nothing. Just concentrate on other things, Alisa."

Seeing the Swedish man's face heat up considerably, Tezuka couldn't help but smirk at Lars' predicament. "Thank you for driving me over."

"Anything for my subordinate," Lars chuckled lightly, glancing at him. "I don't mean you."

Tezuka sighed as the airport came into view, feeling the car slightly lurch him forward. "Thank you again."

Lars chuckled, unlocking the doors. "Just do me a favour and don't hurt her unless you want the _Tekkenshu_ hunting your butt all over the country-side."

Tezuka stiffly nodded as he walked towards the airport, carrying his luggage.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

However, Mai found herself wheezing and breathing heavily as she staggered back from the multiple moves Sarah easily pulled out. From the Dust Eater, Sarah easily brought her down with all sorts of attacks and even Shizuru's flash step appeared. The _tensai_ stared in astonishment, watching how easily Sarah caught up with her within the last thirty minutes.

"Game, Jaëger: six games to five!"

"Shizuru's flash step may be fast but it lacks finesse and it needs a little more fine-tuning," Sarah loosened her neck joint, smugly staring at the _tensai_. "You didn't do too bad when your deciphered the Dust Eater but your mistake was to assume that it was the only technique in my arsenal. Did you think I'd be stumped and traumatized? We are Rikkai Dai; we're not easily stumped."

The red haired _tensai_ suckled the air sharply, quietly berating herself for her slowness. Sarah remained completely calm and didn't even snap at her when her techniques were countered one by one. Her body shuddered violently as she felt sweat profusely pour down her face. Calming herself, Mai slowly began to immerse herself into the _Muga __no __Kyouchi_ as a fog slowly engulfed her.

"My, my, you're getting desperate," Sarah sniggered, throwing the ball up into the air. "Your notion of unpredictability – I will crush it!"

Mai launched herself forward using the Hyotei volleyist's _Obana _Volley while Sarah easily kept up with the Dust Eater technique. Seeing her speed to return it, the red haired _tensai_ sent the _Hakugei_ into the air and forced Sarah to retreat. However, the blonde easily jumped into the air and smashed it down at Mai who countered using the Fuji's _Higuma __Otoshi_.

Momoshiro stared in awe. "Whoa, she's doing all of Fuji-_senpai_'s techniques?"

"That's what happens when one places oneself into the State of Self-Actualization," Fuji explained to his junior, watching Mai struggle against her attacks. "Mai's too confident in her own skills, thinking she can always outrun them. But in the end, something's bound to go wrong."

Sarah narrowly missed the speeding shot as she watched the _Tsubame __Gaeshi_ make its debut. The German female dribbled the ball with her racquet as she passed it to Mai, watching the female's eyes dilate. The red haired sophomore silently walked towards the net to receive the ball, smirking.

"If this was called desperation, I wonder what you're doing."

Sarah, puzzled by the red head's words, scoffed lightly. "Tch, don't talk as if you're on the winning end!"

Mai relied completely on the _Muga __no __Kyouchi_ as Atobe's Jack Knife move appeared combined with Hiyoshi's _Enbu _Tennis. Clucking her tongue, Sarah pushed herself to the far end before sending the ball towards Mai's right side. The dancer immediately responded with a split-step as she pounded the tennis ball with Momo's _Oto_. Seeing the _Oto_ fly towards her, Sarah chuckled lightly as she slammed it back at her and reciprocating the same speed and force.

"Using Momo's techniques against me are useless," Sarah chuckled lightly, watching Mai sprint towards the speeding ball. "After all, I developed those techniques with her."

Momo narrowed her eyes as Hyotei swivelled their heads towards her, causing her to clench her fist. "I told you guys I had a former doubles partner in Rikkai Dai before I left. She was actually the one who encouraged me to find my own tennis. Ever since Sanada became famous, she told me to go search and start from scratch. Sarah and I developed those techniques in order to make a name for ourselves but it never worked out because the boys' team always had the glory."

"It's funny how in Hyotei that the girls' have more publicity than the guys," Haruka chuckled, earning her a disgusted snort from Atobe. "You have to admit; Ayane and Kiyone are often hounded for interviews more than you ever will."

Hitomi nodded, watching Mai pressing on her attempt to even out the score as she sweated buckets on the court. "Mai can't hold this up forever but now that Shizuru's here – I think the tension's been lifted off her shoulders."

Watching the ball zip past her, Mai stood firmly onto the ground as she released herself from the State of Self-Actualization. "Well, I guess that's it for me."

"Game and match: Jaëger, seven games to six!"

As Sarah approached Mai to give her a handshake, she glanced at the red haired _tensai_. "There were so many openings and yet, you didn't take them. Care to explain to me why?"

Mai shrugged uncaringly once again, waving her hand dismissively. "I don't know. Guess today just wasn't my day."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at the _tensai_, clenching her fists. _She __knew __yet __she __didn__'__t __bring __me __down. __This __is __no __victory __for __me..._

As Sarah returned to the bleachers, she sat next to her captain while hanging her head. "Captain, I'm sorry. She just toyed around with me..."

"Glad you noticed that," Ai shook her head disbelievingly at the _tensai_, acting as if nothing had happened. "I guess she has full faith in the doubles one pair that's about to play."

Yui, seeing their chance to turn the tables around, finalized her warm-ups as she propped her racquet on her shoulder. "Time to prove them wrong."

Mai on the other hand took a seat next to Shizuru as she snickered. "I hope you get your match. Honestly, I hate staining my record but you should have your match between you and Ai. I highly doubt Ayane has enough stamina to hold on especially if there's an extreme exchange."

Ayane stumbled down a bit, holding her racquet. "We're ready, _buchou_."

Shizuru eyed Ayane warily, examining her physical condition. Her match between her and Fuuka obviously drained her and nearly killed her. Eye bags hung under Ayane's eyes as she slowly made her way towards the court until Shizuru grabbed her arm, shocking the team.

"If you can't handle the tension," Shizuru whispered softly, glancing at their opponents. "Don't push it. Your body's still recovering from your shock."

Ayane huffed indignantly before smiling determinedly, giving her a thumb up. "I can handle it, _buchou_! Don't worry about me! Start warming up already!"

Shizuru sighed in relief, seeing the happy look on her vice captain's face. However, she could not ignore the pale complexion the freshman had including her unstable way of walking. The Hyotei female captain clasped her hands together as she watched Ayane and Kiyone get along with their competitors before resuming their formation.

"Doubles One will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Kobayagi-Getsugan pair versus Rikkai Dai's Torinaka-Amane pair! Game start, Kobayagi to serve!"

Ayane bounced the ball for a few moments, closing her eyes in deep concentration. She recalled the power flowing within her during that time in the _Urabutousatsujin._She recalled the hard punches that created craters into the ground and also Fuuka's unrelenting fury. Her impulses thrashed angrily within her as she watched Amane Kira take the baseline for receiving the shot. Tossing the ball into the air, Ayane unleashed a strong serve which Kira managed to deflect but it only moved a few centimetres away from her. Rikkai Dai stared in shock as the amount of physical strength the freshman just displayed and even Miaka found herself completely astonished.

"How the heck," Miaka exchanged glances with the doubles pair and then her captain, shaking her head in disbelief. "Is it even possible for a female to do that?"

"Fuuka's a good exception to that rule," Ai explained to the Wild Dog member of Rikkai Dai, watching Ayane explode another shot from her racquet. "The thing is how long can she keep that consistency?"

Ayane continued attacking with a wild amount of strength as Kira planted her heels into the ground, wincing from the impact.

"Looks like the Void CHroME left some crap in her bloodstream," Fuuka snickered while folding her arms, chuckling at Kira's futile attempts to return the shot. "Deflecting the shot won't do sometimes. That's going to break both her racquet and her wrist."

Kira, ignoring the beads of sweat trickling down her face, flinched slightly every time her wrist was forced to bend beyond normal capability. Ayane easily returned her shots as Tora gripped her wrist tightly, hoping to alleviate the pain. Kiyone found herself standing there, wondering whether or not Ayane got hit by steroids.

"Yane, are you okay," Kiyone whimpered, watching Ayane's eyes widen with shock.

"I don't know but to be honest," Ayane clenched her hand into a fist, flexing a bit. "I feel great."

Kiyone blinked several times as Ayane loosened up, swinging her arm around. "For starters, I don't feel strained despite doing all those crazy shots. That's usually when I'm mad or something."

Atobe threw an all-knowing glance to Shizuru who remained completely silent along with the other captains as Ayane continued to bring them down. Game after game, Ayane easily out-powered them with a single return-ace each time.

"I'm guessing that's a side-effect of the Void CHroME," Florence raised an eyebrow at Natsuki who nodded.

"Her body's trying to work it out of her system so there will be times that there will be big explosions of power."

Ayane slammed another shot to the corner which the other two tried to chase only to fumble over and crash on the pavement as the shots made deep impressions on the ground. Both Rikkai Dai regulars found themselves wheezing badly for air, watching Kiyone now begin her service. Her shot barely slipped over the net, forcing Tora to dash forward for the return. It lobbed slightly for a volley as Kiyone gave it a deep drive towards the corner, allowing Kira to attack. However, Ayane pounded her once again with a exploding Magnolia Blade.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: four games to one!"

Ayane gave Kiyone a high five as the Torinaka-Amane pair stood before them, breathing heavily. The vice captain realized she had never felt so much power before, clenching her hand into a fist. Recalling everything that happened during the _Urabutousatsujin_, the Hyotei vice captain remembered the torturous training her captor put her through to see who would inherit the CHroME. Despite the raging power, Kiyone easily noticed that Ayane still remained completely haggard and messed up as her partner's movements started getting sloppy.

"Yane-Yane, we don't need to push through if you don't want to you know," Kiyone noticed Ayane, staggering back and forth. "Yane?"

Ayane nearly slumped to her knees if not for her sense of willpower. Her body only decided now to let the side effects of her Spartan training bring her down as the tangerine haired vice captain noticed her knees trembling and wobbling. The image of Yumika and Amane blurred considerably as she began stumbling backwards as Kiyone caught her from behind.

"Yane, forget it – I won't let you destroy yourself this way," Kiyone gave her the puppy pout before turning to the umpire. "I'm sorry but my partner can no longer play, Rikkai Dai can have this match."

Ayane's eyes widened as she began to protest only to have Kiyone kick her knees, causing her to buckle down. "Kiyone, what are you... ow!"

Kiyone grinned impishly as she dragged Ayane off the court, waving her hand at them childishly before coaxing her doubles partner. "Sorry about this! Yane, I don't know what happened there at the _Urabutou_-thingamajig but whatever it is, you need to work it out of your system."

Ayane stared, completely shocked for a moment as Kiyone let her sit down on the bench. "Th-thanks, Kiki. I just don't know..."

"It's okay, Yane-Yane," Kiyone grinned childishly, giving her a determined look. "We'll do better in any other game. Now's just not your day, okie-day, Yane?"

Seeing that they were at a tie-breaker, Ai and Shizuru glanced at one another before nodding. Simultaneously, Shizuru and Ai plucked off their regulars' jacket as it floated onto the bench. The wind rushed past as the crowds chanted louder, watching the ace cards of both teams take their positions on the baseline. Shizuru and Ai shook hands, checking their audience.

"This is definitely better than the audience we got at the _Urabutousatsujin_," Shizuru glanced around, hearing her name being chanted by the Hyotei supporters. "May the best player win."

"Indeed," Ai smiled as she whipped around to walk towards the baseline.

"Singles One will now begin: Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru versus Rikkai Dai's Yukimura Ai," the umpire watched the two girls' stare intently at one another. "Game start, Kurenai to serve!"

Shizuru began with a sharp deep serve as Ai rushed towards the shot with a fast forehand. The two girls slid across the court, sending each other deep shots. Both their concentrations on each other intensified drastically as people suddenly became silent until the only thing audible became the echoing of the tennis ball. Shizuru slid over for a flash step, watching Ai's movements carefully. The bluenette easily responded with a slice while Shizuru returned the favour with a _Subera__Kagerou_, forcing Ai to dive for the ball before it touched the ground. However, this left her open for a drive volley which Shizuru sent right in between her legs.

"Fifteen – love," the arbiter declared as Ai recovered her stance.

"Whoa, look at them go," one of the boys exclaimed, swinging his flag. "Go Shizuru-_sama_!"

Haruka's eyes widened. "That was only the first volley."

"God, they're scary," Rin whimpered slightly, shaking her head in disbelief.

Boys chanted louder as Rikkai Dai also followed with their own cheer for their beloved Yukimura Ai. Both girls began on the offensive once more as Shizuru fired a deep forehand, forcing Ai to run to the other end of the court. With a single footed split step, Ai launched herself to the other side while preparing herself for another deep shot. Shizuru on the other hand slashed the ball for a strong top spin as it clipped the net for a hairpin trick. Ai rushed forward for a forced lob, silently cursing at her rotten luck. Shizuru reappeared in front of her with the _Shunpo_ as she set another top spin stronger than the first one.

_Tch,__Tsuuro __no __Shichihenge,_ Ai nullified each spin as it came to her, praying it wouldn't get any stronger. [Road of the Hydrangea]

Shizuru fired a faster spin as the ball suddenly disappeared from beyond the net, forcing Ai to gamble her chances. The spectators did not know which one to video or to write about as both girls exerted exceptional ability with Ai even going for an in between the legs shot in reverse. Shizuru relied solely on her innovativeness as her _Tsuuro __no __Shichihenge_ went off and on, forcing Ai to incur errors quite an amount of times. Shishido clung onto the railing in complete anticipation, watching the match in suspense.

"As of now, they're equal in power," Fuuka noted as Shizuru fired a single handed backhand towards Ai who responded with a flat drop. "It depends on how creative they'll be or how exactly will they attack. Their patterns and consistency are the deciding factors of this match."

Natsuki folded her arms in affirmation, watching the ball fly back and forth. "Well then, it's to see who has more commitment. Will it be Yukimura or Kurenai? Nobody knows."

Ai continued to increase her offense as Shizuru defensively responded with a flowing attack, flying back and forth. Sweat poured down the younger Yukimura's face while Shizuru remained completely calm despite her knee starting to act up. Both players lashed out at each other with every amount of effort they had as Ai continued returning all the shots.

"Ai's pulling off a Yukimura-_buchou_ isn't she," Marui blew up a huge green bubble, watching Ai struggle slightly. "But, how come she's having such a hard time?"

"She doesn't have Seiichi's build or ability," Sanada frankly admitted, watching Ai return most of Shizuru's shots. "She's desperately trying but it's not going to work for her in the long run."

Ai, breathing heavily, overheard Sanada as she began throwing top spins into the mix. Shizuru leapt forward and zoomed backwards with her Flash Step, trying to maintain her consistency. She could feel the fatigue and weariness from the matches overwhelming both of them as Ai disguised her stumbling a number of times. Her vision considerably swirled around but she shook off the haze. Soon, Ai scored another shot that zoomed past her right shoulder, cracking at the tip of the baseline.

"Fifteen all," the teams stared in shock before glancing at their watches, wondering how long the rally took.

"The first rally took ten minutes," Inui scribbled down on his notebook, watching Shizuru go for another serve. "The next one took eleven minutes and fifty nine seconds. Their stamina cannot keep long; their shots are already losing their consistency."

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the match, rolling her eyes. "The fatigue they obtained from the _Urabutousatsujin_'s turning this match into a battle of endurance which they both don't have."

"They're probably going to collapse before anyone of them reaches five games," Sengoku watched the ball flimsily slap the net, forcing Shizuru to zoom forward. "It's amazing how both have the willpower to play as if nothing's wrong. It takes an experienced person to know that they're exhausted."

Shizuru, breathing heavily, watched Ai slam the ball towards the corner. Instinctively, she let out a strong spin release on the ball which forced Ai to simply deflect it while Shizuru unleashed another top spin with higher speed. Ai blinked a few times as the ball slammed into the ground, spinning away from her.

"Thirty – fifteen," –Hitomi began scribbling down a set amount of time each, listing down how the rallies were decided.

Mai watched the sweat pour down Shizuru's face, watching her knees wobble slightly. "Shizuru knows that she can't last until tie-breaker."

"Shizuru probably has a thirty percent chance of winning," Hitomi tilted her glasses, watching Shizuru gain another point. "Yukimura's chances are steadily decreasing. If she keeps up her reckless play, Shizuru would definitely lose to Yukimura."

Atobe watched his fellow captain battle it out for the finals, folding his arms in anticipation and annoyance. For the girls' team, things seemed so easy for them and people soon started flashing their camera's straight away especially when Shizuru starts to pull of deciding movements and when Ai chooses to make a final strike as well in desperation to conserve her stamina. Ai found herself staggering backwards, leaning against her racquet for support.

"I hate the mental strain," Ai exhaled haphazardly, watching Shizuru controlling her breath. "Ever since the _Urabutousatsujin,_ we've been having problems with physical maintenance and mental strength. How long do you think you can hold?"

Shizuru smiled before admitting mildly, standing up straight. "I'm not quite sure myself but I know that it's not very long. However, I know one thing…"

Ai suddenly noticed a bright white glow taking the form of a phoenix surrounding Shizuru.

"I know I can't lose…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 49! Finally, all the gore's done and now we're back to the drama. I'm sorry if Tezuka became a little bit OOC but he is in the middle of the dilemma and it's hard making a rock like him become more romantically inclined. Guys please don't forget to review! I highly appreciate it more than the story alerts and stuff. It makes me happier to see that I'm doing a good job. The song by the way is "Terrified" by Katharine McPhee and Zachary Levi, written by Kara Dioguardi! XD**


	50. Decide Now

**Me: Thank you for all the reviews you guys have been sending! I can't believe its Chapter 50 already. XD I never expected my fic to be this long. Then again, Prince of Tennis did have a lot of episodes so; this might have a lot too. I'm not going to tell you when it's going to end – you're just going to have to read on. Guys, if you want romantic oneshots – read the Queen's Lives XD! By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis only the OCs are mine.**

Chapter 50 – Decide Now

Watching the phoenix shaped aura engulf Shizuru's body, the bluenette watched the sophomore's crimson orbs glitter with determination. Ai smirked as she inhaled deeply, allowing a deep fog to surround her. The spectators stared in awe as Ai's lavender eyes considerably dulled into stones while Shizuru's gentle smile curved more into a smirk. Mai gripped the railing, feeling the tension between the two players. Ayane and Kiyone huddled near one another as the wind blew harshly against the wind, causing the trees to nearly bend over. Atobe folded his arms while watching Shizuru glow brighter than ever, leaning against the wall.

"Tezuka, you truly know how to inspire players," the Hyotei captain ran his fingers through his hair, smirking confidently. "Kurenai and Yukimura are already at their limit yet only one manages to pull through with enough concentration. Having a strong mentality to choose which pinnacle to open instead of unleashing the _Muga no Kyouchi_ shows that she's still calm. Yukimura however," his icy blue eyes deterred away before facing towards the heavily breathing bluenette, "is almost at the end of her ropes."

Tossing the ball into the air, Ai served a fast shot flying towards Shizuru who exploded the shot with the twice the force. Ai, wincing from the return, managed to deflect the shot for a lob to which Shizuru immediately dashed towards the net and brought it down for a driving volley. The ball zoomed past Ai until she sliced it fast to cause the ball to run on the net.

Marui's eyes widened, blinking several times in disbelief. "That's my _Tsunawatari..._" [Tightrope Runner]

Shizuru released her _Shunpo_ to go for the _Subera Kagerou_ [Gliding Dragonfly], darting backwards once again to counter Yukimura's Boomerang Snake. The Hyotei sophomore ignored the salty beads of sweat profusely pouring down her face while Ai unleashed Sanada's invisible strike to which Shizuru forcibly missed.

"Thirty – forty," the arbiter stared in shock at the intensity of the match, watching Shizuru and Ai struggle to preserve their stamina.

"I'm surprised you can still fight like that," Ai chuckled lightly with a serene expression, standing up straight as the _Muga no Kyouchi_ faded away. "The mental and physical strain of our battles should have made you weary."

Shizuru brushed her hair away from her face, shaking herself out of the daze. "You were placed in a more mentally straining situation than I was. I simply pulled you back with whatever willpower I had. Although, I don't think you need help in that department – you are Yukimura Ai after all."

Ai smiled kindly, tossing her hair back. "You're the only one who saw me for me but not as a clone of Yukimura Seiichi. I hated the fact that I had his face and was his organ donor all my life."

"But this is your battle," Shizuru pointed her racquet at the blue haired girl. "I didn't come here to fight Yukimura Seiichi for the Nationals..."

Ai laughed mockingly despite maintaining her serene expression, responding by pointing her racquet back at Shizuru. "I hope I'm not fighting Kotetsu Naomi."

Both teams watched their captains push each other to the edge, biting their nails in anticipation and suspense. Ayane narrowed her eyes as she clutched her tennis racquet, feeling the intensity of the two captains. The winds tossed around her tangerine tresses as the leaves rustled with the trees swaying around. Kiyone clutched onto her regulars jersey while mounting herself onto the vice captain's shoulders, watching in sheer anticipation and excitement. Isane placed her hand to her lips as the ball zoomed back and forth between the two sweating captains, gulping in surprise.

"Shizuru clearly has the advantage of this battle despite the activation of the _Muga no Kyouchi _[State of Self Actualization]," Haruka folded her arms, watching Shizuru jump into the air before smashing it straight down. "The _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ [Pinnacle of Great Effort] really threw off Ai's rhythm."

"Haru-_chan_, I think it's Shizuru-_chan_ who's on the defensive," Rin observed Ai's sudden stumbling, watching the ball fly straight up. "Ai's breezily analysing her. She's not throwing her stamina into one shot; she knows Shizuru-_chan_'s a little impatient."

Atobe snickered while using his _Insight_, lowering his hands. "You're playing out of desperation, aren't you Kurenai? But be careful, you're going to be too reckless with the way you're fighting now."

Shizuru slammed another shot deep into the court, feeling slightly numb from her mission. Her _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ flickered around as she exploded the next shot towards Ai who managed to keep up with the speed of the shot as she nullified it using Sanada's _Rin_. The ball lightly dropped each and every time as Shizuru's knee swelled up considerably as she unleashed the _Shunpo_ every time. Momo suddenly noticed a victorious smirk on Ai's face as Shizuru winced at the pain shooting up from her knee.

"Shizuru, forget the ball – just what the," Momo watched the ball suddenly swirl away from where it was supposed to land as it returned to Shizuru. "Where did that...?"

Shizuru's lips curved up into a small smirk as a bewildered expression appeared on Ai's face as to wherever she hit her shot, the ball swung over to Shizuru as if there were some magnet. Seigaku stared in awe and Rikkai Dai blinked several times in disbelief as Shizuru powered another shot flying towards the back end of the court, causing Ai to stumble over.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"

Sanada shook his head stiffly, not noticing that his eyes were widening considerably. Despite it being a very rough version, Shizuru struggled to maintain the consistency as the ball continued zooming towards her. A slightly marked black ring surrounded her as she continued unleashing the ball with an extreme spin. Her red eyes would narrow in deep concentration as the ball streamed towards the blue haired Rikkai Dai female captain. Ai returned it with much ease, despite feeling the strain of the_ Muga no Kyouchi_. Shizuru exhaled in relief as her knee managed to rest a bit, feeling a flood of relaxation rushing through her body.

"Where did that come from, nyah," Kikumaru jumped onto the railing in astonishment, watching the match between them. "It's as if... Tezuka-_buchou_ is standing right behind her..."

Sanada curled his fingers around the railing upon hearing the red haired acrobat's words, crushing the metal in his palm. Since when did Tezuka become so influential? Didn't they have the same state of mind? Did they not equally find themselves unable to express their emotions properly? They were practically the same thing except Tezuka somehow had a stronger influence. Where did that come from?

That thought alone exhilarated him.

Sanada folded his arms in disgust of the sight of his rival's technique being used by _his_ empress. He shook his head vehemently, watching Ai continue to unleash a wave of attacks with the _Ka_. Shizuru easily returned it with the combined force of the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_, wincing slightly from the impact her stance was taking. The bluenette leapt high into the air to bring down an extremely burning _Ka_ laced shot as flames screamed towards Shizuru until her phoenix-aura absorbed the impact and sent it straight back at her, causing Ai to stare in awe.

"Love – fifteen," Ai winced slightly from her landing, glancing back at the burn mark at the baseline.

"You're not doing too badly," Ai grinned cheerfully, wiping away the sweat from her brow. "At least, we now know the outcome."

Shizuru blinked in confusion, straightening her stance. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see," Ai sang childishly with a devious grin, tossing the ball up for a quick service. "Now, show me what you have!"

Shizuru slammed the ball towards the corner of the singles court as Ai rushed in for a volley. Seeing the ball zoom back towards her, the Hyotei brunette pushed herself back to send a strong forehand that zoomed all the way towards the other end of the court. The bluenette easily returned it with the _Fuu _flying back at Shizuru as the brunette watched the ball slow down before exploding it with the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_. However, a white glow suddenly enveloped Ai as a tiger appeared behind her and unleashed a furious rage – doubling the power Shizuru used to send the shot across.

"Fifteen – all," Shizuru forced herself to dodge it, seeing that the shot overpowered her arm limit.

Rikkai Dai soon started cheering loudly once again as the girls' team jumped up and down for the marvellous comeback of the female Yukimura. A white tiger prowled behind her as the phoenix determinedly and lovingly dropped its wings on Shizuru. Both captains remained completely silent as Ai nodded approvingly.

"A phoenix – befitting for someone who just woke up," Ai whirled around her racquet with a serene smile, chuckling darkly. "After all, tennis is a battle that we captains must not lose no?"

Shizuru inhaled deeply, lowering her stance. "Indeed."

"Good, I wouldn't expect anything less from the third princess," Ai tossed the ball into the air and with an extreme smash, sent it flying towards Shizuru. "Let's go!"

Shizuru received it and with a slight delay, unleashed more power onto it as Ai nullified it with the _Rin_. Seeing the ball lightly float over the net, Shizuru responded with the same tactic and forced Ai to jump for it only to find the ball spinning away from her and going towards the net. Dusting herself from the ground, she smiled.

"Tezuka-_san_'s been quite the inspiration for you now has he," Ai averted away to walk towards the baseline, smiling darkly. "But, you won't be able to fool me twice."

Shizuru admitted mildly, glancing at her racquet. "To be honest, I didn't think I could pull it off but you're right – I won't be able to fool you again."

Ai danced away before walking towards the baseline, bouncing the ball. "Well then, my turn."

Ai summoned enough strength to fire a cracking shot as it spun off in a whole new ninety degrees. Shizuru staggered back as she shook her head a few times to see what had just happened.

"That's a risky technique," Hitomi pushed up her glasses, calculating the physics behind it. "It's integrating the _Rai_ into a serve. Technically, that attack is supposed to be a stun move."

Mai pursed her lips a bit, watching Yukimura Ai fire another serve like the last. "Serve is where anyone has the biggest advantage. They can fire the shot in any way they choose and the receiver has to be the one to adapt. But the thing is – how would someone be able to return a serve like that?"

"The _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami _is only supposed to amplify returns but," Momo narrowed her eyes at Ai's last service for the game. "But, when did she learn how to do it without receiving a return?"

"You guys forget don't you?"

They all turned to Fuuka who folded her arms while watching the ball crack right next to Shizuru before springing away.

"She is a clone of Yukimura Seiichi. It was L.X.A's attempt of making the "perfect being" and also a beneficial for the older brother," Fuuka snorted in disgust, watching Shizuru and her change courts. "We all have flaws and Yukimura's the thing that was supposed to deem us obsolete. She has my strength, Florence's speed, Natsuki's flexibility and Shizuru's gracefulness. Yukimura's genes provided everything else including the sense of sadism. Technically, all four of us are mutants in a sense. However, we are not super beings – we are people who could've been normal but have been deprived of that privilege. To be honest, I know about Kurenai's real lineage but the truth is – it's not as dominant as those who have suffered extremely emotionally stressful situations. In a scientific way, it's the Mishima's way of coping with conflict by inducing a genetic mutation within themselves. But she doesn't have that sense of evil and hence it's practically dead in her; she's normal like everyone else except for the fact that she's an empath but that is scientifically explained. All the abilities we have right now are extremely induced. Florence and Natsuki have been drugged all their lives and so have I. There are just some born with the ticket called "talent" and "raw potential"."

Sakuno looked at her captain's stern face as she lowered her head, feebly murmuring. "So, there's no way to beat her?"

"If you mean Ai then, it's almost downright impossible to bring her down unless you really think hard and anticipate patterns," Fuuka bit her lower lip, watching Shizuru break in a service. "But there is never such thing as impossibility. If her game is thrown off then, there may be a chance that Kurenai can seize the advantage."

Vera rolled her eyes at the two, scoffing darkly. "You guys are monsters."

"Sure we are; I'll admit that much," Fuuka glared at her vice captain, causing her to slightly shrink away. "But, monster doesn't necessarily mean ruthlessness in nature, extreme power and supernatural magic and the shit. Sometimes, it may be in size. I'm supposed to be the ruthless one while Shizuru's my complete opposite. Why do you think I bitch at her almost every time I see her?"

"That's also Atobe's problem with her," Shishido chuckled lightly, watching Ai and Shizuru initiate a rally. "She doesn't argue with him. She just shrugs things off whenever he blows his top which is almost constantly. But, that doesn't change the fact that you guys are genetically engineered."

Fuuka mentally slapped herself, wondering how Shizuru made friends with such a retard. "You damn retard, we aren't genetically engineered. That's only Yukimura's department and we were trained this way. If we weren't in public, I would have thrown you over my shoulder and pull out your arm from its socket."

"No wonder you don't get along with her; you're senselessly violent," Oshitari chuckled while leaning on the railing before reverting back to his normal expressions. "So, just a quick and curious question: where did those octagonal devices come from?"

"I'm guessing Hyotei's peacock couldn't keep his mouth shut," Fuuka raised an eyebrow at the _kansai_ prodigy, folding her arms while silently cursing the Hyotei mole diva.

"Yes, he couldn't keep his mouth shut about nearly getting attacked by a zombie and no, the whole fan boy club in Hyotei just started wondering where they were going to get their fan service," Oshitari shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, it got extremely boring when I'm not making sure Shizuru doesn't get swamped by cameras for fan service."

Fuuka smirked lightly, watching the battle between Ai and Shizuru. "The CHroMEs are programmed to link with us on a low telepathic scale. However, there is something called a "Universal Brainwave". In doing so, the person who has such brainwave can access any CHroME of his choosing regardless of its assignment. Ai was supposed to have that but – they couldn't program it right."

"I believe ZODIAC attempted that when they started kidnapping girls out of nowhere," Oshitari raised his eyebrow, recalling watching the news. "I heard about what had happened to Oishi Haruhi and Kenya's been showing me the news lately."

Fuuka raked her fingers through her hair, spinning around her tennis bag. "To be honest, I'm glad this whole L.X.A thing is over. Without those things, we're as normal as you guys. We don't have any special powers and we don't have any responsibilities to maintain anymore. The thing is – I have this egging feeling that they're not going to let us off that easily. The ending seemed too anti-climatic for my liking. I'm sure if Amakusa were here, she would agree with me. Things were just too simple."

"Maybe you should be more optimistic about it, _senpai_," Momoshiro grinned before turning completely serious. "But the tide of this match, it's so hard to tell who's going to win."

Karin skimmed through her notes before analysing their psychological reactions, nodding in assurance. "The tables are dangerously tipping towards Yukimura's favour. As long as she knows how to control the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ then, your rival barely has a chance of winning if we also factor the other things you mentioned."

Fuuka smirked while folding her arms with an all-knowing expression glinting in her eyes. "Kurenai's not the type to accept loss that easily. After all..."

Shizuru launched a tripled power attack towards Ai as the ball cracked away, causing Fuuka to smirk wider than ever.

_You were the one who refused to be promoted despite your skill. Ai only became number one due to her being the organization's attack dog._

"So show everyone," Fuuka gripped the railing tightly, smirking widely at the two girls. "Show everyone why you were one of the very few to survive!"

Ai slammed the ball straight at Shizuru as the Hyotei brunette punched her hips to lay more power with the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_. She felt her head spin from throwing around her body but ran on vapours without stopping. Ai continued her relentless assault with a determined smirk on her face, unleashing Yanagi's _Kamaitachi_. Feeling the vicious tearing of the wind, Shizuru immediately stopped it midway before releasing back at the bluenette. Ai however snatched the point with a Knuckle Serve infused forehand, knocking Shizuru's racquet out of her hand.

"Tch," Shizuru winced slightly, gripping her wrist tightly to alleviate the strain a bit. "Where did that come from?"

"Game, Yukimura: one game all!"

"I can't believe they're right on each other's tails," Miaka shook her head with a disgruntled snort, folding her arms. "The last time I've seen a match like this was the Seigaku-Hyotei match last year."

Fuuka chuckled darkly as Shizuru now possessed the service control, watching the sophomore bounce the ball up and down carefully. As Shizuru released another serve, the tiger behind Ai growled angrily as the female Yukimura repelled it with double the force only to have a blazing stream of fire from the phoenix roll towards her. Ai bit her lower lip while looking at the extreme spin mark on the ground, flinching slightly from the heat.

"I still find it funny as to why guys cannot do this," Momo slightly smirked, leaning against the railing. "Their _Hyakuren_ maintains no form but with the same explosive power. But, the problem is – they have no control over it. The _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ has one side effect that people are not entirely aware of and that is – it limits the range of player, due to focusing all the explosive power to one part of the body."

Everyone stared in awe as Shizuru and Ai continued the battle between both their _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ as the Rikkai Dai captain unleashed a stun shot cracking at ninety degrees once again.

"Love – fifteen," Ai snickered while Shizuru narrowed her eyes at the cracker shot.

_I guess I'll have to make it too fast for her to return..._

Shizuru inhaled deeply as she served the shot once more, adding a slight spin. As expected, Ai increased the top spin on it while Shizuru performed the _Flash Step_ to reach it and unleash another powerful spin. Ai, snorting in annoyance, rushed forward to create a spinning drive volley to which Shizuru responded with the same tactic. The ball soon disappeared from their view as the net began to ruffle. The spectators pulled out cameras to follow the match but it revealed nothing as the ball zoomed too fast even for a modified lens to catch.

"So this is the Regionals battle between the girls," Atobe raked his fingers through his hair, watching Shizuru struggle against Ai's power. "So tell me Kurenai, will you let her topple you down here or will you push through? From here, it's seems a little obvious you're fighting like a cornered animal."

Sengoku leaned against his tennis bag, whistling in surprise. "I've never seen Kurenai-_chan_ fight with this much power. Momo-_chan_, when was the last time you saw her fight like this?"

"Before her leg got seriously damaged," Momo murmured softly as an approving smile carved itself onto her lips, watching Shizuru becoming more calculating. "She's become more cautious at least instead of recklessly mowing down people with her own power. But now, it looks like her leg recovered a bit."

Teams from all over the region came to watch as even Fudomine's Hanabusa Jun made her appearance along the sidelines, standing next to Tachibana Kippei. Rokkaku students stared in awe as Aoi, their captain, jumped up and down with excitement with his vice captain Saeki trying to calm him down from making too much noise. Niou smirked as the match intensified with Shizuru leaping up into the air for a smash, throwing Ai to the back of the baseline.

"Fifteen – all," Ai shook herself away from the daze, trying to calm herself in front of the exploding power.

_The Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami is like gathering molten magma from within one's self to any limb to bring power out._

She felt her body trembling from the power exploding from Shizuru's shot. Her lavender eyes glittered with annoyance as she watched the movement of the crimson orbs. Ai suckled the air sharply as she focused all her _Hyakuren_ into her right arm, suddenly emitting a lightly shiny glow. Shizuru blinked a few times as Ai snickered, whirling her racquet around. The spectators watched the tiger suddenly grow a pair of fangs and its stripes become gold.

"Twenty one shots," Ai brushed her hair back casually, smirking darkly. "This game will only take twenty one shots."

Sanada folded his arms, watching Ai easily take the next set. Watching the match closely, the male Rikkai Dai vice captain watched Shizuru struggle in retaliation but staggered back when Ai sent a strong smash streaming down at her 21st shot. He glanced at Shizuru, wondering what else she could have in store. However, what concerned him more was that she began to drag her leg a bit and her speed did decrease considerably. He narrowed his eyes darkly, wondering how she would now compensate.

"The _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami _[Pinnacle of Brilliant Insight]," Hitomi murmured as she started scribbling down the technicalities of the ability. "The only way to block this isto somewhat seal your heart away. The only one with experience to do that is..."

"Hey, _kansai_-_senpai_," Ayane threw a glance at the bespectacled blue haired _kansai_ male, gesturing to the match. "If you were there, could you pull it off?"

"Probably," Oshitari watched Shizuru lose another set, stroking his chin. "But, it won't last very long. That's only a remedial measure."

Atobe seated himself on one of the benches while folding his arms. "Then, the best way to do it is to refine the technique. The question would be – does Kurenai have that kind of mentality?"

"Game, Yukimura: three games to one!"

Shizuru inhaled deeply while trying to figure out a way to defeat the _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami_ or at least render the _Muga no Kyouchi_ completely useless. Her body continued to tremble from the impact of the shot but she shook her head in defiance. No, there had to be some way. She bit her lower lip while looking at Ai that stood in front of her with her usual innocent smile hence her title. However, Shizuru remained silent at Ai's smiling expression. She closed her eyes and deeply began to focus, feeling a strong feeling swamp over her. When she looked straight at Ai, her eyes dulled into red stones unlike their usual shiny garnet colour.

"That's," Isane held her breath as Shizuru mechanically changed back into her stance.

"_Shikabanehime _mode_,"_ Ai snickered as she tossed the ball into the air, exploding it in full force. "That won't change anything! This game will end in five shots!"

"No," Shizuru watched the ball come to her before doubling the return and spin. "It will be settled in two!"

Fair enough to Shizuru's prediction, the ball spun away from Ai before crashing into the fence behind her. The bluenette stared in awe as the phoenix now became dark red with the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ cloaking it with a golden light. Ai stumbled back as the phoenix's size suddenly expanded while the tiger aura slowly shrank away.

"If this is the true amount of potential," Ai smiled enthusiastically as her tiger started standing up fierce and proud. "It's about time you showed it to the world!"

Fuuka remained completely silent throughout the entire time until Jun walked up next to her, folding her arms. The red haired Seigaku captain frowned albeit slightly, wondering how to people who were only a year her junior managed to bring out that kind of power. Staring at her hand in bewilderment, she shook her head defiantly before continuing to watch the match between Ai and Shizuru. Despite the whole tournament, she remained completely surprised by the amount of willpower and stamina the two had.

"Well, they weren't part of the top twelve for nothing you know," Jun leaned against the railing, watching in amusement. "Despite us being demons for our own physical capability, what made things hard was that these two may not have our physical capabilities but it's their minds that we have to be afraid of. After all, the mind is the strongest weapon a human can have."

Fuuka responded with a disgruntled snort as she tossed back her shaggy red hair, watching the ball fly back and forth. Shizuru scored another shot with her single handed backhand as Ai tumbled down on the ground, watching Shizuru's astounding speed in horror. Florence could easily render Shizuru's speed to be that of a turtle but analysis wise – she probably could go head to head with Niou but with slight difficulty. Then again, they were trained for special tasks and regardless of how stupid it sounded – they were ordered to make it successful.

"So, you're actually reverting again," Ai sadly smiled until she noticed Shizuru shake her head in response.

"This is my improved version," Shizuru's formerly dull red stones became bright rubies once more as she smiled mildly. "The _Shikabanehime_ was my shield to hide from the pressure but now – I don't need it. This is my version of the _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami_. Although I cannot position myself in a state such as yours, I at least know how to nullify your _Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami_."

Ai narrowed her eyes a bit despite her perpetually serene face. "Well then, show me what your new phoenix can do."

Shizuru exploded more power into her shots as Ai continued to repel them and double the force each time. Sanada's eyes widened with the powerful exchange between the two players as he found the tiger and phoenix clawing out at each other while Shizuru continued to attack. While Ai managed to return it, Shizuru immediately shifted strategy as she septupled the power of the spin, causing the ball to immediately disappear from Ai's line of sight.

"Where did it go," Ai immediately began searching around, frantically swinging her racquet around until the ball smacked straight into the throat and sent the racquet flying into the air.

"Kurenai doesn't need to perform the whole _Shichihenge _techniqueanymore just to increase the spin power," a seam of cerulean peeked from underneath his lashes. "She spread out the ability of the _Tsuuro no Shichihenge_ to shorten the time of preparation for the technique."

"The thing is – once Yukimura finds out she's going to try to neutralize it," Fuuka watched the ball zoom back and forth. "But the question is: can she manage to do that while at the same time keeping up with the pace of the game?"

Ai ignored the beads of sweat trickling down her face as she pressed on the attack. Shizuru increased the speed of her forehand, causing Ai to miss. As the spin on the ball increased, Ai found herself unable to attack the invisible shot. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance and tried firing the _Fuu _at Shizuru which the brunette easily deemed useless due to the _Tsuuro no Shichihenge._ The bluenette clucked her tongue in annoyance as she began chasing the ball before sliding and skidding on the floor. The brunette however showed no signs of fatigue anymore as even her leg soon ceased its trembling. The phoenix easily lashed its rainbow coloured tail at the tiger as Ai crashed on the ground with the ball flying way beyond her reach.

"Game, Kurenai: four games to three!"

Hyotei cheered loudly at the sudden turn of the match as Ai struggled to rise to her feet. The tiger aura slowly died down as Shizuru's faded away as well, with both players watching each others' movements intently. Rikkai Dai watched in suspense and in deep anticipation, wondering whether or not Ai could pull off a win despite her fatigue. The brunette began breathing heavily as she leaned on her racquet while struggling to keep her eyes open. Ai could barely lift herself off the ground as Tora immediately called in a time-out. Miaka and Sarah immediately hauled their captain onto their shoulders as the bluenette limped towards the bench while Mai slung Shizuru's arm over her shoulder with Ayane. The brunette immediately collapsed on the chair, exhausted as Isane handed her a bottle of water.

"Despite having a crazy spy mission," Hitomi checked her records and compared them to the last. "You've managed to maintain consistency."

"Don't call it consistent, let's say she's gotten more innovative," Haruka plucked out a towel out of her bag and began wiping Shizuru's face. "It's the same level of power only with a different application although your stamina's completely shot, _buchou_."

Rin nodded in agreement, folding her arms. "You look like me before Haru-_chan_ and I enter the tiebreaker."

Ayane however grabbed a whole bottle of cold water and splashed it right on top of Shizuru, earning stares of aghast from the other teammates. "Cool off, _buchou_. You're face is as red as a tomato!"

Shizuru shivered at the cold water that licked against her skin before shaking herself dry, frowning in response. "Ayane, you didn't need to do that."

The tangerine haired vice captain grinned deviously, pushing her captain's forehead with her finger. "Well, you were being so stiff. Try to relax a bit. You're throwing around way too much energy if you keep that up."

"Ayane has a point," Mai glanced back at her captain before taking a rain check on Rikkai Dai. "Ai can feel you're struggling that's why she's goading you into eliminating her at every step of the way. She's already estimated the duration of your stamina. Try to be a little more graceful, _buchou_. Add some rhythm into it. For all you know, that's what's going to hold up your game. As long as you have rhythm, your body will move by itself with the appropriate amount of energy without throwing so much around."

Shizuru nodded while glancing at her racquet for a moment before checking out Rikkai Dai. Ai slowly rejuvenated with a whole water jug but her eyes narrowed while remembering the content. Biting her lower lip, the Hyotei captain inhaled deeply to regain some of her stamina but noticed her hand continued to shiver. She winced slightly from the wind biting against her back from the cold water before returning to the court.

"So, you ready to continue our little game," Ai started cloaking herself in a bright white fog as her eyes dulled into lavender stones once more.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes as the ball suddenly streamed past her with extreme speed. She blinked several times before noticing a deep impression in the court, recalling the speed of her attack. The Hyotei captain inhaled deeply as she prepared herself for the next move. As the serve cracked off once more, Shizuru immediately dashed forward with the _Shunpo_ as the ball speeded towards her. Ai parried Shizuru's drive volley immediately with a long shot as the said girl immediately pushed herself back to receive the shot.

"They're practically neck to neck," Momo watched Shizuru take deep breaths while continuing to unleash the _Shunpo_. _Hopefully, we can win this... It's been a hard week for all of us..._

The ball suddenly cracked on the ground as Shizuru staggered back, seeing the shot leave a smoking mark.

"Game, Yukimura: four games all!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip as she watched Ai maintain complete control over the _Muga no Kyouchi_, pondering on what style she would use next. However, the crimson eyed female couldn't help but notice that Ai's body seriously looked like it took a severe beating. She recalled the speed of Ai's reaction time and noticed her sudden trembling.

_That's it!_

"It's a gamble but," Shizuru tossed the ball up into the air, watching Ai carefully. "It's worth the shot!"

Ai swung a hard forehand for a speeding shot while Shizuru ran towards it for a backhand. Much to everyone's surprise, the female Rikkai Dai captain suddenly reappeared at the other side before dropping a shot right over the net. Shizuru however smirked before reappearing right by the net before lightly lobbing it over. Before Ai could move, her feet suddenly tangled up as she crashed against the floor with a loud _thud_. The ball rolled towards her as the female bluenette began to hyperventilate.

"You've been copying my _Shunpo_ the whole time," Shizuru watched Ai struggle to get up only to have her collapse on the ground again, folding her arms. "Using it in combination with volleyist tactics, your opponents would be highly flabbergasted on how to deal with the technique. Now, here is your problem – how well can your body sustain the consistency of the move and at the same time, how about your mental strength? Your stamina isn't going to last very long either if you're going to continue attempting to grow grass on the court."

Ai winced at the pain shooting up her leg, gathering enough strength to stand up. "I'm not going to fall here! If what Souma said is true then, I should be capable of doing it as well as you!"

"That's what you want to believe."

Ai's eyes widened as Shizuru remained completely calm before explaining the concept. "The _Shunpo_ requires complete control of the electrical impulses in your body. A normal human reaction would be one to three seconds. However, there are some who can increase it drastically especially like race car drivers like Michelle Baumgardner [sp?]. With you running recklessly with the _Muga no Kyouchi_, it destroys your sense of control over your electrical impulses thus resulting to overexerting and reckless waste of energy. Although I have unlocked the State of Self-Actualization, I rarely use it since it doesn't really work with my style but instead... I use this..."

The Rikkai Dai captain's eyes widened as the phoenix once again reappeared behind Shizuru. "That's the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_..."

"I don't get it, doesn't that also require a lot of stamina," Ayane glanced at Hitomi who shook her head.

"The _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami_ is a gate that unlocks explosive force. In a sense, it reflects and doubles the attack sent at it. Unlike the _Muga no Kyouchi_, this barely requires energy and this minimizes the strain required. For Shizuru to utilize the _Shunpo_, her upper body strength would have to lose its power. But with this, the _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami _would eliminate that factor and give Shizuru the very consistency she needs."

Momo smirked, tossing back her hair. "If there is anyone who can control her movements and knows her own body well, it would be Shizuru."

"The victory is clear, although Kurenai does not have that upper strength or that sense of stamina – she does have something that we don't have: control," Fuuka snickered, shaking her head while watching the ball zoom past Ai once again. "It's over, Rikkai Dai has lost."

Haruka shook her head, sighing dejectedly to herself. "_Buchou_ was known for her crazy gambles. But she's one lucky person, that's for sure."

"We can't exactly call it gambling," Mai chuckled darkly, watching Ai struggle with her service. "Let's say – Shizuru was expecting the worst to happen in Ai's playing style."

As the ball cracked onto the other side, Ai closed her eyes abashedly while silently berating her failure. "No..."

The whole audience remained completely silence as the teams found themselves speechless to the point even a pin dropping onto the ground could be heard. The ball bounced lightly before rolling towards Ai's feet as the female bluenette crashed onto her knees, bitterly hanging her head. Shizuru inhaled repeatedly, feeling her heart pound wildly against her chest as relaxed her stance.

"Game and match, Kurenai: six games to four!"

Hyotei students howled in victory and triumph as many of the students began swinging their flags and banners. The boys' teams began applauding in approval as Shizuru slumped to the ground, completely exhausted. The Rikkai Dai team members immediately ran to their captain's aid as she smiled in acknowledgment. Seeing the acceptance, Shizuru nodded in response as Ai found her arm slung over Miaka's shoulder as the Wild Dog dragged her off the court. Ayane and the others rushed towards their captain before tackling her to the ground, causing her to giggle but realize she was being deprived of oxygen.

"Guys... I'd appreciate it if you didn't deprive me of air," she coughed sheepishly, struggling to lift herself off the ground.

Ayane sheepishly grinned, scratching her head before helping her captain up. "Oops, I'm sorry about that."

Shizuru covered her ears to prevent the deafening sound of cheers to reduce her eardrums into nothing. Rikkai Dai silently exited as Hyotei continued their loud cheering as some of the fan boys started throwing up their banners and running to greet the tennis players. Shishido gave Shizuru a firm slap against her back as she giggled slightly. Ohtori nodded with a congratulatory smile before giving her a big hug. Hiyoshi chuckled at Mai who smirked at him, twisting her hair around. Isane smiled mildly at the other members as Gakuto gave the raven haired acrobat a high five. As she walked towards the gates, Atobe greeted her with a mocking snort.

"You managed to pull through."

"It definitely wasn't easy," Shizuru admittedly mildly with a small smile. "But I didn't do very much," –casting a glance to her loudly cheering teammates. "They did most of the work."

"But teammates do need a leader," Atobe glanced at the scores, shaking his head. "The lack of your physical presence also propelled them to bring home the gold for you. But there's one more team you should worry about..."

"Seigaku will not get past us that easy," Shizuru narrowed her eyes albeit slightly, watching Fuuka and her team walk away. "We were champions last year and we'll do the same thing again."

Before they began walking away, the Hyotei _tensai_ pushed his light blonde cousin towards him.

"Hey, Kenya has something to give you, Getsugan-_chan_," Oshitari smirked, seeing her snort indignantly.

"I said don't call me that," Kiyone puffed up her cheeks impishly before swivelling her head as she found a certain _Naniwa_ star player waving his hand at her. "Oh, Kenya-_san_, what are you doing here?"

Kenya scratched his head sheepishly, feeling the stares of all the female Hyotei tennis players centred on him. "Ah um, Yuushi said that there was a good game going on here. Also um..."

"Just spit it out already," Momo folded her arms with a stern stare, shocking Kenya.

Kenya pulled out a book from behind, awkwardly handing it to her. "Um, advanced. I know your birthday is still next month but I don't know when I'm going to meet you the next time so... yeah..."

Kiyone blinked several times as she grabbed the package, immediately ripping it open. "Whoa, it's the Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince in the British Cover! You're awesome! Thank you!"

Kenya, fighting down his immediate urge to blush, averted his eyes away from her. "I'm glad you like it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After leaving the courts, night slowly descended upon them as Hitomi offered her uncle's bar as a place to hang out. The night sky sparkled with bright white stars as the summer breeze slowly escaped to be replaced by autumn winds. The tension lightened considerably as they entered the dimly lit bar. Despite it being a party joint, the bar decorated itself with navy blue walls with several black sofas accompanied by black glass coffee tables each roofed by a violet curtain canopy. A wooden bar stood at one side of the room whereas a white light dance floor stood at the middle with an empty stage with some unused band instruments. Small lamps hung high on the wall while illuminating the burgundy carpet. Renaissance _fleur-de-lis _marked itself on the wall paper while the wooden half had carvings of vintage design.

"I can't believe it," Ayane plopped onto one of the black sofas, popping open a can of yoghurt milk. "We won against Rikkai Dai. They were saying that they fight like demons and boy, they weren't kidding."

Mai seated herself on one of the bar chairs as Hitomi started mixing one of her drinks. "Well then again, it was technically a tie. If Shizuru didn't win against Yukimura Ai then, we're definitely screwed. Let's say we're extremely lucky to have them back as soon as Singles One began. Otherwise, someone would have to replace and we would be fighting one of their stronger players again. I definitely wouldn't want to face Inuzuka after seeing Momo-_senpai_ struggle through that match."

Momo admitted darkly with a stiff nod, glancing at her tennis racquet. "To be honest, I thought I wouldn't win. Her style was too absurd."

"But it's then when we realize that some things that we may consider absurd may be the key to winning," Shizuru leaned against the soft cushion behind her until suddenly; she felt something in her pocket vibrate. "Hmm, what's this?"

As Shizuru opened her cellphone, a reminder appeared on her phone.

_Ms. Kurenai, a letter has been sent to your home. Please pick it up as soon as possible. -Admin_

Shizuru frowned a bit, glancing at her watch. "Don't people rely more on e-mails nowadays? Secondly, how did they find my home address? Nobody knows where I live except Shishido-_senpai_, Ohtori-_kun_ and you guys. Who else would know where to send it?"

"Some people are very good stalkers. Not only that, there are people who prefer writing for sincerity," Momo drank down a tall glass of milk tea Hitomi fashioned out. "Hey, for starters – Hitomi, this stuff tastes good. What is this?"

"Wintermelon Milk Tea," Hitomi cleaned the shaker, tossing it around a few times. "My uncle told me to lay off the alcohol poisoning on you guys."

"No kidding, we don't want a Kotetsu to happen again now do we," Momo placidly took a sip with a small twinkle in her eye, shaking the glass around for the pearls.

Kiyone blinked several times out of curiosity. "What happened back then?"

"When Yamaguchi got her drunk the first time," Momo snickered lightly before sipping her milk tea again. "She was so drunk – she tried to seduce Shizuru in thinking that she was a boy, nearly tried to run a strip tease and nearly got herself run over by a car. Need I say anything else?"

Ayane swallowed hard, tugging the collar of her jersey. "Geez, remind me to never drink what Hitomi makes."

"I think that's already a well-stated fact," Haruka chuckled lightly, scrolling through her calendar. "Hey, do we have anything on September 5?"

Isane brushed her short hair before undoing the tangles in it, sighing into the sofa. "Isn't that this Saturday? Not really, we only have our match with Seigaku next week. But that's around September 7, why?"

"Jackal asked me to Rikkai Dai's Autumn Ball," Haruka squealed in excitement before swooning onto the sofa. "Oh my God, that was the happiest moment in my life!"

Shizuru quietly fiddled with her fingers, glancing at her phone. "Sanada-_san_ also asked me to the Autumn Ball..."

"Niou-_kun_ told my father that he was going to kidnap me for that day," Isane controlled the blush climbing up her cheeks, twiddling with her thumbs.

Momo rolled her eyes while swivelling the bar chair around. "Now why am I not surprised? But then again, you already made your choice – didn't you?"

Shizuru remained silent for a moment, glancing at her cellphone. She recalled her moments at staring at the computer with notes appearing from an anonymous admirer. She bit her lower lip while recalling Florence's impish grin when she stole the laptop from her. The brunette stared at her cellphone for a few moments before nodding.

"Well, that's up to me to think about ne," Shizuru smiled kindly as she stood up. "I better go pick up that letter then. But still, I'm a bit bewildered as to how someone managed to find my home address."

Rin glanced at her watch, gasping in horror. "Oh no, I got to get home too! Mommy's making my favourite tuna casserole tonight!"

Bidding the two members goodbye, Hitomi continued concocting her latest drinks. "So, is anybody up for a shot tonight?"

"No thanks, it's bad for the liver," Momo waved her hand dismissively. "I have to get home soon. The dorm has a curfew of 9:30. The last thing I want to do before I get back is to go home as a drunkard."

Haruka remained silent for a moment as she glanced at the flickering lights, leaning against her elbows. She found the smallest member sleeping against Ayane's shoulder as the vice captain promptly passed out as well. A small smile appeared on her lips as she recalled the times when she and Rin would fall asleep next to one another. However, she and Rin had much more things to worry about as the memory of the match between them and Rikkai Dai flashed in her mind. If they didn't rely on the Synchronization, the defeat would definitely be most crushing. The pearl dragon sighed to herself as a cold glass pressed itself against her skin, causing her to look up at Hitomi.

"I thought you might need one," Hitomi smiled while washing the other glasses, hanging the towel back on its rack. "I better close up too. My uncle's going to be coming back for the midnight shift."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shizuru lay on her bed while glancing at the pale white ceiling, pondering at what the letter had said. The letter received lay open on the table under a black and blue paper weight as the clock slowly ticked away. The brunette inhaled deeply as the shots from the tennis ball echoed in her ears, remembering her loss to one man. His stoic expression suddenly appeared in her mind with a small endearing smile curving up his lips. Upon feeling the blush creep up her face, Shizuru immediately shook her head while facing her pillow.

"That's impossible... is it," Shizuru whispered softly to herself while glancing at the ceiling once again.

Suddenly, a knock came from her door.

"Come in," Shizuru immediately fixed herself up, rearranging her pillows and bed covers.

The door swung lightly, revealing Roger Alexandersson with a small plate of Mango Torte. "Hungry?"

"Thanks," Shizuru accepted the plate graciously, forking small bits and pieces.

"I see you got your mail," Roger snickered lightly as his eyes strayed towards the letter on the table. "What did it say?"

Shizuru glanced at the letter as she slowly walked towards it, cautiously looking at it. The paper was folded neatly and placed in a crimson red envelope. The back only said her address without saying who is was from. She blinked several times while shakily holding the letter opener.

"Hey, it's not a Howler is it," Roger laughed lightly, ruffling the brunette's hair. "So, read it. What does it say?"

Shizuru inhaled deeply as she sliced the envelope open, unfolding a short bond paper.

_Dear Shizuru-chan,_

_I've always wondered how it would be like to talk to you. It will be awhile however before I will be able to talk to you face to face. I went to many of your tennis matches and to be honest, nobody overwhelms me as much as you do. Most people would regard your style as reckless but what matters is that your personality is in it. Your style speaks so much about you but there are things that I would prefer hearing from you. _

"_I thought I'd seen everything until I saw you..." –Bryan Adams, "I Thought I'd Seen Everything" _

-_Anonymous_

As Roger scanned his eyes over the letter, he rolled his eyes sarcastically. "God, that kid has a lot to learn. Then again, I think I'm expecting too much from the squirt."

"Hmmm, who are you talking about," Shizuru tilted her head to the side. "Do you know the person?"

"No, I'm just wondering and obviously – it wouldn't be someone that old now would it," Roger smirked until he found a small smile appearing on her lips. "What?"

"This is probably one of the most sincere writings I've received," Shizuru placed it on her table, pulling out her sign pen. "To be honest, most of the letters I get are the usual "Kurenai-_sama_ please go out with me" or "Kurenai-_sama_ please be my girlfriend". I find that irritating. Although it's subtle way of doing things but, it's a dumb way to get a girl. That line's been used almost all the time."

Roger smirked lightly, watching her pull out a piece of paper. "So, what are you going to write to your mysterious pen-pal?"

"To be honest," Shizuru smiled meekly, uncapping her sign pen. "I don't know..."

The coffee blonde Swedish soldier shrugged nonchalantly, leaning against the swivel chair. "Why don't you start with something like how he uses letters instead of e-mail and ask him about it?"

"That'd be downright blunt, Alexandersson-_san_," Shizuru leaned against her table, pondering. "I don't even know how to send it... The person who sent me this letter won't even tell me where he or she is. Besides, what if it just ended up in the wrong house?"

"Your name's written there so I don't think so," Roger smirked with a twinkle in his eye. "About the sending part, leave that to me. Just write that letter."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Saturday rolled by as Shizuru found herself literally gagged and bound and brought all the way to Haruka's house. The brunette blinked several times as Isane set her down with Momo while the other girls grinned evilly at her. Seeing their expressions, the Hyotei captain found herself doing something she thought she would never have done: crawling for her life. She would have made it out the door if Ayane didn't suddenly haul her over her shoulder and seat her on the chair.

"Guys, I think Shizuru needs a bit of a makeover," Mai rolled up her sleeves with a devious sparkle in her eye. "What do you think Ayane, Kiyone?"

Kiyone opened a whole tackle box. "I stole my mom's nail polish! We can paint her nails!"

Ayane clapped her hands jovially, pulling out a set of hair pins. "I'm doing her hair!"

Shizuru shook her head, kicking herself away from the crazy teammates. "Guys, I don't think I need this..."

"Come on, you didn't look bad at my party when we did your make-up," Mai grinned reassuringly, ripping open Shizuru's bag before blinking several times. "You're seriously wearing combat boots?"

Shizuru frowned slightly. "It's not combat boots – they're air-soft boots! Besides, there will be times that I may be called out for something... you never know."

"That doesn't make it any better now does it?"

Rin blinked several times, staring incredulously at her captain. "Seriously _buchou_, you were going in commando outfit?"

"I had a dress," Shizuru protested as she continued to wriggle her wrists out. "Guys, this is seriously torture you know."

Mai waved her hand dismissively, clicking the remote to her walk-in closet. "Nonsense, you're just exaggerating. It's time to give you a complete makeover!"

"What looks good on you won't necessarily look good on me," Shizuru managed to pull her wrist out of one of the bonds, forcefully trying to wriggle out the other one. "Guys, I can take care of myself!"

Isane opened her cellphone, swallowing hard in a panic. "Guys, Niou, Sanada and Jackal will be here in thirty minutes!"

Mai snapped her fingers. "Alright, we're going to do this quick and easy. So, Shizuru – it would really help if you don't struggle."

Shizuru bristled a bit, pursing her lips. "You're evil... By the way, aren't you going with Yukimura?"

"No, but I wish I was," Mai's expression fell before she pulled out a powder set, closing in on Shizuru. "Now close your eyes, I'm going to do the foundation."

The doorbell rang a few thirty minutes later with three boys standing out there. Sanada took off his usual black cap while Niou rolled up his tuxedo sleeves and opened his shirt a bit. Jackal scratched his cheek a bit, watching the door intently. Silence descended upon them as Jackal smoothed out his suit to make sure he looked presentable. What if her dad was the one who answered the door? He glanced at a completely relaxed Trickster and his perpetually stoic vice captain. Jackal inhaled deeply before letting out a dejected sigh. Niou glanced at the two before nudging his _fukubuchou_, mischievously grinning.

"So, aren't you answering the doorbell?"

Sanada raised an eyebrow at him, folding his arms. "You do it."

Niou shrugged nonchalantly before exclaiming dramatically. "Am I the only one with some balls here?"

"That's probably the only thing you have," Sanada deadpanned, earning a scoff from Niou. "Now, ring the doorbell."

Jackal glanced at his watch, looking at the moths gather at the lamp. "I'm glad they chose to meet up here. It's a good walking distance from the bus station headed straight for Rikkai Dai. By the way, how come you didn't fetch Isane straight from her house? You two technically live close by..."

"Jackal, I know I'm crazy but not that crazy," Niou chuckled lightly, recalling Itachi and Sasuke's threats. "Her brothers are both armed and ready. They're practically trained how to put a bullet in between my eyes. Which is why I now pass the question to Sanada-_fukubuchou_, why didn't you pick up Shizuru from her place?"

"She didn't want me to get lost or so she says," Sanada admitted darkly, glancing at his watch as well and ignoring the pounding his heart. "Besides, it's more convenient to meet up here."

"Pretty and practical, did I ever tell you that you're a good pair," Niou raised an eyebrow at Sanada.

"Shut up," Sanada fought his urge to blush, disguising it under the lamp light. "Aren't any of you going to ring the doorbell?"

Niou shrugged before letting out an indignant huff, pressing the button. "Fine but, it's your fault if we screw up."

As the bell rang, the three remained completely paralysed for a moment until the door swung open revealing Ino.

"Oh Kuwahara-_kun_, my older sister's just trying to restrain her captain," Ino shook her hand in a welcoming gesture. "Why don't you guys come in? I'm sure it's hot outside."

The three boys slowly walked in until they heard loud thumping in the house.

"What are they doing up there?"

"Their captain isn't the type to wear make-up and this is her first invite so," Ino shrugged nonchalantly, offering them some water. "They're trying to make her look pretty. To be honest though, I don't think she needs it. She needs a better fashion sense though. Let me go call my sister."

As Ino went away, the three found themselves sitting next to one another on the sofa. The grandfather clock ticked away slowly as Niou eased himself into the chair.

"And here I thought we were late," Niou flexed his wrist a bit, glancing at the stairs. "So, where are the ladies?"

"Sorry we took so long."

As the three swivelled their heads around, Haruka stood by the stairs with a meek Isane and a somewhat shy Shizuru. Instead of her usual ribbon ponytail, Haruka had her light pink hair all twirled up into a bun with a few curly tendrils hanging on the side. Her pins glittered with small flowers while her pearl dangling earrings shined under the light. Her dress flowed down elegantly with a glittery salmon coloured translucent cloth hanging over the pink coloured tube. Isane on the other hand, due to her height, sported a short but flowing dark blue dress with a crystal broach on the one sided strap and glittery ribbon for a sash. Her hair now had braids and decoration in it with beads hanging amongst it. Shizuru timidly peeked from behind Isane and unveiled flowing short uneven black dress with a cross design for the straps and instead of commando boots; she wore a pair of black heels.

Niou chuckled lightly, fanning himself. "Is it just me or did the place suddenly get hotter with three beautiful babes standing at the stairs?"

Isane blushed intensely, hiding her face behind her clutch bag. "N-Niou-_kun_...!"

"Hikifumi-_san_," Jackal inhaled a bit before blinking several times. "Wow..."

Sanada found himself completely speechless as Shizuru awkwardly balanced on the heels Mai lent her, extending his arms in preparation to catch her. "Would you like any help?"

Shizuru smiled sheepishly, wobbling a bit. "No, no, I'm fine. I think."

The Rikkai Dai vice captain allowed a helpless smile as Shizuru managed to get her stance right. Isane blushed even more as Niou began to poke her with what she was wearing. Haruka checked her purse before bidding the other teammates good bye and leaving some instructions to her sister. Closing the door behind them, Haruka blinked several times as she found a limo sitting in front of them.

"Where did this come from," she glanced at the three of them only to have Sanada and Jackal throw a questioning gaze at Niou.

"What," Niou shrugged nonchalantly, sliding the door open for them. "My family's got the money for it. Besides, you girls would be exhausted before the ball began."

The ride became extremely uneventful as the arrival in Rikkai Dai aroused a bit of conversation. The loud music managed to penetrate the glass windows as the lights shined brightly from within the ballroom. Shizuru stayed behind for a moment, watching the other girls dance and flirt. Haruka and Isane began looking around as they approached the table with all the tennis regulars in it.

"I see you have dates now," Yukimura smiled with his usual serene one. "My, my, my Sanada– I didn't know you suddenly gained the gall."

Sanada sighed while shaking his head at the bluenette. "Yukimura, not now."

Haruka blinked several times while watching the whole ball room light up with lights and bright flowers and plants decorating the walls. Students loudly chattered away as music loudly blared throughout the speakers. Isane began chatting with her friend who apparently became Marui's date. Although, she found herself a bit forced into the dress as Marui glanced at her from time to time.

"I thought you were bringing Ayane," Haruka forked her fish, watching Marui shove more cake into his mouth.

At this, his expression fell slightly. "I can't. I lost."

Suddenly, the whole table became silent as Marui shook his head. "Ah, it's nothing to worry about! Why don't we go look around, Tokiko-_chan_?"

Yukimura smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "Why don't we all go around for awhile? This party seems pretty interesting especially since Yagyuu over here organized it."

Yagyuu's date clapped her hands proudly as Yagyuu abashedly lowered his head. "It's nothing really."

Haruka glanced at an empty chair where Yukimura's date supposedly sat. "So, where's your date Yukimura-_san_?"

"She went with her friends for awhile," Yukimura smiled at the pink haired girl, suddenly noticing the spare set of two empty seats. "It seems the emperor got a little impatient."

Haruka glanced around and found Sanada bringing Shizuru around, going as far as to carry her plate for her. She inwardly laughed at Shizuru's predicament as the brunette barely could balance on Mai's two inch heels. Sanada managed to catch her a few times as Shizuru repeatedly apologized for being so clumsy. Yukimura on the other hand noticed form a distance a ghostly smile on the vice captain's face. He pulled out his cellphone and began to text.

Sanada on the other hand couldn't help but find Shizuru dare he say it – cute when she would fumble around in her heels. He couldn't imagine her walking in heels, considering her nature. That would be more her best friend's nature to do so. As Shizuru managed to walk all the way to the table, Sanada placed their food before them as they continued watching the other students put on their performances. Some of the students even forgot about eating and went straight to the dance floor.

"Are you alright," Sanada glanced at Shizuru as she winced at the pain her legs were in.

"I'm fine, it's just that I think Mai should've let me wear my original shoes," Shizuru sighed dejectedly, glancing at the shoes with a bittersweet smile. "Oh well..."

Sanada found himself once again out of topics to talk about as he continued to keep his eyes glued onto his date. However, he shook his head in disbelief before turning his attention towards the stage to which he now found Niou on it. When he turned back to Isane, the silver haired Hyotei sniper stared in embarrassment as Niou grabbed the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke with his usual drawl, causing a few girls to faint on the spot. "I see you guys are having a pretty good night but, there's something I'd like to dedicate to a few girls over there. Although some are just a bit too hesitant or shy to say what they feel so," –casting a glance to his teammates particularly Jackal and Sanada, "this should set the mood. By the way, this is also for my leading lady in the back. Yes, put the spotlight on her please."

As the spotlight shone upon her, Isane let out an "eep" before hiding her face behind her bag. "W-what's he doing?"

"He's being very expressive, that's what," Haruka chuckled at the red face Isane now sported as Niou flipped around a _fedora_ hat.

"Yeah," Niou walked towards her before extending his hand, earning applause and a few cat calls. "Shall we dance?"

Marui shook his head before clapping his hands, whistling. "Go Niou!"

Kirihara chuckled while glancing at Isane. "Wow, _senpai_'s really at it."

Isane hung her head abashedly. "I thought he would only do it once. Not only can he play the piano but now he sings and dances?"

"Trust me, Niou-_kun_ can do many things," Yagyuu pat Isane's shoulder affectionately, watching his doubles partner set up. "He does this to make sure he can be better than that other copycat. Wait, he did this another time?"

Isane whimpered slightly from the daggers being thrown her way. "Um, he sang "Just the Way You Are" in a restaurant."

"So typical of Niou," Marui chuckled heartily, watching Niou glide across the dance floor with Isane. "To show that he loves a girl, he would do a lot. If he just gives flowers and stuff – that means he isn't serious. But the moment he starts embarrassing a girl and showing it through song that may indicate something else."

"About the copycat by the way," Haruka raised an eyebrow at Rikkai Dai's Gentleman, folding her arms. "You mean Wakato Hiroshi?"

"You can say that," Yagyuu slightly smirked while watching Niou play around with the microphone stand.

[Beautiful – Akon feat. Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis]

_When I see you_

_I run out of words to say (oh oh)_

_I wouldn't leave you_

_'Cause you're that type of girl to make me stay (oh oh)_

_I see the guys tryna' holla_

_Girl I don't wanna bother you_

_'Cause you're independent and you got my attention_

_Can I be your baby father_

_Girl I just wanna show you_

_That I love what you are doin' hun_

_I see you in the club_

_You gettin' down good_

_I wanna get with you, yeah_

_I see you in the club_

_You showin' thugs love_

_I wanna get with you_

_You're so beautiful_

_So damn beautiful_

_Said you're so beautiful_

_So damn beautiful_

_[Akon & Colby O'Donis]_

_You're so beautiful_

_beautiful_

_beautiful_

_beautiful_

_You're so beautiful_

_beautiful_

_beautiful_

_beautiful_

_You're so beautiful_

_[Colby O'Donis]_

_Like the clouds you_

_Drift me away, far away (yeah)_

_And like the sun you_

_Brighten my day, you brighten my day (yeah)_

_I never wanna see you cry cry cry_

_And I never wanna tell a lie lie lie_

_Said I never wanna see you cry cry cry_

_And I never wanna tell a lie lie lie_

_[Akon]_

_I see you in the club_

_You gettin' down good_

_I wanna get with you, yeah_

_I see you in the club_

_You showin' thugs love_

_I wanna get with you_

_You're so beautiful_

_So damn beautiful_

_Said you're so beautiful_

_So damn beautiful_

Shizuru immediately covered her mouth to prevent herself from giggling and Isane could have sworn she wanted to die. She easily noticed the glares of some girls as Niou knew exactly how to move his feet. Haruka shook her head as Sanada sighed and immediately pulled Shizuru away from the table and scene, shaking his head disgustedly at Niou. He immediately found a small door leading to the outside towards the courts and the botanical gardens. As the music slowly became more faint to his ears, he noticed Shizuru slightly stumbling. Without any warning, she fell forward until Sanada caught her in his arms.

"Um," Shizuru blushed before helping herself up. "I'm sorry; I'm just not used to heels..."

Sanada raised an eyebrow, glancing at it. "I'm guessing Nagisaki insisted you wear these?"

Shizuru laughed sheepishly, glancing at the leaves rustling beneath the hem of her dress. "Wow, Niou-_san_ really knows how to do crowd control..."

Sanada shrugged nonchalantly until he realized the situation. Nobody stood among them as the moon reflected off the swimming pool nearby. Red leaves fluttered around as it swirled around them like a small tornado, pushing Shizuru towards him again. Shizuru silently berated herself as she found herself in his arms again. But this time, he didn't let go. Sanada inhaled deeply before staring into her vermillion orbs. He felt his throat tighten considerably as Momo's words came into mind.

_You just don't get it do you? You've already lost._

"Kurenai-_san_," he managed to say, despite the words feeling like they've been torn out of his throat. "There's something I need to tell you."

Shizuru blinked several times as silence overwhelmed them.

"I know I should have said this before but... I just wanted to tell you: I'm in love with you..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Hahaha, bet you didn't see this coming! Joke, anyway – thank goodness I was able to update before school started! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I never thought it would be so hard to make up a good confession line for Sanada. Him and Tezuka are probably the hardest. So, how's she going to take it? What is going to happen next? How about Niou and Isane? Anyway, please don't forget to review! The more reviews – the better! :D**


	51. I Knew

**Me: Hi again! Thank you for the reviews! I can't believe I hit 200 reviews! I'm so happy! Finally, Sanada grows a pair of balls. And Tezuka's only starting now to make his move! God, both of them are so slow but Sanada does have Yukimura to annoy him and constantly remind him. Don't worry; there will be more scenes of KiyoneXShiraishi and most of all RinXKajimoto! I feel like I've been neglecting that pair. Oh by the way, I don't own any of the characters except the OCs or basically the girls' teams from the different schools. I never expected this story to go so far! :D**

**Rin136: **Actually, I'm Chinese myself but I'm not very well versed in the grammar so – I'm not quite good in formulating sentences. But thank you for pointing it out, I'm gonna run through it again to make sure it makes better sense.

**Kosaji: **Yeah, it's actually my sad attempt of making it comical and ironic that a fighter like Shizuru could barely handle balancing on heels. XD She may be able to take down big men, climb up helicopters but she can't do the simplest thing of balancing on heels. XD

Chapter – I Knew

Isane blinked several times before staring incredulously at Niou who moved away from the stage in his usual mischievous yet suave fashion. As the silver blue haired _Petenshi_ sat next to her, Isane could not ignore the glares going towards their table. One thing she noticed though, all the Rikkai Dai regulars except Yukimura had brought someone who did not come from the same school as they did. Marui chatted happily away with Tokiko who started playing around with the ice cream before making a huge cupcake much to the red head's desire. Jackal and Haruka started exchanging doubles tactics as sometimes, the Pearl Dragon would happily laugh. Sanada and Shizuru had not returned ever since Niou's crazy debut and she started to worry while looking at the other girls.

_Most of them are so much prettier than me; don't guys like girls who are shorter than them?_

"Hi Niou-_kun_," a sweet voice purred, causing the Trickster to swivel his head towards the girl.

Niou chuckled mischievously, relaxing into the chair. "Oh, it's Kujikawa-_chan_. Where's your date?"

"Kou's over there getting me drinks," she smiled voluptuously at him, batting her eyes in a flirty way that somewhat irked Isane. "You wanna dance?"

Isane nodded weakly as Niou cast a glance towards her. "I guess it's okay – it will be awhile before I finish eating..."

"It's just as friends," Niou reassured her with a smile before joining Kujikawa-_chan_ on the dance floor.

Isane sighed before looking at her food as Kirihara gave her an incredulous look. "What?"

"You could've stopped him," Kirihara dropped his fork on the plate, slamming the table. "_Senpai'_s supposed to be your date tonight! Who cares of what Kujikawa thinks?"

Isane smiled weakly, watching Niou and her dance together. "Well, I'm only his partner as of tonight. Once this whole thing's over, it will be back to normal again."

"But, the question is – would you like it that way," Yukimura raised an eyebrow at the towering silver haired girl. "Niou may be smart and innovative but, there are some things that he lacks. One of them happens to knowing that the girl he has is truly the one who is best for him."

Isane stared at the _demi-_god curiously, blinking several times. "Huh?"

As she watched her date and another girl dance on the dance floor, Isane sighed to herself wondering what would happen now. Niou continued to dance as Kujikawa started circling around him. Now, Isane clearly knew what her eyes spelled out. After staying with Shizuru and Momo, Isane learned how to watch people's eyes to depict their next movement. In doing so, she could tell where her opponent would spring towards to. Although her analysis was not as deep as Shizuru's and Momo's, she didn't need to have that kind of ability to notice that Kujikawa started sliding her hands on Niou's body. She winced at the sight before turning towards her food once again.

"Isane-_chan_, would you like me to get Niou-_kun_," Yagyuu obviously expressed annoyance with his doubles partner's behaviour. "It's not very hard to convince him."

"I-It's alright," Isane swallowed her tears as the slow music slowly came into play, watching them dance with one another. "It's fine... I can't dance very well anyway."

However, Isane found her heart sinking deeper and lower into her stomach. She tried to look away but found herself cemented on the scene as Niou and Kujikawa ended up in something more heated. The people whooped and cheered for more as she tried to hold in her whirling emotions. Sure he had kissed her temple once in awhile but never did they get something as heated as a kiss on the lips. If she had to be brutally honest, he barely even held her hand for crying out loud! Sure, he'd proclaim to the world her insane ability as a rifle-specialist but that's it. She looked at the girl who looked like her cup size could rival that of her freshman vice captain and the body that could make Mai green with envy.

And damn straight, she knew how to use it!

Haruka tapped Isane's hand, gesturing her with a comforting smile. "I can get my driver to pick you up..."

"It's okay, I don't want to spoil your fun," Isane stood up quietly, heading towards the gardens. "I'll be back..."

Watching Isane walk away, Kirihara shook his head with disgust. "Niou-_senpai_ will never know when he has the best sitting right under his nose."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shizuru remained frozen to the ground as Sanada stared back at her with his dark eyes. The intensity of his gaze would have easily swayed any fan girl but Shizuru bit her lower lip, fighting back the guilty feeling of what she was about to do. The night sky glittered with its starless light as the moon continued to beam down on them. The Hyotei captain found it much easier to turn down fan boys in Hyotei since she had Ohtori to distract her and Shishido and Oshitari to usher them away. But now, she was alone. Nobody could cut through their conversation and save her from the stress of emotions. He definitely had higher credibility than most but leading him on false hope was the last thing she wanted to do. She shook her head before averting her eyes from him.

"Sanada-_san_, the truth is – I can't reciprocate what you feel," Shizuru bitterly smiled, shaking her head to rid herself of the whirling headache from the tension. "It's not that I don't like you. I mean – you're indeed a very amazing person – it's just..."

The whole world started to swirl around him as well. The Rikkai Dai vice captain worked up enough courage to finally tell her and now, came the agonizing part. Somehow, a part of his mind started kicking his legs to move forward and snatch a kiss but another part of him cemented his feet to the ground. He lifted his hand to run his fingers through her long brown hair but Sanada immediately forced it back down. With an accepting sigh, Sanada inhaled deeply, smiling bitterly.

"I know... It's just too bad that I can't be **him**."

Shizuru blinked several times, staring at him. "Wait, you knew?"

"I just wanted to let you know before I mess up things for both of us," Sanada heard the slow music echo from inside the ballroom, extending his hand. "May at least have this one dance with you?"

Shizuru stiffly nodded as Sanada gently took her hands into his as they both began to move with the music. As the moon shined down brightly on them, the Hyotei captain immediately swivelled her head the moment the grass began to rustle. She noticed a blurry silver flash appear before her eyes, feeling a slight bit of saltiness splatter on her face. Shizuru blinked several times as Sanada managed to catch a whiff of the person's face.

"Wasn't that," Sanada glanced inside only to see Niou dancing with another girl, glaring daggers at the Trickster's back. "Doesn't that man have any sense of ethics?"

Shizuru sighed sadly as Sanada let go of her hands, preparing to walk towards Niou. "Niou sometimes needs a good slap to wake him up..."

Before he could walk away, Shizuru held his hand back while shaking her head. "Although I also believe that sometimes he requires drastic measures, I don't think the time as of now would call for it."

"How can you be so calm that your teammate had taken an emotional hit," Sanada stared at her incredulously until he noticed a momentary anger flicker in her eyes.

"I am a very forgiving person, Sanada-_san_," Shizuru clenched her hands into a fist. "But, attacking Niou in the open like this – would that be a good idea?"

Sanada remained silent, realizing Shizuru's point. He quietly backed down while watching sorrow reflect in the younger girl's crimson orbs. Sanada gently ran his fingers through her hair, fighting back his urge to forcefully kiss her. His heart pounded hard against his chest as he felt Shizuru's warm hands. But the jealousy wouldn't go away, knowing who would be the one to hold her hands. Shizuru continued to move with the music, despite her awkward balance on heels. Sanada shook his head at the atrocity of the heels. If they were a wee bit thicker, Shizuru wouldn't be stumbling around. He smiled sadly at her, wishing that the moment would last forever.

But then again, life was never fair now was it?

A bittersweet expression graced his face as he glanced at Shizuru who consistently began watching Isane stray far. While he continued to dance with her, Sanada began weighing his options and tried to fight the inner disgust. Despite deep down he knew there was no argument as to who would truly win her affection, Sanada somewhat felt a heavy burden lift off his shoulders. A ghostly smile appeared on his lips as he watched her slowly dance along with him. He encircled his arms around her, bringing her much closer than he usually preferred. He buried his nose a bit into her silky brown hair, inhaling the honey smell. He refused to let go but to change her mind would be selfish. The only thing he knew that would benefit them both would be to let her go.

However, the other male posed to be another problem.

Tezuka may have four eyes but Sanada gnashed his teeth at the thought if Tezuka were to reject her just because he was too emotionally retarded to see that the girl held feelings for him. If anything, their brains resonated similar brainwaves which clearly mentioned tennis along those lines. Sanada inwardly smirked at the idea at Tezuka getting ganged up by her two other friends and the whole team if he dared make her cry. Heck, he'd even help out! But, the bespectacled captain clearly had a better head on his shoulders. Tezuka clearly stated his intentions during the grand gala in the Nagisaki Estate and Sanada knew that if anything, Tezuka reminded him of a lion. They would fight and defy to the bitter end until they claim what they want.

"You go get her," Sanada loathed to let go of her hands but responsibilities always ruled over rationalities. "Niou severely needs to be reminded of who he's with."

Shizuru nodded as she tugged her hand only to realize that Sanada didn't want to let go. "Um, Sanada-_san..._ can you please let go of my hand?"

Sanada shook himself out of the daze before he finally let go, kicking himself internally for bringing up the topic. However, he knew that one way or another he would have to let go. While watching her walk towards Isane, he could have sworn a taller shadow mount behind her as if gently leading her away. The moon gently tinged her black gown and porcelain white skin as the tension in the air heightened. Sanada bitterly bit back every ounce of his emotions to run after her but his feet refused to move.

_You already know who she has chosen. _

Sanada plucked the blue honeysuckle boutonniere on his suit, glancing at the glittering stars once again. He saw some water glisten on the petals when he looked down, feeling a bitter ghostly smile curve up his lips. His fingers curled around the fresh flower before crushing it in his hands, letting the petals slowly float away.

The moonlight fades for unrequited love as the stars darken yet the lights still continue to twinkle and shine.

Jackal however found himself in a position to now ask Haruka to dance. Sweat trickled down his temple as he looked at the carnation-haired female as she folded her legs and continued watching the other couples dance on the dance floor. He glanced at the door where Isane had left before shaking his head disapprovingly about Niou. However, he found the others dancing on the dance floor and even found his stone faced _fukubuchou_ waltzing with Shizuru. Yukimura easily asked Rena to dance and Marui simply dragged Tokiko to the dance floor. Niou on the other hand, danced with any female who wanted to dance with him. Kirihara scratched his nose sheepishly as Torinaka Yui went to dance with him. Yanagi simply stayed behind while watching the other people dance on the dance floor.

"Hikifumi-_san_," Jackal warily cast his glance at the pale pink haired Hyotei female. "Would you like to...?"

_Damn it spit it out already!_

Jackal glanced at his clammy palms, concealing them under his tuxedo cuffs. However, the pearl dragon didn't bother glancing as she bobbed her head with the music. The Brazilian-Japanese male gathered his wits once more although the light tinged her face gently enough to make any man think she sparkled under the moonlight. He scratched his nose a bit, wondering how he was going to ask her again.

"Hikifumi-_san_, wouldyouliketodancewithme," Jackal inhaled deeply again as the pearl dragon stared at him.

"I'm sorry Jackal-_kun_, what did you say," she blinked several times, shaking her head. _Did he ask what I think he just asked?_

"Would you like to dance with me," Jackal managed to repeat it much slower than the last one, inwardly he was relieved that the lights made his blush look like some trick of the light.

Haruka smiled before extending her hand. "Sure, why not?"

Relieved that he got through, Jackal brought Haruka to the dance floor as they began swaying with the music. The Brazilian-Japanese male felt like he wanted to die there and then but Haruka's hands kept him standing up. He could not understand what made him feel that way. He started tousling his fingers through her curls, smiling inwardly. Haruka managed to maintain eye contact but felt every part of her trembling in excitement and electricity.

_Oh my God, he's right in front of me._

Haruka shook her head immediately to get rid of such fan girl-like thoughts. However, who could not think that way considering that the man in front of you looked absolutely irresistible in a tuxedo? The pearl dragon nearly swooned if not for seeing Niou with another girl, causing her to glare at his back. Jackal sighed before gently leading Haruka away from Niou.

"Glaring at his back won't help," Jackal sighed deeply, glancing at his silver-blue haired teammate dance with yet another girl. "Niou's really like that."

Haruka shook her head disbelievingly. "I just can't believe he can be so dense."

"Niou sometimes forgets that all the good things were just right beneath his nose," Jackal swayed along with the music. "Hikifumi-_san_, there's something I need to ask you…"

Haruka blinked several times.

"Do you have a boyfriend," Jackal slowly watched his words, watching her chocolate brown eyes widen.

"Uh, nope, Hyotei girls are currently single except Ayane, why," she raised an eyebrow at the tanned male.

Jackal scratched his head nose a bit, averting his gaze from the pearl dragon. "It's just that..."

"Whatever the rumours are, they aren't true."

Jackal swivelled his head towards the pearl dragon as she hung her head with a bitter smile. "We're not as cruel as people say we are. We're just very picky when it comes to guys. I mean – we're not the ones to come out cheap either. And no, whoever made up that we're dykes clearly doesn't know us."

Jackal shook his head, holding onto her hands. "I didn't mean that... it's just... I was wondering if we can go out again after this."

Haruka blinked several times. _Holy God, he's asking me out?_

"I never dated a girl from another school before," Jackal admitted mildly, watching the other people dance. "Niou on the other hand is the complete opposite."

"That explains why he's such a douche to Isane," Haruka snorted in disgust as Jackal snickered lightly. "But it still doesn't justify his actions towards her."

Jackal remained completely silent for a moment. "Before anything else, would you like to meet up again? I mean, it's okay if you don't want to but..."

Haruka shook her head with a pleasant smile. "No, I would love to meet up again."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mai hummed contentedly while playing the music on her sound systems, watching Hitomi pop open another can of soda. The red haired _tensai_ couldn't help but glance at the ceiling while lying sprawled out on her bed. She stared at the pale yellow ceiling before letting out a dejected sigh. Momo on the other hand reappeared from the bathroom as she combed her knotty hair. Kiyone and Ayane immediately began searching through her DVDs for some good movies to watch as Rin pulled out a disc case.

"I have the movie "Lake House"," Rin gleefully waved the disc in the air, frolicking towards the DVD player. "Who wants to watch?"

Hitomi chugged down the whole can before popping open another one. "Actually, there's something I'd like to discuss before anything else."

Everyone suddenly redirected their attention to Hitomi as the blonde woman folded her legs into a lotus position. The whole room suddenly became silent as the humming of the air conditioning unit echoed throughout the four walls of the Nagisaki heiress' room.

"Our performance has been screwing up lately," Hitomi tilted her glasses, opening her laptop and showing one of Mai's matches. "Mai, you clearly left holes in your match. Care to explain why?"

Mai bit her lower lip but slowly smiled once again, shrugging nonchalantly. "It would have been boring if I creamed her right there and then. Besides, we wouldn't have been able to see the epic battle between Shizuru and Ai now could we?"

"We could have spared Shizuru the worry and the fatigue," Hitomi folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "You said so yourself, you wanted to let Shizuru sit out the battle between us and Rikkai Dai yet you somewhat intentionally screwed up your match with Jaëger-_san_. Those mistakes you committed – those aren't normal."

The _tensai_ prepared for a retort but found it wiser to snap her mouth shut. She watched the gleam in Hitomi's blue eyes, sitting down her bed as everyone directed their gaze at her. Mai wanted to tell them about Yukimura and what she had heard back at the hospital ward but tears threatened to well up in her eyes. She shook her head immediately before taking a deep breath. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she let out another sigh.

"It's about Yukimura isn't it?"

Mai swivelled her head towards the lavender haired _Shinigami, _staring incredulously at her. "Whatever do you mean?"

"It also explains why you didn't go with Haruka, Shizuru and Isane tonight to the Rikkai Dai ball," Momo folded her arms with her chocolate brown orbs staring deeply into the _tensai_'s soul. "You would have been more thrilled but you've been quiet the whole night. Not only that, your calendar is marked with "x" marks yet nothing is happening. Care to explain why?"

Mai remained completely silent, taking in the interrogation of Momo as calmly as possible. However, her lower lip suddenly began to quiver as her heart continued to pound wildly in her chest. Watching the slow yet beady movement of the _Shinigami_'s eyes, the red haired _tensai_ immediately began pondering for any solution or way out of the mess. However, a small bitter smile made its way to her lips as she sat in between them all.

"Yukimura has a girlfriend now and he thinks that she was the one who confessed to him that day," Mai slowly started, curling her fingers into a fist. "He's going out with some girl from the Student Council. She even made it look like it was her. It's as if his memory completely screwed up... Something really must have gone wrong with the operation…"

Everyone remained silent as Ayane scooted over to her, opening a bag full of Hershey's kisses. "Chocolate will make you feel better."

Mai sorrowfully picked out a piece before carefully unwrapping it. "Thanks… But I think it's going to take a whole lot more than chocolate to fix this."

"Yane-Yane can squish his head like a lemon if you want," Kiyone gave her the puppy pout, lying down on Mai's lap.

Momo leaned against her elbows, pondering for a few moments. "Do you know who the girl was? Or at least, how did she look like?"

"Brunette, circular glasses and got high pigtails," Mai shifted uneasily in her seat, glancing at the _Shinigami_ questioningly. "What's that supposed to do with anything?"

Hitomi flipped through her notebook while accessing a facebook page. "The description matches to a girl named Sumiyagi Rena. As the treasurer of the Student Council, she's one of the girls Yukimura has the most contact with asides from his younger sister, Yukimura Ai. Despite her innocent and geeky looks, I wouldn't underestimate her. She's actually..."

"She's highly bi-polar," Momo folded her arms, casting her glance towards Mai. "Let us make the scenario more concrete – if you think Shizuru has a multi-personality management problem then this girl makes her look like she's so sure of herself that she can be brutally honest with the world. Remember the time Shizuru cracked under the pressure in the match between her and Hoshimura? Think of the kind of damage Shizuru can do except ten times worse on your reputation. Upon first sight, she'd look even more scared and shy than Isane that you'd think Isane is always so happy, outspoken and giddy. If you think you're sadistic Mai then, perhaps – you have found your match."

They all blinked several times at the description with Ayane finally breaking the silence. "Momo-_senpai_, are you serious?"

"Why do you think I never dated while I was in Rikkai Dai," Momo shrugged carelessly before folding her arms in a more samurai-like manner. "She's practically claimed every guy without them even realizing it. It's her strategy; bait and collect then select. Rikkai Dai, sure, it was a great place but the girls could be one heck of a problem. Girls there have this superiority complex and if you think Atobe's fan girls are bad – wait until you see them fawn over Niou. Sure, Hyotei is full of egotistical brats but at least they never had their brains turned upside down and have been taught that one plus one is three."

The whole team sweat dropped at Momo as Rin sheepishly scratched her head, sporting a cheeky grin. "Oh come on, Momo-_chan_! I'm sure their Math isn't that bad."

"Rin, that's not my point. Sumiyagi of all people was and probably is still the most dangerous one," the plum haired female twirled her racquet around, glancing at the face. "She was part of the dramatics guild back at Rikkai Dai. Her time in the club hasn't been wasted after all. She even managed to fool me once into thinking that she was some lost puppy."

They all exchanged glances with one another. Momo sounded the same regarding Kotetsu Naomi and her instincts were right. However, the female Hyotei team found themselves unable to plan anything as the silent humming of the air conditioning unit echoed throughout the room. The cold air caused some to shiver as Ayane started observing her teammates' glances. Rin remained awfully quiet during the session as Hitomi continued examining her data. Mai however remained silent as she shook her head.

"Momo-_senpai_, it's best we lie and wait for now. Attacking them upfront is not going to do us any good if that's what you're recommending," Mai narrowed her amber gold eyes at the _Shinigami_, smiling bitterly to herself. "Although, thanks for the concern."

Momo shook her head, placing her racquet down. "I'm not saying we should take her down right there and then. But, if she continues to be the way she is – their relationship won't last long."

Mai blinked several times, sensing a small light of underlying hope within Momo's words. There were many times she wished bad upon others and some have even come to pass but wishing it on Yukimura certainly didn't agree with her palette. The red haired _tensai_ sighed deeply to herself before glancing at all the posters of models and fashion runways all over her room.

"Making yourself anorexic isn't going to help," Hitomi shook her head distastefully, handing her a glass of mango juice. "I mean..."

"She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts," Mai suddenly began singing softly, staring more at the ceiling. "She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers..."

Ayane immediately yanked Mai up from her bed before slugging the said tennis genius in the jaw, causing her to crash back on the bed. "Come on, snap out of it!"

Mai immediately leapt up from her bed before rubbing her sore jaw, wincing slightly at the pain. "Was that really necessary?"

"You were moping," Ayane retorted heatedly, placing her hands on her hips. "God, you're almost as bad as _buchou_ when she takes a loss in a tennis match!"

"She's pretty graceful about it if you ask me," Mai chuckled lightly, recalling the first time Shizuru lost.

Boy, it was a thriller and hell week for the team.

"Yane-Yane's free of charge you know," Kiyone mounted herself onto the wooden board at the foot of Mai's bed. "Just give her stuff to blackmail mole diva with!"

Mai giggled lightly at Kiyone's suggestion before pondering on her next move. Although she wasn't known to be a "home-wrecker", something didn't seem right. All she wanted was for Yukimura to know the truth on who was with him on all those days in the hospital. Then again, Sumiyagi Rena wouldn't let that happen if Momo's analysis pans out. However, if there was anyone who could read emotions better than physical anatomies then she would just have to wait for that person to get home from her date.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tezuka on the other hand found himself pacing around the room, opening the TV every once in awhile, trying to feed the _koi_ fish and even reading some of his grandfather's old martial arts books. The bespectacled captain of Seigaku never found himself so flustered by such a trivial thing. If it were Math homework, it would have been excusable for the moment until he figured out the answer. Art class didn't really help the fact that he was secretly very talented in charcoal and Chagall style drawing. Literature class worked out well, English class proved to be easy ever since he had gone to Germany. But, waiting for a response from his desired female counterpart did not really qualify as an academic thing. All his homework sat neatly in one corner along with his advanced readings quietly waiting in the opposite corner of his desk but something refused to rest.

"Kunimitsu, something came for you in the mail," his mother called from downstairs.

His heart immediately froze as he calmly maintained his composure as much as possible. The last thing he wanted was any commotion as to why he suddenly started freaking out or becoming slightly more jittery as of late. He found his mother sorting through the envelopes and immediately found his by the table, only to have it grabbed by his grandfather.

_Damn_.

Although he was a man of higher upbringing, Tezuka wondered if there would be a time he would finally snap. Apparently, that time was now. If there was any profanity Tezuka wanted to use now, it would be that.

"Hohoho, what would this be, Kunimitsu my boy," he started slicing the letter open, unfolding the paper. "Hmm… who is…?"

Before he could read anything, Tezuka immediately snatched the paper and mentally began kicking himself. Never in his life had he defied his grandfather in such a way. Now, he found himself in a complete deadlock as his grandfather gave him the "you're-hiding-something-from-me" look. The bespectacled male inhaled deeply, thinking on what to do next. If his grandfather got hold of the letter, he would never live it down and his grandfather will run an FBI check on the girl.

Oh well, curiosity did kill the cat.

"This is the first time I've seen you so panicky, squirt," Kuniharu chortled heartily at his twitching grandson. "Is it a guy?"

Tezuka felt a migraine coming on and resisted the urge to yank his hair out. "Grandfather…"

"Ah, of course – it's a female," he grinned, seemingly triumphantly. "She probably has Eurasian looks, no? She probably has brown hair and auburn eyes. I remember that girl you used to stalk..."

"Grandfather," he immediately sent out a small warning tone. _He's trapping me again._

He would rather not have anyone hearing about that, most especially Inui or Fuji.

But going back to the point, where did his grandfather attain that kind of information?

Tezuka wanted to slap himself, wondering how his grandfather immediately figured it out. Normally, most grandfathers wouldn't know who the person was let alone even care. However, this was Tezuka Kuniharu they were talking about. The bespectacled senior swallowed hard and watched his grandfather's eyes shiftily to and fro as if observing his expression. He felt his throat start to strangle him as the air surrounding the whole Tezuka household dropped on his shoulders. He inhaled deeply again to calm himself only to realize later that his grandfather had a huge smirk on his face.

"It's her isn't it... the one you get pictures of from Fuji," he snickered triumphantly.

Tezuka remained perfectly stoic but his thoughts literally screamed.

_Damn damn damn damn damn damn!_

Tezuka shook his head calmly, clearing his throat. "It's just a friend I work with on one of the publication sites is all."

The words felt like however they were torn out of his throat since he found himself lying through his teeth.

Tezuka uneasily shifted his gaze away from his grandfather before fidgeting slightly with the letter. He glanced at his mother who seemed completely oblivious to the situation between the two Tezuka's as the grandson moved slightly away from the former chief of the crime scene investigation department. The coffee blonde male bowed slightly in apology before heading upstairs to his room. For the elder Tezuka male, the old man chuckled before casting a glance to a smiling Ayana.

"He's more like his father than he thinks he is."

Upon closing the door gently, Tezuka exhaled in relief as he took a look at the letter in the hand. He opened his desk light as he unfolded the bond paper with a small smile as his eyes were greeted by Shizuru's script handwriting. For someone who was entirely Japanese in origin, she certainly wrote well in English.

_Dear Anonymous,_

_I'm quite surprised that there are some people who speak the way you do when it comes to letters. Most of the time, I usually get something such as "please go out with me" or something. I'm sorry, this is the first time I've received such a nice letter that's not as downright blunt as usual. For starters, I would like to say thank you for the kind words. Anyway, I'd like to know: how did you manage to get my address? Not many people know where I live…_

Tezuka pondered to himself for a moment. Where exactly did she live? Inui had no idea either as to where she was from. Perhaps, a certain red haired female _tensai_ may have a good idea.

_You said something about wanting to hear stuff directly from me. I would like to ask you a few things myself actually. Although it would start with the typical "who are you", I will start it with something else. What school are you from? You seem to have seen me play tennis and have quite a good idea on how my playing style is. I admire your sincerity though that accompanies your words. Regarding the tennis, ask me anything you wish._

_P.S. "I will wait for you…" –"Wait For You", Elliot Yamin_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Shizuru-chan_

Tezuka felt a chuckle bubble from his throat, tracing his fingers along the slender handwriting. A helpless smile appeared on his lips before casting his eyes towards the screen. Apparently, Fuji and Inui managed to hack into the camera of the training camp they all attended and lo and behold – a picture of him and Shizuru walking at night before the whole bravery test began. A faint red climbed up to the apples of his cheeks before it changed into a different picture of the whole team. He pulled out a piece of paper before opening Microsoft Word on his desktop.

_Dear Shizuru-chan_,

_To be honest, I thought you would be more terrified by the letter. Most women would consider this stalking. But, one thing I'd like to ask - as a tennis player, what do you usually prioritize__

Tezuka frowned a bit at what he had come up with before completely deleting the third sentence. A defeated sigh escaped his lips as he continued typing again.

_Dear Shizuru-chan_,

_To be honest, I thought you would be more terrified by the letter. Most women would consider this stalking. When I watched you play tennis that day, I've been asking myself in what made you so dedicated. You always had that beautiful smile as if you were flying high into the sky. It spoke so much about you. When I saw you with your friends, I wondered how it was to be on the receiving end of your smile. They cheered you on, they supported you and that sense of unity and confidence was something I've never seen before. Individually, yes – that is possible but team-wise, it really made you bloom. Looking for you in the middle of the crowd would be easy… you are truly something else._

_P.S. "Because I see sparks fly, whenever I see you smile…" – "Sparks Fly", Taylor Swift_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Anonymous_

Tezuka smiled before thinking about the song. Every time he would around school, Tezuka would have heard it around the school campus while some girls would listen to her music. Males would drool over the picture of Taylor Swift in her newest album. The lines spoke true to what happens every time he cast a gaze towards her. Although he's seen a lot of girls smile and swoon over him, he would simply ignore them and walk past them as they continued to dream. Shizuru's smile probably would be the only thing that would put him down. Her very face knocked him off his feet. Imagining her with tears in her eyes made his blood boil and his heart sink to the ground. For the first time, Tezuka found himself unable to explain what was happening to him. He gripped a piece of fabric on his shirt before trying to reorganize his thoughts. Finally, he pulled out a sign pen and began writing the letter as neatly as he could before his cellphone decided to ring. Sighing in annoyance, Tezuka dropped the pen before begrudgingly picking up his phone.

"Hello," he responded with his usual calm voice, checking the caller ID. _Fuji, this better be good._

"Ah, Tezuka – I have some good news and bad news, what would you like to hear first," Fuji serenely responded, sensing the murderous aura from Tezuka.

"I'll go for the bad news first."

Fuji sighed deeply, preparing himself for the worst. "Shizuru went on a date with Sanada."

Tezuka felt his heart plummet straight to his feet. Instead of the usual loud "what", it came out to be a soft reproach. "What?"

"Well, he finally gained the gall to ask Shizuru out to the Rikkai Dai ball," Fuji cleared his throat, making sure Tezuka was still on the line. "Now, here's the good news – she rejected him."

Tezuka suddenly felt himself feeling alive again. "Wait, how did you…?"

"Yanagi and Inui tend to talk loudly on the cellphone when communicating with one another," Fuji snickered triumphantly. "Yanagi said he was watching Sanada and Shizuru dance for one last time before he finally backs away. Although, I highly doubt that is part of Sanada's character."

If he were given a chance to describe Sanada, he would be a dragon.

Tezuka always envisioned Sanada to be strong and to break down even the strongest castles or spirits. Although he never felt that, he had witnessed a few strong players fall to Sanada and it was never easy accepting defeat gracefully. As a dragon, he would be more defensive as they were to be described as majestic creatures. Europeans regarded them as omen bringers but in Asian regions – they were regarded as gods. They had a strong sense of pride upon claiming a mate – they will fight to the bitter end even with every single scale on their body torn off.

But, how would he take it now that Shizuru rejected him?

He expected a bigger commotion from Yanagi, considering he and Sanada were best friends. Sanada would tell Yanagi many things but somehow, the emperor had decided to silently step aside. But there mere thought of her rejecting someone as credible as Sanada now scared him. What if she did not like him back? If she finds out who her pen-pal was, how would her reaction be? Clearly, Sanada could easily defend her, he can entertain her in a match but what exactly did Shizuru want in a guy?

"Although, I think the Hyotei _Shinigami_ had a hand in it," Fuji started watering his cacti and tending to them. "Momo never really favoured her cousin in gaining her _kohai_'s affections. In fact, she seemed more leaned towards you. But, Shizuru-_chan_ in the end decided this for herself. Momo was nowhere around for her to pressure her."

Tezuka remained silent as the _tensai_ sighed on the phone.

"Tezuka, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking she will reject you too."

Tezuka snapped himself out of the daze, twitching a bit. "Fuji…"

"Tezuka, you never know until you try. Besides, I've heard a certain capped regular and his doubles partner complaining about her falling in love with their rival school's statue," Fuji snickered on the other end of the line due to the insult the Silver Pair came up with. "They're very protective of their female member after all. She's what makes them the Silver Trio."

Tezuka didn't know what emotion to hold onto more: fear of being rejected, happiness for Sanada got rejected or hope that he still had a chance with her. The Seigaku captain smirked inwardly to himself as he returned his attention towards the piece of paper that lay on his study desk. He slowly moved towards it while keeping his cellphone on.

"So, what will you do now?"

A small smile curved up Tezuka's lips as he didn't grace Fuji with a response.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rin soon found herself walking around to get some groceries for the night's dinner at Isane's house. Hearing Isane cry that night didn't really soothe anyone's nerves and Mai's cracked up self made her resolve to make curry for the whole team. Hitomi offered to bring some drinks but everyone immediately said "no" considering what she may put in. She hummed contentedly to herself as she started singing the recipe in a way to remember what ingredients to buy. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips as the black dragon made her way to the grocery store. On her hand, Rin wrote more things as a reminder.

1. Bring home daddy's brass compass from the navigation shop

2. Practice dragon dancing solo before meeting up with Haru-_chan_ to cross notes

3. Buy ingredients for Japanese Curry (Buy A LOT of Cayenne Pepper)

4. Go to Isane's house and make curry

The black haired dragon nodded to herself determinedly while walking towards the grocery shop. Before she stepped in however, she started shoving her hands into her pocket and paled considerably at the realization. She stepped out again and began sifting through all her things, ignoring the awkward stares people started giving her. Her auburn eyes widened in horror as she started throwing all her things out.

"My wallet," Rin nearly began to bawl before she started digging through her pockets, her bag until she saw someone running through the crowd. "Oh no you don't!"

She jumped up to the street lamp and started swinging herself around, watching the man gain distance. Before she could launch herself however, the man suddenly just collapsed causing her to blink several times. People stared at her for a moment until they noticed the guy lying on the ground. A crowd gathered as the black haired acrobat dismounted from the streetlamp. The black haired female stared quizzically as she began walking towards where the man fell only to have a familiar acrobat hand her the wallet she was looking for.

"Kajimoto-_kun_," she blinked several times, staring incredulously. "What... but how...?"

Kajimoto chuckled lightly, smirking at the fallen man. "It was a wild guess. Besides, he seemed to be in such a hurry on a nice day."

Rin grinned cheekily, gratefully accepting the wallet. "Thank you so much, _kuwee~_!"

Kajimoto, seeing her bright cheerful smile, averted his eyes immediately to mask his blush before scratching his cheek sheepishly. "It's no big deal really..."

"But you got my wallet back and here I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to make curry for Isa-_chan_," Rin immediately grabbed his wrist and began dragging him along, ignoring once again the other stares of people. "Come on, Kajimoto-_kun_! I need your help in something!"

Kajimoto found a helpless smile curving up his lips as he sighed in submission to the black dragon that dragged him along. He happened to be passing along the way to get into the same grocery store to get some food as well for dinner, considering his aunt and his mother will be out for the night. Rin immediately grabbed a cart as he started following after her. He saw her grab a bottle of _Tonkatsu_ sauce, a pack of tomato sauce and a huge bottle of cayenne pepper. Before she started to run off, Kajimoto immediately extended his hand to hold her down.

"Rin, we still have a lot of time," Kajimoto managed to catch his breath before smiling at her. "Maybe we should slow things down a little?"

Rin felt her hair stand on ends as she felt Kajimoto's warm hand envelope over her wrist. A blush crept up her face as she remembered the kiss they shared in the bullet train. She relaxed a bit as Kajimoto placed his hands on the cart and began pushing it for her, checking around for some ingredients.

"What are you going to put in the curry," Kajimoto began surveying the items in the cart.

Rin pondered for a moment as she grinned. "I was planning to make fish curry since _buchou_ is a strict Pescetarian. Haru -_chan _and I eat almost everything although Hitomi doesn't want me on sugar. Then again, Yane eats more meat than a whole football team put together. She'll survive in America that's for sure."

Kajimoto laughed at Rin's statement, watching her jump up for the higher ingredients. "Isn't your youngest a vegetarian or something?"

"She used to be until she started getting anaemic," Rin checked the prices and glanced at her wallet. "Yane-Yane would shove burgers into her mouth until Kiki-_chibi_ stopped getting sick."

Kajimoto chuckled as he walked along with her, holding his own groceries as to not to get it mixed. He watched Rin start sorting out for stuff before throwing them all into the cart. He had only observed her behaviour during tennis matches but going with her on other miscellaneous things seemed to be a bit different. When they skated in the ice rink, he felt he could fly. Although he didn't want to tell her, that was the only time he ever went ice skating. Basically, it was more Wakato's idea but balancing on a thin piece of wood now became so much easier. If he didn't, Kajimoto felt a helpless smile curve up his lips; he would never have met her. The moment she swished by her during that time they went ice skating, her scent refused to leave his memory. It reminded him of the tangy smell of lemons.

_Sweet and sour with an intoxicating aroma..._

Kajimoto soon found himself smelling lemons once in awhile but that could not replace the warmth he felt. His vision immediately clouded and everything fell into silence. Her movements flowed gracefully, as if she were truly a dragon in the sky.

"Rin-_chan_," Kajimoto tore the words from his throat, ignoring everything else around him. "I know this is a little sudden but..."

Rin blinked several times before she turned to face him. Their bodies were merely inches apart and both of them stood face to face, alone in isolated aisles. The grocery music faded away in his ears as it was replaced by the loud pounding of his heart. Kajimoto immediately felt his mouth run dry as his hands suddenly became extremely clammy.

"Can I," Kajimoto immediately began mentally kicking himself. _Argh, you idiot! Don't push the idea!_

"Join the team for dinner at Isane's house," Rin cocked her head to the side with a wide grin. "Sure, why not?"

Kajimoto immediately froze on the spot. Although that didn't exactly seem to be the thing he wanted to tell her, the Jyosei Shounan captain now found himself in a more difficult situation. With the Hyotei girls surrounding him, Kajimoto heard of rumours as to why they didn't have boyfriends. Ayane on the other hand seemed to be the only one who had a boyfriend with it being Atobe Keigo, considering how crafty the man was and especially since he had all the money in the world. From what he heard, they bicker like a married couple and mentioning that to Ayane is not the best thing.

"I'll just tell Isa-_chan_ that I'm bringing a friend over," Rin grinned happily, flipping open her cellphone.

Kajimoto stared at her instant acceptance as he began pondering on his next move. Sitting amongst the girls especially with people, who are very overprotective _senpai_ or not, could instantly spell death for him. He immediately racked up his brains for any other excuse to change his first statement only to fail at coming up with anything.

_Think, Kajimoto think! What would...?_

"Since Isa-_chan_ has brothers, they said it was okay as long as you didn't try anything sc-sca... I forgot the word," she playfully bonked herself on the head. "Her dad was the one who forced them to allow boys to come. We're gonna be eating in the garden anyway so – Jackal's gonna be there, Sengoku opted to come to much to Momo-_chan_'s shock, you're coming... Hmm, should we invite Atobe?"

"Scandalous you mean," Kajimoto laughed sheepishly, racking his brains on whatever information he had regarding the Uchiha family. Apparently, a few of them also attended Jyosei Shounan as he remembered a few names.

_Uchiha Itachi, current commander of the Japanese police force_

_Uchiha Sasuke, lieutenant and second-in-command of Uchiha Itachi_

_Uchiha Isane, gold medallist in rifle event_

Kajimoto found himself unable to move for a moment. Although he loved Rin, the fear of being killed by simply taking one step into her house terrified him. Several scenarios appeared in his head: one, the eldest brother will shoot him, two, the younger brother will shoot him, three, Isane is highly capable of putting a bullet in between his eyes and fourth and the worst: all three will shoot him and the tennis team will probably try to murder him too. But Kajimoto instantly shook it off, determinedly thinking to himself.

_One way or another, I would have needed to face this eventually._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Isane stared helplessly at the ceiling, waiting for the dinner that night. Her emerald green eyes scanned the ceiling before checking the multiple gold medals, silver medals, a few bronze medals and trophies on her shelves. Two of her rifles dutifully lay against the wall while one of her desks were full of metal polish and some bullets. Posters of her teammates in tennis and the national shooting team decorated her white coloured walls along with pictures of two certain tennis players. The Hyotei dash specialist made his way into the magazine as the "fastest male tennis player" and Niou made his way into a Candy magazine as a potential boyfriend. Her heart twinged horribly at the image as she glanced at the calendar; Halloween was almost nearby. She wanted to go with someone but both...

"Apparently don't have a pair of balls," the lanky Uchiha female glanced to find her younger brother completely clad in black.

"Sasuke, are you going to a heavy metal concert," she blinked disbelievingly several times, noticing the piercings. "Does dad even know you have a piercing?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, flicking back some of his black spikes. "Dad already knows. He's the one who suggested it. I'm going on one of those investigations. Apparently, there's a rocker band that may be involved in a murder case and _nii-san_ needs little ole me to back him up. If I want to stay alive, dad says, I gotta blend with the crowd and make sure I don't die."

"Why didn't he ask me to come along," Isane sat up from her bed, preparing to dart for her rifle only to have Sasuke grab the collar of her shirt.

Sasuke facepalmed at his elder sister, shaking his head. "Sis, don't you have friends coming over and heartbreak to get over? Get a grip, besides – I thought you hate heavy metal music."

Isane ended up laughing at her younger brother, ruffling his hair. "I'm just making sure my baby brother doesn't come home with too many holes."

"I'm not a baby! Nee-_chan_, I'm a freakin' second year middle school student," Sasuke whined as he brushed his sister's hand away, snorting in annoyance. "Anyway, make sure you and your friends don't go into my room. I've got some things there!"

Isane gasped in mocking horror, barely able to hold in her laughter. "Oh my God, you're reading porn!"

"What the," Sasuke became beet red before rushing out the door. "Don't make stupid assumptions like that!"

Hearing the door slam in front of her, Isane felt all the laughter escape from her body as she stood in the deathly silence of her room. Pictures of the tennis players mocked her as her racquet gleamed under the halogen lights. The silver haired Sniper quietly walked towards it, checking the sheen of her best friend. A smile curved up her lips as she found pictures of her and Ferero playing together. However, her heart twitched in agonizing sorrow as she found pictures of Shishido taped right next to it. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as she turned away from it, clenching her hand into a fist.

"Now, why's my baby girl suddenly so heartbroken hmm," –Isane swivelled her head towards her black haired father as he sat down on her bed. "You mind telling your old man?"

Isane sighed deeply to herself before sitting next to her dad. "What would you do if you like this guy who helped you get over another guy but in the end he's a total ass?"

Her father pondered for a moment before chuckling. "Pull out a pistol and shoot his ass, that's what."

"Dad, killing's illegal," Isane frowned slightly although, considering the thought. "But, I don't know... He was so amazing but..."

"I think this is the time when your friend Getsu-_chan_ says that "Yane-Yane's gonna squish his head like a lemon"," her father chortled, earning a giggle from his daughter. "Your samurai friend would've sliced him into two. Momo-_chan_, now was it? Your friends are quite a lethal force to reckon with when they're angry. I think Itachi can vouch for that."

Isane smiled fondly at the memory, recalling the first time all of them went to her house. Itachi began teasing her about her being flat-chested while Ayane's could put two watermelons to shame. Momo surprisingly started using her racquet as a blade as Mai tied him up with the blanket and set him down the stairs. Kiyone on the other had a fun time rolling him up again while Rin kicked him down again. Shizuru on the other hand remained relatively silent before smiling serenely that could easily send shivers down his spine. The brother could never live down the fact that he had been beaten up by his sister's friends. And the moment it reached the ears of his colleagues, Isane could have sworn she could have heard the roaring of laughter from the house.

"Well, if the two are flunkies then," he ruffled his daughter's short silver hair, snorting in laughter. "Guess they couldn't handle the Uchiha vibes!"

Isane laughed nervously before smiling bitterly once again. She hung her head a bit, glancing towards the other pictures attached to her cork board. Pictures of her and Shishido in first year as he had a huge scowl on his face while she had a big wide smile standing next to a short haired Shimohi Rin. She smiled weakly once again at the picture until her dad ruffled her hair.

"Trust me, he'll come to regret it one way or another," her dad stood up before leaving her alone in the room.

Once again, the sniper sighed to herself as she cast her eyes towards the ceiling. The silver haired Sniper glanced at her hands before staring straight into the halogen lights until a pillow slapped on her face, revealing a Kiyone sitting on her bed.

"Giant-_senpai_," Kiyone grinned childishly at a startled Sniper, jumping up and down on her bed. "Why you moping?"

Isane blinked several times as Kiyone stuck her tongue out at her. "Come on, Rin-_senpai_ already started cooking!"

The tall silver haired blinked several times before glancing at the clock, realizing the time and what she was wearing. "Oh no, I'll be right down Kiyone!"

Kiyone grinned impishly before running straight down the stairs. "I brought some friends over, okay?"

"Which friends," Isane gulped, wondering if there were any screaming first years she should be aware about.

"I brought along Shiraishi-_san_ and Kenya-_san_," she grinned happily before trotting down the stairs and leaving Isane to stare at her.

"What?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Isane blinked several times as several boys greeted her view. In Tennis jerseys, they'd be more threatening but in casual they looked like simple friends. Kiyone grinned happily before shoving a piece of carrot into her mouth, making Kenya and Shiraishi wonder how she could digest that kind of spice easily. Atobe smirked at Ayane which promptly caused the vice captain to explode at him. Mai snickered while placing hot chilli peppers into Haruka's food, sending the girl away for a good glass of water. Hitomi grinned evilly while making a batch of radioactive orange-coloured juice. Isane could only stare at them before letting a sweat drop fall as Momo had Sengoku tickling her. The samurai of course reacted revolted as she began to squirm away. Shizuru on the other hand shrugged sheepishly at her _senpai_ while drinking some of the radioactive orange-coloured juice without complaint. Despite the noise, a small smile curved up Isane's lips.

It relieved her so much to have a noisier and more cheerful atmosphere.

Recalling the way Niou ditched her caused her to unconsciously move her hand to her chest, gripping her shirt. She shook her head in disregard, walking towards her friends as Rin placed a huge vat full of savoury smelling fish and vegetable curry on one side.

"Guys, thanks for all this really," Isane smiled graciously, bowing. "You guys didn't have to drag boys to make me feel better you know."

"Niou clearly is an imbecile and sometimes it takes a lot more than girls to lighten up the mood," Atobe folded his legs before easing himself into the couch.

"Sexist bastard, I just asked you to come here because maybe you could offer a bit from a male perspective," Ayane snorted in annoyance while gesturing for the door, folding her arms not noticing that Atobe had slung his arm and pulled her closer. "If you're gonna render yourself useless, the door's that way.

"Perhaps, you're trying to mention that _ore-sama_ is the sexiest bastard alive," Atobe chuckled with his deep velvet voice as he breathed against her neck, causing the vice captain to blush. "Why thank you, Ayane. It's quite a compliment to come from you."

"I am not trying to mention that, you overgrown peacock!"

Isane shook her head with laughter as Jackal nodded. "As much as I hate to agree, Atobe has a point. But, technically – it's within Niou's nature. He just has this bone in him that wants to piss everyone off with every chance he gets. The only one he hasn't tried pissing off is Yukimura and we know for obvious reasons as to why he wouldn't dare."

Sengoku laid his head on Momo's lap, looking up at Isane. "Besides, if you want a good way to get back at him – why not try finding someone who can compete with him?"

Isane blinked several times, watching the glances exchange. "What do you mean?"

"Like what Oshitari says," Atobe scoffed darkly; a smirking quirking up his lips. "We don't need quantity; just quality. I think Shishido will be more than happy to fill the role."

"I think he's the last person to ask," Rin shook her head, spooning some curry into her mouth. "He can't even tell a pick-up line from a deadbeat rejection."

Momo rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Oshitari's the one who wouldn't care. As long as the girl has nice legs, he'll go after her."

Kenya chuckled while drinking down the radioactive orange-coloured juice, raising his hand. "I can vouch for that. We're cousins."

"Although Niou won't be threatened by the numbers but," Shiraishi downed some water, cringing at the sight of the glowing orange-coloured drink. "He would be more inclined to make a move if the person is someone has the capability. Oshitari may be a good idea but then again, the question would be: would he feel threatened?"

"Niou won't be threatened by Oshitari because they have the same mind," Jackal pointed out while taking a placid sip of water. "He actually wouldn't mind because he believes that Oshitari's the type to do that too. But Shishido, I think Atobe has a direction with that plan. Because he doesn't know how Shishido thinks or rather he didn't bother to observe him, Niou's going to have to whistle in the dark. Fighting him with his own anti-thesis isn't a bad idea."

Shizuru tasted some of the curry before casting a glance at them. "Then again, what makes you think Ryou-_senpai_ will agree with the idea?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Sure why not."

Rin and Shizuru blinked several times at the dash specialist as he nonchalantly shoved his books into his bag. The capped dash specialist seemed surprisingly calm as he accepted it while slinging on his bag. He noticed the incredulous stares of the two before whacking Shizuru on the top of her head, earning him a yelp.

"What's wrong with you two," Shishido began walking with them towards the covered courts. "I said I would help so, what's the problem?"

Rin shook herself out of the daze. "I thought you'd be more violent about it, _kuwee_."

"Well, considering this is a revenge plan to bring down Niou then of course I'd agree to it," Shishido nonchalantly shrugged once again before relaxing his hands behind his head. "Besides, no one hurts Isane and gets away with it."

_But you do have ulterior motives, don't you Shishido_?

Shishido ultimately blocked out the voice in his mind while remembering what he had heard from the other regulars. Isane remained completely fake in maintaining her cheer as she quietly walked through the hallway. She even left Rin behind and usually those two go to tennis practice together! Shishido curled his fingers into a fist as he found himself planning murder plans for Rikkai's Trickster. Saying that Isane was forgiving was a complete understatement; he'd rather deem her as naïve. Then again, it was what made her the cute thing that she was right?

God, he wished that he had listened to some of Oshitari's romantic advice.

As the capped regular bade goodbye to his classmate and _kohai_, he sullenly started walking towards the Hyotei courts only to find Ohtori coming out of the bathroom. The other members of the tennis team loudly chatted away as Gakuto started showing off some new moves once again while Oshitari rolled his eyes, nodding absentmindedly.

"Shishido-_senpai_, Atobe-_senpai_ said," Ohtori watched Shishido storm past him, blinking several times. "_Senpai_, where are you...?"

Before Gakuto could finish his statement, Shishido grabbed Oshitari by the collar and dragged him to one corner.

"Okay, seems pretty important to be extra rude," Oshitari folded his arms with an expectant smirk, watching Shishido bite his lower lip.

"Shut up, Oshitari," Shishido hissed darkly, lowering his voice into a whisper while looking around. "You think you can teach me how to romance a heartbroken girl?"

Oshitari smirked, patting Shishido on the shoulder.

"You got yourself the right man."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 51! Sanada took a pretty bad hit back there but he'll recover [I think...]. Anyway, now comes the IsanexShishido and boy was Niou a douchebag! Don't worry; it won't stay like that for long. I hope you liked this chapter! Sorry it kinda took long. Please don't forget to review! The more reviews – the more inspired I'd be to write. Also, if you guys want one-shots for the girls tell me now so I can update Queen's Lives. Thank you!**


	52. Exorcism of a Demon

**Me: Hi guys, it's me again! Thanks for all the reviews you've been giving me for the past chapter! I'm sorry for taking so long to update! School's been getting filling too and to think I'm running with ideas! XD Yes, Niou can be a complete douche bag but now with Shishido in the picture what is he going to do? Anyway, I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and their techniques!**

**Kosaji: Yeah I kinda figured that but I guess he had to get out one way or another. Staying in a hospital for too long can drive any person crazy. Your suggestion would actually work! :D It's the incorporation thing that's going to be a challenge but anyway… Challenge Accepted!**

Chapter 52 – Exorcism of a Demon

Kiyone found herself walking from her house to the tennis courts, whistling to herself. A happy grin appeared on her face as she trotted down towards the courts while twirling her racquet around. Her cerulean blue eyes cast themselves towards the people walking their dogs around along with some couples talking to one another. Flowers and leaves glistened with morning dew as dogs and cats started barking and yowling. The small Hyotei freshman sighed deeply while smiling bright blue sky. She slowly began to whistle to herself until she heard some yelling over at the alley.

"Hey, give me back my yoyo!"

Kiyone's ears perked up as she headed towards the direction of the yelling, only to find a small kid getting harassed by taller boys as they started tossing his yoyo around. The little kid desperately jumped into the air to grab it but to no avail. Tears started to form in his eyes as he continued to jump tirelessly. Wrinkling her nose, Kiyone immediately stormed towards them while drawing out her racquet.

"Hey, give the kid back his yoyo!"

The teenage boys glanced around fearfully until the tallest one shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe it's just the wind…"

Soon after, they resumed teasing the boy once again and even going as far as shoving him to the ground. Kiyone rolled up her sleeves and prepared to swing her racquet only to realize what her captain had told her. Shizuru specifically ordered her not to use her tennis equipment as a weapon for violence and as much as possible, simply use logic. However with her height, Kiyone puffed up her cheeks in frustration as to being unable to even grab their attention to look at her. Glancing at the yoyo, she found her lips curving up into an ear-to-ear grin. With one big leap, she snatched the yoyo before tumbling away with it. The boys blinked several times until they glanced at the source of the skidding sound.

"Hey midget, give that back," the leader of the gang snorted at her, storming towards her. "That was our yoyo!"

Kiyone knitted her eyebrows together, gripping the toy tightly in her hand. "You people are meanies~! Yane-Yane and I hate cowards like that!"

The boy roughly grabbed her shirt, lifting her off the ground quite easily. "Who do you think you are? Don't tell me what to do just because you're from some big school!"

Kiyone bristled at the word "midget" as her grip on the yoyo tightened, watching the boys slowly gang up on her. The sandy blonde haired volleyist then noticed a couple of yoyos sticking out of the boys' pockets as a huge grin appeared on her face. Holding up the yoyo in front of them, she snickered.

"You think you can show me how to do tricks on one of these?"

The boy sniggered at her, dropping her onto the ground roughly. "Sure I can," –pulling out a yoyo from his pocket, he sneered at the smaller girl. "You're on!"

Kiyone grinned impishly as she snapped her wrist, placing the yoyo in a sleeping position. The boys' eyes widened with astonishment as she suddenly started walking it on the ground before having it retract back towards her. The Queen of Clovers' grin grew wider as she placed it in sleep position again before throwing it in a whirling motion. It looped around continuously before she flexed her wrist easily to change its position into a triangle, holding the yoyo like a rocking cradle.

"What the heck," the boy instantly drew out his yoyo, swinging it around. "I'm gonna show you that I'm the best in this city!"

_More like he's the worst,_ Kiyone giggled devilishly to herself as she watched him perform a Long Sleeper. His yoyo whirled around in a sleep position while the sandy haired volleyist yawned in boredom. Annoyed, the boy quickly began doing walk the dog and failed in trying to perform the loop-the-loop. With a dissatisfied sigh, Kiyone started whirling her yoyo around with a flick of her wrist causing the yoyo to whirl around to perform the boy's failed trick. The sandy haired volleyist struggled to contain her laughter as the boys could only gape in astonishment, watching her yoyo trail on the ground. Kiyone whirled it around once again as she leapt over the yoyo like a jump rope while it was still in sleep position.

"How the hell does she do that," the boy stared back at her in horror, staggering back. "What in the world?"

Kiyone giggled impishly while continuing to whirl the yoyo around. As it retracted back to her hand, the small volleyist snapped her wrist to throw her yoyo down for a sleep position before rolling it up and down. The harassed little boy could only stare in astonishment as Kiyone continued showing more tricks. She allowed it to creep forward before retracting it and snapping her wrist down once more to have it return to sleep position. With a final UFO trick, Kiyone whirled around the yoyo before retracting it back with an impish grin etched on her face. The other boys stood back in fear as she pointed her racquet at them.

"Since I beat you guys, you guys gotta do everything I say," she sang childishly, wiggling her finger.

The boys gulped as they all fell to their knees, bowing repeatedly. "We're sorry! We won't do it again!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Thank you, please come again!"

Shiraishi waved politely at the woman who had ushered him out after his quick brunch. The _kansai_ captain stared into the bright blue sky as a smile spread across his lips. Instead of seeing the sky however, he found Kiyone's bright blue eyes staring back at him. He shook his head immediately, pondering to himself on what made his mind wander away that far. After seeing Kenya get a little giddy and asking Oshitari for advice, Shiraishi found himself completely stupefied as to how he could compete now. Kenya clearly had a higher fighting chance since he had Oshitari Yuushi to monitor her but who did he have? He was practically whistling in the dark.

"Now, I want you to go get this kid and me a lollipop! Come on, get a move on!"

"Y-Yes, boss!"

Shiraishi's eyes widened in recognition; he couldn't have heard right, right? The Shitenhouji captain quickly darted through the crowd as he found his way to an alley. Much to his surprise, Kiyone stood there with an arrogant smirk with her foot on top of a small box as she folded her arms while the kids presented her lollipops. Shiraishi resisted his urge to chortle but quickly hid the moment he began snorting in laughter. He slowly peeked out and found Kiyone walking out completely satisfied with a lollipop in her mouth. She then snapped down her yoyo again and casually had it looping around and around while bouncing her head to a hummed beat.

"That was quite a demonstration back there," –Kiyone completely froze as she slowly turned to find the Shitenhouji lying against the brick wall with a questioningly raised eyebrow. "I never knew you could use a yoyo like that. Also, how did you get kids to call you 'boss'?"

Kiyone found her breath completely hitched into her throat. "Um... K – I mean, Shiraishi-_san_ what are you doing here?"

"Just walking around until I found you doing an awesome demonstration with the yoyo," Shiraishi chuckled lightly while ruffling her hair. "You're really different huh, Kiyone."

The sandy haired volleyist grinned impishly at him, holding up a "v" sign. "Being different's better being plain and boring!"

Shiraishi chuckled lightly at the small girl as he glanced at his watch. "By the way, don't you have a match today? I saw most of the Hyotei team members head towards the tennis courts already. I saw Momo with Haruka and Rin. Shizuru had Ohtori and Shishido walking alongside her."

She stared at him quizzically for a moment until realization hit her. "Oh no, that's right! The matches between Seigaku and Hyotei are today!"

Seeing her frantic somewhat curved a smile up Shiraishi's lips. He couldn't help but continue watching her throw a frantic scare somewhat made him laugh. As the sandy haired volleyist somewhat calmed down, Shiraishi raised a hand and called on a cab before opening the door for her. The smaller girl stared quizzically at him first as Shiraishi chuckled lightly.

"Well, we have to get you to your match on time now don't we," he smoothly gestured her to go inside the cab. "Don't worry, I'll go with you."

Kiyone nodded nervously before sitting in the taxi with Shiraishi, twiddling with her thumbs. "Um..."

"Hmm," Shiraishi glanced at the smaller girl as she hung her head with embarrassment, his voice hinting with a bit of concern. "Kiyone-_chan_, what's wrong?"

The sandy haired girl lowered her head shamefacedly. "...I never rode a taxi before..."

Shiraishi leaned in a bit closer, blinking several times. "Come again, what did you say?"

Kiyone whimpered with a little purse of her lips. "I've never rode a taxi before..."

Shiraishi found her expression adorable but he understood. Hyotei students, being as rich as they are, always had their own car. Although it was not necessarily a bad thing, people would have found that pampering for some people since many choose to walk. Unless you're Atobe Keigo, having a couple of limousines driving you around wouldn't be that complicated to maintain. Kenya's cousin has a car but sometimes he walks from home to school with friends. Shiraishi noticed the crestfallen expression on her face, ruffling her short hair with an assuring smile.

"Don't worry, it's a bit uncomfortable at first but you'll get used to it," Shiraishi smiled kindly, looking out the window. "That's what Kenya told me when I first got into a cab around here in Tokyo."

Kiyone laughed sheepishly, grinning toothily at him. "Yeah, it just takes time getting used to!"

Shiraishi however had other thoughts.

He glanced once again at the Hyotei female as she awkwardly swung her legs abashedly. She started swivelling her head around, observing the speeding cars and buildings. He chuckled lightly; it was like he was watching his younger cousins peek and examine around a new place for the very first time. However, the Shitenhouji captain refused to entertain their questions sometimes. They ended up repeating the questions that he had previously answered. But, Kiyone's huge innocent cerulean blue eyes shimmered differently as she started pointing out the big corporate buildings. However, the Shitenhouji captain carefully re-evaluated his situation. Not that he had low self-esteem but, Shiraishi knew how protective families were of their youngest member. Seigaku was a prime example and knowing how much more vicious women were, Shiraishi found himself completely stumped and terrified.

"Getsugan-_chan_," Shiraishi scratched his head sheepishly, glancing at the tennis courts next to them. "I hope you don't mind me watching your tennis match today."

Kiyone blinked several times before flashing him a sweet cheerful smile. "Sure, I'm sure Yane-Yane and _buchou_ won't mind!"

"It's not them I'm worried about," Shiraishi murmured inaudibly as he handed the money to the taxi driver, hoping the smallest member of the Hyotei team would not hear.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shizuru however never thought she would be so jittery during the finals.

The brunette Hyotei captain fidgeted around with her fingers as she walked into the tennis courts. The bright blue sky stared back at her as the birds chirped over her head, flying past her. She inhaled deeply while glancing around the area, seeing nobody around the courts. It resumed into deep silence as she began walking around to calm her jumping nerves. Shishido and Ohtori on the other hand went off to find the narcoleptic volleyist that accidentally wandered off. The sophomore couldn't help but wonder how Jirou had this innate ability to sleepwalk and still maintain a sense of direction.

"He couldn't have gone that far," Shizuru giggled softly, opening her hand to stare at her palm. "Then again, he is Akutagawa-_senpai_."

However, thoughts like those did nothing to soothe her anxiety.

Her mind whirled constantly over the match between Hyotei and Seigaku. She knew that her teammates had the strength but only in the physical aspect. The seniors knew what they were facing but having Ayane and Kiyone face Jerrard and Ryuuzaki sounded a bit insane. Atobe even had objected to the idea to leave Ayane and Kiyone in their usual Doubles One slot since he knew how powerful the female Seigaku team's doubles team was. Shizuru nonchalantly shrugged it off and Ayane slugged him also. A dejected sigh along with a hapless smile escaped her as she remember her vice captain's determination.

_Senior or not, I'm clobbering Jerrard! No one has that honour other than me!_

Shizuru giggled fondly at the memory as she cast her gaze towards the court once again. With a deep inhale, she pulled out her tennis racquet before tossing a tennis ball into the air. The Hyotei female tennis captain watched the ball come down as she finally clipping it with her racquet, causing an abrupt spin on the ball. The ball suddenly suspended itself in the air as it started floating to the other side slowly. Shizuru somewhat giggled at the thought of having Fuuka chasing after the ball before letting out a barrage of profanities. If anything, the female Seishun Gakuen red haired captain hated running as bad as Ayane hated having Atobe throwing some grandeur party. Then again, she thought deeply, Atobe always blew everything out of proportion.

"You ready for this," –Shizuru turned around to see Shishido standing before her, leaning against the railing. "I mean, this is the climax of the Regionals. After this, it's off to the Nationals. You can win this; just think of it as your usual run-in-the-mill match except with a higher level of talent."

Shizuru giggled once again but solemnly stared straight into the sky. Her body slightly shuddered from the anticipation of facing Fuuka. Images of her first tournament flashed in her mind; fighting Fuuka made fighting Naomi somewhat, less heartbreaking than it was. The red head and she, despite their differences, fought back to back through every situation imaginable. Shizuru however bit her lower lip before touching her lips again. She immediately felt heat rush up her face as the image of a certain bespectacled male tennis captain form Seishun Gakuen appeared in her head.

_This is more than just a match, isn't it – Souma-san?_

While deep in thought, someone slapped a cap on her head only to find Shishido smirking. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

She adjusted the cap on her head with a small smile, turning around to see all her teammates before her. Ayane mounted her tennis racquet on her shoulder with a huge smirk while Kiyone jumped onto her shoulders with a childish grin. Hitomi adjusted her glasses before folding her arms with a confident smile. Isane, despite her shy demeanour, stood out as her emerald green eyes glistened with newfound determination. Momo maintained a serious expression before leaning against the railing with a stoic expression next to _Zhujiang_ who tossed back her long pale pink hair with a cocky gleam in her eyes. The black dragon somersaulted in the air for an entrance before landing right next to Haruka.

"I guess you guys really psyched yourself up for this," Shizuru smiled while watching the Hyotei male team pile up behind them, giggling softly. "I see you also brought some moral support."

Atobe raked his fingers through his hair, smirking with his usual holier-than-thou smirk. _"Arn~_, don't get _ore-sama_ wrong. He's just here to make sure you win the Regionals. It was humiliating as is to lose to Seigaku. But, there's another battle going on isn't there? Not just for the Nationals anymore now is it, Kurenai?"

She remained silent for a moment until Ayane kicked Atobe behind the knees, causing him to buckle over. "Keigo, behave."

Everyone stared at Ayane as if she had grown another head.

"What," the tangerine haired vice captain blinked several times before facing the incredulous stares. "He's gonna continue being a complete piss-off unless I call him Keigo."

The male tennis team looked at a smirking Atobe as Ayane flushed a bright crimson colour. "Oh shut up!"

Momo snickered a bit, standing up from the railing. "I wasn't aware I was saying anything."

"Yes you were," Ayane jabbed her finger angrily at the _Shinigami_, pouting impishly. "It's the usual – "oh-so-now-it-dawns-on-to-her" expression!"

Momo shrugged nonchalantly, placing her hands in her Regulars' jacket. "That's because it's what I really mean. Looks say so much more than words and sentences."

Shizuru smiled kindly as the wind blew past her, revealing Seigaku standing at the other end. Fuuka stood determinedly as she recalled the time Shizuru battled the current Seigaku captain in the Nationals. A slight frown marred her features as she observed the other teammates of Fuuka show up behind her. The male Seigaku tennis team also stood behind Fuuka as the tension heightened, causing Shizuru to slightly stagger back. Leaves bustled along the blue skies as the sunshine glowed brightly. Shizuru curled her hand into a fist; now was the time. Everything depended on this one match. Their trip to the Nationals would be decided by this match.

"Shall we?"

The Hyotei team nodded fearlessly, following behind the brunette.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Fuuka stared languidly at the opposing team standing at the other side. She folded her arms while feeling the wind brush past her as her crimson hair flew with the breeze. Seeing the male Hyotei team standing behind her and a whole lot more Hyotei students, Fuuka frowned a bit as she saw the Seigaku regulars standing behind her. Enma stared beadily at the Twin Dragon Pair as Rin and Haruka started laughing and showing stuff with their hands. Atoli cast her gaze towards the Breeze Stepper, tipping her cap a bit. Karin gave a business-like smile towards Hitomi as the Mastermind greeted her with the same expression, causing Fuuka to slightly shudder.

_I'll never understand how they think._

Fuuka ignored the calculating stares as she found Shibuya Rangiku cheerfully hoping around, yanking Midori's arm for all the Hyotei girls' identities. A dejected sigh escaped her lips as she cast her gaze towards Shizuru. Despite the tension, Fuuka smirked at the appearance of Shizuru's gentle exterior.

_A sleeping lion... This ought to be interesting._

"So, you're gonna show who Tezuka-_sama_ truly belongs to, ne, _buchou_," Vera purred sardonically while tousling the curls in her long honey blonde hair.

Fuuka snorted in disgust, walking towards the court. "Tezuka-_kun_ doesn't belong to anyone but... she needs to know what she's gotten into."

Vera blinked several times as Fuuka stalked off, prompting Sakuno to follow behind her. "Vera-_senpai_, what happened?"

The honey blonde female scoffed as she snapped her fingers. "Ah, our beloved _buchou_ is going to claim what's hers. Come along now, Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno wordlessly followed after the playmaker as they all walked towards the courts. Soon, students and scouts filled the bleachers along with some reporters and cameramen. Atobe moved towards the bleacher nearest to Ayane and the others to make sure he had a good view. He narrowed his eyes at the other Seigaku vice captain, recalling the rumours regarding her play. Atobe bit his lower lip, pondering for a moment before glancing at Ayane. Was she ready for the emotional turmoil Jerrard was capable of, he wondered – however, this match meant everything to them. She would most likely blow a fuse and probably give Jerrard a few broken bones.

_Ore-sama knows one thing: Ayane will never give up. That is the beauty of her personality._

Hiyoshi leaned against the railing, watching Mai and the others line up at the net. His eyes followed Atoli carefully as Mai cautiously shook hands with her. A tingling feeling shot up his spine; Hiyoshi winced slightly as the railing began to tremble. The intensity of the match didn't stay contained long in the courts.

"Arn, can you feel it too," Atobe smirked at his protégé, folding his arms. "If people thought my obsession with defeating Seigaku was bad, consider Souma and Kurenai a class all by themselves. Women after all are more vicious than men. That's why..."

Oshitari smirked with his _kansai_ drawl. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. They've both been scorned in their own way. Souma clearly is fighting alongside her obsession to defeat Shizuru-_chan_. Shizuru-_chan_ is trying to break free from the destiny Kotetsu lay before her. Souma obviously has been waiting for the opportunity for Shizuru-_chan_ to open her eyes. Fuuka managed to crush her before but Shizuru-_chan_ rose again in the Nationals. The thing is – will destiny repeat itself? Nobody knows."

"Yuushi, you sound like you got that from a romance novel," Gakuto whined childishly, pulling out his hair. "It's so deep."

"That's because you're too slow," Shishido snarkily scoffed, causing Gakuto to punch him. "Hey!"

"Serves you right for insulting my intelligence!"

"As if you had any to begin with!"

Hiyoshi glanced at Oshitari, raising an eyebrow several times. "When did Kurenai ever lose?"

"Not many people in the female division asides from Souma, Hoshimura, Yukimura and Amakusa can match her calibre," Oshitari stood up from the railing, rolling up his sleeves. "However, Tezuka and Sanada managed to bring her down. Atobe did too; barely though. Obviously, not adding Yukimura to the list of Unbeatables is suicide. That man is a class by himself."

On the other hand, Kiyone's eyes widened at the revelation Hitomi just gave her. "_Buchou_ lost to Souma before?"

"It was the first stain on her perfect record," Hitomi suckled the air sharply, glancing at the court. "Shizuru worked harder than ever starting from the day on. It was also then that Naomi refused to let her rest until she could play an open-shut-door classic match of 6 games to love without even trying. But that's where it all began..."

Momo chuckled darkly, glancing at the court. "So nostalgic, it's probably the déjà vu feeling we get since this is the same court we played on."

Soon, the arbiter announced.

"The Finals match will now begin: Seishun Gakuen (Tokyo) versus Hyotei Gakuen (Tokyo)! Singles Three will now begin!"

Momo sighed deeply to herself before unsheathing her racquet. "Alright, shall we begin?"

Fuuka gestured to Rangiku to begin as the small girl nervously nodded before walking towards the court, twirling her racquet around happily. Watching Rangiku walk away, the Seishun Gakuen female captain folded her arms sternly while watching the freshman go against the Hyotei senior. The whole crowd started chanting even louder as the male counterparts of both teams stood by the bleachers. Rangiku shyly stood in front of the stern faced Sanada Momo as she started twiddling with her thumbs. Seigaku's audience cheered and chanted the strawberry blonde girl's name even louder as she shook hands nervously with the Hyotei senior.

"Um, _gambatte, _Sanada-_san_," Rangiku smiled cheerfully, playing with a dust bunny on the floor.

Momo nodded stiffly with a curt smile, clipping her racquet against her body. "Ah, likewise."

However, the _Shinigami_ found herself slightly trembling after speaking with the small girl. Momo examined at her hands for a moment, narrowing at the violent shudder. She glanced at the opposite end of the court while watching the trees dance violently in the wind. Birds started circling around them as clouds slowly began to cover the sun. The _Shinigami_ inhaled deeply before steeling herself, walking towards her end of the court. Seigaku's chanting became louder as Hyotei immediately became silent. The _Shinigami_ glanced at Hitomi as the blonde began searching her data books only to shake her head sadly. Clucking her tongue, Momo stood at the other end of the tennis court.

_That girl... Shibuya Rangiku – the Wraith Child of Seigaku. So tell me, I've dealt with demons and I've dealt with corpses – what makes you think you're any different? _

"Singles Three: Shibuya Rangiku (Seigaku) versus Sanada Momo (Hyotei) will now begin! Game start, Shibuya to serve!"

She shook her head away from any possible doubt while watching Rangiku bounce the ball. Her chocolate brown eyes carefully watched Rangiku's periwinkle coloured eyes sparkle with mischief. The neon yellow ball bounced up and down as the whole crowd resumed themselves into deep silence. The air around them thickened considerably as even a pin could break through the silence. The _Shinigami_ felt the thumping of her heart against her chest as beads of sweat trickled down her cheek.

"Here I go," Rangiku sang happily as the ball zoomed towards Momo.

Momo immediately went for a forehand as she felt the weight of the shot crash against her racquet. The female Sanada winced at the strain before repelling the shot back at Rangiku who cart-wheeled to return the shot. The tennis ball curved towards Momo as the _Shinigami_ inwardly berated herself for being forced on the defensive. Rangiku's shots easily zoomed towards her while Momo found herself running around to and fro on the court. Swear poured down the senior's face as Rangiku's eyes continued to glimmer lively from her end.

_So, I guess I have to make her snap now don't I?_

Momo watched the ball pass her before relaxing her stance, letting it crack behind her.

"15 – Love," –the whole Hyotei team stared at Momo as if she grew another head.

Ayane slammed her fist against the bleacher's railing. "What the heck did Momo-_senpai_ do that for? I mean, she had her running around!"

"No."

The tangerine haired buxom vice captain glanced back at Shizuru who watched Rangiku happily jumping around. "It's Shibuya-_chan_ who has Momo-_senpai_ running around. Her eyes are spelling something different about her. It's not as innocent as you think it is..."

Rangiku cheerfully jumped up in the air before going for a smash, forcing Momo to lob once again to deflect. Seeing the ball sail up into the air, Rangiku spun around for a drive volley only to have Momo meet her in the air as well with another drive volley. Rangiku grinned childishly as she continued striking faster without any sense of fatigue evident on her face. The _Shinigami_ felt her legs suddenly cramp but ignored the agonizing pain from jumping as she continued to attack Rangiku mercilessly. However, the smaller girl returned everything with much ease as she jumped around with a gleeful giggle.

"There's something underneath that appearance that's actually giving me the creeps," Isane shivered slightly as Mai remained calculating. "What about you Mai?"

Mai found herself completely speechless as she watched Rangiku repel and deflect Momo's offensive without any difficulty. She twisted her body around, skidded across the court and the whole time – she had this big unnerving smile on her face. The _tensai_, despite knowing that the smiling tactic worked to intimidate the opponent, found no malice in her smile. It seemed so childish... so innocent as she cast her gaze towards her captain.

"My, my, my, Shibuya's giving her a good run isn't she," Vera tousled the blonde locks in her hair, smiling voluptuously. "I have never seen Momo so – rattled."

Fuuka remained completely silent but saw Momo's dark eyes glinting differently as the young woman zoomed towards the other end, watching Rangiku's movements as well. The former Aries wielder folded her arms sternly while keeping a calculating gaze at Shizuru. Her eyes glanced at the board and then to her watch, wondering how long Rangiku's match would last. She bit her lower lip before casting a glance to Sakuno and Vera, watching them discussing their strategy for their match.

"15 all," –the ball cracked at Rangiku's side as she landed on the ground gracefully.

Rangiku smiled cheerfully with enthusiasm. "Wow, you're really amazing Sanada-_san_! You really have that kind of power!"

Momo stared at the girl quizzically, smiling slightly. "Ah, thank you."

"Don't be so stiff you know," Rangiku waved her finger in front of Momo with a childish grin. "You're gonna look like Baba Yaga after this whole match is done!"

Momo twitched a bit, remembering much of her Serbian mythology. "Don't remind me."

Rangiku giggled again before earning a nod from the Seishun Gakuen female captain, slowly losing her childish self. "Sorry Sanada-_san_..."

Momo looked up and found Rangiku looking much more mature than she did a few moments back. From the childish small girl, Shibuya Rangiku's eyes glimmered differently as her posture became more delicate and graceful. Despite her childish height, her aura drastically altered into that of a more powerful one. The _samurai_ backed up a bit, watching the aura around her slowly change. Rangiku's childish smiles and giggles slowly became that of smirking and dark giggling.

"I will have to finish you off. My captain expects me to bring home the gold by eliminating you first."

Instead of a shocked expression however, Momo smirked before lowering her stance. "Good, I don't like playing and beating around the bush either, Shibuya-_san_."

_She's exactly like Shizuru._

Momo glanced at Mai as they nodded on the same thing. Shibuya Rangiku clearly reflected the same expressions, mannerisms and including the same tactic application as their captain back in freshman year. The only thing that separated the two from one another would be the appearance. While Rangiku looked more feminine, Shizuru made it a point to make herself even more masculine than Gakuto. The female _samurai_ darted towards the other end of the baseline as another no-return serve cracked off the girl's racquet. Momo swung far, narrowing her eyes at the girl's ear.

"Burst like sound, _Oto_," Momo blasted the tennis ball as it vanished, screaming right next to Rangiku's ear.

The freshman girl nearly bolted over only to lob it as it nearly zoomed past her for the point. Watching the ball lob high into the air, the _Shinigami _jumped up while glancing at the court.

"Uncontainable like water, _Sui_," Momo threw her weight into the racquet, sending the ball down with an explosive crack.

Rangiku keeled over a bit from the power, watching the plum haired _samurai_ land gracefully on her feet. "Interesting – never thought that would come out so early in the game..."

"You were talking a bit like a monkey a few moments ago," Momo chuckled darkly, folding her arms. "Care to explain why?"

Rangiku lowered her stance once more with a cocky smirk adorning her face. "Underestimation is often key in a battle, Sanada-_san_."

"It doesn't mean you have to subject yourself into schizophrenia," Momo deadpanned a bit, twirling her racquet around a bit.

_Looks like this girl is clearly aware of her personality shift..._

As another serve cracked off, the _Shinigami_ quickly eased into her position as she lowered her stance for a light drop shot. Rangiku bit her lower lip in annoyance, watching Momo show no hints of fatigue on her face. She continued darting around the tennis court, returning Momo's suddenly weak top-spin shots until it slowly began to lob higher and higher. As it reached a high enough level, Rangiku stared in shock as the _samurai _pulled another decoy attack.

_How? How can this woman keep up with me?_

Rangiku found herself completely exhilarated by the situation, being cornered and toyed around by the older competitor. She had played in the other prefectural games but Fuuka did warn her: this was the Regionals. Everyone would be out for blood but they shouldn't care about those who are trying to usurp their place. They already have secured it, according to her. However, Rangiku found herself involved in a long standing rivalry between two schools: Hyotei Gakuen and Seishun Gakuen. She narrowed her eyes darkly at Momo's quick reactions before swinging for a strong forehand, only to have it completely nullified.

"Gentle like the leaves, _Aoba_," Momo coldly glared as the ball lightly dropped over the net and rolled right in front of Seishun's Wraith Child.

"15 – 30," –Rangiku stared at the furry neon yellow ball rolling towards her.

On the other hand, the male tennis team watched quietly as the other members of the club did the cheering for them. Looking at the pace of the tennis match, Fuji glanced at Tezuka as his _buchou_ calmly folded his arms while continuing to analyse the flow of the match. The _tensai_ chuckled inwardly to himself, maintaining his usual serene smile before casting a glance towards the Hyotei bench. If anything, Tezuka probably would need to learn a thing or two about earning the courage to confess from Atobe but it would not make Tezuka the man he came to know as his best friend. Running his fingers through his hair, Fuji leaned against the railing before remarking offhandedly.

"She's just right there you know. Everything's placed out on the board; it's just about how you will make your move. Everything is falling more into your favour after all."

Tezuka stared blankly at Fuji, deadpanning as he did so. "That all depends on how you define 'more in my favour'."

Fuji chuckled lightly at his friend, watching Shizuru make gestures to her other teammates. He noticed also the movement of Tezuka's eyes as they slowly removed their attention away from the ball and more to the brunette that calmly viewed the match without making side comments or whatsoever. The aura in the air visibly shifted as the honey haired _tensai_ lifted his head to the air to observe the blowing direction of the wind. The honey haired teen slightly chuckled, earning a quizzical stare from his stoic best friend as he walked back to the benches.

"Saa, I just want to make sure I don't obstruct your view, Tezuka," Fuji chuckled deviously, letting a seam of cerulean peek under his lashes. "After all, even the most perfect scene can be spoiled with a single ink blot..."

Tezuka wasn't sure what he preferred: being forced into maintaining his affection towards the Hyotei captain a secret or having Fuji tease and bother him every time they come across her.

However, Tezuka knew that any reaction he responded with would result to rising towards the bait Fuji dangled in front of him. Knowing this however, the bespectacled senior continued to watch the match analytically as he heard the ball crack back and forth. The crowd worked themselves into a frenzy, cheering louder than ever. Tezuka shook his head until the sound slowly faded away into a deep silence. His vision blurred and everything slowed down instantly as his eyes focused themselves on the brunette that quietly watched her _senpai_ play against the Seigaku freshman player.

"Tezuka..."

"Tezuka..."

Again, he refused to respond. His posture slowly and subconsciously began to relax as a sudden pain shot through him. He winced slightly before gripping his left arm, blinking incredulously on how that suddenly began to happen. He glanced at Shizuru once again before watching the match once more, seeing the _Shinigami_ from Hyotei steal another point and game from the small freshman. Rangiku stumbled onto the ground before watching Momo land deftly on her feet, sheathing her racquet similarly to that of a sword.

"Tezuka!"

The bespectacled male looked up when he found Oishi handing him a bottle of water. "We thought you were thirsty so, we got you one."

Tezuka, silently berating himself for his carelessness, gratefully took the bottle of water before glancing at the match again. He had heard the difference between men's tennis and women's tennis but the match would actually show some application to it. Men would rely on their macho or bravado while women attacked psychologically. His last match with a girl did not exactly turn out more on bravado but the testing of limits and willpower. Shizuru practically overpowered him in terms of psychological warfare but he managed to beat her with a score of 7-5 that day. Souma on the other hand probably remained to be the exception to that rule due to her considerable herculean strength. Among the female tennis players, he recalled deeply, Souma Fuuka had the strongest forehand and backhand next to the Hyotei vice captain and Ishida Chie.

"Game, Sanada: love to one game!"

Fuuka chuckled darkly, watching Rangiku struggle. "Now this is where things get ugly. Although she's not like Sunamyou, Sanada should know she's in for the game of her life... Literally."

Rangiku nodded elegantly, bowing with a small smile. "I guess even **I'm **not enough to bring you down, huh – Sanada?"

Momo narrowed her eyes skeptically at the freshman. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you not know how we are like, Sanada," Rangiku twirled her racquet around casually before bowing courteously. "For now, I bid you _adieu_ and pray for your safety."

Momo slowly watched Rangiku's smile suddenly become demonic while she stood up with a mocking glint in her eye. Instead of her usual long wavy strawberry blonde hair, her hair suddenly developed more jagged edges as her eyes suddenly altered in expression. Rangiku's grip on the racquet tightened considerably as her stance became much more different from her first one. Her tiny form remained the same but the aura coming out from her body sent the _Shinigami_ to slightly shudder.

"Ah, I see you've met Rangiku and Anastacia," a darker smile met the _Shinigami_'s stolid gaze. "Now we can fight..."

Momo bit her lower lip, watching Rangiku's body take a drastic change. "Are you the true Wraith Child then?"

"Perhaps," she smiled devilishly, tousling the curls in her hair. "I am anything but like Sunamyou from Yuugetsu Chuu. Her wild dog personality is so disgusting. Besides, Rangiku and Anastacia are babies compared to me. Some people are just devilishly talented actors, some may have actually snapped. But I on the other hand, have been sharing this body with two of my sisters for years."

Hitomi lowered her head into her notebook. "Shibuya Rangiku, freshman of Seishun Gakuen and also the champion of the mini-tennis circuits, often times would resort to her switching of personalities to confuse the opponent. However, the matches would usually end up with her opponent being brutally attacked with her remembering everything she had performed. My sources say however she used to go to psychotherapy in order to deal with her multiple personality disorder. However, it does not qualify; multiple personality disorder usually means that the switching of personality would leave gaps in her memory."

"Her mastery over her consciousness even surpasses that of Shizuru," Mai bit her lip, watching Rangiku's attacks become sharper. "Fuuka, assuming her military tactics and intelligence in it, she probably trained and moulded Rangiku to become the best weapon against Shizuru. Shizuru is still a sophomore and Fuuka is moving onto the high school division. What better way to crush an opponent by throwing in someone who is exactly like her?"

"In other words, she's pulling off a Kotetsu," Haruka raised an eyebrow questioningly, seeing more teams pile into the court bleachers. "I see Yamabuki's been dragged along."

Momo concentrated hard on the match until she heard louder cheering. Her body nearly froze; she managed to sneak a glance and there stood Sengoku cheering her on loudly childishly. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes sarcastically but smiled a bit as his encouragement became much louder. She jumped a bit before driving a deep volley into the other corner, forcing Rangiku to run. However, the younger girl tripped over her two feet and crashed considerably onto the ground.

"Game, Sanada: two games to love!"

Momo inhaled in relaxation before walking towards the bench for a timeout. Rangiku slowly sauntered back in a zombie-like fashion whereas the crowds' cheering instantaneously became much louder. The Hyotei _Shinigami_ slumped onto the chair before picking up one of her water bottles, chugging it down wordlessly. The Hyotei team remained in complete silence as they watched their side of the bleachers simultaneously cheer louder when Seigaku decided to up their game.

"So, how was it out there?"

Momo swivelled her head to face her other teammates before clasping her hands together. "She's entirely different but in a nostalgic sort of way."

Ayane blinked several times, scratching her head. "How does that...?"

"It was like the day I played against Mai and Shizuru for the first time," Momo resting her elbows against her thighs, leaning against her palms. "The only difference would be that she's a fusion of both. Not only that, she's very well-aware of the mentalities she's switching around with. Not only having three of that, her personalities work well with another – concealing each other with different moves. For Shizuru, as soon as you know how her mind works – it would be easy to predict. This girl... she's leaving me..."

_She's leaving me with no openings..._

Momo bit her lower lip while pondering deeply, replaying the past match in her head. The _Shinigami_ found herself completely stumped; Rangiku would instantly contort out of nowhere or her strength would mysteriously shoot up and send her flying. She winced at the pain in her wrist, remembering the strain the last drive volley gave her. Fortunately, the _Aoba_ managed to suppress most of the impact. She glanced at her racquet while tracing the tension of the strings.

"One more shot with that kind of power and the strings would snap themselves like a toothpick," Momo sighed deeply until something cold drenched her from above, swivelling around with a dark glare as her teammates stared in shock. "Alright – whose idea was...? Sengoku?"

The orange haired vice captain of Yamabuki handed her a bottle of water. "Lucky, I finally managed to get your attention!"

Momo twitched furiously, resisting the urge to swat him with her racquet. "You are extremely lucky that my captain has a "no violence" policy on the tennis court."

"_Shinigami-chan_, don't you think you're approaching this match the wrong way though," Sengoku grinned goofily before leaning on the rails. "If she is someone who can alter herself in multiple forms, why stay consistent yourself? There has to be something beyond the _FuuRinKaZan_ that you can do, right? She may have the power but I bet you know a lot more about her than she realizes, Momo-_chan_!"

The violet haired female rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Of course there is. I became a Regular for a reason..."

_Wait a minute!_

Momo let Sengoku's words echo once again in her mind as she replayed the match before her. If Rangiku had the ability to drastically increase her physical capability through psychological methods, why can't she intercept those methods? The _Shinigami_'s expression brightened in realization before she unknowingly grabbed Sengoku by the cheeks and kissed his forehead. Haruka stared in astonishment and Rin resisted the urge to squeal in front of everyone. Kiyone jumped up and down out of excitement while Mai had her usual serene feline smile on her face. Shizuru giggled softly while the whole male team stared at her queerly.

"Thank you, I love you," –with this, Momo returned back to the court while ignoring the incredulous gaze her friends and colleagues gave her.

Sengoku found himself completely perplexed of what his reaction should be. The Hyotei female team stared at him also, wondering what his next reaction would be as well. His lips slowly quirked up as the Yamabuki vice captain placed his hand on his forehead before placing his hands on his cheeks, remembering the warm touch of his _Shinigami_'s hands. He remembered how her expression significantly brightened up after his certain statement. His expression became bewildered at the moment before swooning with bliss.

"_Shi-Shinigami-chan,_" Sengoku unknowingly began to swoon in bliss as he recalled the brief moment in time when Momo actually told him those words. "Waaah, I'm so lucky~!"

Mai chuckled lightly, glancing at Sengoku's blissful expression. "Wow, that was one trip ticket to heaven for him. Who knew she'd actually do that?"

Hitomi glanced at her notebook, completely flustered. "Momo was barely known for public displays of affection. When did this start? I'm missing my data!"

Shizuru giggled at Sengoku's beet red face. "Well, whatever it is – he must've given her the winning card to this match..."

Momo stared down at Rangiku's emotionless form as the freshman swung lightly and aimlessly. Her formerly bright emerald green eyes stared dully at the _Shinigami_ as she tossed the ball high into the air. Without a word, the freshman sent it zooming towards Momo as the violet haired girl pounded it back with a forehand. Rangiku easily returned it with a backhand until she started jumping around and blasting the ball with simple forehands and backhands. Beads of sweat poured down Momo's face as she returned the next shot with a volley. However, what she didn't realize is Rangiku standing right in front of her with the racquet aiming straight for her face.

"Iron Masque," Rangiku glared darkly as the ball zoomed towards Momo's face.

Without anything in mind, the _Shinigami _instantly dodged the shot before shielding her face with her racquet. The ball collided with her racquet's frame and with a _kendo-_like strike, Momo brought down the ball with a strong clip. The ball spun weakly before bouncing on the net and rolling on Rangiku's side.

"Love – fifteen," Rangiku nodded before a ghostly smile appeared on her lips.

"Interesting, you have done some research about me," Rangiku swivelled her head away from Momo before walking back to the baseline. "The question is – how far can you go?"

Momo remained silent before positioning her racquet in front of her like a blade, staring steely back at the freshman. "Knowledge is flexible regardless of circumstance."

Rangiku chuckled darkly, staring sardonically back at the _Shinigami_. "A very amusing response – but I wonder: will it stay the same after you have tasted True Despair?"

Momo narrowed her eyes darkly, tightening the grip on her racquet. "The insolence in your words... I will repay it thirty fold."

"Purple-_senpai_'s getting scary," Kiyone whimpered before hiding behind Ayane. "How do we calm her down, Yane-Yane?"

The tangerine haired buxom vice captain swallowed hard, shivering and trembling fearfully. "I... I don't know."

"She's gonna do it," Mai bit her lower lip, watching in deep anxiousness. "The three parts of the scenery shall let the curtain fall in favour of the victor..."

Momo repositioned her stance as Rangiku sent the ball straight at her face. "_Daiichimakume, Kageyoshi_..."

The ball soon multiplied while spinning on the ground with intense speed. Fair enough, the ball performed a corkscrew and zoomed straight at Rangiku who immediately blocked it. The shot she caught however vanished from her racquet as the ball lightly dropped behind her, rolling to her feet. Rangiku remained completely quiet however as her eyes emotionlessly stared back at Momo. Wordlessly and voicelessly, she unleashed another no-return serve as it zoomed past the _Shinigami_ without any interference. Momo remained completely stoic however she could not help but wonder how a small person like Rangiku easily sent a shot at that kind of speed. She definitely did not have Ayane's build; the _Shinigami_ mused deeply as she deflected another shot from the freshman.

"What's the matter, _Shinigami_," Rangiku sneered while slamming the ball hard towards the other end of the court. "You're on the defensive."

Momo remained completely silent as she returned another shot coming from the freshman. Her body trembled violently while trying to maintain her stoic expression. The ball cracked back and forth between them but she could feel her wrist straining and her arm numbing considerably. Everything around her became increasingly silent as the only thing in her line of sight was Rangiku as she attacked even faster than ever.

_She knows my movements. What is this... feeling?_

"You struggle for recognition among your peers as Sanada Momo," Rangiku eyed her carefully while continuing her offence. "You created the three sceneries and also the Anti-_FuuRinKaZan_ but what does that do? It does not deviate you from the fact that you are born a Sanada. You are insecure; you feel that no matter what happens – you are still tied to the clan, regardless."

Momo hesitated to return the shot, causing the ball to fly out.

"Out, fifteen – all," Momo bit her lower lip anxiously as she glanced at her racquet.

_That's it now; you know how it's like to face someone like Kurenai except this one has no sense of mercy and compassion or whatsoever._

Fuuka smiled slowly at the freshman's progress. She never expected Rangiku to develop her third personality this far, considering all the training that they forced themselves to cram towards the Regionals. Shigetsu Kaori had also given her some data she had obtained regarding the Hyotei girls training. Upon reading the notebook and testing the theories, the red head herself could not believe that someone like Kotetsu Naomi would device such a regimen specifically for training to inflict psychological breakdowns. She knew something about Shizuru had been quite off; they were complete opposites of the spectrum but not in terms of degree! Thinking about it, she pieced together how Naomi wanted someone who specifically had the competency to handle that kind of warfare.

_Intentionally, Kotetsu had wiped away that sense of honour within Kurenai. Tsk, what a troublesome bitch. Then again, I guess I can say it somewhat backfired because Kurenai's too sweet for that thing._

Fuuka furrowed her eyebrows a bit, glancing back at the notebook that Kaori had handed to her. She followed the exact training regimen stated here in the notebook, word per word. What she did not expect however was that Rangiku's playing style had fit perfectly into the training routine. Karin continued reinforcing it and making sure but now, the Seishun Gakuen captain began pondering on whether or not it was a good idea to implement a crazy training regimen like that.

On the other hand, Momo found herself completely unsure of what to feel.

Rangiku's words continued to echo in her mind while she continued to play. A disgusting feeling rumbled in her stomach at the thought of submitting to the wills of the Sanada council. Her body continued to violently tremble at Rangiku's spot-on revelation while she tried to gather some of her wits and confidence. She could feel each of Rangiku's shots getting stronger. Or was it more that she was getting weaker? The _Shinigami_ could not tell why but her eyes slightly widened as the ball zoomed past her.

"Fifteen – Thirty," –Rangiku calmly stood in front of her with a victorious smirk.

Rangiku paced around with a predatory smile. "The way you walk, the way you talk and even your tennis – it has all been dictated by the Sanada. You claim that you are trying to break free from that but, are you trying to break out really? Or are you trying desperately to gain their recognition as one of the family members of the lower branch of the Sanada?"

Momo slightly staggered back with her sweat trickling down her cheeks. The _Shinigami_ curled her hand into a fist as she recalled the times people had tried to convince her about Midoriyama being not "all there" anymore. Midoriyama had always supported her and watched her back until things between her and Rikkai Dai went extremely wrong. Did Miaka actually know a thing or two about the sisterly bond they had? She shook her head defiantly while recalling Sanada's words.

_I'm not speaking to you as the head of the Sanada clan. I'm speaking to you as your cousin, Momo._

_Impossible,_ she bit her lower lip anxiously, staring at the strings of her racquet. _Inuzuka could not have gained that information that easily. Secondly, what did Genichirou care about what I did with my life? My ties have been long time severed._

Or could they?

"As a woman from a traditional family living in a modern world, there is bound to be conflict," Rangiku silkily purred while twirling her racquet around. "While other women are allowed to have the freedom in their choices, you are left amongst the chains of history. Your wings have been pinioned; you can only look to the sky in wonder as you try to imagine the feeling of flying. Isn't that what you thought about the Sanada clan, Sanada Momo? Haven't you hated your cousin not because of his potential but because of the freedom he was granted? Unfortunately, you know deep down you can't have it. You are nothing but a little girl condemned to the chains of the Sanada history. While you constantly egg people to move on, it is an irony that you are the one who hasn't moved on yet. "

"You should learn how to keep your mouth shut," Momo darkly whispered with her glare intensifying.

Standing in the bleachers along with his other teammates, the male Sanada watched the psychological warfare planned by the freshman of Seigaku. His eyes widened at the revelations poured freely from the freshman's mouth without any restrictions. How did she gain the ability to see through Momo when only a few people were gifted with that kind of empathy? Clearly, his phoenix had it; although the Emperor wished she could have been the empress. But, Sanada watched his cousin deal with the emotional attacks carefully. For some strange reason, she did not snap or even show the slightest amount of emotion flickering in her eyes. The only thing observable would be her ominous glare and the tightening of her grip on her racquet.

And he found that realization and observation truly infuriating.

However, his infuriation did not stem from the revelations but more on how Momo received the attacks with such calmness and composure. Amongst the two of them, he was the one who supposedly had better control of his temper while Momo constantly would fly off the handle during the childhood. However, he had never seen Momo maintain such restraint on her emotion or her spiteful fury. If there was anything the _Shinigami_ made herself famous for, it would be her spiteful fury. Hyotei's vice captain may have the volume but as an old adage goes: "Beware the silent ones more than those with the bark."

"How long will you stand there," Rangiku tousled around with her strawberry blonde hair. "You should reserve your energy for beating me, not glaring holes."

Momo bit her lower lip as another serve cracked off from Rangiku's racquet. The collision of the ball echoed in her ears as she continued to skid and slide around to prevent herself from feeling the fatigue. She could feel the whole world spinning in her vision but Momo immediately dismissed it as nothing to be of much concern. She continued unleashing top spins and under spins before revealing the _Oto_ in its full glory.

_I won't lose... The momentum of winning is on my shoulders...!_

As the _Oto_ zoomed towards Rangiku, the little girl easily deflected it as the ball screamed straight back at her with the same speed. It whizzed straight past the _Shinigami_'s ear and sent her keeling onto the ground in shock and daze. Momo forced herself to stand properly only to drop one knee as her vision spun around horribly with colours flashing around. The purple haired female managed to stay awake despite the incessant ringing in her ears but Momo barely managed to maintain a tight grip on her racquet.

_How did she do that?_

Both Sanada's found themselves completely astonished and admonished to how Rangiku managed to replicate Sanada's technique without seeing it even once. The male Sanada tightened his grip on the railing while watching the match progress gradually into Rangiku's favour. Despite Momo releasing the first scenery, Rangiku had already repelled it without much effort. She smiled slyly at the agonized senior.

"Your technique is nothing special really – it's only powerful when it's aimed properly," Rangiku tousled her hair carelessly, sparing a glance at the struggling Hyotei regular. "It's the same with all your other techniques. You claim they are a deviant to the emperor's but how far apart are they exactly?"

Momo bit her lower lip, curling her hand into a fist. She struggled heavily to stand up only to collapse under the weakness of her wrist and arms. Her eyes widened at Rangiku's strategy while envisioning it in her head, noticing her arms slowly unable to pick her up from the ground.

_What Kotetsu did not teach Kurenai is how to attack both physically and mentally without making it obvious._

_Rangiku_ _already had all the firepower she needed,_ Fuuka folded her legs while calculatingly watch the match. She shook her head; Kaori couldn't have possibly known that Rangiku was already this powerful. Her eyes surveyed the court as the other spectators looked with ongoing anticipation and suspense as Momo staggered back from every shot.

"Game, Shibuya: one game to two!"

"God, Sanada's taking a beating out there," Shishido curled his bottom lip, biting hard. "This kid's something."

Atobe folded his arms, watching deeply. "No, she's not. She is only a forewarning..."

They all swivelled their heads towards Atobe as he glanced at the other side. "Seishun Gakuen girls' team has constantly held back their best players in order to prevent other schools from gaining accurate data. According to the last matches, Shibuya Rangiku barely showed up until the finals of the Prefectural matches thus nobody knows that she was indeed one of the regulars of Seigaku. Soon, Seigaku worked up the ambush to bring down Hyotei with something they know they can't beat unless they've gone through hell and back..."

Oshitari furrowed his eyebrows. "They basically replicated the entire Hyotei team... The worst part is – they completely covered all their bases."

"Souma Fuuka's Herculean strength is more her thing, Mouri Enma – rumour holds that she has the best stamina amongst the Seigaku players, Tashiko Midori – holds the record of the fastest response time, Renkeikouji Atoli – Seigaku's Swan, Jerrard Vera – the heartbreaker, Shibuya Rangiku plays as a counterpart for either Sanada or Kurenai. After all," Atobe shook his head bitterly. "No man can ever win against himself. This battle will be a draw at best..."

However, Atobe found a plastic bottle flying towards his face and squarely knocked him on the forehead. He shook off the daze only to find Ayane snorting in annoyance at him.

"Who said I'm gonna let Jerrard crush me," Ayane screeched angrily, jabbing her finger venomously at him. "If it's a battle she wants, I'm gonna rearrange her face so bad – everybody's gonna ask if Frankenstein was the one who gave her a makeover! Besides, what makes you think Seigaku's got the ambush on us huh? You bloody peacock, did all your brains go to your tail feathers! It better have not 'cause I know one thing: I'M GONNA FLOOR THAT BITCH'S ASS!"

Atobe chuckled deeply, glancing at the tangerine haired girl proudly. Amongst the Hyotei regulars, she had the loudest voice and most probably – the strongest drive. He knew that if anyone could break Seigaku's doubles combination – it would be here. With brute force or not, Atobe smirked triumphantly at Ayane's determined smile. Without a word, Atobe raised his hand in the air as the bleachers howled and chanted the loud cheers for Hyotei.

_Alright, show them Ayane – show them you are ore-sama's queen!_

"Your hubby's doing it again," Kiyone rolled her eyes before sitting on the bench.

Ayane waved her hand dismissively, snorting in annoyance. "Damn, you might as well check if he has ass-feathers! Then you'll actually know where all his brains went!"

"To think this man's your boyfriend and that's what you think of him," Haruka raised an eyebrow questioningly at Ayane. "You're such a _tsundere_, Ayane."

Ayane grabbed Kiyone by the hair, shaking her uncontrollably and violently. "I AM NOT A _TSUNDERE_!"

"Waaah _buchou_, she's abusing me," Kiyone wailed comically before detaching her hair from Ayane's iron grip and hiding behind the brunette captain. "Ground her!"

Shizuru sighed in her palm, exhaling sharply. "Your ability create a commotion even in the most tense atmospheres never ceases to amaze me, really."

"Well, that's what you get for having the two of them together with Atobe Keigo as the subject of conversation," Mai shrugged nonchalantly before remarking offhandedly. "You have quite the spectator looking at you too you know."

Shizuru blushed immediately, snapping her head up. "Hahaha, wh-what are you talking about? Of course everyone's watching!"

"Sometimes a second pair of eyes helps people see better doncha know," Mai chuckled sardonically, grinning from ear to ear. _Oh I am so having a kick out of this._

"Mai, I hate you," Shizuru folded her arms, turning her attention back to the game.

"Don't worry I love you too, dear," Mai laughed before ruffling her best friend's hair. "Relax, all this tension's probably making you stiffer than Sanada Genichirou on high blood pressure."

Suddenly, a deafening _bang_ reached their ears as they found Momo plastered against the wall. Momo visibly winced at the pain shooting through her back as she slumped down on the ground, kneeling to maintain whatever consciousness she had left. Nobody had ever sent the _Shinigami _flying; not even Ayane had that kind of conscience to do such a thing. Sanada's eyes slightly widened with shock as Sengoku lunged for the railing, trying to get a closer look on his favourite _Shinigami. _Rangiku innocently stood in front of her without even showing any sense of enthusiasm or horror that her opponent just flew towards the other end of the wall.

"How does it feel," Rangiku slowly smiled while twirling her racquet around. "To be destroyed by the techniques you strove so hard to destroy?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Sorry for the late update! So much summer class! I hope you liked this chapter – didn't expect Rangiku to get all evil and be aware of it now didn't ya? XD Oh well, please don't forget to review! No reviews = no chapter. :( **


	53. Shinigami Shot

**Me: Once again, I thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favourites! :D It gives me a great sense of achievement but the reviews play a bigger part. It allows me to communicate with you guys as readers and give me tips or any suggestions you may have for the stories. If you guys want some drama, "The Queens' Lives" is there for a reason! XD Hopefully, I can finish this part of the Regionals and move on to the Goodwill Games or the International games! By the way, I do not own any of the "Prince of Tennis" characters except the OCs!**

**easily1994addicted: **Thank you for the review! I truly appreciate it. I'm currently working on your request of Sengoku and Momo. Like you said, they are just too cute!

Chapter 53 - Shinigami Shot

Momo staggered back onto the court while trying clear her hazy vision. She blinked several times before recalling the speed of the ball zooming straight at her within a split second. Without a second to react, the _Shinigami_ found herself plastered against the wall with small bits of rubble clattering on the ground next to her. Everything flashed before her mind as she continued walking back to the baseline. Her ribs screamed in agonizing pain; where did a freshman gain that kind of power? She could understand Ayane's power since her build was perfect for that kind of bulldozing.

_It makes no sense..._

Momo's knees suddenly gave in as she collapsed on the ground, kneeling in complete paralysis. Rangiku continued to remain standing tall before her, smirking as she did so. The _Shinigami_ struggled to stand up only to have her knees give out under her. She stared at the ground, bewildered. How did Rangiku manage to shock her legs into numbness? She slapped her legs only to realize in horror that she could not feel anything. Her upper torso trembled as her legs refused to respond to any of her commands. Much to her shock, instead of seeing the freshman - the male Sanada stood in front of her mocking and taunting her for her weakness. She slammed her fist on the ground, averting her eyes.

"Momo," Isane gripped the railing tightly, watching her friend trying to cope with her non-responsive body. "Come on, you have to get up!"

Haruka bit her lower lip anxiously, clenching her hands into fists. "There's something familiar about this style of play..."

Hitomi's eyes widened. "The numbers she's doing... It's not the same one for the three sets of data I gathered from the last matches. I double checked my data through the videos..."

Mai narrowed her eyes. "That's because the Wraith originated from the corpse. Not just any corpse however..."

Ayane swallowed hard at the intense gaze coming from the _tensai._ "You mean-?"

"Man can never win against himself," Mai justified while folding her arms.

Shizuru shook her head. "Man can only acknowledge himself and use that power to become better but not eliminate it completely. She may be copying my numbers but how far can she go?"

Rin jumped onto the railing, cheering loudly for the _Shinigami_. "Momo-_chan_, don't give up!"

The _Shinigami_ struggled against her paralysis but every time she stood up, her legs immediately gave way beneath her. The purple haired senior bit her lower lip shamefacedly; Momo narrowed her eyes angrily at her legs and even tried slapping it to life. No pain reached her nerves even as she struggled to crawl. Momo hung her head embarrassedly; never in her life had she been so helpless. She shut her eyes with tears threatening to spill out of them - although it would injure her pride, Momo could feel her mouth running dry. What good could she do with a pair of dead legs?

"Time out for a moment," a voice snapped through the tension of the match.

Momo's eyes snapped open until she felt someone carrying her bridal style. She shook her head in admonishment until an orange mob of hair came into view. Sengoku grinned goofily at her before bringing her to the bench. The _Shinigami_ wasn't quite sure what to believe at the moment. It was either Sengoku did it on purpose to buy her some time or he's just inexplicably stupid. As he set Momo down, her grip on her racquet loosened as it clattered on the ground.

"What was that for," Momo twitched darkly at the bubbly orange haired vice captain of Yamabuki.

Sengoku's expression became serious. "Momo-_chan_, aren't you over-thinking this match a bit? Trying to counter every one of her personality is impossible unless you're an empath."

Momo bit her lower lip while glancing at her trembling legs, tasting salty liquid at the top of her mouth. "I... I can't figure out what her weakness is... her physical aspect is all perfect - I can barely find anything as a signal to tell me whether or not she's using one personality or the other. It's as if she's the improved version of Shizuru. For Shizuru, it was easy for me to predict because she would always try to stop putting too much weight on her left leg as a subconscious act to prevent herself from wearing out her body. Rangiku's..."

"You always told me that every opponent has a weakness," Shizuru gently picked up her racquet from the ground, placing it once again in Momo's hands with an encouraging smile. "See it and exploit it. The mind is a very powerful object - it can be your greatest obstacle or your greatest weapon."

Momo smiled bitterly at her junior. "How can you exploit the weakness when it does not exist?"

"Then you're just going to have to make one," Mai folded her arms with a note of finality. "She's only human - what kind of human claims they're perfect?"

Kiyone prepared to open her mouth before the red haired _tensai_ rolled her eyes at the freshman volleyist. "Shiraishi's tennis is the one that's perfect, not his personality."

The sandy haired volleyist then snapped her mouth shut.

"I know you can do it, Momo-_chan_," Sengoku held both her hands before staring her straight into the eyes, smiling with extreme optimism. "Win or lose, it's the experience that counts right? If you win, that's a bonus. If you lose, that's a bonus for you too since you learn from it right~? I have faith in you, _Shinigami_-_chan_!"

Momo stared at Sengoku for a moment, completely astonished. Her body somewhat trembled as Sengoku clasped her hands even tighter as if to prevent her from feeling any fear. Her heart continued to wildly pump but slowly calmed itself when Sengoku continued to smile at her with much encouragement. Tears spilled freely from her eyes as she collapsed onto her knees and threw her arms for an embrace. Among any of her opponents, Shibuya certainly struck the most fear in her. Inuzuka pounded at her with extreme brute force but Rangiku threw her mind into complete turmoil. All her thoughts rushed out wildly and screamed at her body to turn away.

_No, I will not let my fear destroy me._

"S-Sengoku, thank you," she swallowed hard, realizing how much of her pride just went down the drain. "Why is it you know how to say the darnest of things?"

Sengoku however noticed the fact that she dropped the suffix. "Y-you dropped the suffix - Lucky~!"

Momo, upon realizing his words, blushed intensely before slapping his cheek lightly. "Agh, you just had to ruin the moment."

Sengoku pouted impishly but grinned cheekily right after. "Aww, I just wanted to make you feel better. But I still got you to smile, right _Shinigami-chan_?"

The _Shinigami_ chuckled lightly before tightly gripping her racquet with newfound determination. Her body slowly stopped trembling despite Rangiku's dead on calculating stare. She smirked before walking forward towards the court once again. Despite the power coming from the freshman, the _Shinigami_ bit her lower lip while watching the girl's movement. She glanced at the captain of Seigaku for a moment, wondering how she managed to replicate Shizuru's power. However, a smirk curved up the _Shinigami_'s lips as she steeled her grip on her racquet.

"I see you managed to gain some confidence," Rangiku smiled slowly while watching Momo take her stand on the court. "I wonder - that orange seems a bit important to you."

Momo watched Rangiku's movements carefully and calculatingly. "Important is a subjective word. Everyone holds importance on different degrees."

Rangiku matched Momo's calm and stoic gaze with her own. "Ah, so it seems."

Their eyes clearly levelled with one another as prepared for another round. Momo unleashed a speeding serve as Rangiku lunged forward with a screaming forehand. The _Shinigami_ narrowed her eyes carefully at her opponent as she watched the Wraith Child pivot and zoom towards the other end. She curled her racquet around the ball, delaying the ball for a few moments before smirking at the freshman. Admonished, Rangiku forcibly jumped towards the other side as the ball slid past her.

"Just as I expected," Momo twirled her racquet around before resting it against her shoulder. "That is the one thing that separates my captain from you. Her reaction time is beyond yours."

Rangiku smirks lightly before regaining her composure. "Well, Souma-_buchou _cannot completely clone Shizuru-_nee-san_. But she is ranked first in my list. You're ranked five. But I guess dealing with you right now past sixth to ninth is not too bad."

Momo bristled a bit at her rank. "Sixth rank huh? I'm guessing that the four queens are at rank one to four."

She chuckled humourlessly before retaliating with another forehand. "That depends on how you amuse me, Sanada-_san._"

"So, she wants amusement," Momo smirked inwardly before serving quickly once again. "If so then, I shall amuse her. Crushing her will soon follow..."

The ball zoomed towards the _Shinigami_ as she continued attacking with a strong forehand. Rangiku immediately retaliated with a light backhand which Momo sliced right under, causing the ball to slap right over the net. The freshman madly dashed for it as she forcibly lobbed the ball with Momo throwing all her weight forward for a screaming _Sui_ to snatch another point.

"Fifteen - love," Momo inhaled deeply, struggling to calm herself down.

"Interesting thought," Rangiku glanced at the very burn mark on the court from Momo's smash. "It's quite the muscle control you have. If I remember Amane-_senpai_ telling me right, your vice captain is the strongest woman in Hyotei. I wanted to fight her more than you actually. It would have been fun to break her piece by piece. Too bad she only plays doubles though..."

The _Shinigami_ bit her lower lip disgustedly. "Since when did you become so vindictive and ruthless? It's as if everyone here to you is prey."

"Isn't that what a Wraith does," Rangiku shrugged nonchalantly before sauntering towards her end of the court. "But what got me excited was to fight the Shikabanehime. The one who crushed my captain... I wanted to see her scared witless that her own style had been used against her... That's gonna be something. I'm the new and improved version of her after all."

Haruka gripped the railings tightly, shaking her head. "Souma's replaying the past all over again except Shibuya's definitely hungrier for victory more than Shizuru ever was. Shizuru basically just wanted the fun in it. It's sad that - people had to turn out this way..."

"Most of the people have an issue with us considering how powerful Hyotei Gakuen is with us as its core team," Hitomi reasoned before sitting down next to Rin, watching the match. "If this is Souma's way of unlocking the _Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami_, why do I have a feeling that it's gonna become the complete anti-thesis of that? Data and information alone cannot even quantify the power of the _Teni Mu'hou no Kiwami_. That was the fatal flaw in Kotetsu-_san's _plan; she wanted Shizuru to maintain the same ability but ended up completely erasing it instead."

Momo narrowed her eyes a bit as she released another speeding serve. Rangiku returned the shot effortlessly while the _Shinigami_ darted towards the net for a quick drive volley. Momo shook away the beads of sweat pouring down her face profusely as she continued her attack. Rangiku performed a cartwheel easily before unleashing a strong weighted backhand towards Momo once more. The Hyotei team pensively watched their _Shinigami_ fight Seigaku's Wraith as she continued releasing her attacks relentlessly.

"Fifteen - all," Rangiku forehanded the shot straight all the way to the left corner of the baseline.

Momo bristled a bit at the predicament, looking at the mark left on the baseline. She shook her head and remembered the speed of the ball that zoomed by her. The _Shinigami_ shook her head defiantly; the ball did not disappear - more like her eyes could not catch the speed of the ball. The purple haired female recalled the whizzing sound of the ball before it cracked behind her. As far as she was concerned, Sanada performed that technique with ease but as she glanced at Rangiku when a small smile curved up her lips. Momo readied another serve and sent it zooming towards Rangiku. Unable to deflect on time, Rangiku forcibly lobbed it up into the air and darted backwards to receive the smash. Momo twisted her body in the air a full 360 degree as Rangiku, sensing a feint, immediately darted forward. As soon as Momo found her running forward, she immediately curled her racquet around the ball before adding a top spin to her full body-weighted smash. The ball awkwardly zoomed around before crashing right behind Rangiku.

"The water takes shape of any container it is placed in," Momo smiled slyly to the freshman. "That is something only experience could ever teach you about me. You may have Shizuru's capabilities, you may have the ability to replicate like Seigaku's Echizen Ryoma but here's your problem - you can only physically replicate it but not conceptually. You could have finished me off with return aces with the _Fuu_ but you chose not to. Sanada's body is definitely used to the strain placed on his arm when releasing the _Fuu_ at the same time - he knows the follow-through. The difference between him and you is that you rely more on power to release that kind of speed, his is more on follow-through. That is the difference between you and him and perhaps, you and I..."

On the bleachers, Sanada watched his cousin from afar as she caught wind of the technique. "You wouldn't be a Sanada if you didn't figure that out, Momo..."

Sengoku punched the air with enthusiasm. "Go Momo-_chan_!"

Momo chuckled triumphantly but narrowed her gaze at Rangiku once again. The little girl continued to stand before her with a haughty expression on her face without batting an eyelash. The _Shinigami_, analysing her carefully, bounced the ball once again to prepare for another service. She noticed Rangiku's body however trembling. The violet haired Hyotei regular inwardly smirked to herself while processing whatever had occurred a few moments ago.

_If anything, Rangiku is terrified by herself. Her body is trembling and sweat is pouring down profusely. Who wouldn't feel afraid when Death is staring them straight in the face? Not only that, this is basically like slow rejection of oneself._

Momo flipped her racquet around a bit as she carefully watched Rangiku's mannerisms. The small girl shivered despite there being no wind as Momo redirected her ebony orbs at the freshman. Although the freshman's expression remained completely stolid, Rangiku visibly flinched every time the female Sanada cast her gaze at her.

"Your body's betraying you," Momo stated flatly. "Your eyes are flickering in fear; you followed the training of Shizuru-_buchou_ down to the letter but what your trainer failed to realize is the emotional damage it inflicts also on oneself. You are now doubting yourself; your emotions are swirling around you. I'm guessing that your vision is swirling around and your body is currently refusing to respond. Your current style is conflicting with your ideals and real playing style."

Rangiku laughed sheepishly, trying to maintain a haughty expression. "Wh-what makes you say that? You're in no position to tell me such things!"

Momo bitterly smiled. "You're right; I am not in the position to tell you that however I do have the experience to explain to you what your captain did to your training regimen. Unintentionally or not, your captain recreated my captain with Seigaku morals in order to cancel out her capability. Although your playing style and skill expanded exponentially, you are left with a deep conflict."

Rangiku narrowed her eyes, tightly gripping her racquet. "How...? But why would she...? Don't you dare confuse me! My style has always been like this and I will prove that to you!"

"Suit yourself," Momo closed her eyes in resignation before walking away.

Another rally ensued with Momo pushing Rangiku back towards the end of the baseline. Momo increased her speed little by little as she altered her stance into her kendo stance. Each and every shot exploded as she slashed the ball with a whip like fashion and cracking easily through Rangiku's defence. The smaller girl shivered slightly but pushed on forward with a backhand swinging towards Momo. The _Shinigami _backed up a bit before slashing it once more with a sidestep. Watching the match carefully, Fuuka shook her head dejectedly while glancing at the notebook in Karin's hands.

"What exactly did you want to accomplish by trying to have Rangiku learn the way of psychological warfare," Fuuka beadily narrowed her eyes at her data master. "I don't intend to copy Kotetsu and her pathetic attempts to create the ultimate tennis player. No offense to Rangiku but she doesn't have the brains and the sociological understanding. Although, I understand her intentions: She wanted to go down in history as the trainer of the greatest player. She wanted to ensure Hyotei's reign of championship."

Karin nodded weakly. "I wanted to reinforce Rangiku's style... She told me once that it was lacking something. I simply presented the opportunity. It was a ninety percent chance that she would subconsciously adopt Kurenai's personality. Forgive me, Souma-_buchou_."

Fuuka sighed dejectedly, watching Rangiku forcibly fight back. "Looks like it's back to square one for us..."

Sakuno however bit her thumb nail anxiously. "Will Rangiku-_chan_ be okay?"

"She better be," Vera darkly scoffed. "Sanada may have the ability to quickly analyse human anatomy but she has never played against anyone like Rangiku-_chan_."

On the other hand, Fuji continued to watch the match progressing between them. "It's surprising though that Rangiku's style is actually a fusion of the two captains of Hyotei. She has Kurenai's speed and tenacity but also armed with Atobe's aggressiveness and quick thinking. The thing is her body cannot respond quickly enough to the signals that her brain is sending. But I don't think that's the real match here..."

Momo bit her lip while watching Rangiku tirelessly chase after the ball. The ball zoomed back and forth as their shots cracked from their racquets. The _Shinigami _glanced at Rangiku, noticing the swelling get worse.

_One thing's for sure - she doesn't have dead pain receptors like my captain. She won't last long with the way she's going._

"Net, Forty-fifteen," Rangiku staggered backward a bit in shock, breathing heavily as the ball rolled towards her.

_Her body's already showing signs..._

The Sanada female recalled the match between Atobe and Tezuka, recalling the relentlessness of both players. Despite Tezuka's arm swelling up like a bubble, the Seigaku captain pressed on with his match. Although it was considered insanity, it was something that many tennis players would do subconsciously. She sighed deeply to herself while shaking her head dejectedly; was it worth using the same strategy? If anything, the longer she drags the match - the faster Rangiku would get worn out... it would be advantageous for her but would her morals started biting her back.

_Unfortunately for you, your body cannot withstand the same burden my captain can. That is what separated her from you. That is what made her my captain. With the way you're going, you're only going to last for at the most the next forty five minutes. You'll have to be my sparring partner for the next two hours!_

Momo increased the speed of her rally while Rangiku adapted almost instantly to the _Shinigami_'s style. The elder player furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the smaller player. Her shots exploded in all directions as she struggled to keep up with the kind of power and speed she was forcing herself to dish out. Her legs swelled in agony as her feet slowly began to drag itself on the court with her nearly tripping over a few times. Rangiku shook away the pain but it slowly started ebbing away at her, revealing a more pained expression on her face.

"If you're so restrained with the style you're currently using," Momo raised an eyebrow questioningly before sending back a forehand. "Why don't you go back to your original style?"

Rangiku momentarily froze but not before volleying back at Momo. "I... Because..."

"Don't tell me that your original style has no style."

Rangiku sharply snapped her head up as Momo prepared a drive volley. "You can't compare two different tennis styles because nobody is the same. It's like comparing an apple to an orange. Judging from your body structure, I'm guessing you're more the aggressive all-rounder. Just like a certain peacock from Hyotei..."

Atobe huffed indignantly, folding his arms with a snort. "_Ore-sama_ is not a peacock."

Momo chuckled humourlessly as a small smirk curved up her lips. "Ah so you say but everyone knows you have an ego as big as Andromeda, drama king."

Ayane grinned cheekily, forcing back her loud chortle. "She's right about that part, Keigo."

Atobe merely huffed in response. "_Arn~_, it's not a crime to be proud of one's power no, Ayane?"

Ayane pursed her lips in annoyance. "Che, I guess we're both victims of that."

Sengoku watched the ball on straight into the air from Rangiku's side. "Another unforced error, Momo_-chan_! Take the shot!"

Momo saw the ball floating it high into the air. She initially thought of performing the _Sui_ but hesitated on that shot. A realization caused her to smirk victoriously as she jumped high in the air for an astounding crack. The Hyotei team noticed the distance between her and the ground and Sengoku could not believe his eyes. He shook his head a few times to check if his eyes were deceiving him but she actually managed to soar into the air. The sun glinted off her expression making her more ethereal to him than she already was. Formerly with the eyes of Death, she maintained a strong control over her power and Sengoku stood up with encouragement.

"Go get her, Momo!"

"This is a little tribute for someone precious to me," Momo swung her racquet down for a startling smash. "Rage on, _Kouhou!"_

Sengoku's eyes widened with a proud smile spreading across his face. His heart soared with joy; he chuckled inwardly as to how his reactions were becoming more and more evident especially when she said that he was precious to her. He resisted the urge to grin and make a loud comment, remembering what could happen in the flow of the match. His eyes steadily observed the ball zoom towards Rangiku as the small girl staggered back fearfully with the explosive shot of the ball. The tiger shot curled around the court before rolling towards the wall with an extreme spin and burying itself into the wall. His eyes widened in shock - he couldn't produce something of that strength and had been wanting to do so.

"I bet you were expecting her to friend zone you," Sengoku swivelled his head towards the _kansai_ prodigy. "Momo can't easily show that she cares but you should know by the way she talks alone that she cares. Momo's a bit of a rock also but not as bad as Sanada. Perhaps, this is also her way of helping you with her tennis."

The lucky vice captain of Yamabuki smiled at that thought as Rangiku reeled back from the last power shot. He glanced at his palm for a moment before tracing his cheek, the same place where the _Shinigami_ had planted a kiss. He nearly swooned over at the thought but nodded vigorously. He can't have his _Shinigami_ fighting for him all the time.

"Game: Sanada, three games to one!"

Rangiku fearfully trembled looking at the gap between them now. She stared in admonishment while trying to prevent herself from keeling over from the impact. Her grip tightened on her racquet, rethinking her strategy. Initially, the imitation of Sanada Genichirou sounded like a good plan but now - Momo had simply leapt over that hurdle without exerting as much effort.

_Why? Why can't I do this right?_

Her body throbbed with anxiety as she struggled to maintain a tight grip on her racquet but even her palms slowly became clammy. She remembered following the training down to the last letter but the freshman could not understand why her body continued to throb and writhe in agony. She glanced at Momo and despite her watering the court with her sweat - the girl stood with a confident aura without flinching or faltering. She prepared to serve for her game however her hand refused to maintain a firm grip on the ball.

"_Dainimakume: Mikazuki no Nakete_," Momo smiled triumphantly to herself while glancing at the girl falling onto the ground. "I guess your fear is striking through you now. I didn't make it noticeable back then but do you remember the shot that cracked through your defences?"

Watching the match from afar, Sanada folded his arms with approval as a small smile quirked up his lips. The female had barely used the Anti-_FuuRinKaZan_ strategy and went straight to the three Kabuki theatre mash-up. The other Rikkai Dai members joined him in the stands, watching their former player progress faster.

"I guess it was good to suggest to her to transfer to Hyotei," Ai glanced at her brother's vice captain, shrugging nonchalantly. "Although, I don't think your family knows you hid those news articles about her on purpose to get her to progress farther and become a better person."

Sanada sighed deeply to himself, remembering the huge crate located deep into his cabinet. Other than the newspaper clippings of his achievements, he had kept Momo's hidden inside the box. No one particularly cared about her in the family other than her modernized parents. They became a bit more open-minded to the world and supported her transfer to Hyotei to get her away from all the politics of the Sanada clan. He glanced at one newspaper clipping he had hidden in his wallet as a small smile crept up his lips.

_SANADA MOMO, EMPRESS OF RIKKAI DAI, RANKS NUMBER ONE IN JUNIOR TOURNAMENT!_

The press had given her the nickname of "empress" but Sanada noticed how disgusted she was by it. She swore to become something else and Sanada could not help but applaud her. The Sanada clan although they had refused to admit it, Momo started exceeding their expectations. No way was she some stay-at-home wife, she practically made every cousin in the Sanada family look bad with her swordsmanship, her morals, ethics and everything else. Sanada found her more capable than he was in the ruling department. But tradition never liked matriarchs; Momo was despised for her strong will. He glanced one moment at Sengoku and smirked inwardly.

"You're something beyond an empress, Momo," Sanada chuckled deeply to himself while leaning against the railings comfortably. "You've truly become a _Shinigami_. But, don't forget that you're not alone. In life, you'll also need a little bit of luck."

Jackal took a seat next to Haruka watching the match progress. "Will you be playing today?"

"Yeah," Haruka nodded nervously, twiddling with her thumbs. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure if I'll win this time."

Jackal noticed her pursing her lips before he slowly slipped his hands over hers. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I mean - you win some you lose some. Although Rikkai Dai's not into the thought of losing or even the possibility of them losing, it's somewhat healthy to lose once and awhile. You end up learning a lot more."

Haruka smiled before giggling a bit, fighting her urge to blush. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

_OMG, OMG, HE'S HOLDING MY HAND!_

Haruka suddenly felt the urge to faint right there and then but shook her head to resist the urge. The pink haired dragon glanced at Momo giving the match her all as the ball suddenly cracked away from Rangiku's racquet and pummelled the _Shinigami_ into the wall again. Everyone stood up in shock as Momo actually tumbled onto the ground before slamming hard against the concrete. Surrounding the freshman's body however was a huge creature and her body glowing with a whitish glow, Rangiku inhaled deeply before pointing her racquet at the fallen _Shinigami_. The creature roared as Rangiku's formerly childish grin became more phantasmal and ghastly. She did not let out any maniacal laughter but her smile was good enough to send shivers down everyone's spines.

"I see you met my companion," Rangiku graced the _Shinigami_ with a sultry smile. "I don't normally use my _Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami _unless you're really talented. You should be honoured."

Momo bit her lower lip, gazing directly at the creature. The image suddenly began to flicker as a Rangiku proceeded to play on. The creature alighted behind Rangiku as it revealed a pair of fangs, snarling and encasing the strawberry blonde freshman in a protective embrace.

"Sheesh, a rabid red eye white rabbit," Momo raised her eyebrow. "I guess I shouldn't expect too much from a freshman."

Rangiku scoffed darkly. "And who gave you the authority to judge what my _Hyakuren _aura should look like? You yourself can't even access the gates of the_ Muga no Kyouchi_."

The _Shinigami_ shrugged it off nonchalantly before gesturing towards Rangiku's trembling body. "I do not need an aura to play against you. As you can see, your body is still suffering the effects of the Death Theatre's first two events."

Rangiku bristled as she forced herself to recover from the last attack. "You lie."

"More like you're in a case self-denial. The more you do that the worse it will get."

Marui whistled in amazement, remembering the times in Rikkai Dai. "You know, she wasn't that scary before. I mean - she had _gokiburiphobia_ back then and you would expect her to jump out of the third storey out the window. She was really crazy back then."

Sanada rolled his eyes sarcastically at the bubblegum chewing player. "That was because you constantly hung out with her along with Niou. All three of you were crazy."

_Flashback_

**Summer - Rikkai Dai, two years ago**

"At this rate, we're going to crash into some unlucky fool," a freshman male Sanada clung onto his black cap tightly, wincing every time the wind blasted his face. "Momo, why couldn't we take the cab or train like everyone else?"

Momo snickered while pedalling much faster. "You were the one who complained that we were going to be late; your fault for agreeing with me. This is normal - it's like that question you asked me before: who is crazier - the crazy one or the one following the crazy one?"

Sanada snorted with an indignant huff. "How dare you-!"

Momo smiled teasingly while grinding a rail with her bike. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding - geez, I'm starting to wonder whether or not the elders shoved a pole up your butt to make you so uptight. Besides, who's the one who constantly saves you from getting bullied? People are going to start calling you spineless one day."

"You do. But I believe it is more that you hang around with that rat-tailed boy too much," Sanada scowled at the thought in disbelief. "How did you two even agree? You two have contrary beliefs! What was his name - Niou Masaharu?"

"Niou definitely keeps my life in Rikkai Dai entertaining," Momo shrugged before skidding the bicycle right in front of the gates of Rikkai Dai. "We're here!"

The male Sanada shakily mounted off the bicycle. "Remind me to never ride with you ever again."

"Your fault for making me so jittery when it comes to time management," Momo parked her bike at the rack. "Anyhow, at least we have one hour of free time. We can check the kendo area or whichever. By the way, where's Yukimura-_kun_? Didn't he say he was going to study here with us?"

Sanada nodded stiffly. "He's my classmate for this year. Who are you with?"

"Niou, bubblegum kid and some guy with a bowl cut," Momo locked her bike onto the rack before casually throwing her school bag over her shoulder. "Bowl-cut over there can put a calculator shame and Niou definitely knows how to piss people off. He's pretty good with chemistry actually although more on anarchist chemistry and engineering. Bubblegum gets a good laugh out of it too when the teacher's the victim."

Sanada frowned in annoyance. "That explains why the toilets flooded yesterday. No wonder you visited the principal yesterday."

"What? I always get a good laugh from pissing you off. Besides, the elders need a good hoot once in awhile," Momo smirked triumphantly before taking a running head start off to the dojo. "Anyway, I'm going to check out the kendo club. See you around."

**End of Flashback**

Sanada chuckled deeply to himself as he remembered the days when Momo stayed in Rikkai Dai. Her kendo days started off with her winning the prefectural games but that all stopped all of a sudden; Momo caught wind of the thrill in tennis and started getting wind of the press. Anyone who were to deny her talent would have been either blind or just plain arrogant as he remembered the male tennis team going against her when he got bullied the first time. They practically scampered away from her. The female tennis and he remembered how Homura happily received Momo into the team. The seniors loved her like anything. They willingly offered her advice; Homura often mentioned to his _senpai_ that Momo was a promising protégé. She constantly doted upon her but sometimes became antagonistic towards her if necessary. Perhaps, that is why Momo turned out that way and...

_Maybe that's why she understands Shizuru better than anyone else._

He smiled bitterly upon remembering the night he had confessed to his cousin's captain. Shizuru definitely chose her words carefully but he couldn't help continuously stare at her. She still remained single unless Tezuka would make a move which he knew wasn't any time soon. The Rikkai Dai vice captain sighed into his palm as he bit back his urge to go grab Tezuka's arm and punch some sense into him. He could already trace Tezuka's line of vision from where he stood.

"I'm surprised you're not going to pursue her anymore," Niou raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Don't you love her?"

Sanada glared holes at the Trickster, remembering what had happened in the Rikkai Autumn Ball. "I throw the question back to you: do you love Isane?"

Niou whistled with a slight click of his tongue, mischievously grinning. "Ooh, touchy subject?"

"More like you're an idiot," Sanada stated flatly with a deadpan. "You can trick everyone but yourself."

Niou frowned a bit. Where did his vice captain learn how to retort wittily like that? However, he remembered the crest-fallen expression of Isane during that ball. Although they weren't dating, he bit his lower lip and shook his head. Dancing with Kujikawa was alright but somehow - he never had the chance to dance with the sniper. She got him with a perfect bull's eye; straight into his heart. The trickster sighed deeply to himself; didn't she hear the song that he sang? He clasped his hands together for a moment before glancing at the silver haired lanky female standing amongst the Hyotei players. He glanced at his female best friend as he remembered her words.

_The moment you begin tricking the world, you're going to start tricking yourself too. Your own self is not only the hardest to beat but also the easiest to deceive._

"Damn, she had a point right there," Niou bitterly muttered to himself before playing with the strands of his own silver blue hair.

Yagyuu sat beside his partner, drinking a small can of soda. "Quite a dilemma you placed yourself in."

"_Puri~_, I guess so," Niou chuckled darkly to himself, staring straight into the bright blue sky.

"Momo!"

The mere yelling of Kobayagi Ayane sent everyone over the edge as they found Momo completely bruised and beaten on the ground with Rangiku staring haughtily back at her. From the former score of three-one, Rangiku immediately closed the gap to a five games to three. Rangiku flashed her racquet at Momo as a bright red light shone in her face, sending the ball straight into her stomach and the senior flying straight towards the wall. The _Shinigami_ coughed a bit but managed to maintain some of her senses as she slumped onto the ground on her knees. Momo flinched from the pain as she struggled to stand up once more, feeling the agony screaming from her whole body. The violet haired female ignored the concerned glances of her teammates as she tried to concentrate and keep her view from breaking. However, she glanced at the rabid white rabbit growling at her as she stood up once again.

"I'm surprised, you took a heavy beating from the Iron Masque and Masque of the Red Death," Rangiku smiled approvingly, twirling her racquet around. "Most people surrender after that..."

Momo chuckled humourlessly, gaining some of her wit back. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not like most people..."

Rangiku chuckled before gesturing towards the scoreboard, twirling her racquet around. "So, how are you going to do this? Clearly, your body is in no condition to fight me."

"Then I won't fight you physically then," Momo coughed a bit, standing up proudly. "I guess there was a reason why Homura-_senpai_ and Midoriyama-_senpai_ taught me the basic tactics of psychological warfare. I may not be able to outrun you physically but I'm going to break you down bit by bit until I make you understand the difference between you and me..."

Marui stared incredulously at the match before glancing at Sanada. "Are you just going to stand there and let her take a beating?"

The heir to the Sanada clan found himself completely speechless as he watched Momo continue fighting on. Despite being pushed down over and over again, the _Shinigami_ managed to push herself to the limit. He remembered Yukimura's words regarding her progress; it was astonishing - even for someone like him. Rikkai Dai watched in awe as the former student slowly began fighting back. Rangiku's aura gradually lost its form as Momo's attacks increased in ferocity and speed. The Shinigami calculatingly watched the freshman shiver with fear as she released another _Mikazuki no Nakete _before following it up with the speeding _Oto. _The clan may not stand with him in his decision but he crushed the small letter he had in his hand, shaking his head in conviction.

_Momo's old enough to make her own decisions. Even if Sengoku is a brainless idiot, she may be the happiest and her best with him._

"Game, Sanada: four games to five!"

Ayane punched her fist into the air, cheering wildly. "Yeah, Momo-_senpai_'s catching up!"

Kiyone jumped up and down while waving her racquet. "Go go, purple-_senpai_! Beat her black and blue!"

Mai chuckled lightly before nodding. "I guess it t took someone who dances the same rhythm and sings the same song to wake up Momo-_senpai._"

"Momo-_senpai_ always pushed herself to the limit in order to exceed and surpass the Sanada clan's expectations," Shizuru leaned against the backrest of the bench, watching Momo push her body even further. "Ever since before, she has already exceeded their expectations and has made all their limitations pointless. She trained as hard as we all did even in private."

Sanada found himself smiling in admiration for his cousin. He nodded at her performance as she started attacking with the _Kageyoshi_, prompting Rangiku to hesitate a few moments before getting smacked in the face. The small freshman shook off the daze but did not expect the _Nadare _to crash past her with multiple flying shots. The Emperor slowly began clapping his hands as many of his teammates stood in awe and astonishment that he actually applauded her. Soon, Kirihara jumped onto the bench and began cheering loudly. Hyotei Gakuen's cheers echoed throughout the court.

_Shinigami! Shinigami! Shinigami! The winner will be Sanada Momo!_

The violet haired female could not believe what she was hearing. However, she could not stop the assault right there; Rangiku tried recovering from her last unforced error but Momo started targeting that part with strong forehands, sending the smaller girl into a horror trip. The _Shinigami_ sent a spiralling backhand towards the other end, causing Rangiku to trip over and crash on the ground.

"Game, Sanada: five games all!"

The howls and the chants thundered throughout the courts as Momo finally managed to catch up and fight back with full power. Supporters of Seigaku could not believe the support that the _Shinigami_ instantly gained from the mere support from the emperor. Fuuka snorted indignantly as she watched Momo finally push Rangiku back. Rangiku immediately began her attack once more with the Masque of the Red Death zooming straight at Momo with a flashing red glint but Momo finally sidestepped to avoid it and trusted her hearing to deflect it back deftly towards the opponent. The freshman narrowed her eyes as she started sending back another forehand towards the _Shinigami_. The Seishun Gakuen captain momentarily glanced at the scoreboard, wondering at what took Momo so long to retaliate against Rangiku's abilities.

"You don't look the least bit worried," Vera slid over to her captain's side, swinging her legs casually. "It's as if you were expecting her to lose..."

Fuuka bit her lower lip. "I wanted her to learn. Her head was getting too big so I wanted her to experience defeat in the hands of a more experienced player. That way it wouldn't be so agonizing. If I let her go against Kurenai, it's like asking her to jump off a cliff and commit suicide. She's not prepared for the warfare Kurenai's capable of. We're trained on a military scale; Rangiku's not going to survive one game. How do you think I scared the other girl during the Prefecture Games?"

Vera remained completely silent before casting her eyes towards the other team. She noticed Ayane talking to Kiyone as the small girl nodded before cocking her head to the side. The blonde girl twitched albeit slightly before casting her eyes towards Sakuno. The pigtailed haired twiddled with her thumbs as she continued watching the match. Sighing dejectedly to herself, Vera opened her notebook full of strategies before casting a few gazes at the smaller girl. She caught the pigtailed freshman glancing a few times at the male tennis prodigy of the team with a shy smile only to blush the moment he looked at her. Vera sighed once again while observing the match in front of her. Rangiku attacked with the Iron Masque zooming towards Momo's face but the female Sanada immediately deflected it away from her face with an instant raise of her racquet.

"Amazing how you could easily react to that shot," Rangiku interjected smoothly while attacking with a strong forehand. "Not many people can withstand the full blow of the Iron Masque at the same time with the reinforced power of the _Hyakuren_."

Momo feigned a chuckle while disguising her wince. "Indeed, it is a powerful shot."

_That shot nearly rearranged my face._

Momo bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming in pain. She could feel her wrist trembling from the impact but she changed the focus back to game. Rangiku's body slowly submitted to the self-inflicted pain while Momo pushed her farther into a defensive stance. She unleashed a speeding forehand as the strawberry blonde freshman retaliated with a drop shot which Momo sliced it under for a net runner. Rangiku lobbed it forcibly again as Momo struck again with the _Sui_.

"Her strength is nowhere near Momo's," Atoli narrowed her eyes darkly, watching Rangiku slowly fall back. "Even their skill level is too far apart. If you were trying to make her grow," - Atoli directed her gaze towards Fuuka. "You really chose the wrong person to force her to grow."

_She needed someone to forcibly push her to her limit. Kurenai's too soft for that kind of thing._

Fuuka played around with her shaggy red hair as her lavender orbs followed the pace of the match. Momo continued pummelling Rangiku with one serve after the other. Rangiku trembled with every shot flying across. Her shots flicked against the net as it rolled to her feet. The freshman breathed heavily as she slumped onto the ground with a slight whimper, staring at the ball that seemingly rolled near her. The _Shinigami_ found herself completely exhausted as she staggered back only to be caught by a familiar pair of strong arms. Wondering what happened to the impact; she looked up and found Sengoku grinning at her impishly and approvingly as he helped her maintain some stance on the court.

"Game and match, Sanada: seven games to five!"

Hyotei howled and cheered for their _Shinigami _as she limped off the court with Sengoku helping her to the bench. The violet haired girl exhaled sharply as she glanced at the orange haired boy. She glanced at the scoreboard, remembering that Rangiku definitely put up a good fight against her. The Masque of the Red Death dazzled her for the first time, with Rangiku's red racquet glimmering under the sun along with the ball zooming with monstrous speed.

"I must be a magnet for crazy people huh?"

Sengoku grinned with a goofy shrug. "I don't know what your context of crazy is, _Shinigami-chan. _But yeah - I did become crazy; crazy for you."

Momo sighed before swatting Sengoku at the back of his head. "You're a fool."

"But at least I'm your fool, _Shinigami-chan_," Sengoku cheerfully grinned at her once more before pulling her over. "You wanna sleep for awhile?"

Momo blushed into thirty shades of red but resisted the urge to collapse right there and then. "Geez, not in front of everyone... People are going to be looking at us the whole time..."

Sengoku protested with a pout. "But you look like you're about to collapse!"

The blonde mastermind snickered while writing down some data. "This is definitely good information - her inspiration being something that is completely contradictory to her personality. Momo has now broken a new limit for her power and has defeated the Wraith Child of _Seigaku_. However, her endurance needs some work but that is to be expected from going against someone who has brutal power and strength. The chance of that happening - 98.7 percent."

Momo sighed deeply as she cast her eyes towards the bright blue sky and the scoreboard. A small smile crept up her face as she placed her hand over the sun, glancing at the shadow of her palm. However, she noticed another hand overlap hers as it became ten fingers instead of five. She blinked several times before casting a questioning gaze towards Sengoku.

"Doesn't the sun look better when it has ten rays instead of five," Sengoku grinned childishly, beaming at her with his bright green eyes.

At this, Momo smiled warmly while shifting her hand over his. "Yeah, it does... It sure does..."

Watching her other doubles partner get along with Sengoku, Isane sighed deeply until someone plopped a cap on her head and saw Shishido looming above her. "Oh, Shishido-_kun_..."

The capped dash specialist jumped down to her seat before taking a seat next to the towering female. "Listen, Uchiha - there's this new shooting range I found. I know I'm a bit of an idiot at shooting so... I was wondering that after this match... Maybe, you can teach...me...?"

_Damn it, Shishido! Pull yourself together!_

Isane blinked several times at the sputtering and blushing dash specialist as she smiled. "Sure, where's the place?"

_Damn, she's so cute when she smiles!_

Shishido immediately brightened up upon hearing her response, fighting back his urge to sputter. "Uh, it's around Tokyo Strip Mall right next to the arcade. After that - maybe we can go grab a bite or something... Then maybe - I don't know, you choose. I just wanted to learn how to shoot better is all."

_Damn you Oshitari, I can't even keep eye contact with her!_

**Flashback**

"So, you're asking me how to romance Uchiha-_san_," Oshitari raised an eyebrow at the clueless Shishido, wondering how the dash specialist got himself into this predicament. "Didn't she like you before?"

Shishido scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah she did but..."

"But you decided to be a douche and throw her chocolates out," Oshitari raised his eyebrows questioningly, folding his arms. "I thought Gakuto was stupid but that epically stupid - even for you, Shishido. I'm guessing you became jealous when she started going out with Niou. Henceforth - when Shizuru-_chan_ and Shimohi-_san_ informed you of the plan, you're more or less determined to get her back."

Shishido sighed dejectedly, face-palming. "Just get to the damn point, Oshitari!"

"Alright, alright," the bespectacled _kansai_ prodigy chuckled humorously, waving his hand dismissively. "Uchiha-_san_'s pretty much a tomboy like Momo-_chan_ and Shizuru-_chan_. You just be yourself. She's used to being guy-zoned."

Shishido sighed into his hand. "Oshitari, don't use 9gag terms on me. As much as I do surf 9gag, don't. It really doesn't fit you."

The _kansai _male shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, I think you should start something within her interests. What exactly are we dealing with?"

Shishido pondered few moments. Most of her likes were not exactly in the fashion department. The shorter half of the Silver pair swallowed hard for a moment upon remembering exactly what he was dealing with. Isane did not bring home the gold for Hyotei in the shooting competition for nothing. Both her brothers could shoot an apple clean off his head and probably could do it with a crossbow...

_Oh wait, that's Sanada and Shizuru-chan... Damn, we have combat specialists in the female tennis team! I'm surprised that Kobayagi hasn't tried to break Atobe's arms yet. _

"Why don't you start for asking for help from her in something you suck at," Oshitari smirked triumphantly. "I mean - last time I checked, your target paper had nothing but 2's and 4's on it."

**Flashback End**

_Damn you Oshitari! You want me to humiliate myself in front of her first?_

Shishido sighed deeply at his predicament, wondering what to do. He knew about Niou ditching her in the middle of Rikkai Dai ball but he didn't expect the man to be extremely blunt by dancing with some other girl. He gnashed his teeth in annoyance before casting a glance at the Trickster. Despite the relaxed position, Shishido watched his bright blue eyes survey him carefully as if he started crossing the line.

"So after your match then?" Shishido could have sworn he smelled smoke behind him.

Isane nodded in agreement, smiling gently. "I guess; it would be a good chance to polish my accuracy as well. I can't have Momo taking all the glory."

"You betcha," Shishido chuckled along with her, leaning against the backrest in relaxation.

However, the capped dash specialist found himself feeling multiple daggers being stabbed into his back.

Niou bit back his urge to grab Shishido and tear him away from Isane. His body shuddered at the thought of the two ever getting together. He glared holes darkly into the dash specialist's back. He chuckled bitterly at the two before running his fingers through his silver blue hair.

"You may be able to sweep every woman off her feet but the moment your swept off your own you realize how much you lack."

Niou glowered at his doubles partner, smoothly brushing off his words with his usual mischievous chuckle. "Yagyuu, I know I can get her back. I'm more interested in how fast this guy will crash and burn."

"Niou-_kun_, I believe that he wouldn't crash and burn like you believe," Yagyuu pointed out quietly. "Shishido-_kun _will take this as an opportunity to outdo you. He may not be able to be debonair but Shishido-_kun_ is very down-to-earth. Perhaps, Uchiha-_san_ would prefer someone who is more open with her despite the bad-boy vibe. Both of you may have the vibe but fantasy always loses out to reality."

_Well, there goes my attempt at denial._

Niou sighed deeply once more as he remembered the time he and Isane went to the arcade for a round of House of the Dead IV. They definitely had a connection; she watched his back and shot down whatever adversary with extreme accuracy. Niou remembered how they both shot out the stuffed toy from one of the arcade games.

**Flashback**

"So Isane," Niou picked up one of the rifles stationed for the arcade game. "Which are you aiming for?"

The sniper blinked before averting her eyes from his mischievous smirk. "E-eh, um... Ano... I don't know... Are you sure it's okay?"

Niou chuckled good-naturedly at her flustered expression, giving the tokens to the man managing the stand. "Of course, babe. Name it and I'll get it."

Isane swallowed hard before looking abashedly at the ground, choosing the multiple toys hanging on the wall. "Um... I... I want the grey bunny..."

Niou blinked before seeing the grey bunny hanging on the middle row. Unlike the other bigger toys, it had a furry pink nose and soft light blue eyes staring back at him. The grey fur glimmered under the LED lights as he took an aim. He blinked disbelievingly while wondering why Isane would want second prize when a big brown teddy bear hung at the very top, indicating its rank.

"Alright," Niou shrugged nonchalantly as he took a shot.

In two shots, the grey bunny made its way to the lanky female's arms.

Isane hugged the bunny tightly with a bright smile on her face. Niou couldn't help but smile instead of smirking at his achievement. Her smile definitely brightened her complexion as she continued hugging it. Isane even nuzzled it with her nose which he took a picture of discreetly. A chuckle bubbled from his throat as he watched her toss the bunny in the air. A warm fuzzy feeling bubbled inside him but the _Petenshi_ shook it away immediately the moment Isane handed her tokens in.

"I believe you want the magic playing cards hanging at the top," she smiled determinedly, reloading the gun."My turn to get you something."

Raising his arms in surrender and gestured her to her position, Niou leaned against the counter as the manager snickered at him. "She possibly can't shoot that thing down in five shots. It's in a double string. That thing ain't gonna fall down unless you spend fifty yen worth of tokens."

The trickster glowered a bit but smirked triumphantly. "I guess you haven't been reading the sports news lately about one of the best and youngest female snipers in Japan. I bet you at the most of three shots - she'll get that thing done."

"If she does, you can have the tokens back," the manager grinned rather confidently, folding his arms.

"You're on."

Isane stepped back five paces while changing her stance. Niou blinked a few times incredulously as people started to gather around them. Isane's shy demeanour dropped as her green eyes focused beadily with unbreakable concentration. She inhaled deeply while narrowing her eyes calculatingly at the two strings holding the pack of cards. Isane took a hunter's stance and shot straight through both strings. The pack of cards promptly dropped onto the ground inaudibly, leaving the store owner completely slack-jawed and Niou completely astonished. Putting the gun down, Isane smiled politely.

"May I please have my cards?"

The owner still staring in disbelief, shakily handed the cards to her and handed their spent tokens back to Niou. People began to applaud her as Isane blushed bright red at all the attention. Despite her gesture to make them move away, they still continued cheering and applauding for her. Children began pointing at her while chattering excitedly about her feat. The Rikkai Dai Trickster watched his date get swarmed by admirers, clapping also for her. Niou smirked before walking towards her and slinging his arm around her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Japan's youngest sniper - Uchiha Isane!"

**Flashback End**

Niou chuckled fondly at the memory as he glanced at the pack of cards in his hand. It had become a part of him now; using the cards to trick people and win bets. Everyday, Niou would keep the cards in his bag and hold onto them. Perhaps it had become more of a lucky charm for him during his exams or for his little pranks. Despite cutting class once in awhile, Niou found himself completely stupefied on how much luck the cards would bring him like getting a perfect score in his test when he clearly knew nothing about the topic. Yanagi pointed out that him getting that kind of score straight was impossible unless he cheated but Niou knew better than to cheat the system. If anything, academics were the only thing he did fair and square. He knew that the storeowner had rigged the game on purpose to force people to spend but he never expected Isane's skills to shine straight out. Did she know the game was rigged? That he didn't know for sure.

_But you have to admit; that was one amazing shot and gamble she took. She was damn epic too!_

Niou smirked inwardly with a bitter gaze towards the two Hyotei regulars together. He could feel his body screaming at him to sit in between them or separate them; whatever it would take to get her back in his life again. She rarely spoke to him after that, even refusing his calls. Her younger brother would usually answer it and slam the phone once or twice. Itachi at least had some finesse as to tell him that she was not home at the moment. Despite the immorality, the old Niou would slide in between them smoothly before pushing Shishido away with subtlety. But somehow, his body refused his commands and firmly cemented him to the bench above them.

_But you broke her heart that night, remember? Dancing with that crazy girl and even kissing her!_

Niou bit his lower lip before getting up, averting his eyes from the two Hyotei regulars. "I'm going to get a drink. Be right back."

Watching him walk away, Marui sighed deeply to himself before shaking his head in dismay. "Niou can trick everyone on the court but the last person he can trick is himself."

Kirihara stared in amazement. "Wow Marui-_senpai_, I didn't know you knew stuff that deep."

Marui snorted indignantly while ruffling the sophomore's hair with a grin. "Humph, of course I do! A genius can easily read through people no matter how many illusions they can put up!"

"Doubles Two will begin in fifteen minutes! Players, prepare!"

Atobe leaned against the wall, watching Fuuka give orders to her doubles pair. "Ayane, who do you think is more dangerous? Ryuuzaki or Jerrard?"

"That's a dumb question," Ayane huffed proudly, nodding with conviction. "It's definitely Jerrard! She has more experience than any of us on the court!"

_As expected of Ayane._

Atobe watched Vera carefully give instructions to Sakuno while analysing everything with his Insight. Ryuuzaki Sakuno may be a tiny timid girl but with Vera's orders – she was capable of reducing the best doubles pair into nothing. The icy eyed King glanced at Ayane as she started explaining things to Kiyone; something about the Waltz Formation that needed fixing. He shook his head and walked over to Ayane, dragging her off with Kiyone.

"Kabaji, haul Getsugan over your shoulder," Atobe snapped his fingers as the sophomore responded with his usual "usu". "_Ore-sama _will drag Ayane. Shiraishi, come with _ore-sama_!"

Shiraishi blinked a few times until Atobe dragged him along by the collar of his shirt. "W-wait, what's going-!"

"Hey, what's the deal," Kiyone began kicking and thrashing wildly, whining. "Sorry, Kabaji-_senpai_. Put me down!"

Ayane found herself stuck in Atobe's iron grip. "Hey, what gives? Mole diva, what gives?"

Atobe refused to say a word as they continued heading away towards the other empty courts. He knew exactly what the sign language that Jerrard gave Sakuno meant. It meant complete Heartbreak; destroying the synchronicity of the pair. Although the king of Hyotei could not imagine the smaller girl being ruthless, he imagined what could happen if Ayane and Kiyone's synchronicity were to be destroyed. However, what scared him more was seeing Ayane being crushed in her own element and in her own playing field. The king of Hyotei snorted in annoyance and determination as he continued to drag a sputtering Ayane and a clearly bewildered Shiraishi. As the five reached an empty court, Atobe threw his jacket aside and picked up his tennis racquet.

"Shiraishi, you play doubles don't you," Atobe raised an eyebrow at the sandy brunette.

Shiraishi shrugged humbly before picking up his own racquet. "I know the basics. But I think Kobayagi-_san_ and Getsugan-_chan_ is going to pummel us before we know it."

"_Ore-sama _does not mind losing," Atobe darkly mentioned, wondering why he had just said that. "But _ore-sama_ is more worried of what happens when Jerrard pulls out her ace card."

Rumours spread throughout the other schools that Vera could smash the synchronicity of a doubles pair in three games flat depending on the bond of the players. Not that he doubted Ayane's skill and power as a doubles player, Atobe knew exactly how she played. He constantly watched Seigaku's matches with Kabaji before in order to get a good idea who would be potential competition. He managed to sneak in a few views regarding the female tennis team and after Vera had entered the court – the opponents went for each other's throats. However after a little analysis, Atobe finally understood the mechanics of the Heartbreak technique. He smirked to himself – this had to work!

Ayane stared incredulously at the king, picking up her racquet from her bag. "Keigo, you overgrown idiot! What's going on? You could at least tell me what's going on instead of dragging me into the middle of nowhere!"

Atobe raked his fingers through his hair as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"_Ore-sama _will teach you the mechanics of the Heartbreaker."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 53! Sorry for the late update! School took some inspiration away so it took me some time to regain it back! Please don't forget to review! I truly appreciate them!**


	54. We Are Dragons

**Me: Oh boy, here comes the epic tennis matches! XD Anyhow, I appreciate the reviews that you have given me so far! I promise to put more romance after this. The tennis matches definitely take up a lot of the story. XD I know I'm taking long with the one shot requests but yes SengokuXMomo is almost done. *claps* Thank you once again for the reviews! Also, I do not own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and their abilities! I guess I should be putting more romance now since well - the teams are about to gather soon! XD**

Chapter 54 - We Are Dragons

Ayane stared incredulously at the King, shaking her head. "What do you know about doubles, Keigo? Last time I checked, you couldn't play doubles to save your life."

Atobe sighed dejectedly; even in the high tension she could still insult him. "_Ore-sama _may not know anything about Doubles but _ore-sama _can definitely understand the concept behind techniques regardless of it being doubles or singles."

Ayane bit her lower lip as she stood at the baseline, bending low for a reception. "Alright, show me what you know."

Inhaling deeply, Atobe took the baseline whereas Shiraishi took the front line. Kiyone blinked several times while glancing at Ayane who shrugged in response at her. Both girls readied themselves at the other end of the court. The icy eyed king narrowed his eyes while recalling exactly what the Heartbreaker technique was and how he would integrate it into his own style. He inhaled deeply before tossing the ball in the air and sending her a fast serve.

"She can return things like that," Shiraishi blinked several times, staring incredulously at the purple haired captain. "Atobe, I think we're supposed to have a warm-up not an all out match."

Atobe chuckled at Shiraishi wistfully as a proud smirk appeared on his lips. "_Ore-sama_ is guessing you have never been on the receiving end of the Queen of Hearts' strength."

The sandy brunette _kansai _captain only stared in astonishment as the ball exploded right off her racquet. He immediately retaliated with a volley as it deflected off his racquet with Kiyone striking quick at Atobe's feet. The Hyotei male lunged forward for a drive volley at the smaller girl until Ayane switched places with the younger girl and slammed the ball straight at him again. Wincing at the impact, Atobe staggered back as he forcibly lobbed the ball up in the air. Kiyone jumped up into the air, preparing for a smash. However, Kiyone soon found herself staring down at the court. Shiraishi, as instructed by Atobe, moved towards the middle with Atobe going far back to receive. She prepared to smash until Kiyone recalled Atobe being slightly able to perform the _Higuma Otoshi_. Smashing at Shiraishi would easily allow a drive right past her while she's descending from the air.

_There... There aren't any openings!_

She twisted her body in the air, slicing the ball down to slide on the net. Atobe countered with a fast dash as he volleyed it towards Ayane. The tangerine haired female flinched before backing up badly for a forced lob. Seeing Atobe's plan, Shiraishi cracked the ball for a smash with a spinning smash. Kiyone stared in shock before exchanging expressions with Ayane as the two first years stared at the two seniors. Atobe showed no sense of fatigue and Shiraishi remained completely calm about it.

"Atobe are you sure this is a good idea," Shiraishi raised an eyebrow questioningly at Atobe, watching Kiyone shakily saunter towards Ayane as the older girl consoled her. "We can't have them fighting against each other. It's going to screw up their synchronicity!"

Atobe bit his lower lip anxiously, watching Ayane and Kiyone discussing strategies. "_Ore-sama_ would have preferred an easier way without having to do it but it's a visual thing to understand the concept behind the Heartbreaker strategy. _Ore-sama_ could barely understand it through Taki's explanation. Thankfully, he recorded the game for _ore-sama_."

Shiraishi sighed into his palm, raising his eyebrow. "You probably didn't think that Ayane could understand it via video?"

"_Ore-sama_ is not underestimating Ayane's intelligence - he knows she will understand it but not the whole concept," Atobe raked his fingers through his straight cut violet hair, sighing deeply. "The Heartbreaker, as simple as it sounds, shatters the synchronicity of the pair in three dimensions. _Ore-sama _can explain it but physically memorizing it is much better rather than orally deciphering the strategy."

The Shitenhouji captain sighed deeply to himself while watching Kiyone and Ayane take on another strategic stance. He pondered on the rhythm in his mind before taking his stance once again by the net while Atobe took on service. As another shot cracked off Atobe's racquet, Kiyone rushed forward for a volley while instantaneously switching positions with Ayane. Shiraishi responded with a forehand which he sent to the far end of the baseline which Ayane exploded the shot right towards Atobe. The king of Hyotei however rammed the shot into the middle, causing the two for the first time to actually smack into one another.

_There it is. The evidence of the Heartbreaker..._

"Owie, sorry Yane-_chan_," Kiyone rubbed her butt while helping the tangerine haired girl up. "I don't know what happened..."

Ayane blinked several times while glancing at her racquet. "That's odd - we never bumped into each other before like that..."

Kiyone cocked her head to the side before her eyes widened in realization, prompting her to comically cry. "Actually, yeah - we never did. Yane-_chan_, your boyfriend did something again!"

Hyotei's female vice captain fumed up instantly, jabbing her racquet at him angrily. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FOR, KEIGO! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK OUR CONCENTRATION? WE HAVE A GAME COMING UP! I SWEAR, YOU'RE GONNA PAY BIG TIME AND THERE'S MORE THAN JUST A FRYING PAN TO WHACK YOU WITH AROUND HERE!"

"That, Ayane, was the first mechanic of Heartbreaker."

Ayane stared incredulously at the king as Atobe remained completely calm despite her outburst. "What are you talking about...?"

"Haven't you noticed that you have much more difficulty coordinating with Getsugan," Atobe pointed out immediately before his girlfriend would continue exploding at him. "_Ore-sama_ may have not used any big finishing move but the mere positioning and speed of the match started throwing off your concentration. That is Ryuuzaki's specialty. Although Shiraishi here cannot exactly replicate her supposed speed, what _ore-sama_ is trying to simulate is the psychological war that Jerrard would inflict on you. Most of the time however, she would be yapping and talking half the time like some broken record. Since you can't block out your emotions like Kurenai, _ore-sama _will explain to you how it works. As of now, _ore-sama_ cannot even come up with a counterattack."

Ayane froze completely as she noticed Atobe's normally arrogant expression become more of a concerned expression. "Atobe...?"

"_Ore-sama_ has seen many doubles pairs fall to this technique and _ore-sama_ refuses to have you fall to the same thing," Atobe maintained a holier-than-thou disposition with a smirk. "Do you plan on handing the title of the best doubles players of Japan to some second-rate players from Seigaku?"

Ayane glared holes into Atobe with a determined snort, pumping her fist into the air. "That bitch better think twice before she thinks she's the best doubles player in the district! Nobody beats Kiyone and I in doubles! The day Blondie beats me is the day you stop using the pronoun _ore-sama_ and Oshitari_-senpai _stops writing and quoting romance novels!"

Shiraishi laughed good-naturedly at Ayane's declaration. "Kenya's definitely going to get a laugh out of that! When he did that before back in school, Kenya thought the sky was falling!"

Atobe smirked as he watched the two girls take their position once more as he inhaled deeply. "Alright, _ore-sama _will now demonstrate the second mechanic of the Heartbreaker. _Ore-sama_ although thinks that this one may be the hardest component to explain. It took several hours before he managed to replicate the same effect. He tested it on the Silver Pair of course."

Ayane nodded stiffly, blinking several times. "No kidding if you couldn't understand it in a day! Hold on, how were you able to understand the concept if you're not a doubles player?"

"_Ore-sama _may not be a doubles player but he can definitely see through her with his Insight," the King frowned at the Queen of Hearts. "At the same time, he can duplicate the psychological damage. Shiraishi on the other hand can somewhat duplicate Ryuuzaki's speed. Getsugan needs to get used to Ryuuzaki's bouncing and movement."

Kiyone blinked several times, cocking her head to the side innocently. "Isn't Ryuuzaki Sakuno the same girl who got scared witless by _buchou_? I remember _megane-senpai _showing us a video that she shrieked instead of _buchou_ during the bravery test."

Atobe disguised his shock with a smirk, throwing back his violet hair flippantly. "Of course Ryuuzaki would be terrified. Kurenai wouldn't be worthy to be my colleague if she had herself scared witless by some Hollywood prop."

_Damn and to think ore-sama made sure he put everything she was scared of in there._

Atobe glanced back at Ayane as she started, pondering deeply to herself. He bit his lower lip anxiously as the king tried to simulate the second mechanic of the Heartbreaker. The king of Hyotei flipped around his racquet as he stood at the other end of the baseline. As he bounced the ball on the ground, Atobe visualized the match once again as he recalled the pattern of Vera's attack.

"From what I heard," Shiraishi strode smoothly to Atobe, taking his place by the net once again. "She doesn't have any special moves. Her main strategy is more on psychological damage. If anything, Jerrard-_san_'s title seems unfitting for her playing style really."

Atobe chuckled darkly with a taunting smirk. "If you subjected this early to the Heartbreaker, what kind of doubles player are you, Ayane?"

Ayane glared icily at Atobe, tightly gripping her racquet. "Shaddup, you overgrown peacock! I just dropped my guard down a bit for awhile! I just needed to get a good grasp of what you're doing!"

Atobe frowned darkly at the insult but maintained a holier-than-thou smirk. "Really - shouldn't a playmaker pay attention to all the factors around her in order to give direction to her attacker?"

Ayane froze for a moment, contemplating on Atobe's words. She glanced at her racquet for a moment, trying to understand Atobe's idea of playing. The tangerine haired female exhaled sharply while glancing at Kiyone for a moment. The sandy brunette and her exchanged glances as they prepared to execute their next strategy.

_I won't lose to you, Atobe - especially in doubles!_

Ayane forehanded the shot towards Shiraishi, watching the Hyotei captain intently. The male teen's icy blue orbs followed after her every movement as Shiraishi started blocking Kiyone. The tennis ball remained within the two volleyists as Shiraishi and Kiyone exchanged the ball in between them. The ball zoomed back and forth as Kiyone cracked a fast drive volley towards Shiraishi. The Shitenhouji captain immediately raised his racquet to defend his face as the ball deflected straight towards Ayane. The vice captain rushed towards the net with a strong strike as Kiyone threw herself back. Shiraishi staggered back as Atobe substituted to receive her shot, only to wince in pain. His wrist screamed upon receiving the shot as Atobe struggled to return the shot back. However, Atobe managed to return the shot with extreme difficulty.

"They sure are something huh Atobe," Shiraishi chuckled as he struck with a speeding backhanded volley. "This is the first time I ever played against the famous doubles pair of Hyotei. Fighting against them seems to be such an honour."

Atobe chuckled deeply while tracking down Ayane's movements. "Arn~, of course Ayane is talented! She did not become _ore-sama_'s queen by simply being nothing. _Ore-sama _made sure she's not helpless and pathetic. If anything, _ore-sama _has faith in her physical capability. It's more..."

"I understand," Shiraishi cut smoothly while volleying towards Kiyone once again, preparing to attack from the baseline. "I wouldn't want Kiyone-_chan_ getting crushed either by some ordinary players..."

Ayane slammed the ball towards the very end of the baseline as Shiraishi forehanded the shot towards Kiyone. The sandy brunette volleyed it right across towards Atobe who retaliated with a strong drive volley, promptly forcing Kiyone back. Ayane lunged forward as Shiraishi sent top spins and under spins right at the girl's feet as the vice captain forcibly lobbed the ball. Seeing the chance, Atobe leapt high into the air and smashed it straight at her once again. Kiyone retreated towards the back as she forcibly threw her weight forward to blast another shot which clipped right at the edge of the net, luckily. With a long jump forward, Shiraishi sent a drive volley towards Ayane who blasted the shot back to Atobe. However, the two females despite their synchronicity suddenly ended up backing into one another. Ayane stumbled towards the other side with Kiyone tumbling after tripping on the vice captain's foot.

Atobe, reminding himself to get some mouth wash and truck loads of ice, snorted haughtily with his ice blue eyes glistening with arrogance. "If _ore-sama _remembered right, the Queen of Hearts is one of the most powerful cards in the game of _Pusoydos_. So what's the problem? _Ore-sama _thought mongrels could do better than that. Then again, you're just dogs..."

_Ayane, ore-sama would rather see you angry at him than you breaking down in tears because he could not help you..._

Atobe replayed the words in his mind as Kiyone began shivering fearfully. He had watched Ayane beat down her opponents with pure muscle power and doubles tactics but she often dealt with things by the sheer power of her voice and physical strength. Jerrard Vera, recalling the characteristics about her, played her opponents like a puppeteer. Taking advantage of the mess, she made everyone dance into her traps easily without much problem. Ryuuzaki Sakuno may have made Shizuru look graceful on heels but Vera made up for her clumsiness with psychological attacks. Things played out like a chess game. Although her brain seemingly had gone down the drain, Vera definitely knew Ayane for her lack of anger management. Who did not know Ayane for her uncontrolled volume of voice?

Ayane's face contorted into pure rage before she pointed the racquet in his face. "YOU BASTARD, SAY THAT AGAIN! I'LL BLOODY PULL OUT YOUR TAIL FEATHERS ONE BY ONE!"

"Kiyone," Shiraishi immediately darted forward to help the fallen girl until Atobe placed his racquet in between them. "Atobe-!"

"We cannot aid them for this, Shiraishi," Atobe narrowed his eyes at the two girls as Kiyone and Ayane slowly got on their feet. "Watch, they'll get stronger."

_Do you have any idea how much pain ore-sama is in by simulating this mess?_

His stomach twisted into knots as Ayane tried to hold the doubles pair together. Kiyone began hyperventilating with shock and surprise clearly written all over her face. Atobe bit his lower lip, looking away from the scene unfolding. If he had not instigated this, Atobe shuddered at the outcome of Ayane being crushed. He definitely knew Shizuru was forgiving but people would spit on Ayane for her loss. She would be considered baggage of Hyotei Gakuen and sooner or later - the vice captain would be ridiculed. He could only imagine what his fan girls were going to do to her, waiting for the slightest slip-up.

However, the smaller girl swallowed hard as her whole body trembled fearfully. "I don't get it; what's happening to us, Yane-_chan_?"

Ayane trembled as everything in her body completely froze. She glanced at Atobe for a moment and bit her lower lip shamefacedly. For someone she had constantly insulted, he had easily rendered her defenceless in her own element. She struggled to gather wits but her heart pounded wildly with pain throbbing angrily against her skull. The vice captain resisted the urge to pass out from the pressure. The aura surrounding Atobe easily overwhelmed her as she struggled to stand up against the pressure. If she were to compare the two captains, Shizuru demanded respect as well but she had a more gentle approach despite being firm. Atobe's power raged with a cold ruthless takeover and Ayane bit her lower lip and realized there and then what it meant to be severely overpowered.

"The second step of the Heartbreaker," Atobe walked over to Ayane slowly, watching her trying to stand up.

"Is verbal distraction and destruction," Ayane smiled triumphantly as she struggled to get up. "By removing the concentration and hijacking doubles players' signals, the opposing players will soon find their bodies completely uncoordinated am I right?"

Shiraishi stared in amazement while Atobe smirked proudly. "Arn~, _ore-sama_ knew you could do it, Ayane."

The tangerine haired female snorted indignantly while getting up on her feet. "I think I was more shocked by the fact that the "great _ore-sama_" had the capability to play doubles in a makeshift pair. You were always dancing around saying 'look at me, love me'. Just like Luigi says in the Cars movie."

Atobe couldn't help but chuckle at his girlfriend's analogy, raking his fingers through his purple hair. "Although _ore-sama _does not know who this 'Luigi' is, he definitely phrases his words well."

His statement was met however by the clattering of a racquet as he found himself staring at a gaping Ayane. Her bright emerald green eyes clearly displayed the shock all over her face.

"What," Atobe stared at her strangely for a moment until Ayane suddenly grabbed him by the collar, shaking him roughly.

"HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW THE MOVIE 'CARS', YOU INSANE PEACOCK! IT'S PIXAR! IT'S A PART OF OUR CHILDHOOD! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING - UNDER A ROCK?"

Shiraishi stared in amusement as the king had a thorough lecturing from the vice captain, snickering a bit. "To think I though this only happened in 9gag commentaries and comics," -he redirected his attention to Kiyone, jumping over the net. "Kiyone-_chan_, are you alright?"

_Hold up, did I just call her by her first name?_

Kiyone wobbly gained her stance while trying to discern and remember the strategy. The sandy haired volleyist slowly gained some of her wits back as Shiraishi held her hand, prompting her to lean against him. Kiyone shuddered a bit at the thought now of being Doubles One. If someone like Atobe could easily break their strategy, what more a more experienced doubles player? She recalled her last match with Seigaku's Golden Pair - was it all a fluke?

"It's more that you cannot find signals for the attack," Shiraishi smiled kindly at her as he helped the smaller girl to a chair, brushing her hair away from her face. "I guess you and Kobayagi-_san_ are much more used to seeing things blatantly rather than a slow and unnoticed creeping. Yukimura's technique is somewhat similar to that."

"That's why Yukimura is virtually invincible and same with this Jerrard if one were not to notice the signs right away," Atobe held Ayane possessively at the waist, causing the said girl to stare at him stupidly. "So will you let that happen?"

"You crazy," Ayane stared at him as if he grew a second head, pushing him aside. "We will win! If she wants to challenge the Queen of Hearts and Queen of Clovers, so be it! We're gonna give her one hell of an ass-kicking!"

Despite Ayane's selected choice of words, Atobe couldn't help but smirk at his girlfriend's newfound determination. However, the fear of her being crushed still remained. His body literally shuddered at the thought of Ayane giving up tennis. Her power surpassed his and with time - her skills would too. For once, Atobe finally found some common ground for him and Shizuru to agree on in which who has potential and who did not. After all, she is his Queen of Hearts...

_Well done, Ayane. Although ore-sama can give you the basics behind it, he can only hope you can immediately recognize the signs and counter them._

And once you mess with the queen, the king will definitely crush you.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Niou quietly trudged his legs along the stony pathways in the tennis courts area. He cast a forlorn gaze towards the dark cloudy skies while shuffling the magic cards in his hand. He chuckled darkly to himself as the card transferred from one place to one another. The Trickster continued shuffling the cards as a Jack of Clovers appeared in his hand along with an ace Card behind it. A bitter smile crept up his lips before heading towards a familiar bluenette sitting down on one of the benches.

"_Buchou_," he blinked several times in disbelief when he saw Sumiyagi Rena standing next to him. "Oh, hello Sumiyagi."

Rena batted her eyelash demurely at him, smiling weakly. "Oh hello, Niou-_kun_."

_Damn don't do that again._

Niou shuddered at Sumiyagi for a moment when he noticed how she batted her eyelashes. She barely stood past his shoulder while tousling around with her brown curly pig tails and smoothing out her crumpled skirt. Her translucent circular glasses refracted some light while revealing a part of her deep set black eyes but Niou found himself glaring at her eyes instead. Rena somewhat shivered at the intensity of his gaze despite his relaxed position.

"Niou, I would appreciate it if you stopped scaring my girlfriend," Yukimura smiled serenely while standing up next to the terrified girl. "Isane-_chan_ may withstand your antics but not many have that kind of tolerance for your habits."

Niou, upon hearing Isane's name, let out a hollow chuckle with a monotonous tone. "Ah sorry, _buchou._"

Hearing Niou's melancholy apology caused Yukimura to crease his eyebrows a bit. "They say that bullet wounds only hurt when they go straight through the heart. It's reparable but it will leave quite a scar and cause problems for one later even after one takes out the bullet in time."

Niou slightly shuddered at Yukimura; where did he get that information? "_Buchou, _I..."

"A battalion doesn't only have one man," Yukimura smiled cryptically. "It's like how a chess game cannot be played with only a king or a queen. For the board to be complete, you need the queen as well. A person can have two pawns to use to trick the opponent to become a knight and capture the queen."

_Damn it, I hate it when he does this to me!_

Niou never found himself so infuriated in his life. Was he becoming that easy to read? He slapped his cheeks a bit to wake himself up only to sigh deeply in the end. It didn't make any sense on how his _buchou _managed to figure out about Isane and him. During the whole Rikkai Dai ball, Yukimura had typically dragged away Sumiyagi off somewhere else to God knows where. Rena and him had their own business didn't they? The next day, Yukimura subconsciously revealed a bright red mark right near his neck. Whether or not it was a hickey, the team knew the consequences if they did inquire.

"_Buchou, _you're scary y'know that," Niou chuckled sheepishly before sitting down next to Yukimura. "I guess I can say the same for you. Y'know - it's the same about Sumiyagi and you being boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Yukimura chuckled deeply while running his fingers through his wavy blue hair. "Indeed. But when one's tolerance breaks, what do you do?"

Niou refused to grace him with a response.

"You repair the problem do you not," Yukimura glanced at the dreary skies, seeing a hint of sunlight. "If you leave it under the rug then, it grows bigger."

Niou shook his head with a devious smirk despite slightly shuddering. "Damn _Buchou, _you're starting to sound like Isane's captain."

Yukimura chuckled softly, smoothing out his clothes a little. "Is that so? Although I'm not usually this nosy but, you're making it quite obvious and your performance has been suffering lately according to Yanagi and Sanada. Kurenai_-san_ can easily understand and interpret people's emotions. However with oneself, she cannot understand her own feelings either. Quite ironic isn't it?"

"Heh I guess this is what makes her loveable to _fukubuchou_ and Tezuka," the Trickster cast his gaze towards the cloudy skies, playing with the cards in his hands. "I always kinda found her a bit mousy compared to Isane. She's kinda like you when she gets pissed though according to my sources."

Yukimura smiled slowly, sending shivers down the Trickster's spine. "Ah, so she does. But do not deter from the subject Niou, what will you do about Isane-_chan_ now?"

The trickster remained silent as he began re-shuffling the cards in his hands. A small sigh escaped the silver blue haired male's lips as he started fingering the cards carefully. The winds gently tossed around his hair as he glanced back at the road he took coking from the tennis courts. Another sigh escaped his lops as he glanced at the bright green plants rustling with the wind. However, Niou suddenly shook his head as he found himself seeing Isane's eyes instead. The trickster never found himself this deep before; most of the dates he went on were for his reputation. But now, Niou found himself staring straight at the deck of cards if the odds looked kindly on him.

_They were always so vibrant..._

"Oh God," Niou groaned in realization, staring aimlessly at the sky. "I'm really deep aren't I?"

Yukimura smiled in agreement, folding his arms. "It's about time you realized. Now go get her while you still have the chance. Whether it is a tennis game or a game of life, you know the rule of Rikkai Dai."

The trickster chuckled as he started walking towards the bleachers once again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game Hikifumi-Shimohi: four games to two!"

Enma remained completely calm while Midori sprawled out on the ground. The Goth girl refused to budge an inch, without batting an eyelash. The Pearl Dragon eyed her opponents carefully, watching Midori managed to stumble towards her partner. Haruka bit her lower lip anxiously as she analysed their movements carefully. Her body trembled with sweat pouring down her face as she gripped her racquet tightly in her hand.

"I can't believe we outlasted them," Rin grinned cheerfully, punching her fist into the air."We can do this, Haru_-chan_! We're going to bring them down!"

Haruka put her hand in front of the black dragon, steeling her expression. "We can't relax just yet. They could have set a trap for us anytime."

Enma calmly flicked back her long jet black hair, driving back her _hime_ style bangs. "You're quite cautious. Normally, people would take this as a sign for victory."

"That's what I'd like to ask you actually," Haruka narrowed her chocolate brown orbs to meet the raven orbs of Enma. "What happened to the true potential of the Gothica Castle? Your world of Insight - I believe? Our strategies were left constantly with holes yet you chose not to exploit it at all."

Enma let out a hollow chuckle, staring intently at the Pearl Dragon without relenting in her stare. "I shouldn't have expected less from Maestro Osakada's partner. However," -she twirled her racquet, plucking the strings stoically. "I'm her to cast a little shadow into your sky, _Zhujiang_."

"I'd like to see you try though," Haruka smirked confidently, folding her arms with a raised eyebrow. "It will take more than a couple of dark clouds to discourage a dragon. What makes you think you can discourage two if you can't even bring down one?"

Enma stared beadily at the two dragons before emotionlessly shoving the green haired acrobat off her shoulder. "Get up Midori, we have dragons to pinion."

Midori whimpered with a childish pout, pulling her sleeve. "But Enma, you know we can't beat them in a protracted game! The black dragon's crazy to deal with!"

"Shut up and move," Enma glared coldly before moving towards the baseline, slapping Midori's hand away before lowering herself down for reception. "If you're going to act like that then, why do we even enter here at all?"

Rin shivered at the indifferent expression of the Goth girl before hiding behind Haruka. "Haru-_chan_, is Mouri really like that to Tashiko-_chan_? We fellow acrobats stick together..."

Haruka shook her head darkly, refusing to tear her gaze away from the black haired Seigaku female. "I know but we can't really sympathize with Mouri right now. As much as I want to reprimand her for treating Tashiko badly, we can't. Today, we're two people fighting for one thing and that's victory and glory."

"Two," Rin cocked her head to the side as the pink haired female grinned at her.

"Yeah, aren't we considered a unit - wherever I go, you go and vice versa," Haruka gave her a fist bump before preparing to serve once again, noticing a slight shift with Enma's emotions. "You better get ready, Rin. Things are about to get ugly here."

_Heilongjiang_ took note of the Pearl Dragon's tone as she positioned herself nearest to the net, waiting for the volley. She noticed Midori hold a melancholy appearance before watching Haruka's serve fly from her racquet, blocking Midori's attempt to volley at their side. The two acrobats continued leaping around and attacking until the ball zoomed past the green haired acrobat. Enma forehanded the shot towards Haruka as she flipped around her racquet with a small smirk.

"Dragon's Tail," Haruka watched it crack at the very line of the doubles court before creating a whiplash.

"Fifteen - love," Enma maintain her composure before walking towards Midori.

The green haired acrobat blinked a few times before grinning in response. "Hey, it's no big deal! We can steal another-!"

Before she could finish her statement, a crisp sound echoed in the air with Enma emotionlessly slapping the green haired acrobat in the face. The acrobat staggered back, fearfully looking at the calm girl's eyes. Her body continued to tremble as her hand lifted up to touch the sore spot on her cheek. On the other hand, Rin forced out every amount of restraint to not tackled Enma to the ground and make her stop mistreating Midori. However, Haruka pulled back the black haired acrobat's collar while glaring back at the Goth girl.

"Is this some game to you," Enma icily glared at the trembling green haired acrobat, jabbing her racquet in her direction with a calm tone. "Stop being such extra baggage and fight."

Rin froze upon hearing Enma's venomous words, causing her to clench her fingers into fists tightly. How could she do that to her own doubles partner and not even flinch? Sure, she and Haruka had her difference but never did Haruka call her "extra baggage". The best insult Haruka came up for her is "Wild Monkey" which the black dragon admitted that she constantly did especially on a sugar rush. They had their fair share of fights but nothing became this lethal. In fact, Haruka would immediately make it up to her by treating her out to the chocolate cafe down the lane or order her favourite cake from Raindrop Avenue.

_"Geez, Rin will you pipe down? I'll be collecting tin cans in the morning."_

_"Rin, stop jumping around like a wild monkey! I knew I should never have given you chocolate!"_

_"Rin, I'm sorry about today. Come on; let's go get something to eat. My treat."_

The black dragon curled her hands into fists upon staring at the two members of Seigaku. Her blood boiled at the sight of Enma degrading Midori and humiliating her in public. She glanced at the Pearl Dragon who visibly flinched a few times at Enma's fierce whispers. Although Ayane and Kiyone constantly had their fights, the two were more comical about it. Most of the issues ended up being about Atobe and Ayane's relationship and how Ayane was in denial. Rin laughed fondly at the memory upon remembering the constant times that Shizuru had the send the two girls off for laps because she got a headache from all the noise. However, Rin bit into her lip darkly before stepping forward.

"What kind of doubles pair are you," Rin, finally exasperated, slammed her racquet onto the ground. "I sometimes make mistakes during a match but Haru-_chan_ never calls me extra baggage!"

Enma stared back at her with an expression devoid of emotion. "Who are you to talk about to me about to handle Tashiko? After all, the one who does most of the thinking is Hikifumi. You're too oblivious to understand what Tashiko is anyway."

Much to Enma's surprise, Rin chose not to retort but walked towards the net line. "Haruka, we play like never before. Beneath the shadows lies a powerful storm..."

The Hyotei team stared in astonishment as Rin stiffened her shoulders. Their usually hyperactive, bubbly Rin stiffly stationed herself in front of Haruka as the Pearl Dragon prepared to serve. Haruka glanced at Enma, wondering at why she would even try doing such a tactic in front of so many people. However, what egged her more was that Souma didn't condone the action at all. If she did that to Rin, Haruka shuddered at how hard Ayane would slap her for being an idiot and how many laps and how long Shizuru's sermon would be.

_Never mind that for now, we have a game to win!_

"Hey," - she felt someone's hand drop on her shoulder, seeing Haruka with a huge grin. "Don't mind her. Everything will be fine."

Rin stared at her for a moment before grinning in response. "Mm hm!"

With a speeding service, Haruka prepared to receive the attack until Rin intercepted with a volley. Midori found herself unable to react on time as Enma covered for the green haired acrobat. She attacked with a baseline shot which Haruka let out a short under spin which Midori volleyed towards Rin. The black dragon leapt to one side and sent a drive volley towards Enma. Haruka never saw Rin become increasingly aggressive before let alone at the net. She would always grin and smile, leaping around like the hyperactive dragon that she was. However, Rin remained ultimately silent but Haruka managed to cover up for her in case things got past her. The black dragon suddenly sent a drive volley towards Enma who struck with a long backhand, not expecting Rin to bend back extremely and return it with an L-shaped trajectory.

"Hey isn't that," Isane stared in amazement as Rin started attacking more relentlessly.

Hitomi nodded lightly, adjusting her eyeglasses. "Kajimoto Takihisa's L-Serve - one of the trickiest serve's throughout the _Kantou_ region. The problem mainly with this serve is the set-up time for the technique. Henceforth, it becomes more obvious."

Gakuto jumped on the bleachers, hollering. "Don't you dare lose, you crazy monkey!"

Rin did not respond only to reveal the Wind Dragon Cannon as she spun in the air for a hard smash. As the crash thundered throughout the court, Rin slowly and inaudibly landed on the ground as she watched Enma with a hardened gaze.

"Thirty-love," Enma inhaled deeply while looking at the mark on the ground.

"Mouri, Tashiko," - the Goth girl and her partner swivelled their heads towards the bench, revealing a disapproving Souma and Ryuuzaki-_sensei_. "Get over here."

Watching the two sauntering towards Ryuuzaki-_sensei_, Haruka beckoned Rin to follow her and go talk to Shizuru and Sakaki-_kantoku_.

"You're doing quite a job in dealing with the Renaissance Pair," Sakaki-_kantoku_ nodded in acknowledgement. "Many have said that Mouri Enma's Insight rivalled Shimohi's. So she seems to be holding back. But it seems more like that she cannot utilize it in doubles play as well as Shimohi can. It proves one thing - Mouri Enma cannot spread out in doubles play. Utilize that to your advantage, Hikifumi."

Hitomi glanced through the pages. "In reality, Tashiko Midori does not fit in the Tennis Team. She had only been recruited during the half of the second year. Originally, Tashiko played for the Seigaku Gymnastics Team."

Momo furrowed her eyebrows, folding her arms together. "So what made her change teams?"

"Mouri Enma previously was a suicide case," Hitomi tilted her glasses down a bit. "Her mother became quite the alcoholic and her father had become a drug lord. They became very negligent of her and proceeded to get rid of their sorrows. Enma constantly became the receiving end of being beaten by her drunken mother and her drugged father. Currently, she lives alone and has a total of fifteen attempts to take her own life. In order to prevent her from doing so, Enma was recruited by Sanhyoujin Ami and Shigetsu Kaori in order to curb her suicidal tendencies. She..."

Haruka waved her hand in front of the blonde Mastermind. "I don't think we should be divulging that kind of information. But what we do need is her history of being a tennis player."

Jackal glanced at the scoreboard, staring in amazement. "Maybe you should try luring it out if you want a more satisfying fight. Maybe go on a two on one thing. Tashiko doesn't seem to be fighting with Rin. What I remember from my match against Momoshiro and Kaidoh is after breaking Kaidoh's concentration - Momoshiro literally took us both on. Even Marui found himself completely astonished."

Marui scoffed with an indignant snort. "Hey, I think astonished is too big a word. I prefer surprised."

Haruka bit her lower lip before pondering deeply about Jackal's words. However, the pink haired female winced at the thought; how could she break someone who prefers misery over everything? She stared for a moment at the scoreboard before walking back towards the court. The two dragons cast their eyes towards the court before seating next to one another.

"You know," Haruka leaned against her elbows, watching Enma and Midori. "I remember the time we first argued with one another. Those two girls remind me of that time. It was Osakada-_senpai_ who introduced us to one another."

**Flashback**

"Haruka dahling," - the pink haired first year swivelled her head up while she cleaned up her racquet, seeing Yuri standing in front of her. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Behind the _senpai_, a black haired girl suddenly peeked out from behind her. She grinned cheerily before walking towards her before randomly sniffing her. Staring awkwardly, Haruka immediately jumped away before twitching furiously. Her chocolate brown eyes centred themselves on the auburn eyes of the other girl.

"Why the heck are you sniffing me," Haruka raised her eyebrow questioningly, folding her arms. "What kind of person in their right mind does that?"

The black haired female snorted with a huff. "I'm still in my right mind, you meanie! Who do you think you are?"

Haruka beat her chest with a snarky grin. "My name's Hikifumi Haruka! I'm the Pearl Dragon of Hyotei! Who are you supposed to be?"

The black haired little girl puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, tip toeing to reach Haruka's height. "I'm Shimohi Rin! I'm the best gymnast there is! I am the Flying Black Dragon!"

As the two girls stared beadily at one another, the two girls heard a loud giggle coming from one side as they both found Osakada Yuri laughing at them.

"What?"

The Maestro laughed with a cheeky grin. "I knew you two would be perfect for one another. Shimohi-_chan_ wanted to play tennis so I started her off with doubles. Haruka, you have to learn how to synchronize with other people also henceforth - she'll be your doubles partner when I can't make the cut. So, take the practice off today. Try getting to know one another."

Freshmen Rin and Haruka exchanged glances with one another before both of them let out an indignant snort. Their eyes stared beadily at one another as they turned away from one another. Haruka scoffed lightly; what could an acrobat do in tennis anyway? She certainly knew them more for contorting their bodies in weird directions but never knew anybody as infuriating as this girl.

"But it's only the start of the year and you're only second year," Haruka jabbed her finger at the black haired acrobat, pouting childishly. "_Senpai_, I don't want to partner up with a loony!"

Rin stared aghast before glaring back at her. "I'M NOT A LOONY! YOU'RE SUCH A MEANIE, _KUWEE~_!"

"I told you she was crazy, _senpai_," Haruka hid behind her immediately, venomously glaring at her only to be patted on the head affectionately.

"You'll get along," Yuri grinned all knowingly, ruffling the hairs of both girls.

**End of Flashback**

Haruka stared dreamily into the sky, folding her legs. "It seems so long ago that we became the Twin Dragon pair. To be honest, I never thought we'd get this far. I was planning to join the _Wu Shu _club after she left. But you came along and we watched her graduate together. You really made things different for me, Rin."

Rin smiled cheerily, staring at the sky as well while taking a drink. "You know Haruka? I thought I wouldn't be a regular for the tennis team. I mean - Momo-_chan _knew how to make people know their place. Who knew that a bunch of misfits like us end up together? Hitomi as is already has a record for blowing up the chemistry lab. Isane is the lanky giant sniper, Momo came from Rikkai Dai and then there's you and me - not wanting to pair up with one another at first. Then we have the _kohai_..."

Haruka chuckled humorously before smiling at her racquet. "Shizuru and Mai defined the team in who we are. They were our turning point after all the drama we went through."

"Players return to the court!"

Hearing the arbiter call out for them, Haruka extended her hand to Rin. "You ready to fly?"

Rin grinned enthusiastically, taking her hand with a firm grip. "Let's dance!"

Watching Rin take the net, Kajimoto silently stood at the back of Rikkai Dai and the other schools. He glanced at Seigaku as everyone began focusing their eyes once again on the match. A helpless smile curved up his lips as the serve cracked off Haruka's racquet once again. Rin cart wheeled to one side before unleashing another drive volley at the pair. He admired her smile and the way she carried herself along with the wind.

_The black dragon truly flew better than the others._

His memory flashed back during their first skating session with one another. He remembered how she floated into his arms as they began spinning around as if they were in a world of their own. The Jyosei Shounan captain reflected the moments her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and excitement as the wind carried their movement. He glanced at his palms before remembering the trusting grip of the black haired female acrobat. He continued to daydream until some lemonade was shoved in front of him by Wakato who greeted him with a smirk.

"You're still thinking about her," Wakato raised an eyebrow, chuckling in amusement. "Didn't you already seal the deal?"

Kajimoto frowned at his teammate. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," the Changeover specialist emphasized with a furrow of his eyebrows. "It would also explain your new addiction to lemonade lately."

_She always had this citrus smell and her lips... Agh, don't think that way!_

Kajimoto finally found an open space before leaning against the railings, giving him a better view of Rin. Enma scored past Rin with a flying forehand before the female struck back with a drop volley, allowing Haruka to set up for the Dragon's Tail. He sighed to no one in particular as his eyes followed the blur of black that zoomed to and fro by the net. What surprised him more is that Seigaku began struggling against the Twin Dragon pair as Haruka and Enma kept the ball between them.

"I will not lose here," Enma darted after the tennis ball, slamming it towards Haruka with a hardened glare. "Defeating you is the sole reason for my existence!"

Haruka rushed forward as well to confront the Goth girl. "I promised Rin that we would be on top! We will take nothing less because WE ARE DRAGONS! We run the world!"

"I didn't know Enma had an obsessive compulsive attitude," Vera glanced at Fuuka who kept her eyes glued to the court. "Who knew that putting her up against the Twin Dragons of Hyotei would develop into an obsession?"

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the blonde vice captain. "Jerrard, begin warming up. The Hearts and Clovers pair hasn't shown up in awhile. Atobe's gone also so my guess is - he's off training them and helping them warm up. Don't screw up."

Vera snickered lightly. "I never knew you as the manipulative type, Fuuka. You knew that Enma and Midori had no chance against Hikifumi and Shimohi."

"It was pure coincidence, Jerrard," Fuuka darkly glared at her vice captain, dismissing her. "Go with Ryuuzaki to warm up. You're pissing me off."

Sashaying away with a shrug, Vera dragged Sakuno along as the Seigaku captain watched the match unfold before her eyes. Mouri Enma had always posed to be a problem to the team. Trying to utilize the opposite law of magnetism barely worked in her favour. She and Midori became two extremities and lost their synchronization. How in the world did Shizuru do it, she constantly wondered before glancing at the brunette sitting next to her coach.

_Damn it, how did she do it?_

"You know - sometimes the concept of following the same style doesn't always work," Karin seated herself next to her captain. "Haven't you tried their anti-theses?"

Fuuka rolled her eyes sarcastically at her data master. "That's basically what I did, you moron."

"I meant the anti-theses of the opposing pair, Fuuka," Karin frowned at the edginess of the shaggy red haired female. "You've been edgy for these past few days. Don't let your personal vendettas get in the way of your goal, Souma."

Fuuka prepared to retort until Ryuuzaki-_sensei _held the girl's arm back. "Souma, you're taking this too far. Sooner or later, you will lose everything you have worked hard for."

The red haired captain folded her arms with a disgusted snort as she glanced at the match unfolding before her. Midori struggled to synchronize with Enma only to have the Goth girl brush her off darkly. Enma suddenly unleashed a shot that flew straight in between Haruka and Rin as a dark aura formed behind her.

"_Sekai no Kage: Hagoromo Kitsune,_" Enma stared blankly back at Haruka as the two dragons suddenly found themselves overwhelmed. "I guess it's time for a night parade no?"

Rin bristled angrily at Enma, glaring at the Goth girl. "We're gonna shoot you straight out of the sky, Mouri! Your _Hagoromo _blah blah blah won't beat us!"

Haruka sheepishly laughed before giving herself a face-palm. "Rin, its _Hagoromo Kitsune._"

"Eehhh I don't like big words," Rin pouted childishly at the pink haired female, prompting the whole Hyotei tennis team to sweatdrop at the senior.

Momo groaned before leaning against her elbows in defeat, face-palming. "I'm really starting to wonder whether or not she's a senior..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ayane stared into the blue skies while sitting next to an exhausted Atobe. Shiraishi wiped his sweat off as Kiyone dropped down next to the tangerine haired vice captain. The small volleyist munched on a small coffee bun before offering some to Ayane. However, the tangerine haired vice captain found herself staring endlessly into the sky before looking at her racquet.

"Arn~, what is troubling _ore-sama_'s queen," Atobe glanced at her solemn emerald eyes. "_Ore-sama _barely sees her like this."

Ayane flipped around her racquet with a dejected sigh."Honestly, I don't know..."

Now hearing her not snap at him for calling himself _ore-sama_ really worried him. "Ayane, you will defeat Jerrard. You understood the concept of her play faster than I did."

"But you're an idiot in doubles play," Ayane bitterly bit her lower lip before restraining herself from tearing. "I've heard Doubles Pairs dissolve because of her. I don't want that to happen to me and Kiyone. We promised to become number 1 in the world!"

_Ore-sama never knew it meant this much to her... This victory..._

Atobe barely knew how Ayane was when depressed. Normally, she would be trying to kill him or something for some reason or for merely breathing in her presence or calling himself _ore-sama. _Kiyone would be singing how she would squish his head like a lemon and how they would fight like an old married couple. After that, Ayane would hound the small girl until Kiyone hides behind Momo, Shizuru or any form of authority that she recognizes.

"Ayane, _ore-sama _knows you will win but win or lose - you will learn from it," Atobe held Ayane's hands in his own, giving her his usual confident smirk. "If you do lose, it does not mean that _ore-sama _will think less of you. In fact, he will love you for losing but rising again to the challenge."

Ayane bit her lower lip anxiously before staring back at Atobe's confident icy blue eyes as he pressed his lips against her forehead, prompting her to blush. "K-Keigo...!"

"You're fretting too much," Atobe brushed away a tangerine strand from Ayane's face, smirking lightly. "If _ore-sama_ can defeat it and he's not even a doubles player, what more you - Ayane? You are the Queen of Hearts! You do not let some commoner waltz in and smash whatever you have worked so hard for!"

The tangerine haired girl broke out a small smile. "Keigo, that's actually inspirational... coming from you..."

Atobe chuckled humourlessly before capturing her lips for a few brief seconds. "Arn~, be awed by _ore-sama_'s prowess, Ayane."

"You know what you and Sengoku-_san_ have in common? You both tend to ruin the moment," Ayane deadpanned before teasingly slapping Atobe's face, earning a frown from the diva. "I'm kidding Keigo - if you didn't do that, you wouldn't be the peacock with the bloated ego. You're a moron but at least you don't walk in front of a car while texting and stopping in the middle of the road."

Atobe snorted at her poor attempt of a recovery, frowning at the Queen of Hearts. "Arn~, _ore-sama_ isn't that oblivious."

"Yeah says the man who went to school on Sunday," Ayane grinned evilly which caused the other two to end up laughing at him and soon caused her to explode laughing at him as well.

"_Ore-sama_ lost track of time is all!"

Ayane wiped a tear from her eye, tapping his cheek teasingly. "I'm sorry - it's just so funny."

Shiraishi shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. "I know Shitenhouji can be full of loonies and hard workers but this one takes the cake."

Atobe sighed at the humiliation but he saw Ayane lightening up once again. A helpless smile appeared on the Ice Emperor's lips as he watched Ayane gain some of her momentum back. By all means, if his misery made her happier - Atobe sighed to himself; a spoonful of sugar surely helps the medicine go down. He traced the scar at his hip with most annoyance, noticing the keloids that had built up from the last few months ago. Despite it being a mar on his skin, Atobe particularly didn't care. He somewhat avoided putting the medicine on purpose; Oshitari found it amusing that Atobe would keep such a scar on his body.

_Ore-sama should find a way how to make that man lose his composure!_

On the other hand, Kiyone grinned for a moment but not until she glanced at her racquet. Somehow, the small volleyist continued trembling despite being able to defeat the simulated Heartbreaker. She glanced at her clammy palms before looking up at the sky. She desperately tried wiping her hands only to feel the sweatiness of it once again.

"You were doing great out there," - the volleyist swivelled her head towards the _kansai_ captain. "Kiyone-_chan, _I don't think there's anything to worry about. You did great out there."

Kiyone grinned cheerily with a chirp. "Wha, really? Thanks! But, I still don't think I can measure up to the Phantasm Pair. They were amazing. _Buchou_ and Mai-_senpai_ broke every technique that came in their way. According to Haru-_senpai,_ their synchronicity made the other doubles players jealous."

Shiraishi smiled before leaning against the bench. "I don't think you should compare yourself to them. If I were to compare Kurenai-_han _and you, it's like comparing apples and oranges. You're faster in volleying but Kurenai-_han_ can play on all fields. But, still - you're very different. Don't become someone you're not. Their method may not be able to work out with you guys."

Kiyone sighed dejectedly, glancing at her racquet. "Yeah but it..."

Shiraishi smoothly chuckled before running his fingers through Kiyone's hair. "It doesn't matter. I prefer Kiyone any day. You shouldn't compare yourself no matter what. You'll be great as you."

_Damn, how did I come up with such a sappy thing?_

Shiraishi smiled inwardly as sandy blonde tresses slipped through his fingers. His heart pounded wildly upon the sight of Kiyone's sparkling cerulean eyes. He's seen many people with blue eyes - one was Seigaku's Fuji in the newspapers, Atobe's was icy blue and Jyosei Shounan's Hoshimura Florence's eyes sparkled liquid blue. But none of them mystified and expressed emotions as well as Kiyone's. He slightly swooned at the thought of staring into her cerulean eyes.

_She's a doll, she's a catch and she's a winner_

_I'm in love and no beginner _

_Could never grasp or understand just what she means..._

Shiraishi immediately shook his head; where did that song come from? Did that song have to be so exact? Kiyone definitely made Echizen look normal size but then again the other regulars probably make her tinier than she already is. Shiraishi sighed deeply in realization as he stole a glance at her once again. She definitely had an appearance of a doll; her bright blue eyes glimmered innocently despite her sadistic remarks and her sandy blonde hair framed her face perfectly. Not those kinds he saw TV, he mused inwardly to himself but more of those amazing Aryan porcelain dolls he's seen from his sister's doll collection. If anything, she could be mistaken for a doll.

_Baby baby blue eyes, stay with me by my side_

_'Til the morning through night, stay with me, holding my sides_

_Close your baby blue eyes, every moment feels right_

_And I may feel like a fool but,_

_I'm the only one dancing with you._

"Darn it, there it goes again," Shiraishi began lightly tapping his head with a dejected sigh. "I should ask Zaizen to reinstall my old playlist. I'm starting to hear songs in my head."

"You have an mp3 player stuck in your head," Kiyone tilted her head to the side innocently until a huge grin appeared on her lips. "Ooh ooh, that sounds so awesome! Where did you get one of those?"

Shiraishi sweatdropped but laughed good-naturedly nonetheless. "No no, I have a bad case of LSS is all. My _kouhai_ messed up my mp3 playlist and replaced it with catchy tunes and now it's stuck."

Kiyone pondered for a moment before beaming with inspiration. "You know what you do? Make Yane-Yane and Mole Diva argue! It cures me every time I have LSS!"

Ayane slapped the smaller girl at the back of her head, staring incredulously at the small girl. "Where the heck did you get that idea?"

Kiyone whimpered in pain before giving her the puppy pout. "Waaah, you're so mean! It actually works, Yane-Yane! Poor _buchou_'s probably going to need a nice set of Senheiser headphones to block out your arguments with mole diva!"

Ayane huffed irritably while tossing her hair back before screeching angrily. "Geez, we're not that loud!"

Atobe smirked in amusement, causing the girl to flush a bright red colour. "Indeed, it should be that Ayane is the only one who's loud."

"Oh shut your trap, Keigo!"

Shiraishi chuckled at the relationship of the two before casting his eyes towards Kiyone who burst out laughing at the argument. "Kiyone-_chan_, after your match - someone mentioned to me that there was a green house here full of rare plants. I was hoping you knew where it was?"

Kiyone swivelled her head towards the sandy haired captain of Shitenhouji before grinning widely at him. "The Horticulturist Greenhouse, you mean? There are a lot of those here in Tokyo but there are more flower gardens than the greenhouses, Shiraishi-_san_."

Shiraishi nodded lightly, smiling and scratched my head sheepishly. "I actually wanted you to come with me. We can sort of... Go out?"

_Nice on Shiraishi, that was incredibly smooth_

Shiraishi sighed dejectedly at himself until Kiyone started leaning against him before letting out a yawn. A small chuckle bubbled from his throat as he stroked Kiyone's hair absent-mindedly. The sandy blonde locks lightly passed through his fingers while he smiled at her. Slowly and carefully, he lifted her body to adjust her position and gently lay her head on his lap.

"It's amazing how you could make Getsugan submit easily."

Shiraishi swivelled his head towards Atobe before the king started snaking his arm around Ayane's waist, prompting the tangerine haired girl try and wiggle away. "I think it's more she's tired from the wild training we've been doing."

Kiyone mumbled before curling up like a cat on Shiraishi's lap. "...Sure, why not?"

Shiraishi blinked while she sleepily smiled at him. "We can go after the matches."

Shiraishi smiled back at her before shielding her eyes from the sun. "I'll wake you up when your match begins."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game and match, Hikifumi-Shimohi: six games to four!"

Rin leapt onto Haruka's shoulders, punching the air repeatedly. "Yeah, we did it! Oh yeah! WE ARE AWESOME! Kuwee~!"

Haruka grinned before nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, you bet we did and you bet we are!"

Howls and whistles thundered throughout the court as Rin and Haruka hugged each other in delight. Enma stalked off the court with a sheepish Midori as Rin glanced at the Hyotei supporters cheering loudly for her until she swivelled her head to one side. Kajimoto and his whole team were there; Wakato whistled loudly while Youhei and Kouhei waved a banner with Hyotei all over it. However, her red eyes gazed at Kajimoto's dark ones as he smiled proudly. The black dragon leapt off her doubles partner before running to the bleachers.

"Kajimoto-_kun_," Rin threw her arms around the brown haired acrobat. "You made it!"

Kajimoto wrapped his arms around the black haired female as well. "Congratulations, Rin..."

With a beaming smile, Rin jumped up and down while pointing excitedly. "One more game and this one is ours! We'll be heading out to the Nationals!"

Kajimoto nodded with a gentle hold on Rin's hand. "Um Rin, there's something I wanted to let you know..."

_It's now or never, Kajimoto!_

Rin stared at him with a puzzled expression. "What is it?"

Kajimoto heard the loud cheering as he decidedly pulled her away from the crowd. "There's something I wanted to show you."

She glanced back as Haruka got congratulated by the rest of the team. Ohtori smiled in amazement with Gakuto tackling Haruka to the ground. Shishido ruffled Haruka's hair and Kabaji started blowing out a horn, prompting the whole team to laugh. Jackal stepped forward also and nodded her. Haruka grinned as Jackal embraced her, causing the whole Rikkai Dai team to whistle at the two.

"Okay," Rin cheerfully followed after Kajimoto as they walked out towards an empty building structure. "Eh, where are we? Wait a minute, this is where I was training in my gymnastics. Then, Gakuto started yelling at me for something and then you showed up. You were breaking the argument between Kiku_-chan_ and Gakuto then you started helping me with my flips before... I messed up one..."

Chuckling lightly, Kajimoto stared absently at the area before flipping open the lights. Inside, it was a whole gymnastics area with cleaned handle bars and equipment. The fans hummed to life as the sot mats remained completely clean under the LED lights.

"Wow," Rin stared in amazement as she started fingering the wooden bars. "This is so cool! By the way, what are we here for?"

Kajimoto slung off his jacket before walking towards the bars with a reassuring smile. "You want to try it again? I'll spot you."

Rin bit her lower lip anxiously upon remembering the stunt. She couldn't flip her body in time and if not for Kajimoto's save - she would have broken her neck. She fearfully grabbed the bar with her hands trembling until Kajimoto overlapped his hand with hers.

"You'll never know unless you try," Kajimoto whispered gently to her.

Rin nodded determinedly as she gripped the bar firmly. She deeply inhaled whereas Kajimoto took his position. She leapt up for the handle bars before whirling on the bar. She swung herself to and fro and prepared to throw herself into the air. Her hands suddenly became clammy as she continued swinging around. Her eyes widened fearfully as her grip slowly loosened and she flew straight into the air. Forcibly somersaulting, Rin waited for the slightly cushioned fall but felt nothing. Her body trembled with warmth tickling her skin. She looked up and found Kajimoto smiling at her. She found him balancing on a swinging bar as he wrapped his right arm around her body while maintaining his balance. He controlled both their weights before landing on the ground gracefully and inaudibly.

Rin trembled slightly before sheepishly scratching her head, blushing brightly. "Th-thank you, Kajimoto-_kun_. It must be funny to constantly catch me..."

"It's alright. But," Kajimoto smoothed her hair away from her face before chuckling sheepishly. "I never imagined myself with anyone so extraordinary but... I guess I was wrong. Dragons are meant to fly in the sky after all..."

_Damn it, are you giving up already?_

Kajimoto glanced at bewildered Rin as he let her go. Though he loathed it, the Jyosei Shounan captain knew that this was bound to happen. Kajimoto tried to ignore the loud pounding in his ears as his throat tightened considerably. His words literally latched onto his throat as he stared into her big expectant crimson eyes.

"I don't know if you're willing to have a knight instead of a dragon," Kajimoto averted his eyes away from the _Heilongjiang_. "But the truth is - I can't exactly explain it verbally but..."

Kajimoto closed in on Rin before giving her a chaste kiss on forehead, running his fingers through her black hair. "Rin... I... Gag, I..."

_Spit it out already, you idiot!_

Before Rin could say anything, Kajimoto finally managed to rip the words from his throat.

"Rin, I l-love you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Oh yeah, he finally did it! I actually feel bad for Kajimoto since he was one of the better looking characters in the anime but didn't get many appearances. Hopefully I'll be able to update faster. Sorry for the long delay! Please don't forget to review! Thank you!**


	55. Breaking Hearts

**Me: Woo, thanks for the reviews once again! It really gets me working! I know I've been depriving you guys of some pairings but I will give them their chance to shine. I know Chapter 54 wasn't one of my best works but I'll definitely make this more exciting. Sorry for taking so long, someone asked me to do a beta of their story and I've been doing it as fast as I can so I can return to this. I guess it got kind of boring due to Haruka and Rin being a bit too awesome for Mouri and Tashiko to handle. XD Anyway, I hope you continue reviewing my chapters. It truly makes me work harder and make better chapters. I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and their abilities along with this fanfiction's plotline.**

**easilyaddicted1994: **Don't worry I'll definitely post a list since I myself am getting confused. XDDD Thank you for your reviews!

Chapter 55 - Breaking Hearts

Mai inhaled deeply as she glanced at the scoreboard as Seigaku started taking a heavy beating. Haruka leaned back against the back rest before slapping a wet towel on her face. The whole Hyotei team smiled in admiration for their women's tennis team as they started ploughing their way towards the Nationals. Isane clapped happily as Hitomi nodded in affirmation, gazing happily at the wondrous amount of data she managed to gather from the past matches. Momo breathed out easily as Sanada made his way towards both her and Sengoku. The male Sanada found himself uneasy as he approached the two, knowing what Sengoku did to women. But, Momo looked more happy and expressive unlike before. She still maintained her regal aura but Momo comfortably laid her head on Sengoku's lap as they started playing around with their fingers although the female _Shinigami_ would constantly make Sengoku crash and burn.

"Momo," Sanada cleared his throat loudly, causing the female _Shinigami_ to redirect her attention towards him. "A word, if I may."

Momo narrowed her eyes for a moment when Sengoku nodded and gently nudged her forward. The _Shinigami_ cautiously stepped forward while watching Sanada's movements carefully, lifting her foot slowly. The male Sanada watched her eyes analyse him carefully as if she were waiting for him to attack while judging her stance. A smirk appeared on his lips as Momo barely showed any signs of dropping her guard. Although he had half the mind to kick Sengoku off the bench, Sanada restrained himself while calmly looking Momo straight in the eye.

_She's prepared to defend him..._

Sanada folded his arms with a deepened frown. "Momo, I'm not going to..."

"I know you're not going to attack him," Momo interrupted smoothly, maintaining a stolid expression. "I'm simply going to say this: whatever you say will not change my mind. I am not going back to the Main House and grovelling like I did the last time. It was already bad enough that Sengoku nearly got clobbered by the _bokken_."

Sanada frowned deeper, noticing the lack of suffix. "Momo, Sengoku's not even your-."

"He's not even my boyfriend? Yes, I do realize that," Momo interjected once again with a darker and more cynical tone, glaring hard at her cousin. "But he has been closer to me and more accepting than my own relatives ever have been, Sanada-_sama_."

Watching the two argue from afar, Sengoku sighed dejectedly as he watched Momo curl her hands into fists. Her body language alone told him everything about her anger and all the hatred and disgust she held for the traditions of the Sanada clan. Although she respected some of them, Sengoku found their perspectives completely extremist. Momo struggled long and hard and he had seen many of her rises and her falls.

_Like that moment in the rain..._

Sengoku glanced at his folded umbrella inside his bag. Despite it being an old rickety umbrella, the orange haired boy grinned in nostalgia. The _Shinigami _may stand strong but she's going to need much luck. He may not be as strong-willed as his _Shinigami_ but he felt the urge to stand by her; even if it meant coming in contact with a sharp _katana_ prepared to slice him in half. He sighed fondly at the memory while casting a sheepish grin towards his racquet which had a deep gash on it coming from Momo's relative.

The cheers slowly died down as Ayane walked in along with Kiyone, Shiraishi and Atobe. The tension heightened considerably as Jerrard flashed a haughty sneer with Sakuno timidly twirling her racquet. Kiyone swallowed hard as Ayane glared holes into Vera before snorting angrily. She watched the blonde girl laugh mockingly at her as they both proceeded towards the court. Everyone quieted down instantly as Ayane and Kiyone faced one another at the net.

"I'm surprised that you and your puny Pomeranian managed to make it this far," Vera sneered darkly while tousling her long wavy blonde hair, yawning a bit. "This match is ours. Your brain's probably more in your boobs. Maybe that's how you got in anyway."

Ayane hissed darkly, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to brawl with her. "You're so dead! You're lucky Keigo didn't allow me to bring my 30-inch skillet to pound you in! I'm gonna rearrange your face until Souma-_san _can't recognize you!"

"Go go Yane~, you squish her like a lemon while I go after the other," Kiyone grinned before pondering for a few moments, pointing at the smaller girl. "Wait - Yane-_chan,_ what's her name again?"

Ayane sighed into her palm, laughing sheepishly. "Her name is Ryuuzaki Sakuno."

Kiyone glanced up at the air for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly with a sing-song voice. "Me no remember~."

Vera raised an eyebrow snootily while whipping her hair back confidently. "My my, the little puppy's biting more than she can chew. Too bad I'm going to crush her little heart in front of the whole world!"

Ayane hissed demonically while tightly gripping her racquet. "Not until I make my Magnolia Blade hack you violently into pieces!"

Vera grinned darkly before looking towards the crowd, proclaiming to the audience. "So, is this how Hyotei trains its regulars? What a bunch of fools! They're just all talk and no bite! Who's gonna win today?"

Seigaku supporters worked up into frenzy, raising banners and flags into the air. "SEIGAKU!"

"Who's gonna crush them today," Vera raised her racquet high into the air.

"THE HEARTBREAKER," The audience chanted louder as Hyotei supporters stared in shock.

Ayane narrowed her eyes while watching Vera's arm drop to her side. The audience chanted her name louder and louder before it thundered throughout the court.

"So," Vera gave her a sultry smile, tossing her hair back. "Are you ready?"

In response, Ayane sniggered humourlessly. "You know, Keigo knows what happens to him when he tries something explosive like that. Lemme show you how it's done!"

Vera froze as Ayane turned to the crowd with an evil grin. "Hey guys, you guys gonna let this second rate wanker talk you down like that!"

"NO," Hyotei, obviously furious, howled in response.

"You want me to beat this bitch into a bloody pulp," Ayane nodded with conviction at Atobe who stared in astonishment.

"YEAH! Hyotei will win!"

Kiyone climbed onto Ayane's shoulder before cupping her hands around her mouth. "So lemme hear you yell and make this astronomical wanker pay~!"

Hyotei's cheers immediately overpowered Seigaku into submission as Ayane declared to the world.

"I never thought I would say this but - _ORE-SAMA NO BIGI NI YOINA_!"

Shishido twitched violently, shaking his head vehemently. "She used the wrong pronoun..."

Atobe smirked with his usual _holier-than-thou_ smirk, folding his arms. "It does not matter. _Ore-sama _is perfectly content using it that way. Ayane, show that woman her place!"

Ayane gave him her fist with a determined grin. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

Soon, Hyotei cheered loudly with a triumphant roar with the Seigaku members staring in shock.

"Doubles One will now begin! Hyotei Gakuen's Kobayagi-Getsugan pair versus Seigaku's Jerrard-Ryuuzaki! Game start - Jerrard to serve!"

Vera, fuming angrily, stormed off towards the baseline to take her position. "Ryuuzaki, we will break them. Permanently - and we'll make sure they stay broken."

Sakuno exchanged glances at the two before bowing in apology and humbly. "I'm sorry; thank you for the match! I hope we have a good one."

Kiyone grinned cheekily, clapping her hands jovially. "We're fine with you but we're gonna break Blondie-_chan_!"

Vera scoffed haughtily, tossing her hair back to begin her service. "Very well then. I will break you Fakers first!"

As her service cracked off, Vera watched Ayane's movements as the tangerine haired female exploded the ball with a single fisted backhand. Vera's eyes widened as Sakuno froze in the line of fire as the ball deflected limply off her racquet as Kiyone attacked the lob with a spinning smash. The ball travelled on the ground as Vera scooped it off to repel the attack. Ayane attacked the net as the ball crashed towards Sakuno while the little girl deflected it again fearfully.

"Sakuno, change position," Vera switched positions with Sakuno.

_That should render Getsugan useless._

Vera winced at the impact from Ayane's shots before struggling to return them each time. The ball feebly flew back towards Ayane until Kiyone suddenly appeared with a drive volley. The ball hissed onto the court while Vera began chasing it with renewed vigour. Her cerulean blue eyes glittered icily at Ayane's hardened emerald ones as they crossed each other at the net.

"Ayane's doing amazingly well despite the pressure," Isane smiled cheerily before glancing at a frowning Mai. "Mai, what's up?"

Hitomi narrowed her eyes at Vera, biting her lower lip. "Jerrard is not doing her usual mannerisms and numbers. In comparison to her when she uses Heartbreaker, Vera appears to be... Struggling..."

Mai sighed deeply before standing up, glancing at her captain. "Hey Shizuru, you want a drink or anything?"

The brunette smiled cheerfully before nodding. "Milk tea?"

Mai sighed hopelessly but with snicker nonetheless; if there's anything that could elicit a reaction like that from her, it would be tennis or milk tea. The genius patted her captain on the head before walking off to get a drink and her captain's milk tea.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Walking along the stony path, Mai flipped around her wallet and cellphone before casting her eyes towards the sun. The Nationals were right around the corner - a smile curved up her lips as she continued treading slowly on the path. However, her expression fell the moment when she heard a sly snicker.

"Maa, you're really pushing me to the limit, Rena."

Mai literally froze in her tracks as she stood behind a brick wall. Her body tensed up at the voice, prompting her to swallow really hard. Did she hear right? Fuji and Yukimura were the only two who sounded like women with a similar voice. She cautiously turned the corner as Mai's eyes widened.

Rena had her hands against the tree.

Yukimura pulling her body against his.

What else did Mai want to know?

_Nothing, _Mai bit back her tongue bitterly as she retreated back behind the wall. Her emotions threatened to surge out of her as tears slowly began to leak out from her eyes. Mai winced at her body throbbing as her sight slowly became blurry. She gripped the brick wall tightly as the _tensai_ struggled to keep her stance up. The sun continued to beam down brightly at her as her amber eyes were filled with tears.

"Wait, aren't you Hyotei Gakuen's _tensai_ -Nagisaki Mai," a voice calmly inquired as the red haired girl swivelled her head up.

_Oh God, it's Yukimura..._

Mai immediately wiped her face before smiling cheerfully. "Last time I checked, yeah that's me," -she attempted to laugh.

Rena suddenly emerged from behind Yukimura. "What happened? Why are you all alone here?"

The crimson haired _tensai_ wearily cast her eyes towards the brunette with pigtails. She immediately got up and shook Yukimura silly before spouting off the truth. Rena looked increasingly horrified as Yukimura blinked before staring incredulously at her. Rena slapped Mai with the _tensai_ angrily while the crimson haired girl grinned in triumph that now Yukimura knew the truth.

Well, that's how she would have wanted things to happen.

Mai snapped herself out of the daze as she smiled sweetly. "Ah, I'm just dealing with the pressure of the match."

_God Nagisaki, your performing arts classes and practices are really paying off._

The _tensai_ silently thanked her stars for her cousins and she being a family of performers. Her tears dried up instantly as she managed to maintain a sweet disposition towards the two people. Her body threatened to tremble in front of them. Her amber eyes gleamed normally as of nothing was wrong while her smile remained completely plastered on her face.

"I know you can do it, Nagisaki-_chan_," Yukimura smiled encouragingly while slinging his arm around Rena. "It should just be like every other match you've played in. Rena also dealt with it when she visited me in the hospital everyday. She was even there on the day of my surgery."

Mai darkly stared but immediately disguised her slip-up with her smile. "Oh? That's nice."

_Ayane, I really wish I had your guts and uncontrolled volume right now._

The _tensai _remained completely silent as she looked at the couple standing in front of her. The truth tore itself from her throat before sinking into the pit of her stomach. No, her prey may be right in front of her but the _tensai_ decided against it. Yukimura would definitely notice his girlfriend's discomfort and right now - Mai didn't need to be a rocket genius to figure out that Rena clearly shivered under her gaze. But her eyes narrowed more at the character that lay seething under that exterior.

_It takes one to know one._

"Seiichi," Rena whined a little while clinging on to his arm, hiding behind Yukimura. "Why's everyone so scary here?"

Yukimura lovingly brushed her hair before smiling serenely at Mai. "Oh, it's the tension that comes with these tennis matches. Everyone wants to win after all."

Mai winced at his serene smile as she relaxed her shoulders a bit. Her amber eyes met the lavender orbs of Yukimura as she averted her eyes painfully from the Rikkai Dai captain. Rena continued to tightly latch herself onto Yukimura's arm while hiding meekly. Mai, averting her eyes, slowly striding past Yukimura with a small smile.

"Ignorance I guess is truly bliss," Mai smiled mournfully before drifting past Yukimura.

Yukimura's eyes widened as he saw Mai go a noticeably long distance away as her figure faded from far away. The blue haired male wanted to go after her and ask what she really meant. Her smile seemed so sad to him. What did she know about him? After his surgery, he just found himself staring at a white ceiling until Rena came in. He blinked several times as a flash of red appeared in his eyes. He shook his head; where in the world did that come from? What was that red flash for? He had been seeing that in his mind ever since after the operation. A recurring image perhaps?

"Seiichi," Rena gently tapped his shoulder before looking at him lovingly. "Are you okay?"

Yukimura nodded stiffly as he glanced back towards path that Mai had taken. He blinked several times before walking back towards the tennis courts.

_I better ask my doctor where those images are coming from. I never had those before._

On the other hand, Mai continued walking towards the milk tea store while tightly gripping the necklace that had shattered that day. Her whole body literally froze as her feet continued to walk robotically. A bitter smile curved up her lips as she cast her eyes back at the couple, wondering what it would be like to fall in love with her very own tutor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Love - forty!"

Vera heavily panted while glancing at the buxom tangerine haired girl. She winced at the pain in her wrist as she forced herself to stand properly. Her body trembled considerably as she faced Ayane. What made her so strong? She knew that the more Ayane countered her attacks - her wrist will be done in for the season. How could they easily force out a long game with her? Vera shook her head in denial; no, these guys just had a lot of energy is all.

"You hit like an ox," Vera darkly hissed while trying to maintain her haughty expression. "Your boyfriend must be scared shitless by you."

Ayane snapped angrily before pointing her racquet at her. "I may be strong but at least I don't abuse my strength and randomly insult people! I'm gonna put your racquet where it belongs - shoved up your ass!"

Atobe twitched at the blonde woman's insult. Although there was some truth to it, the Hyotei male captain soon learned how to shrug off the pain considering she's hit him once with a car license plate. How she managed to yank that off is a miracle. Souma may be known as the strongest woman in Kantou but that's probably because they've never seen Ayane effortlessly wrench off a license plate.

_She definitely can enter the Women's Wrestling Association._

Ayane prepared herself to receive the service on the other hand as she watched Vera's movements. The blonde girl dusted her skirt with a haughty snort as Kiyone eyed Sakuno as the pigtailed haired girl clumsily stumbled around with a slight whimper. The Hyotei female vice captain tightened her grip on the racquet as the serve cracked off the racquet once again.

_I will finish her here!_

"_Kotsubushi no Katana," _Ayane slammed a strong backhand at Vera's left side.

The ball rocketed off her racquet before exploding against Vera's racquet. The blonde let out a cry in pain as the ball strained the strings of her racquet. Sakuno rushed towards her _senpai _as she attempted to help return the shot. The ball refused to bounce off the racquet as it drilled a hole into Vera's racquet. Sakuno flew back from the impact before she landed flat on her butt.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: one game to love!"

"What are you," Vera seethed venomously while gripping her wrist. "What kind of drugs are you ingesting? I wouldn't be surprised though that your own doubles partner is scared of you!"

Ayane resisted the urge to throttle her but bit her lower lip.

Seeing that she hit a nerve, Vera smirked widely. "You're more abusive than I am! At least I don't throttle my own doubles partner!"

"I don't throttle her," Ayane angrily hissed as she struggled to cement her feet to the ground.

"Then why are you so hot and bothered then?"

Ayane instantly shut her mouth as she stared at her hands but immediately shook off the feeling. She remembered how the Heartbreaker worked and if Atobe was right - she definitely would have to shock her into complete fear in order to intercept it. She bit her lower lip anxiously while glancing back at her doubles partner. Kiyone tilted her head innocently as she grinned in determination. A huge smirk appeared on her face.

"You can talk all you want," Ayane took her position at the baseline for reception, pointing her racquet venomously at the blonde senior. "But it will take more to break down the Queen of Hearts and Queen of Clovers!"

Vera let out a hollow chuckle while staring back at the determined Hyotei pair. "Bitch please - who do you think you are? What kind moron do you think you are?"

Shiraishi watched the match unfold before him solemnly as Ayane unleashed an explosive service. He winced slightly at the power that exploded from the tangerine haired girl's racquet before recalling the sensation with a shudder. The Shitenhouji captain wondered if his hand would actually tear off his arm but he redirected his attention to the net as Kiyone started sealing Ryuuzaki Sakuno's movement. The sandy blonde haired girl pivoted quickly with Sakuno desperately trying to escape. He knew that Hyotei was loaded with speed demons but never expected for Kiyone to be part of them.

"She's not just fast on the court," - Shiraishi swivelled his head to see the Shitenhouji team standing behind him and Kenya leaning against the rail.

Hitouji swooned while shaking his butt, dancing off. "Ooh _buchou _isdefinitely in love with Kiyone-_chan_~!"

Shiraishi wanted to dig a hole and hide himself in there, seeing Kenya's expression pale considerably. "Hitouji, now's one of those times I wished you were very distracted by Koharu."

The two Shitenhouji males remained silent as they continued watching the match. Shiraishi found Kenya leaning on the rails beside him; Kenya and he were always good friends and no matter what happened - they stuck by each other. His dark eyes followed the freshman's movements as she whirled around for a spinning smash. He chuckled inwardly; Kiyone could pull off the _Entaku_ Shot a bit but still it needed some tweaking. However, he found that extremely amazing for a freshman especially when her feet would land inaudibly onto the ground. Most people drop like rocks into the ground but his eyes focused more on her cheerful and thrilled expression. Her blue eyes glimmered with the sun gently refracting off them and giving them an energetic gleam. Her messy sandy blonde hair floated in the wind as she attacked the net while trapping Sakuno at the same time.

"She sure is something, huh Shiraishi," Kenya mused lightly while fixing his stance against the railing. "I wouldn't be surprised if you would go after her though."

Shiraishi swivelled his head back towards his best friend; he wasn't mad? "You're not mad or anything?"

Kenya chuckled in good naturedly before gazing back seriously into his captain's eyes. "I wouldn't want a girl to get in the middle of our friendship but still, I won't lose."

Shiraishi smirked before extending his hand out to Kenya, nodding in acceptance. "May the best man win?"

"Challenge accepted."

"I hate to be a party pooper but," - Kenya and Shiraishi swivelled their heads towards Chitose who calmly placed his hands in his pocket. "But if you don't keep your voices down, your words will soon be: may we both live to meet again if Kobayagi-_san_ manages to clobber us both."

Vera flimsily sent the ball towards the baseline as it curved awkwardly towards Kiyone who managed to volley it straight at Sakuno. The pigtailed haired girl panicked at the speed but forcibly deflected it while trying to keep up with Kiyone's wrist flexibility. Seeing the ball head towards the corner, the sandy blonde slid down onto the ground before slashing the ball with a strong top spin and sending it straight for Vera. The blonde vice captain soon pounded the ball straight towards Ayane who slammed the ball with a devastating backhand which ploughed straight through Sakuno's and Vera's defences and cracking on the baseline behind them.

"Fifteen - love!"

_I don't get it!_

Vera bristled in annoyance before looking at the black scratch mark on the court, glaring at the shot that had previously zoomed past her. Her body trembled violently from the impact thundering loudly in her mind as she watched Ayane stand tall despite everything. The Heartbreaker should have taken effect by now but Ayane and Kiyone immediately started resisting it. She shook her head before glancing at the male captain of Hyotei with a small smile curving up her lips. The Seigaku vice captain snickered in realization; where else could have the information have leaked out? Yamaguchi hadn't been there during their utilization of the Heartbreaker and with his Insight, of course he would have some idea.

"How sure are you that you know the true form of the Heartbreaker," Vera smiled slyly as Sakuno volleyed a vanishing shot towards Ayane and Kiyone as the two promptly froze on the spot. "Besides, you know it yourself - Atobe is an idiot in doubles. He won't know a thing! Same time, don't you two hate each other so why get so defensive? And you Getsugan-_chan_, don't you ever think for yourself instead of listening to an airhead? Don't you ever wonder why you should take orders from a big breasted bimbo?"

Ayane resisted the urge to throw her racquet and strangle Vera right there. "His Insight makes up for it and I'm gonna kick your ass if it's the last thing I do! Only I'm allowed to insult Keigo!"

Seeing some results, Vera continued smoothly while tousling her blonde hair. "Besides Kiyone, weren't you the rumoured soon-to-be Angel of Kantou? I'm sure you can do so much better than your captain. But then again - you're nothing more but a spineless little brat who knows nothing of tennis!"

Kiyone froze at her statement but not before noticing Sakuno's stance. Her body began to tremble fearfully as she struggled to keep her body moving. Everything completely froze around her as the sounds fell deaf on her ears. True Ayane may be the most oblivious and sometimes may have the shortest temper however; Kiyone could not disregard how the girl always stood by her. She learned some basic forms of tennis but found baseline to be a tad complicated. If anything, her whole body had to fly first before it got over the net. Rin despite being an acrobat and a volleyist definitely sent it over the net much better than she had.

"SHUT UP, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT US," Ayane blasted the shot from her racquet as it slammed into the net. "What in the world...?"

"Fault," - the ball limply slapped against the net.

Ayane blinked several times before staring incredulously at the net before unleashing out another serve; what had just happened? "What the heck is happening to me? Damn it, I'm getting distracted!"

"Double Fault, fifteen - all!"

Ayane stared in disbelief as her hands suddenly started getting clammy and her throat mysteriously ran severely dry. Her whole body shut down instantly as she started spacing out in the middle of nowhere. Ayane shivered fearfully as she struggled to fight back but to no avail, her body nearly began crumbling under her. The tangerine haired vice captain shook her head vehemently; this was one of the effects of the Heartbreaker!

"I will not crumble no matter what she throws at me," Ayane hissed venomously before serving an explosive serve that just cracked past Vera.

The blonde girl stared in admonishment; Ayane started sweating and staggering but she didn't show any sign of breaking. Kiyone stared in amazement as her partner struggled against the effects of the Heartbreaker. The sandy blonde girl bit her lower lip anxiously while trying to keep her stance. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she tried to shake away the nauseous feeling in her stomach. The Queen of Clovers lowered her stance as Ayane ripped out another serve with rocket-like speed. Sakuno trembled fearfully as the ball continued to crack past her once again.

"Damn, she hits a serve harder than my Bullet Serve," Momoshiro stared in disbelief and astonishment. "I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that serve."

Kaidoh let out an indignant hiss, grabbing a handful of Momoshiro's clothes as well. "That's because she works out more than you do."

This prompted Momoshiro to slam his forehead against the Boomerang Snake user's. "Oh yeah? I bet you she'll tear your arms right off!"

Kaidoh twitched furiously before grabbing Momoshiro by the shirt. "Say that again, porcupine head!"

"I said she'll tear your arms right off," Momoshiro pushed Kaidoh back with a voracious hiss. "With that kind of power, you've got nothing _Mamushi_!"

Echizen narrowed his eyes darkly before drinking up another can of Ponta. "Ryuuzaki better not try to return that shot. She doesn't have the power or the tenacity for that yet."

Tezuka watched the match carefully as Ayane's anger fuelled each of her services quite easily. He noticed the sudden change of expression on Vera's face as more sweat poured down the Hyotei freshman's face. Ayane slammed the shot with extreme force with a forehand as Vera countered with a weakened volley. Sakuno desperately tried to follow after Kiyone only to stumble back and forth. The smaller girl on the other hand zipped by and started attacking Vera with full speed volleys. He continued to wonder; how did Shizuru manage to find someone like her? If anything, perhaps Kobayagi had enough strength to even give Kawamura a good run for his money.

"Saa~, I'm more interested in the match after this though," Fuji chuckled all-knowingly before seating himself next to Kikumaru. "You don't know what kind of strength they have. They fight but with different forms of strength. Their eyes reflect much..."

Tezuka frowned a bit at the cryptic message given by the _tensai_. "Fuji, not now."

"Why not, Tezuka," a seam of cerulean peaked under the effeminate male's lashes. "I don't think you're the only one who is captivated."

Tezuka massaged his temples while turning away from Fuji before finding his eyes straying towards the Hyotei stands. Cheers from Hyotei thundered louder than ever as Ayane managed to grab the set from the Jerrard-Ryuuzaki pair. However, his eyes strayed more towards the bleachers as he watched the girls become tenser as the match progressed. He glanced at their captain only to notice that her usual calm gentle smile did not grace her face but the bespectacled male could not say for sure whether or not the bright determined gleam in her crimson eyes distracted him more.

"Kurenai falls hard once she realizes things," - Tezuka swivelled his head towards the red haired female captain as the girl darkly folded her legs with an annoyed snort. "She tends to deny details unless she's seen it in front of her. More or less however, she'll realize who she's dealing with after this match."

Tezuka frowned a bit at Fuuka's ruthless glare directed towards Shizuru, sighing inwardly a bit. Girls usually had been a trivial matter to him; he never understood how they could get so competitive over something so tiny. Although the male tennis teams also had their testosterone-fuelled fights, their wrath seemed to be nothing compared to what the girls supposedly dished out. Fuuka had her fair share of pounding a few _senpai_ since they called her a _butch_ a few times due to her masculine way of talking. It took more than Kawamura to hold her down and the female captain definitely looked like she was about to breathe fire. When he pondered deeply once again, Tezuka found himself realizing that he had never heard of an incident where Shizuru would violently lash out in anger.

"It's usually the quiet ones who are more terrifying when angered, no," Fuji smiled all-knowingly at his captain, chuckling lightly.

Tezuka sighed dejectedly; trust Fuji to be VERY experienced in that department. "Ah."

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: two games to love!"

The cheers erupted loudly as Ayane managed to gather some of her wits back but found her body trembling more than ever. Sakuno sauntered towards the ball before giving a terrified look to Ayane as the taller Hyotei freshman walked towards the baseline to receive. The tangerine haired vice captain found herself worrying for the smaller girl whether or not she may or may not blow off the smaller girl's arm. She contemplated deeply; how could she return to Sakuno without worrying about inflicting any injury on the innocent girl standing on the other side? If it were Vera, by all means - she'd rather pull off the blonde girl's arms herself. Soon, Sakuno sent a wobbling serve as Ayane tapped it lightly to make it move towards the net like a normal shot. Vera attacked Kiyone instantly as the smaller girl immediately struck with her _Obana Volley_. Hissing in annoyance, Vera winced at the vanishing speed of the ball as she managed to return the shot a few times. However, the blonde female instantly sent it far enough within Kiyone's range and Ayane's range as the two collided into each other.

"Ow," Kiyone whined as she leapt away from Ayane to cover the other side. "Sorry!"

Ayane clucked her tongue before lobbying it towards the other end of the court, nearly stumbling over. "Never mind, concentrate on the match!"

"Ayane better figure out a new formation before that match progresses into anything worse," Haruka bit her thumbnail while watching the freshman go against the senior, watching the ball zoom back and forth. "That's never happened before."

Mai narrowed her eyes at Vera as the blonde woman continued attacking Kiyone. "It's a slow but sure mental attack that makes sure both players begin focusing more on their own progress rather than their progress as a unit. Since both girls are ideally new to this, they're more susceptible to the attack."

"You forget that Ayane's as stubborn as a mule, she won't go down that easy," Atobe smirked while leaning against the rail. "_Ore-sama_ made sure she would have at least a small fighting chance."

"Fifteen - love!"

Atobe froze at the announcement as he found Kiyone crumpled on the ground with Ayane nearly forced down on her knees. The mark of the shot landed right in between them as the two girls stared in astonishment that Vera finally managed to break through their defences. Biting his lower lip in annoyance, Atobe ran a mental checklist in his mind making sure he did not forget to tell Ayane anything about the Heartbreaker technique. He understood the ruined concentration, the spirit breaking and then the self-destruction. What else could that technique do other than ruin the rhythm of two doubles players? He immediately began racking his brain to try and recall the newspaper clippings Taki and Kabaji managed to gather regarding Vera's special playing style. He had gone back to the schools who have come across her and the doubles players somewhat managed to recover. But the technique now seemed beyond ruthless, Atobe hissed mentally in frustration. What is that woman planning?

"No," Atobe's eyes widened in realization as Vera smirked all-knowingly at the Queen of Hearts and he. _She's going for permanent damage!_

"You're so slow," Vera yawned while tossing back her blonde hair with her blue eyes glimmering in mock amusement. "Even your idiotic lapdog figured it out."

Ayane slammed her racquet on the ground, preparing to lunge at her. "You say that again!"

Kiyone immediately grabbed Ayane by the fringe of her jacket. "Y-Yane-_chan_, wait...!"

However, Ayane's arm immediately and instinctively flew back and knocked Kiyone down with pure impact alone. The sandy blonde girl blinked several times in disbelief as Ayane found herself midway to punching the blonde girl. She staggered back before glancing at the astonished smaller girl. Her emerald orbs widened with horror; where did that come from? She glanced at Atobe before running a mental checklist of everything he had briefed her on prior to the game. The blocking out of concentration, the petty venomous jabs - everything! She had countered everything, hadn't she?

"K-Kiyone," Ayane weakly extended her hand before averting her eyes away. "I-I didn't mean to..."

Kiyone jumped up to her feet again before walking right in front of Ayane with her electric blue eyes staring back at the tangerine haired vice captain. Startled, Ayane continued to stare at her for a moment wondering what the smaller girl would do. Vera chuckled in amusement until Kiyone jumped onto her shoulders and grabbed her cheeks, stretching it far. Soon, the two began staggering around as the smallest member of the female Hyotei team managed to maintain her balance on Ayane's shoulders.

"Kiki," Ayane flailed her arms pointlessly while trying to stop Kiyone from yanking her cheeks, stumbling around. "Fuwah-!"

The sandy blonde volleyist did not stop there as she began singing at the top of her squeaky baby voice with a huge mischievous grin on her face, continuing to stretch her cheeks even further. "YANE-YANE LOVES ATOBE! YANE-YANE LOVES ATOBE!"

Ayane immediately began prying the smaller girl off her shoulders before preparing to maul her. "Why I oughta-!"

"_Buchou~_," Kiyone whined immediately before running away, realizing having a raging Ayane on her tail was the last thing she wanted. "She's gonna kill me! GROUND HER!"

Seeing Kiyone causing an uproar, Ayane suddenly began laughing to herself which prompted everyone to stare at her.

"What? Has the sudden break in your synchronicity made you insane," Vera sneered darkly until Ayane grinned sickeningly sweet while picking up her racquet.

"Nah, Kiyone just reminded me what I had to do," Ayane snickered darkly at the other vice captain as she cracked her knuckles. "I can steal her _wasabi_ chips later. But for now - I'd like to rearrange your face and see what happens."

On the bleachers, the Hyotei male tennis team found themselves completely speechless as Oshitari became the first to break the silence. "Well, that was somewhat refreshing..."

"They throw more tantrums than us, Yuushi," Gakuto sweatdropped at the sight of the two girls as they continued to glare at each other.

Shishido scowled darkly before folding his arms. "Che, Seigaku got what they deserve."

Another serve flew lightly from Sakuno as Kiyone launched herself forward to send it over the net with Ayane moving far back to cover the baseline. Soon, the two began alternating roles back and forth with Kiyone jumping around and Ayane feinting attacks left and right. Vera bristled at the progress of the two members of Hyotei as she prepared for a slamming smash. Kiyone and Ayane immediately backed up as the smash bounced high off the floor while the smallest member of the Hyotei tennis team sprung off Ayane's hands before letting down a smash straight at Sakuno. Despite being terrified of the speed, Sakuno managed to retaliate with a forehand while Ayane unleashed another speeding _Kotsubushi no Katana _towards her, immediately frightening the freshman with sheer brute force.

"Don't be afraid of her, Ryuuzaki," Vera attacked the backhand with a volley. "That's all she is! Brawn and no brain!"

Ayane hissed venomously before exploding another forehand. "Hey, I resent that!"

"How can Ayane-_chan_ keep that consistency despite being pushed to the back," Gakuto stared agape at the explosive sounds that echoed off her racquet.

Atobe somewhat smirked at Gakuto's spluttering and astonishment while watching Ayane push herself farther. He saw Ayane soar a bit in air before bringing out a heavy forehand. A small smile crept up his lips as his icy blue eyes followed towards Vera who showed extreme effort in returning the next shot. Somehow, the king of Hyotei couldn't help but ponder on the ghostly smirk on Vera's face. He bit his lower lip as the clouds above him slowly began to move in. Suddenly, Hyotei's chanting faded into the background as Seigaku's cheering increasingly became louder.

_Break their hearts! Break their hearts! Seigaku FIGHT-O!_

Atobe watched the body language between the two Seigaku players as the net player suddenly became very serious. From her formerly wobbly and clumsy stance, Sakuno soon started following Kiyone's pace with much ease as the smaller player began attacking the front net. Vera's sapphire blue eyes shimmered with cunning while Ayane continued to push hard with exploding forehands. The tangerine haired girl winced visibly at the strain her body started to feel as she nearly stumbled over. Kiyone immediately backed up and began taking the baseline shots as well before nearly falling over to forcibly exert more effort. Sweat beads trickled down Ayane's face and Kiyone staggered a bit while allowing Ayane to blow the ball straight towards Sakuno which prompted her to run away from the ball.

"Fifteen - all!"

"Ryuuzaki," Vera swivelled around to find the dumbfounded girl sitting on the ground with a horrified expression in her face. "Are you alright?"

Sakuno weakly nodded while trying to pick herself up only to fall again. "_H-Hai, g-gomenasai _Jerrard-_senpai_..."

Vera clucked her tongue in annoyance before sparing a glance at the strong woman standing on the other end. She clenched her fists tightly; where did Ayane get that kind of power? Her arms had definition but not the kind body builders had. The tangerine haired girl's arms showed no bulges of muscle but a thin stream line. Vera knew of one thing though: Kiyone basically did all the running although Ayane can cover a bigger distance than the smaller girl can.

"Souma, if only you could play doubles," Karin chuckled with a business-like smile. "Perhaps this buxom tangerine haired freshman would have given you a run for your money as the _Strongest Woman in Kantou_."

Fuuka scoffed haughtily while folding her arms. "Che, that girl doesn't have anything on me. What my father did to me cannot be equated to what she does and what she was born with. Kurenai can definitely attest to that."

Atoli shrugged nonchalantly before watching Fuuka suddenly stand up and walk away. "Where are you headed?"

"Warm ups," Fuuka responded simply before casting a withering glare at Hyotei. "I intend to crush Kurenai under the weight of her team's dreams and expectations."

Watching the red head walk away, the brown haired Seigaku female _tensai_ blinked several times while shaking her head dejectedly. She never understood the rivalry between the two girls. Shizuru showed no reaction to it and as far as the _tensai_ observed - Fuuka stood in a one-sided rivalry. Atoli tipped her cap a bit before falling asleep against the wall.

_Kurenai better be prepared for war. As a fellow sophomore despite different schools, I respect her spirit._

On the other hand, Fuuka quietly sauntered through the pathways among the court before breaking into a slight jog. She breathed heavily while looking around at the greenery that past her. Children watching their elder siblings or simply playing tennis cheered them on as more kids began running around. Fuuka snorted in disgust; how did people get so oblivious anyway? To her, life was a battle she had to constantly survive and learn.

_That's how L.X.A moulded us to be._

Fuuka frowned a bit at the thought of the CHroME before pulling it out of her pocket. She stopped in her tracks before staring solemnly at the bright red hexagonal shaped device with the symbol of Aries on it. She bit her lower lip before looking at her palm. Now that they had been de-commissioned, what was left for her to do?

"I'm surprised to see you here," a smooth British accented voice cut through her thoughts smoothly.

Fuuka narrowed her eyes at the honey haired female. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"Shouldn't you have buried the past," Florence raised her eyebrow at the red haired female captain. "Your father must have been extremely desperate to give up his only daughter."

Fuuka growled in annoyance before turning away in hatred. "I was never that bastard's daughter anyway."

"You were and still are," Florence advanced a bit closer towards Fuuka, watching the flickering aura emanating from the Seigaku captain. "He still asks about you. After all, he was my handler."

Fuuka curled her hands into a fist while glaring at Florence. "He could have bailed us both out of there! With all the money and blood we've spilled by their command, we could have been discharged! Instead, the asshole doesn't even talk to me or spare a glance at me at bloody fucking all!"

"I believe it is because of the attitude and character you have now is what makes him wary," Florence pointed out calmly to the flaming red head, watching the colour shine from white to rage and angry crimson. "Not many people can sift through emotions like Shizuru-_chan _and I. We are created and modified to be Savants, Fuuka. L.X.A had tried to engineer the perfect race. What better way than to create an orphanage-hospital to find suitable candidates?"

"That doesn't show any connection, bitch," Fuuka hissed venomously, resisting the urge to punch a hole into Florence.

Florence rolled her eyes sarcastically as if she were speaking to a dense student. "Your family - do you remember anything of your past? Other than L.X.A., of course."

Fuuka gave her a duh stare. "We had a normal boring life."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe they struck a deal with the government in order to keep you alive," Florence smiled slowly, seeing Fuuka's aura slowly change into light blue. "Perhaps, your father and your mother couldn't have children."

Without any warning, Fuuka grabbed Florence by the collar before giving her a deathly glare. "Don't you dare patronise me! I don't need your damn pity!"

"At least both your parents are alive, Natsuki barely has anyone, Ai's origins are from a test tube, Shizuru has no memory of them whatsoever except a huge fire that engulfed her world and most of my parents' savings go to my medical expenses," Florence frowned before managing to pry of Fuuka's fingers with slight difficulty. "At least you still have a shot of normalcy. I'm going to reduce my parents to poverty unless I get this surgery done and even the doctor says I may be reduced into a catatonic vegetable. Our parents have reasons for their actions, Fuuka. What? Are you telling me that your dad gambled away your freedom? You should pay more attention to detail."

Fuuka remained silent before pushing Florence away with an indignant snort. "You don't know anything."

Florence let out a hollow chuckle while folding her arms. "Really? I still remember the day you appeared to us the first time."

**Flashback**

"Florence, Natsuki," a middle aged man shuffled in with an eight year old red head completely devoid of emotions walked in. "Meet your new roommate, Fuuka. Be nice to her."

Nine year old Natsuki walked towards her with an angry retort, kicking the man in the shins. "What the heck? This isn't some garrison you can all shove us in without telling us, you _baka _Sagara!"

Kyouichi Sagara chuckled while wincing in pain, sighing. "I know but they just gave the orders. I went with her so the place wouldn't be so scary for her. It is her first time here."

Florence spoke from behind her book with a soft gaze. "That is very admirable of you, Mr. Sagara. Forgive Natsuki for her sudden outburst; we will do our best to make Fuuka feel very much at home."

Kyouichi chuckled at the honey haired female. "Ah always the mature one, Florence. Thank you but I wish I could stay and chat but I have finally been assigned as a handler. You may be four in this room soon which means - Natsuki, start cleaning your mess."

The nine year old looked at the littered gymnastics clothes and papers on the ground before scratching her head with a dejected snort. "Yeah, yeah - I'll get to it."

Florence placed the book down with amusement flickering in her bright blue eyes. "Oh, and who may this new girl be?"

Kyouichi shrugged nonchalantly before patting the charcoal gray haired girl on the head. "I don't know but the only lead that I have is that her name is Shizuru. She seemed pretty traumatized though to the point she has no idea what her last name is."

**End of Flashback**

Fuuka smirked darkly to herself before continuing to walk down the pathway with a ghostly smile. She glanced at her racquet as a howl of amazement echoed throughout the courts, prompting her to swivel her head up. The red haired captain chuckled smoothly before tossing the crimson hexagonal device in her hand up into the air.

"I can't help but wonder though," Fuuka chuckled lightly before grabbing the CHroME floating in mid-air. "What would happen if Kurenai were to suddenly figure out her true lineage? You said yourself - as long as she's an amnesiac, she has no clue on who she is."

Florence continued to walk along with her. "Perhaps, you're wondering if her family is the reason why she is so powerful. She draws power from the happiness people have when she proves herself to be useful."

Fuuka shrugged her shoulders with a dark snort. "A pathetic ideal really for a person. The whole world can't be happy with that kind of ideal."

"Yes, a Marxist view," Florence laughed softly while holding her own CHroME in her hand. "We could never get rid of these now could we?"

Fuuka glanced towards the sky before walking back towards the courts. "L.X.A made us who we are and I don't think we can toss away our identities just like that."

* * *

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: one game to two!"

Vera literally stopped dead in her tracks while trying to slow down her breathing considerably. Her eyes scanned the court as she found the other two doubles players holding themselves up despite the pressure. An annoyed scowl engraved itself on her face as she tightened her grip on her racquet, restraining whatever fury that started to boil. Why had they easily crushed the Heartbreaker? Could it be that the stupid Atobe actually managed to analyse her technique properly? According to Karin, Atobe basically knew nothing of doubles let alone hand signals or the techniques behind the formation. Vera grinded her teeth in annoyance as multiple theories appeared in her mind. None of them seemed to make sense.

"Jerrard-_senpai_," Sakuno shakily tapped the older girl's shoulder, swallowing hard.

"WHAT," Vera fumed angrily before stamping the floor angrily only to realize what was happening to her.

She herself had fallen victim to the Heartbreaker.

"To think you called me slow, you whiny little skank."

Vera swivelled her head towards a twitching Ayane as the tangerine haired girl cracked her knuckles with a huge grin. "Guess what? I guess you're not just playing against a two man team."

The blonde tousled her hair flippantly despite the frustration threatening to surge out of her. "You know if you're to be like so incompetent, I suggest you just fall over right now like I don't know a dead puppy?"

Kiyone pouted bitterly, pursing her lips with the puppy look. "B-But, puppies are cute!"

Vera rolled her eyes sarcastically with a haughty smirk. "Apparently, it takes one to know one."

_Ooooh, I just hate her rich bitch smirk right now! Where's a good frying skillet when you need one!_

Ayane restrained every urge to leap over the net and rearrange her face. However, she immediately held back before sighing dejectedly. The tangerine haired female glanced at Atobe for a moment before giving him this huge smile which she noticed him visibly shudder. Everything slowly began to fall into place as she glanced back at the scores. If anything, she never planned on using it against her. The vice captain shrugged off the idea and simply wondered what would happen to Vera if she got attacked by her own technique.

"Yane-Yane," Kiyone tugged her shirt before staring at the buxom vice captain with her bright liquid blue eyes. "Are we gonna squish her head like Swiss cheese yet?"

Ayane sighed with a wistful smile; trust Kiyone to always know how to make her feel better. "Don't worry too much about me, Kiki. I'm fine."

_I just wanna kick her ass right now!_

Ayane fumed slightly as she glanced back at the court, narrowing her eyes in annoyance as she did so. As of now, the score slowly began tipping into Vera's favour as Sakuno started cowering from Vera's vicious wrath. The Queen of Hearts pondered deeply at the frantic state of the other vice captain as she glanced at her palm once again and tightened her grip. She promised her captain the gold and as of now, Ayane steeled herself with much determination. Her emerald green eyes met Atobe's icy blue ones as a smirk appeared on the king's lips.

"It's time you show them what it means to be the Queen of Hearts," Atobe folded his arms with a smirk, nodding in approval.

Ayane snickered in confidence before watching Kiyone send out a serve towards them. Vera received it with a powerful forehand aiming towards the smaller Hyotei player but not before Ayane intercepted it with a volley which zoomed straight towards the blonde. Vera hissed darkly before rushing forward with a striking backhand which Kiyone and Ayane suddenly switched places, leaving the smaller volleyist to play in her favoured position with a quick drive volley. Sakuno stumbled over as she returned another one with a sliced shot while Kiyone responded with an even faster spin. Vera continued her attack at the net but Kiyone despite her small size managed to leap around and block the shots flying towards her. Kiyone even began jumping around which forced Vera to retract a bit slightly in order to get a stronger the baseline shot.

"You stupid bitch," Vera hissed darkly as she attacked the baseline only to find Ayane all set up.

"I'm the stupid bitch? Yeah right," Ayane threw all her weight with a pivot of her ankle into the _Kotsubushi no Katana._

Vera staggered back to receive as she and Sakuno attacked the ball at the same time, causing the ball to awkwardly curve around towards Kiyone. The smaller girl instinctively flicked her wrist as the ball whipped itself towards Sakuno who managed to follow the speed a bit slightly. Vera quietly analysed Ayane as both their defiant gazes met one another.

"She's quite impressive," Vera snickered as the ball zoomed back towards her, only to counter with a shallow forehand. "It's too bad that she's only half a player though."

"She can serve pretty well and you saw her ground strokes," Ayane vehemently backhanded the ball once again towards Vera. "She's still growing!"

Vera raised an eyebrow before sliding over smoothly to the other side to let out a drop shot. "Really? Then why does your Waltz never end with her in the back?"

Ayane paused for a moment as her body continued to move mechanically. The sounded faded away into the background as her whole vision became black. The tangerine haired vice captain found herself completely in the middle of nowhere and unable to her partner's movements. Ayane shook her head to change her view but everything suddenly became hazy as the ball thundered in her eardrums. Her body started to slow down considerably as she tried to feel out the match. Her eyes widened in horror as her hands slowly became numb and her racquet falling inaudibly to the ground.

_W-where am I?_

"Ayane!"

The tangerine haired girl found herself back in the real world as she found herself stumbling into Kiyone who tripped over her. The ball zoomed towards the both of them until the smaller volleyist forcibly pushed the ball over the net with her body weight. Ayane scrambled up to her feet after grabbing her racquet as she attacked the baseline with Sakuno trying to make sure Kiyone stayed in one place. Shaking her head constantly, Ayane found her vision completely warped as she accidentally sent the ball zooming straight out of the court until it slammed against the pole of the net before falling right over.

"Fifteen - love!"

Ayane winced slightly at her performance before looking back at what had happened for a few moments back there. The ball managed to curve itself a little bit to smash into the metal pole but she shook her head dismissively. It was a fluke, if anything - curving and spinning shots definitely did not work out well for her. Kiyone attempted to teach her the last time only to have the ball explode straight through the net or not even leave Ayane's racquet at all. The tangerine haired girl sighed before trying to get back most of her senses. She could feel her body dragging itself like a heavy lead ball before completely stopping dead in its tracks.

"Yane-Yane, are you okay," -Ayane immediately snapped out of her trance with Kiyone waving her hand in front of the tangerine haired female.

She smiled reassuringly to her doubles partner, ruffling the smaller girl's hair. "Don't worry about me, Kiyone. I'm perfectly fine."

"I don't believe you," Kiyone pointed out flatly, eliciting an astonished expression from Ayane. "Blondie's pissing you off, isn't she?"

Ayane giggled half-heartedly, scratching her head sheepishly. "Who wouldn't be pissed off by her anyhow?"

"Don't worry too much," Kiyone grinned as she faced Vera with a huge grin. "If Yane-Yane cannot stand, I'll buy us enough time for you to figure it out. Okay?"

Ayane weakly smiled as she tried running a mental recap of the rally that had flashed before her mind. As the shots flew over, Ayane recalled the explosions that thundered off her racquet and Vera's attempts to counter-attack and also Sakuno's speed. She bit her lower lip anxiously as she watched Kiyone pull if the _Obana _Volley. The shots flew back and forth that Vera forced herself to move closer and began attacking the sandy blonde volleyist. Kiyone on the other hand had a huge smile of thrill on her face as she slammed another drive volley at Sakuno. However, the vice captain watched the sweat and breathing rate of her partner and Ayane knew that if there was one thing she wanted right now as much as she hated to admit it: it was Atobe's Insight.

_If they're not trying to break her, who are they trying to break?_

Ayane staggered back a bit before taking a closer look. She saw her partner somewhat wheezing before finally moving in for the attack. The ball managed to escape Kiyone a few times as the smaller girl forced herself to compensate and started twisting her body around to release more power on the shot. Ayane resisted the urge to attack while watching the strategy played out by the two Seigaku regulars. Vera attacked with another forehand to which she responded with a shallow shot before Sakuno volleyed towards Kiyone once again. Kiyone on the other hand felt her body completely giving out. Her shots flimsily fluttered over the net as Sakuno volleyed a few shots in. Vera on the other hand scored the final shot to end her services.

"Yane-Yane, did you figure out anything yet," Kiyone swallowed hard while forcing herself to keep on playing.

Vera giggled evilly at the smooth progress while watching beads of sweat pour down Kiyone's face. Soon, she cracked a smash straight down at the smaller girl which sent the sandy blonde girl staggering back. With the abnormal amount of sweat that the little girl began sweating, Vera made it positively sure that Kiyone will tire out by the sixth game. It didn't necessarily mean that she had to end them in six games. All it needed was a little breaking down of the smallest player.

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: three games to two!"

Haruka bit her thumbnail, watching the tides turn against the freshmen. "Damn, to think we thought they were so close."

Rin bit her lower lip while watching Vera slowly change her style. "Wait a minute, somehow – this match, it seems as if..."

"Jerrard intentionally mixed her styles in order to break her opponent," Mai narrowed her eyes and folded her arms before folding her legs, not before handing Shizuru her Wintermelon Milk Tea. "It's like forcing the opponent to break via frustration."

Rin saw the tall glass of milk tea that Shizuru happily sipped, pouting childishly. "_Kuwee~_, you didn't buy me any!"

"You didn't ask for any, Rin-_senpai_. Besides, you're not supposed to take too much sugar. You eat more than an average person," Mai chuckled lightly as she watched Shizuru chew the pearls, glancing at Shizuru. "I'm guessing you're in a better mood now?"

Shizuru glanced at Mai for a few moments in silence before continuing to drink her milk tea, causing the whole team to sweatdrop.

"Geez, the next best thing that will distract her from tennis is Milk Tea," Haruka laughed while ruffling the brunette's hair, snatching it right under the girl's nose. "Gotcha!"

Mai immediately paled as the temperature around her dropped considerably. "Um, _senpai_ – not the best move..."

Haruka prepared to sip it until Shizuru despite her calm façade immediately leapt at Haruka, tackling the Pearl Dragon to the ground and sitting on the said girl's back before wrestling her milk tea back from the thief. "Agh, what was that?"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes with a dark hiss. "Leave. my. milk. tea. alone."

The whole tennis team stared at her for a moment before she resumed her happy disposition when she started drinking her milk tea again.

"Well, at least we know how to keep her mood in check," Momo shrugged nonchalantly before drinking out of her water jug, chuckling a bit.

Atobe found himself completely stupefied; what was Ayane doing? He had given her the foundation to work against the Heartbreaker yet she didn't make a move. Kiyone started staggering around with sweat pouring down her cheeks. Ayane on the other hand simply cemented herself to the ground without batting an eyelash towards the beating of the smaller girl. The king shook his head before letting out a sigh while watching Vera talk to Sakuno. His icy blue eyes surveyed the area as he watched the two players of each school start conversing with one another for the next rally. He immediately sauntered down the stairs as the two girls went to report to their captains.

"_Ore-sama_ wants to know one thing," Atobe leaned against the wall as he watched Ayane collapse on the bench. "Were you able to completely decipher it?"

Ayane bit her lower lip anxiously before casting a worrisome glance at Atobe. "You know, I... I don't know..."

Atobe froze as he watched tears of frustration slip out of the tangerine haired girl's eyes.

"I can't figure it out," Ayane yanked her hair in frustration, beating her legs. "I don't understand! How am I supposed to decipher something that's well... undecipherable?"

Atobe sat next to her before holding her hand, inhaling deeply. "Ayane, _ore-sama_ had a slight realization..."

Ayane blinked several times as Atobe glanced back at the court before looking into her eyes.

"What if you are getting frustrated over something that was never there to begin with?"

* * *

**And that is Chapter 55, folks! I'm sorry for the late update! I've been recently assigned as a beta reader to fix up some stories and they do take some time so yeah. I'll try my best to fix it up as early as I can so I can speedily update this story! Please don't forget to review! Also, below is the list so far of the regulars. I'd make a bigger version but that's for next time! :) **

**Seishun Gakuen**

Souma Fuuka (captain)

Jerrard Vera

Ryuuzaki Sakuno

Mouri Enma

Tashiko Midori

Amagi Karin

Renkeikouji Atoli

Shibuya Rangiku

**Hyotei Gakuen**

Kurenai Shizuru (captain)

Kobayagi Ayane

Nagisaki Mai

Getsugan Kiyone

Shimohi Rin

Hikifumi Haruka

Uchiha Isane

Yamaguchi Hitomi

Sanada Momo

**Rikkai Dai**

Yukimura Ai (captain)

Inuzuka Miaka

Hachishika XiaoLi

Amane Kira

Torinaka Yui

Sarah Jaëger

Yumika Tora

**Jyosei Shounan**

Hoshimura Florence (captain)

Tachiwara Miho

Juushinhi Rena

Zanshoryuu Hikari

Nakayama Shikako

Kyouza Keika

Tousaka Umeyumi


	56. Rise of the Clovers

**Me: Oh my gosh, thank you for all the reviews! I am truly grateful for all the responses you've given me towards Queen of the Suits. I know I'm a bit slow in updating but thank you for bearing with me. I didn't expect reviews to suddenly flood in the moment I updated actually. I'm sorry for not updating fast enough – I'm still in the middle of pre-med and I've been asked to beta read someone's story. Thank you once again for your patience! By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis. I only own the OCs and their techniques along with this fanfiction's plotline.**

Chapter 56 - Rise of the Clovers

Ayane stared at her sweaty palms for a moment, shivering considerably. She stared at the scoreboard while recalling all the exchanges between them. Kiyone contentedly sat down while putting a coffee bun into her mouth, glancing around the court. The loud chatters of the team and audience echoed throughout the court as she continued looking at the court that stayed empty in front of her.

_What if you're fighting something that isn't there?_

Ayane exhaled deeply while trying to maintain her composure. She bit her lower lip anxiously while watching Vera give instructions to the smaller girl. Ayane remembered the speed of the pigtailed haired girl as she managed to keep up with Kiyone despite her slight stumbling and falling. As her emerald green eyes cast themselves towards the sky, Ayane found herself staring at the bright blue skies while the whole team started chatting away. The vice captain on the other hand stared anxiously at the racquet at her feet until Atobe twirled around her long tangerine hair, prompting her to jump.

"Hey what was that for," Ayane pouted childishly at the purple haired male captain.

Atobe chuckled in amusement before continuing to rake his long slender fingers through her hair. "_Ore-sama _just wanted to play with your hair. It's almost as silky as _ore-sama_'s. Besides, _ore-sama _loves the scent of strawberries."

Ayane flushed embarrassedly before jumping to her feet, flouncing away. "What - Keigo!"

Kiyone grinned happily while poking Ayane's cheek, jumping onto her lap. "Yeah yeah, Yane-Yane loves strawberries! Her Shampoo is Victoria Secret with some strawberry thingy!"

Ayane blushed even more before shoving Kiyone off her lap. "Kiki!"

Atobe smirked at Ayane's expression before continuing to run his fingers through Ayane's hair, even bringing a few strands to his nose to smell. "Arn~, is that so? _Ore-sama _at least knows now that Ayane has some hidden vanities like _ore-sama_."

Ayane, blushing madly, shoved Atobe's hands away before stomping on the ground in embarrassment. "Hidden vanities?! Your vanities are anything but hidden!"

Atobe however leaned back against the backrest before shrugging nonchalantly. "How do you think _ore-sama _became this beautiful?"

"Gah you're hopeless," Ayane rolled up her sleeves and prepared to maul him, twitching and blushing furiously. "I'm gonna pound your skull so hard until you wake up into next century's Tuesday!"

Haruka snickered in amusement before folding her arms. "Well, there go Ayane's frustrations. I'm surprised she hasn't throttled him and chased him with an axe."

Kiyone stared in mock astonishment and surprise, gasping loudly. "Axe murderer...!"

Unfortunately for the smaller girl, the axe murderer swivelled around with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "What did you say?"

"Eep _buchou_," Kiyone immediately leapt towards her captain and hiding in fear. "Save me!"

Shizuru sighed dejectedly at the doubles pair, offering a helpless smile. "I'm starting to wonder how I'll be able to do that really. You know that Ayane is a master at anything that can be swung as a club."

"He he," Ayane started crackling her knuckles with an evil smile, scaring the smaller girl into oblivion. "Time for the ultimate punishment~!"

Kiyone's face immediately paled as she hid behind Momo this time, clearly noticing the sky with the clouds becoming dark and black with lightning revealing a darkened silhouette. "Yane-Yane, I'm sorry! I didn't know mole diva didn't know about your obsession with strawberries! I'm soweeeeeeee!"

Without any warning, Ayane pounced onto Kiyone and began tickling the sandy blonde volleyist into oblivion. "YOU WILL PAY!"

Shiraishi stared in amazement as Kiyone started hooting in laughter with her body trembling and shivering violently. While the sandy blonde volleyist already had tears spilling out of her eyes, Ayane continued tickling her and the two began wrestling on the ground. The sandy brown haired Shitenhouji captain sighed as he watched Ayane tickle her constantly until Haruka managed to pry the two girls apart.

"You guys can be such a handful sometimes," Haruka plopped Kiyone back onto the bench whereas the tangerine haired vice captain retreated to her seat. "I guess we should be glad for one thing though..."

Everyone stared quizzically back at her as the pale pink haired female nodded stiffly.

"Ayane and Kiyone withstood the first and the third effect of the Heartbreaker."

Soon, everyone fell silent as they glanced back at the court. Vera definitely managed to repel them both and soon had Kiyone completely sealed off against Sakuno. Ayane shivered at the last few exchanges as she cast her eyes towards her racquet. Kiyone on the other hand remained relatively silent while glancing out towards the bleachers as the audience managed to calm themselves down. Ayane's expression slightly fell as Atobe stood up and walked up to her, slinging his arm over her shoulder.

"_Ore-sama_ never knew that you were so easily discouraged," Atobe smirked as he continued running his fingers through her long tangerine orange hair. "However, _ore-sama _knows one thing..."

Ayane found her face being gently redirected to him as he pressed his lips against her neck.

"He knows that whether win or lose - Ayane will always be _ore-sama_'s queen."

Ayane shivered as his breath brushed against her neck. She felt her body freeze as everything around her suddenly stormed into a deep silence. The tangerine haired vice captain smiled weakly before turning towards the sandy blonde volleyist with a determined smirk. Despite being slightly terrified of the vice captain for a few moments, Kiyone jumped out from behind Momo before giving her a firm salute with a courageous grin.

"Let's do this Kiyone," Ayane determinedly picked up her racquet as they both headed towards the court once again.

Sakuno stood by the baseline as she shivered fearfully at the sight of the tangerine haired female, preparing to receive the service. The pigtailed haired girl swallowed hard before weakly throwing the ball into the air, releasing an awkward service that began swirling in front of Kiyone. Ayane immediately darted towards the ball whereas Kiyone threw herself to the baseline before sprinting forward once again.

"Oh my gawd what are they doing," Vera stared incredulously and sent a forehand while watching Kiyone launch herself forward again whereas Ayane shoved herself back.

Ayane narrowed her eyes before launching herself to the middle of the court and Kiyone followed suit. Sakuno sent a short volley towards Kiyone who managed to retaliate with a blinding volley. Letting out a small "eep", Sakuno weakly slapped it towards the small volleyist as the speed zoomed in a different direction. Vera clicked her tongue while lunging for the other shot that headed straight towards the end of the court. Ayane on the other hand showed no movement as her emerald green eyes surveyed the play tactics. Kiyone easily kept them at bay with her _Obana Volley _flying back and forth.

"You biatch," Vera snorted in annoyance before smashing at Kiyone's face.

Upon seeing this, a huge impish grin appeared on the sandy blonde haired girl's face as she threw herself back with a thumb up. "Go squish her like a lemon, Yane-Yane!"

Vera's confident expression immediately turned into horror as Ayane's cocky smirk met her gaze.

"You bet I will!"

Ayane deflected the attack before delaying the shot ever so slightly and sending it right in between Sakuno's legs. The pigtailed haired girl panicked at the explosive speed and sound as she completely froze in the middle of the court. Vera glanced back at the court before reimagining the whole fight in her head. She bit her lower lip anxiously; Ayane couldn't have achieved that kind of speed unless she had the dancer's, the black dragon's or the captain's build. Vera imagined her counterpart redirecting the power into her lower limbs but that would have compromised her strength. The shot just rocketed past her freshman partner, prompting her to gnash her teeth in annoyance.

"Love - fifteen!"

"That bitch is so going to get it from me," Vera tousled her long blonde hair with a condescending scoff before pulling out her haughty rich girl smirk. "I'm actually amazed that you managed to like get a shot past us despite Sakuno's service being so pathetic."

Ayane frowned darkly at Vera's insult for her partner. "You should really watch it. Being a doubles pair doesn't mean badgering one another."

Vera giggled haughtily with a condescending scoff."But wouldn't a doubles pair know whether or not the other is just pulling your arm and really angry? Oh well, you guys are just immature brats anyway. You like have no idea what's going on and then you like - I don't know, blow up when your favourite toys are ruined."

Ayane narrowed her eyes at Vera, cracking your knuckles. "If there's anyone here who's lacking a couple of bolts in the head, it's you!"

Kiyone spun her finger next to her head with a demented grin. "Cuckoo~."

On the benches, Mai's eyes narrowed into feline-like slits as she folded her arms. "Jerrard's more dangerous in terms of speech. If anything, even one of the subs can defeat her on a normal day in Singles."

Shizuru darkly cast her glance towards Seigaku, watching Fuuka's movement. "Ah."

The shaggy red haired female suddenly began exiting the bleachers before bringing along Renkeikouji Atoli with her. Shizuru glanced at Mai before picking up her racquet. She couldn't abandon Ayane and Kiyone in the midst of all the tension and pressure. However, a tap lightly dropped on her shoulder and revealed Momo standing behind her. The female Sanada gestured to the gates.

"There should be an open court right behind us," Momo quietly seated herself near the coach's chair. "You guys go on ahead."

Watching Kiyone receive Sakuno's flimsy service once again, Shizuru slowly turned around while nodding to Mai. The red haired _tensai_ flipped back her long crimson locks before tucking her racquet under her arm. As the two girls headed out, Momo moved in closer while watching the two players fight. Sengoku leapt over the fence before sitting next to her.

"Hey Momo-_chan_," Sengoku grinned goofily until he noticed the serious expression on her face. "Momo-_chan_, I'm sure Hyotei Gakuen will win this. You guys definitely have an awesome line-up!"

Momo bit her lower lip anxiously before shaking her head. "I'm not worried about our chances of victory. I'm worried more for the aftermath of this match. Seigaku's level of brutality would make Inuzuka and Kotetsu look like they're warm and fuzzy all over."

"Um guys I hate to add more worries to the team but," Isane's eyes swivelled around the area before swallowing hard with a meek expression. "Has anyone seen Rin?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The black dragon found herself completely stupefied on the other hand regarding Kajimoto's confession. Her reddish eyes widened in astonishment as her mouth immediately ran dry and her cheeks definitely flamed up to a bright crimson. Her hands became completely clammy as she found Kajimoto staring earnestly at her. The Hyotei female acrobat never knew that her simple skating partner would soon be someone she began to value dearly.

"K-Kajimoto-_kun_," Rin stammered with her face rivalling the colour of Mai's hair, slowly moving her hands towards his cheeks. "I... Um..."

Kajimoto averted his eyes away from her with a melancholic smile, turning away. "I understand. I guess I did kinda rush it a bit... We should get back to your team. Hikifumi-_san_ might be looking for you..."

Rin's eyes widened as she felt his grip on her hand loosen. _No no no no, Rin - do something!_

Without any better idea in mind, Rin tackled him immediately without giving the Jyosei Shounan captain any time to react and sent them both to the floor with their faces near each other. As the brown haired acrobat looked up, he found his lips pressed against Rin's. The smell of her citrus shampoo wafted into his nose as he brushed away strands of jet black hair away from his girlfriend's face. He responded deeply with his own passion before sitting up and getting a hold of her shoulders. She slowly moved closer as he positioned her against his lap. A few moments after, they parted before their foreheads were pressed against one another. She crawled onto his lap while giggling softly, nuzzling his nose to which he responded to affectionately as well. Kajimoto on the other hand felt like he had been tackled by a large cat but didn't mind the fact that it was Rin who tackled him to the ground.

"So you really don't mind if the knight becomes your boyfriend," Kajimoto lowered his voice into a soft whisper as he nuzzled back. "Will you let me be that knight?"

"Nope," Rin grinned cheerfully as she rested her head on the crook of his neck. "Fairytales are so stereotyping. I don't mind. Sometimes, the dragon can be the princess too... And yes...you-."

"So this is where you were, _senpai_."

Rin immediately snapped her head up with a "cat-got-creamed" smirking Mai and all-knowingly smiling Shizuru. The black haired acrobat flushed immediately before standing up and clambering to her feet along with Kajimoto following suit. On the other hand though, Shizuru opened her palm at the crimson haired _tensai_.

"Pay up," she smiled triumphantly as the Queen of Spades begrudgingly gave her 25 yen.

"Maa, I still managed to discern that Kajimoto would tell her today though," Mai giggled good-naturedly at her captain, placing her hands into her pocket. "So what are you guys doing her in the shut-down acrobatic stadium, hmm?"

Rin waved her arms frantically in the air, giving them both a childish pout. "_Kuwee_~, you don't have to be so mean about it."

Shizuru giggled softly as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "We weren't being mean about it. We were simply inquiring on what you were doing."

"Waaah _buchou_'s been infected with Mai-_chan's_ sadism!"

Kajimoto chuckled at his girlfriend trying to explain things to her captain and to the _tensai_. The brunette wondered about how Wakato would take the news considering that he was the one who pushed him to go get her. The captain smiled inwardly to himself before getting up and walking to the three girls. He stood behind her with a small smile.

"Kurenai-_san_, Nagisaki-_san_, I'm sorry for dragging Rin away like that," Kajimoto lowered his head politely. "But with your permission, I hope I am allowed to date Shimohi Rin."

Mai chuckled lightly, twirling her red hair with a sly smirk as if giving it a second thought. "Well..."

"As long as you prove to be more of an inspiration rather than a hindrance," Shizuru curtly smiled before turning away, gracing them with a ghostly smirk. "However, I believe Rin-_senpai_ will be able to discern whether or not you are being destructive to her progress."

Mai rolled her eyes before shrugging her shoulders. "Geez, did you have to agree to him so easily?"

Shizuru smiled softly as her footsteps faded away without an echo before leaving the two alone again. Rin blinked several times before glancing at an awestruck Kajimoto. Both acrobats exchanged glances before smiling at one another. Kajimoto gently took her hand as they slowly walked out of the acrobatic stadium. Both acrobats headed out towards the tennis courts as they found Ayane and Kiyone being forced back.

"Game Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: four games to three!"

Kiyone winced at falling back as she stared back at the scoreboard. "Why... how can they keep up with us?"

Ayane sharply suckled the air as she struggled to keep her stance. Vera barely managed to keep her stance as well as blonde strands of hair dangled in front of her face. The two vice captains glared at one another as sweat dripped on the floor with both volleyists down. Sakuno lay flat on her butt while Kiyone managed to get herself to kneel. The sandy blonde female whimpered softly as she stared in shock at what had just occurred.

_How did we keep bumping into one another...?_

_Flashback_

"Kiyone, I got it," Ayane rushed forward with her racquet, watching the ball come flying down towards the other service court.

Kiyone immediately leapt backwards as the smash flew towards them until she tripped over the tangerine haired vice captain's foot. Soon, Ayane stumbled forward with her racquet clattering into the ground as the ball smashed right in front of the pile of Hyotei players. The two players stared in astonishment as Vera managed to crack a shot right in front of them. While the two remained completely crumpled on the ground, Vera flicked back her long blonde hair while Sakuno shyly stood behind the upperclassman with her racquet swinging lightly in front of her.

"What in the world," Ayane stared at the predicament that the two of them were in. "How did we end up like this?"

_Flashback End_

"Everything just started running downhill right after," Kiyone weakly struggled to get up as Ayane managed to stagger forward. "Yane-Yane, wh-what's happening to us?"

Ayane coughed a little bit before brushing the dust away from her face, breathing lightly with a small smirk. "I figured it out. This so called Heartbreaker is nothing more but a child's play!"

Vera tossed her hair back haughtily, sniggering at the Hyotei freshmen. "Really - so you figured it out? I wonder... What was that small hint of inspiration you suddenly managed to gain?"

Ayane grinned devilishly, spinning around her purple coloured racquet. "Simple - haven't you figured out why I had Kiyone confront you both instead of splitting you guys for a divide and conquer strategy? Damn, you must be stupider than I thought you were."

Kiyone blinked several times before imagining it in her head. "Yane-Yane, so what did you do that for?"

Ayane pointed her racquet at Vera with an arrogant smirk whilst flipping her long tangerine hair back. "I needed to assess their playing skills before anything. Now, here's the problem - you noticed how Ryuuzaki-_chan_'s only been taught to seal you just because both of you are technically the same height?"

The sandy blonde volleyist pouted childishly, sticking her tongue. "I know I'm short already!"

Ayane giggled a bit while ruffling the smaller girl's hair before gesturing to the two teams. "I didn't mean that, Kiki. I meant that the one with real skill here is Ryuuzaki-_chan_ and not Jerrard. It's like the puppet and the puppeteer relationship. Their movements look similar don't they?"

Kiyone blinked several times at the vice captain before swivelling her head towards them, cocking her head to the side. She imagined the whole match once again in her mind as her mouth gaped open when everything started playing right in front of her. Sakuno's flimsy services, Vera's constant yapping and sharp remarks along with her mixing of styles - it finally occurred to the sandy blonde haired volleyist what the other blonde girl was doing. The smallest member of Hyotei nodded vigorously before glancing at Ayane.

"So, what do we do now," Kiyone grinned as she watched Ayane stare down at the Seigaku players with one of her battle-thirsty grins. "Yay, we're gonna squish them like lemons!"

Ayane grinned evilly, twirling her racquet around. "Of course we are, Kiki. I'm not gonna let them walk out of here with the thought that they've trampled all over us."

Vera sniggered haughtily before taking the other side of the service court. "Alright, let's see what other like pathetic attempt you have."

Kiyone picked up the ball while watching Vera preparing to receive her service. She inhaled deeply before tossing the ball into the air and clipping the shot at the tip, causing it to spin in multiple directions. The blonde vice captain literally jumped after the ball as she watched it spin in all sorts of directions. Sakuno tried her best to corner Ayane as the tangerine haired female soon switched places with the sandy blonde volleyist. The two Hyotei players danced in a circular pattern which forced Sakuno and Vera on the defensive on both sides.

"Alright, Waltz Formation," Gakuto punched the air with a sniggering grin, leaning once again against the rails. "That'll teach those Seigaku punks!"

Ayane started with a forward attack while Kiyone waited in the middle of the court, much to Vera's surprise. The blonde sniggered however, remembering how small and how different Kiyone's shots were, attacked the baseline and zipped it straight past the Hyotei vice captain who staggered back in a failed attempt to react. Vera grinned evilly as Ayane snickered in response as the blonde's expression became completely horrified that instead of Kiyone now stood Ayane at the back.

"H-How... How did she react that fast," Vera gaped as Ayane delayed the shot with the _Kotsubushi no Katana._

"Welcome to the Castle of Hearts," Ayane grinned as the ball slammed past Vera and Sakuno, shooting right in between their legs.

"Fifteen - love!"

Oshitari smirked while remembering the dancing pattern the two girls used, noticing Kiyone send in another shot with her speedy volley. "Instead of using the waltz which requires precision and accuracy of rhythm, Kobayagi used the Heartbreaker to her advantage by forcing Vera's constant mixture of styles into a pattern. Sooner or later, Vera becomes predictable with multiple unforced errors, the Heartbreaker is nullified and there's no compromise for the two girls. Castle of Hearts - interesting name though..."

Atobe tossed his hair back flippantly, leaning against the bench. "Of course, _ore-sama_ would not expect anything less from Ayane."

Kikumaru blinked several times before jumping up and down excitedly. "Wow nyah, it's kinda like your Oishi Territory but more epic sounding!"

Oishi chuckled nervously while watching Vera click her tongue in frustration. Going against Hyotei's Diamond Pair definitely required more than just preparation and he himself knew that from experience. However, he frowned a bit at the slow outcome of the game: why weren't Ayane and Kiyone using Synchronization? They could have bagged the two instantly without putting too much pressure or fatigue into their bodies. Instead of that however, the Seigaku male vice captain found himself completely astonished as to why the Diamond Pair had not utilized the Synchronization when they could access the power willingly.

"Unless," Oishi looked at the two girls before glancing back at their Seigaku counterparts.

Vera sniggered lightly while haughtily tossing her blonde hair back. "So, what happened to your famous Synchronization?"

Ayane remained silent as she remembered Atobe's words regarding the effects of the Heartbreaker.

_The second effect of the Heartbreaker is verbal and physical distraction by hijacking into the doubles players' signals._

"Using Synchronization would definitely give us the advantage but," Ayane pondered deeply in her mind before glancing back at the other two players. "Once that's broken, we're not going to be able to again. Synchronization not only synchronizes us on an emotional plane but also on a mental and bodily plane. Once she shatters that, what would we be able to do?"

Kiyone tossed the ball again and sent another spinning serve which caused Sakuno to stagger around and actually fall over due to the short serve.

"Thirty - love!"

Vera sighed dejectedly before shaking her head disdainfully, rolling her eyes while doing so. "Sakuno, stop making such a big fool of yourself. I mean - isn't he watching?"

Sakuno blushed immediately, hiding her face. "B-but, I-I'm sorry _senpai_. I'll try better next time!"

Echizen on the other hand sighed for a moment while watching Sakuno switch places with Vera. The pigtailed haired girl definitely could sprint; he actually had to thank her loudmouthed friend for that for constantly dragging the poor girl off somewhere. He chuckled a bit to himself as the capped prodigy continued to watch Sakuno try and retaliate the fast attacks coming from the small Hyotei player. Vera on the other hand began struggling as Ayane started kicking the power up a bit as she punched her hips to release more power. Kiyone leapt forward to keep her eyes on Sakuno once again as another shot flew past Vera, causing both Seigaku players to retreat.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: four games all!"

Vera glared holes while cutting into her palms with her nails, glaring angrily at the tangerine haired girl. "You think you're so strong huh? Well, let's see you deal with this!"

Ayane's eyes widened as Vera's serve slashed past their formation, throwing Kiyone back and her as the ball slammed straight into the fence. The tangerine haired girl exchanged glances with the smaller girl as Vera smirked in amusement, tossing the ball up and down again. Kiyone glanced at the court to check for any markings or traces but nothing until they heard the ball softly bounce up and down on the other side.

"Aww, scared already," Vera giggled haughtily while pointing behind them. "Didn't you see me serve?"

Ayane blinked several times as the ball rolled to her feet, freaking her out. "Wh-What the heck? Wh-where did that come from?"

Kiyone swallowed hard but found herself completely bewildered as to what had occurred. The sandy blonde volleyist looked back and forth before trying to replay the match in her mind. They definitely heard a loud zipping sound but nothing appeared behind them other than fluttering leaves. Shivering slightly, Kiyone managed to gain back some of her wits when she heard something loudly thump onto the ground and noticed a huge black splotch on the ground with Ayane hissing very venomously.

"Oh that's it," Ayane twitched darkly with a murderous aura forming behind her, tightening her grip on her racquet. "THE DAY I LOSE TO YOU IS THE DAY PIGS FLY AND BUCHOU FALLS FOR A STATUE AND THINKS ITS REAL!"

Unfortunately for her, Shizuru had just arrived before twitching slightly at her words. "Does she really have to announce that?"

"You can still give her laps for punishment you know," Haruka chuckled leaning against the railing. "Besides, she does have a point. Isn't **he** classified as a statue?"

Shizuru, seeing a sly smirk on the Pearl Dragon's face, prompted her to look away and continue watching the match. "Haruka-_senpai_, there's nothing you need to know about."

"It's not that she needs, Shizuru. It's more like we know," Mai smirked sardonically with her feline-like amber eyes boring holes into her captain's soul, folding her arms. "Sanada apparently doesn't talk to you as much since Momo-_senpai_'s not usually complaining about his sad attempts."

Shizuru sighed in defeat before continuing to drink her milk tea. "Mai, not now. We must remain focused."

The moment Kiyone eyed the black splotch on the ground; a huge childish and tattle-tale grin appeared on her face as she started jumping around. "Yane-Yane's gonna smash you~!"

Vera snickered lightly as she tossed the ball into the air once again, sending it towards Kiyone who launched a volley towards Sakuno. "Yeah as if!"

As Sakuno returned the shot however, Ayane rushed past Kiyone and slammed the ball straight towards Sakuno which to everyone's surprise - tore a hole straight through the racquet, prompting the pigtailed haired girl to squeak fearfully. Vera winced at the pain her arm suffered as her racquet came in contact with the ball, feeling the intense weight. Finally, the blonde vice captain managed to deflect the shot back before whining at the pain in her arm.

"OW, Fuuka - she's such a bitch," Vera whined as she gripped her arm, wincing and flinching at the strain. "She broke my nail!"

"That's your fault for catching the shot and making her angry - didn't anything that Karin tell you get through your thick head," Fuuka face palmed at the commotion her vice captain started to make, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "You know how to deal with physically empowered people anyway!"

Vera clucked her tongue before facing Ayane again only to notice another shot thunder past her with the ball making a deep black mark on the ground. The blonde haired vice captain blinked several times before casting a fearful gaze towards the hedges which now had a neatly thrashed circle of the tennis ball. She swivelled her attention back to Ayane who began breathing heavily despite the sweat pouring down her face and watering the courts.

"Fifteen - all!"

The arbiter gestured to both teams. "Time out - change racquets!"

Sakuno whimpered at the site of her newly strung racquet only to see the impact of the ball being strong enough to tear a hole through a 60 set tension string. As the pigtailed haired girl shuffled and rummaged through her bag, she felt something drop lightly on her shoulder as Sakuno found Echizen dropping his racquet on her shoulder.

"Yo," Echizen gave her his usual smirk.

Sakuno blinked several times as Echizen spun it around and handed her the handle. "It might not be adjusted to your style exactly.

Ayane balled her hands into a fist before glaring darkly at the snooty blonde vice captain standing on the other side. "You're going down, sister! Whether you like it or not, I'm gonna pummel your ass!"

Kiyone swallowed hard before tapping Ayane at her shoulder. "Yane-Yane, calm down! We're falling right into...!"

"We're going to trash them and I don't give a damn what people say about this bitch," Ayane darkly twitched at the Seigaku players, tightening her grip even further on her racquet. "I've had enough of their taunts and their stupid jeers! I'm gonna crush them!"

Kiyone whimpered slightly at the demonic aura that started spilling from the Hyotei vice captain's sides. "Y-Yane...!"

_It's about time she succumbed to it._

Vera sighed deeply in relief as she finally found Ayane's emerald green orbs blazing with fury, regaining some feeling into her arms and legs. On the other hand, Sakuno shivered completely at the angry aura spilling from the sides of the Hyotei Gakuen female as she watched her _senpai_ serve again with Kiyone as the receiver. The sandy blonde girl curled the shot against the net as it limply began to fly while Sakuno rushed for the ball. Kiyone immediately darted forward but noticed that Ayane started staying in the middle of the court. As Kiyone began her attack with speed drive volleys, Vera forced herself to move closer to which Ayane also responded immediately. The ball zoomed towards Ayane which the tangerine haired female unleashed a strong volley which practically deflected off Sakuno's racquet as she brought it up to shield her face. As the ball forcibly lobbed into the air, Kiyone forced herself to compensate by jumping for a smash but not noticing Ayane going for the shot.

_Yane-Yane, what are you doing?_

Kiyone immediately lowered her racquet down as Ayane curled around to slam the ball straight at Vera with frightening speed. The ball fair enough exploded with enough power to send any man running for the hills. Vera actually let out a small "eep" as she found herself facing the vice captain again. She glanced at the smaller girl as a sultry smirk curved up her lips. Kiyone on the other hand began shivering fearfully as she watched the ball leave Vera's racquet. Ayane rushed forward without any signal before slamming the ball straight at Sakuno without any restraint as the pigtailed haired girl stumbled back before falling flat on her butt.

"Fifteen - forty!"

Vera clucked her tongue slightly while watching Ayane grin evilly at her.

"You seriously gonna tell me that's all you've got," Ayane jabbed her racquet in the blonde woman's direction. "I don't get what's the big deal with you guys anyway!"

Atobe bit his lower lip while narrowing his eyes at the situation. "Ayane's falling deep. She's getting impatient...!"

"Kobayagi," -the tangerine haired female glanced at the deathly calm female captain sitting down at the bench, knowing when the brunette used her last name it meant serious business. "That's enough! Calm yourself down!"

Ayane darkly glared at her captain. "I'm not going to let her walk all over us! There's nothing to be afraid of _buchou_, she does nothing but talk anyway! The whole Heartbreaker's a fluke!"

Shizuru resisted the urge to drag Ayane off the court. "Ayane, think straight for once and analyse the situation!"

"I am analysing the situation," the tangerine haired Hyotei vice captain stamped hard on the ground before pointing her racquet angrily at her upperclassman. "I already know what her technique does! So shut it and let me do this!"

Haruka froze from Ayane's angry retort, watching Shizuru attempting to calm down Ayane. "Ayane, calm yourself down! You're letting your strength and anger rule your judgement!"

Vera giggled deeply with a cunning smile, watching Ayane take a different position with an extremely confused Kiyone. "It's time I crushed you both! Sakuno, change strategy!"

The pigtailed haired girl stood in front of Vera as the blonde sent in a fast serve towards Kiyone. The sandy blonde attempted to retaliate as it slapped against the net, floating up a bit while Sakuno jumped forward to return the shot only to crash onto the ground. On the other hand, Ayane immediately ran past Kiyone which forced the girl to stay in the back. However, Ayane slammed the shot towards the corner only to hit it as an out and nearly hit her own teammates.

"Ayane-_chan_," Isane blinked fearfully at the huge dent that appeared on the iron railings. "Maybe you should..."

Shishido slammed his head against the railing. "Damn, she's going nuts!"

"Ayane better calm herself down before she throws away the whole match," Momo narrowed her eyes vindictively at the situation, watching Ayane attack another volley. "While they were too busy trying to defend themselves, they had to weaken their offenses."

Ayane backhanded with the _Kotsubushi no Katana._ "It all ends here!"

Vera watched the ball zoom way past her as a smirk appeared on her lips. "That's an out."

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: five games to four!"

Ayane froze at the announcement at she looked at the court with her eyes widening fearfully. The black marks showed her strikes out of the court and a huge hole in the hedge became undeniable evidence. The tangerine haired female blinked before staggering back.

_N-No... No way...!_

Atobe bit his lip anxiously, watching Ayane suddenly start to crumble. "Where did that all come from? How was Vera still able to perform the Heartbreaker despite Ayane's knowledge?"

Vera rebuked Atobe, as if hearing his thoughts with an evil sneer and wagging her finger. "Simple. You think the Heartbreaker I showed you the other time was the true potential of the Heartbreaker? You're so simple-minded. At least your gorilla of a girlfriend figured out some part of it."

Ayane twitched darkly before glaring holes. "Can it, skank. At least I can blow your arms off!"

Before the tangerine haired female retaliate, Kiyone suddenly leapt onto her shoulders and began yanking her hair. The vice captain staggered back as Kiyone began playing with her strands of hair until the tangerine haired vice captain threw her off. Kiyone, tumbling back, fell over to the ground before blinking several times.

"KIYONE, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR," Ayane grabbed the girl by her jersey, shaking the poor girl violently. "HOW DOES YANKING MY HAIR SOLVE ANYTHING?!"

Kiyone puffed up her cheeks before pouting angrily. "Yane, pull yourself together! Look around you!"

Ayane's gleaming emerald orbs blazed with annoyance and frustration whereas Kiyone's liquid blue eyes matched hers with irritation and anger. The silence wedged itself in between the doubles pair as Ayane and Kiyone remained completely locked in terms of gaze. The smallest member of the Hyotei tennis team pursed her lips before moving towards the baseline.

"Yane, cool down okay," Kiyone narrowed her eyes at the doubles pair of Seigaku. "I won't let them step all over us!"

Vera chuckled haughtily while throwing her blonde hair back. "Ha, that's what your partner said the last time! Look where she is now!"

"I know what to do," Kiyone tightened her grip on the racquet while narrowing her eyes. "A castle is never complete with just a wall. You're gonna go down, Blondie-_chan_! Sorry pigtail-_chan_, Yane-Yane and I are going to bring home the gold!"

Vera sneered while flipping around her racquet. "Oh yeah? Just try me! It's our serve now!"

Sakuno nodded in determination as the serve cracked off weakly as Kiyone went straight for a reception as she volleyed towards Vera. The blonde senior on the other hand quickly countered with a drive volley as Kiyone immediately retaliated with a drive volley of her own. Ayane remained completely stiff as she watched her partner take on the shots.

_What happened back there?_

Ayane found herself completely flustered as she continued to watch Kiyone. Her body refused to move and her feet cemented themselves to the ground. The tangerine haired female shivered slightly as she looked at the score, watching Kiyone keep up despite taking them on solo.

"Fifteen - love!"

Kiyone pouted slightly as she managed to send a volley towards Sakuno, right in between her legs.

"Fifteen all!"

Hissing venomously, Vera lunged forward before sending a fast baseline shot which zipped past a frozen Ayane.

"Thirty - fifteen!"

Sakuno sent in another wobbly serve, the sandy haired volleyist made sure she compensated for the lack of Ayane. The Queen of Clovers instantly pushed herself forward while retaliating the volleys without much ease. Vera and Sakuno continued to bombard her with more speedy volleys which she responded to the challenge. Kiyone moved back a little towards the middle of the court and went for a short ground smash.

"Thirty all!"

Vera yanked her hair out in frustration. "How does this shorty manage to keep up with us?"

"I-I don't know," Sakuno could only stare fearfully into the determined liquid blue eyes of the smallest member of Hyotei.

Shiraishi watched Kiyone retaliate to the best of her abilities as Hyotei could only stare in astonishment and amazement. He immediately moved towards the rail before yelling out, causing the other people to stare awkwardly at him.

"Show them who you really are, Queen of Clovers!"

Hyotei's eyes widened at the _kansai_ male supporting Hyotei Gakuen's baby as the cheers suddenly became louder. The flags billowed in the wind with the cheers echoing throughout the forests surrounding them as the supporters of Seigaku found themselves overwhelmed by sheer volume of the Hyotei supporters. Soon, Marui started howling and chanting as well along with Kirihara for Kiyone as she continued her speed attacks against the two. Sanada on the other hand found himself smirking at the tiny girl's dexterity and determination whereas Yukimura clucked his tongue a bit before applauding the smaller girl.

_Getsugan! Getsugan! Rise of the Clovers!_

Kiyone ignored the loud cheering as her legs mechanically sprinted off from the ground as she volleyed towards Vera once again. The blonde hissed angrily as she attacked the left side once again. The smaller girl despite her shortened range jumped towards the left side before managing to return it. Kiyone skidded across before darting for the middle.

"Damn it, break already," Vera slammed the ball in frustration straight past Kiyone as the smaller girl stumbled onto the ground due to the speed.

"Forty - thirty!"

Seeing the service again, Kiyone sent a short curling volley as it suddenly multiplied into multiple shots.

"Scattering October Cherry Blossoms," Kiyone grinned impishly as the ball lightly dropped onto ground in front of Sakuno and Vera.

"Deuce!"

Hyotei howled in amazement and excitement and even Rikkai Dai and the other schools were astonished by Kiyone's solid determination. Soon, the people began clapping loudly as Kiyone started volleying faster with Sakuno stumbling over. The sandy blonde female flexed her wrist as she flicked the ball towards the other side. However, Vera suddenly sent it far from her reach as the sandy blonde volleyist tripped over and fell onto the ground. Her eyes widened in fear until a loud explosion echoed behind her, leaving Vera and Sakuno completely motionless.

"Advantage: receiver!"

Kiyone blinked several times in disbelief; where did that shot come from? Her eyes widened in surprise as she found Ayane grinning at her with her arm swung with a complete _Kotsubushi no Katana_ as the poor hedge of plants started suffering again. The tangerine haired girl flipped around her racquet before extending her hand to the smaller girl who lay splat on the ground.

"You're not going to stay as a pancake are you," Ayane grinned goofily, resting her racquet on her shoulder.

Kiyone blinked several times once again as her body somewhat shivered in surprise. "Y-Yane...?"

Ayane stared at her with a puzzled expression until she paled at her astonished expression. "Eh? What is it? Do I have a bug on my face or something? No, are there pigs flying already?"

Kiyone, seeing her doubles partner talk and joke, prompted her to tackle Ayane to the ground. "Yane-Yane, welcome back!"

"Ah!"

Ayane fell backwards before falling on the ground with shock written all over her face with Kiyone lying flat on top of her with a huge childish grin on her face. Ayane sighed in defeat as she ruffled the smaller girl's hair with a reassuring grin.

"Sorry for all the trouble," Ayane sighed dejectedly, leaning against the ground contentedly. "Somehow, the ground seems a lot softer now."

Kiyone pouted before picking up her fallen teammate. "Yane-Yane's becoming delusional! Noooooo, Mole Diva - do something! She thinks the ground is soft!"

Atobe twitched furiously as he sighed darkly. "Getsugan - keep quiet. Ayane simply needed some rest."

The smaller player pouted impishly. "Aw, you're no fun."

Ayane giggled childishly before jumping up and cracking her knuckles and neck. "So, shall we begin?"

Vera darkly glared as the ball cracked off Sakuno's racquet. Much to everyone's surprise, the ball spun on the ground until it bounced up straight towards Ayane's face. With a huge grin, Ayane deflected the shot as the ball lightly tapped the net. Kiyone immediately moved forward with Vera preparing to strike up front. The smaller volleyist attacked Vera's drive volley with a long baseline shot. Sakuno leapt forward as Vera threw herself back for a counter whereas Ayane began striking back. Soon, Vera cracked a smash right in front of Ayane as the tangerine female forced herself to stagger back.

"Deuce!"

Vera breathed heavily as her blue eyes glistened angrily at the liquid blue eyed female.

_I should have broken the smaller one._

Vera found herself admonished by Kiyone's sudden burst of fighting spirit as she continued volleying. The blonde female did not expect Kiyone to mature so quickly in the match and figure out how to counter and keep up with the Heartbreaker technique. She bit her lower lip in anxiety before casting a darkened gaze towards the sandy blonde haired girl who cheerfully volleyed towards Sakuno. Ayane unleashed a raging backhand until Sakuno managed to reinforce Vera's forehand with her own. The ball tripped over the net as Kiyone skidded on the ground as it smacked against the net.

"Advantage: server!"

Kiyone puffed up her cheeks in frustration before dusting her knees. "Aww, it didn't go in."

"We'll make sure it goes in next time," Ayane stood next to her with a smirk, ruffling the smaller girl's hair. "We may go down but we don't need to worry."

Kiyone blinked several times before casting her eyes towards the bench as she saw Shizuru and Mai on standby, grinning in confidence. "Yeah, you're right!"

The pigtailed haired girl tossed the ball up once again as it shot towards Ayane who repelled it with a strong backhand which Vera managed to deflect back via volley. Kiyone leapt in front to seal her off as Ayane proceeded to defend the back. Left with no other choice, Vera deflected the shot feebly as Kiyone drove the volley straight down the line.

"Deuce!"

Sakuno and Vera began heavily breathing as the blonde girl stared beadily at the other two players that managed to give her a run for her money. Kiyone managed to revitalize her partner back into the game and Ayane started breaking racquets at the first part of the game. She hissed darkly in annoyance as she retaliated with a striking groundstroke to which Ayane countered with an explosive shot.

"She's extremely powerful for someone so feminine," Gin approached Shiraishi with utmost silence, watching the match unfold before him. "I have never seen such power coming from someone so petite."

Shiraishi smiled lightly as Kiyone and Ayane continued fighting for the to balance out the match into their favour. "Kiyone and Ayane are completely reliant on each other's strengths and that's what makes them even more powerful than usual doubles pair. But now that they were exposed to something more mentally challenging match - their connections with one another have definitely increased."

As the ball lightly floated into the air, Kiyone jumped from Ayane's palms before twisting her body in the air.

"Thankies Rin-Rin-_senpai_," Kiyone slammed the shot with a speeding baseline shot, cracking past Sakuno.

"Deuce!"

Vera stomped her foot down on the ground in frustration, pointing accusingly at the arbiter. "What - that was seriously an out!"

Ayane pushed Kiyone back before glaring at Vera, narrowing her emerald pools at the blonde woman. "YOU'RE NOT THE BLOODY JUDGE!"

"Bitch please, who do you think you are," Vera rolled her eyes with a triumphant smirk. "Of course you'd be biased!"

The arbiter got off his chair before walking towards the area where the ball crashed. Kiyone swallowed hard with Ayane staring beadily at Vera and Sakuno. The volleyists looked fearfully at their partners as both playmakers stared down at each other angrily with a deep darkening gaze. Both emerald and blue orbs stared down angrily as the arbiter rose from his position after looking at the line judge in approval.

"Null point, start once again at advantage: service," the arbiter walked towards his chair once again as Vera snorted haughtily.

"Humph, guess you're given a second chance," Vera spun her racquet around before pointing it boldly at Ayane. "Better make it count, bitch."

Ayane darkly glared at the other girl, gripping her racquet tightly. "Oh I definitely will. I'll crush you before you have the chance to retaliate."

Watching Sakuno serve, Kiyone countered with a return ace much to the surprise of everyone.

"Deuce!"

Sakuno, shivering slightly, looking at the racquet doubtfully. In her hands, she held Echizen's racquet as she prepared to serve once again. She glanced at the bleachers for a moment to see Echizen sitting on the bench with his usual disinterested smirk. She could feel the heat rushing up to her cheeks before noticing the amber gold eyes suddenly become more into a frown?

"Ryuuzaki!"

The pigtailed haired girl suddenly snapped out of her gaze when she found the ball on the ground.

"Fault!"

Sakuno whimpered softly before mouthing a small apology to the ball. "I-I'm sorry. I will try better next time."

Picking up the ball, Sakuno weakly stared at the ball as she tossed it into the air. As the ball wobbled over, Ayane charged the ball down with a startling running backhand as it exploded past Vera and Sakuno without any intention of slowing down.

"Advantage: receiver!"

Sakuno suddenly froze at the speed of the ball as her body nearly crumbled under the explosive sound of the shot. She shivered slightly before glancing back at the two Hyotei players as they continued to press for an offensive. The vice captains waited for the next shot as Sakuno served the next shot. Ayane blazed past with a backhand as Vera countered it with a volley. Sakuno moved forward as she tried to seal off Kiyone with not much success. The sandy blonde girl intercepted Vera's shot as Ayane faded into the background before changing her target to the small Seigaku female player.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan: five games all!"

Vera hissed angrily before shoving the ball at Kiyone. The small girl grinned innocently as she prepared to serve towards the other players. Ayane waited in front as Vera stood at the other side as the first to receive. Without any hesitation, the sandy blonde female sent a fast serve as Vera countered with a strong baseline shot to which she soon found Ayane on the receiving end. The tangerine haired girl countered with an extremely fast forehand zooming past them as Sakuno managed to block it from going in. However, Kiyone managed to score with a volley going in.

"Fifteen – love!"

Vera glared darkly as she let Sakuno receive the next shot. The Seigaku freshman shivered fearfully as Kiyone served once again with a spinning shot as it curled around the ground and spun away from Sakuno. As she chased after the ball, the small brunette managed to lob the shot poorly but Ayane received with a strong backhand as it crashed towards the Seigaku pair.

"Thirty – love!"

Fuuka snickered lightly while watching the match unfold before her, folding her legs and arms in observation. She noticed the sweat pouring down the blonde's face as Sakuno tried desperately to help reinforce the upperclassman's shots. Her attention soon turned to the black splotch lying at the edge of the court before smirking in amusement. She never expected a female tennis player to utilize a similar playing style – a Hyotei female tennis player to boot! She expected most of them to be fan girls of Atobe; however, the tangerine haired vice captain had completely exceeded her expectations especially with strength. She glanced at the broken tennis racquet lying next to her before fingering the snapped nylon strings with an amused chuckle.

_That girl definitely has my respect despite her brashness. I'm amazed though how Kurenai can easily reign her in. _

Soon, another shot exploded when a large smile curved up her lips. Fuuka started imaging about Vera howling and screeching about the ball flying too fast for her to catch or too heavy to return.

"Forty – love!"

On the other side, Mai and Shizuru calmly watched the match while waiting for their turns as the red haired female started surveying around the area. Chants for the Diamond Pair echoed and thundered around the court as some started waving their banners and flags. A smirk curled up her lips until her amber eyes managed to gaze towards the bleachers where a certain bluenette stood with his girlfriend. Her expression slowly fell as her fingers curled up into a fist. The crimson haired _tensai_ slowly settled herself in her seat before clasping her hands and focusing on the match.

"I believe that his memory is still in adjustment," a soft voice sliced through her thoughts as the red head snapped up to see her captain smiling at her.

"He already has a girlfriend and his memory's messed up."

Shizuru sighed softly before sitting next to her best friend, shrugging nonchalantly. "At a certain point in time, people can be subjected to a strong dose of hypnotism. When that happens, their cognitive thinking is for everyone's moulding. Isn't he in therapy?"

Mai giggled softly before pulling out her broken silver chain, tracing the remains. "Yeah, he's in physical therapy. Why?"

"Physical therapy does not only recondition physical memory," Shizuru continued to smile all-knowingly at the Queen of Spades. "A person's memory does not only pertain to physical aspects after all."

The Queen of Spades pondered for a moment before a huge smirk suddenly to curl up her lips. "Damn Shizuru, I'm glad you're interested in Psychology and you can pick up these things."

"I never understood however how you managed to fall in love with someone with him other than the similarity in sadism level," Shizuru shook her head disdainfully before looking back at the Rikkai Dai team. "He definitely would scare anyone who was within a thirty mile radius. I'm actually uncomfortable whenever he's around. His sister's more tolerable despite her sugar high tendencies."

Mai playfully nudged her shoulder with a sardonic grin. "That's because you like men who are more on the straight to the point. But there are some who are a bit slow, no?"

Shizuru blushed intensely before averting her eyes away from the amber gold eyes of her best friend. "M-Mai, don't even go there. But, matters aide – how did you get to like him?"

"Oho, you're learning how to deal with teases well, grasshopper~," Mai grinned in approval before ruffling the wavy long hair of her captain, leaning against the bench. "Call it love at first sight or call it whim. I'm not quite sure how to address it really."

The Queen of Diamonds frowned slightly at her companion, folding her arms. "Mai, don't tell me you're giving up already."

Mai stared at her friend incredulously, flicking Shizuru at the nose. "Are you an idiot or something? Of course not! I just," –her expression suddenly became crestfallen once again. "I just don't know how to tell him the truth without causing a major mental breakdown. People who get flashbacks – they usually say that gaining their memories back hurt as if they've been run through a meat grinder and out again."

"That's why people prefer gradual restoration rather than one big shebang," Haruka suddenly hung herself down in between the two with a huge grin. "You just have to give him things that cause associations. Besides, I'm curious – what do you see in him anyway?"

Mai glanced at the bluenette once again before watching Rena cling onto him, pointing excitedly at the other players going against each other for the win. She remained completely impassive at first until her eyes redirected themselves towards where the bespectacled brunette's hands started trailing. A slight frown caused her to purse her lips as she looked away and glanced at the shattered necklace sitting in her palm. Her amber eyes swivelled around to meet Rena's as they both stared down at each other for a moment as the sound dulled in the _tensai_'s ears. Soon, the whole environment became pitch black as the only two figures within the realm were her and Rena. Both girls had an intense stare down as the brunette cockily smirked at her while the _tensai_ returned the smirk with her own sardonic one.

"It all started in a Broadway play," Mai quietly fingered the broken chain and pendant, glancing back at the other female. _I bet no one even knows how he managed to pull it off._

"Game, Jerrard-Ryuuzaki: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"

The announcement immediately sliced through the darkness as the _tensai_ found herself staring into space. Mai's amber eyes slightly widened with astonishment; that was surprisingly quick for someone who was backed up into a corner a few moments ago. The _tensai_ swivelled her head towards the court where she found Ayane taking the ball from Vera as the blonde woman haughtily flounced off. Kiyone on the other hand grinned all-knowingly at Sakuno who shyly returned the expression although not quite sure how to interpret it. The tangerine haired vice captain narrowed her eyes darkly at the blonde woman as she tossed the ball up in the air for a strong service. The ball zoomed from her racquet as Vera countered it easily with a forehand. Ayane flicked the ball slightly up for a delay before bashing it straight towards the volleying line where Sakuno could do nothing but deflect. As the ball loomed high into the air, Kiyone managed to slice it despite her small height.

"One – Love!"

Vera snorted in annoyance as she smashed towards Ayane's side, stealing the next point.

"One all – Jerrard to serve!"

The blonde girl soon began her service with Kiyone on the receiving end. However, the sandy blonde girl managed to retaliate with a strong forehand as it managed to at least clip the net. Sakuno ran for the shot to lightly lob the ball as the queen of clovers started attacking the other side, forcing Sakuno to run towards the other side. Vera darkly hissed to herself before cornering Ayane only to have the ball lightly drop against the net.

"One – two!"

Kiyone could feel her knees buckling down under the weight of her body along with her fatigue. Everything started swirling around her but the sandy blonde female knew she couldn't stop here. Ayane now had her back and the tangerine female started trying to make up for their lost points. The vice captain struck with the _Kotsubushi no Katana_ as the ball pummelled in between the pair without any resistance or any attempt to be returned.

"Two all, Ryuuzaki to serve!"

Sakuno, shivering fearfully and out of fatigue, tossed the ball straight up into the air before finally managing to make a fairly average serve. However, Ayane immediately countered it with a strong forehand with Vera struggling with the strain of her wrist. Both Seigaku players found themselves completely exhausted with their limbs sore from deflecting the vice captain's insanely powerful shots. Ayane definitely had no physical evidence on her body but she could pack a punch with one heck of a swing.

"Two – three!"

Mai watched the shots pass back and forth with either no resistance or a sad attempt for defence. Fatigue became evident in all four players as she watched Kiyone push her body to move faster with Ayane desperately trying to break through the defence and deflects of Vera. The blonde vice captain nearly fell over as another point fell in their favour. The _tensai_ sighed deeply before looking at her captain who started bouncing her legs and loosening up her arms little by little. The scoreboard said it all and if anything – Seigaku definitely held their end of the match. The red haired _tensai_ picked up her iPod and began listening to music as she started moving her body to the rhythm lightly.

"Three all, Getsugan to serve!"

The audience found themselves at the edge of their seats as they watched the four girls play their all. If any of the male matches were this interesting, they would have left long time ago. Their eyes widened with surprise as Kiyone and Sakuno continued to carry on without the help of their playmakers anymore. Ayane managed to keep herself conscious as her throat tightened considerably. Vera barely kept her eyes open as she watched the two forcibly try to gain the next point. The chants slowly became much louder as the cheering echoed louder than ever. Kiyone found her ears slightly twitching from the cheering as it echoed in her ears.

"Four – three!"

The howls and chants became much louder with Kiyone and Sakuno finding the new vigour to keep on going. Haruka gave her an approving smile as Rin started jumping and cheering on the railings. Jirou watched in pure excitement with Isane clutching her jersey in anticipation. Shiraishi found himself frozen by the spectacle of the match as the smallest member of Hyotei continued the offence against Seigaku. Ayane barely could keep herself standing as she watched her small partner with a smile.

_I'm counting on you, Kiki._

Vera slammed her fist against the ground as Sakuno desperately played against the smaller girl who practically had exhausted herself to make up for her other partner. Both girls were on the verge of collapsing as Sakuno let out a slight yelp as she managed to send it past Kiyone. The blonde teenager smiled inwardly; there was no way Kiyone was going to run all the way back...

"YOU WISHED!"

Vera's and Sakuno's eyes widened in surprise as Kiyone threw all her weight into the shot with a twisting backhand. Ayane stared in astonishment as Kiyone landed clumsily on the ground whereas the ball smacked straight into Sakuno before both volleyists were rendered useless. Sakuno however glanced at Echizen's face and Vera's determined expression; she definitely could not lose here! Seigaku's forte laid in their doubles pair and they were the match that would turn things around!

"I have to try," Sakuno wheezed a bit before attempting to return it, only to manage deflecting it but a point nevertheless.

"Four all, Jerrard to serve!"

Vera struggled to get herself up as she found the neon yellow green ball lying in her palm. Her blue eyes blazed in fury as she saw the other two Hyotei players standing against them despite the multiple obstacles. She had to admit though; the two freshmen players definitely managed to avoid some effects of her Heartbreaker. Ayane definitely saw through parts of it – much more than a more experienced doubles player would. She glanced at the purple haired male that had been watching Ayane intently throughout the entire match. A sultry smile curved up her lips before releasing a serve.

_His Insight would definitely be useful..._

Her serve cracked in with Ayane finally getting up to fight back. Her backhand punched a hole through their defences with Vera staggering back in fatigue. Where did Ayane get that kind of consistency despite the fatigue her mind and body went through? Baffled and bewildered, Vera served again in hopes of evening out the score when Kiyone went in for the reception. Unfortunately, the smaller girl found herself completely blinded by the sweat pouring down her face.

"Five – all, Kobayagi to serve!"

Ayane exhaled sharply before throwing the ball straight up into the air, serving only to have it crash against the net.

"Fault!"

She inhaled deeply again, looking at the net before resisting the urge to crumble down to the ground. The Hyotei vice captain glanced at her superior as the brunette nodded with an accepting smile, exhaling in relief. She tossed the ball up again before serving right over the net as it zoomed towards Sakuno. The pigtailed haired girl threw herself forward before deflecting the shot towards Kiyone who rallied it to Vera and managed to steal a point off them.

"Five – six, Jerrard to serve!"

Vera inhaled sharply while looking at her opponents. Her body trembled with excitement and determination as she finally managed to serve the shot towards them, travelling low as it did so. As Kiyone prepared to receive it, the sandy blonde female felt her arm giving out until she heard a loud metal _clang_ hit her racquet. She looked up in astonishment as Ayane nodded and helped her send the ball towards the net. Everyone looked in anticipation as the ball travelled in a curve-like pattern and finally smacked into the net. Ayane's breath hitched considerably as if waiting for the ball to spin upwards but the ball finally rolled down to the ground where everyone remained in a deep silence.

"GAME AND MATCH: JERRARD – RYUUZAKI: SEVEN GAMES TO SIX!"

Seigaku howled and cheered for their doubles pair as Vera whooped in joy with Sakuno falling down on her butt with a relieved smile. Kikumaru immediately began bouncing around in joy and Oishi clapped in approval. Momoshiro started letting out loud whoops with the rest of the Seigaku Tennis club members of both the girls and the boys. The blonde smirked at the two Hyotei freshmen as Ayane and Kiyone helped each other off the court with a haughty grin.

"You don't have what it takes to be a doubles pair."

The moment she heard that, Ayane felt her whole world freeze. How dare she come up with something like that? They managed to pressure them and that's all they got? Ayane found herself completely exhausted as tears started to slip out of her eyes. She remained utterly silent though without any energy to come up with a decent retort as Kiyone looked at her with an expectant grin. Wiping away her tears in front of the sandy blonde volleyist, Ayane glared at the blonde before tiredly dragging herself in deep silence towards the benches. Kiyone managed to support the tangerine haired girl under as they finally made their way up the stairs to face their upperclassmen. Atobe immediately moved towards her to help her over but the vice captain wordlessly shoved the king of Hyotei aside before shoving past the others.

"Yane-Yane," Kiyone hoarsely tried to follow her as Ayane strode out the wired gates. "W-wait..."

As the fence stood between the two, Kiyone nearly collapsed over if not for Shiraishi's quick reflexes to catch her. Shiraishi cast a withering gaze at the blonde female who had insinuated such a thought before placing Kiyone on the bench. The Queen of Clovers whimpered softly before hugging her knees against her body, shivering.

"Yane..."

On the other side, Vera tossed back her long blonde hair while smirking at Fuuka. "Well, there you have it. The table have been turned."

Fuuka scowled darkly at her vice captain, folding her arms in disapproval. "You don't hit a good man when he's down. That was completely fucked up, Jerrard."

"They're my opponents; all's fair in love and war," Vera shrugged nonchalantly before she sat down on the benches.

Sakuno sat down in relief but not before handing the racquet back to Echizen. "Um, Ryoma-_kun_... thank you so much..."

Echizen tipped down his cap with a small smirk, hiding his blush. "_Ii betsuni_..."

But for Hyotei, everyone found themselves astonished as soon as the next match was announced.

"PLAYERS FOR SINGLES TWO, PLEASE COME FORWARD!"

Kiyone's liquid blue eyes widened with astonishment.

Haruka practically had her jaw dropping.

Rin blinked several times before rubbing her eyes, making sure what she saw was true.

Isane shook her head in disbelief while Hitomi began calculating for the probability of anything happening.

Mai on the other hand had a smile on her lips as she watched the next player step forward.

"Go get 'em, Captain."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Whoa, a cliff hanger! Wahaha, I bet you guys didn't see that one coming! XD Anyhow, I'm sorry for the late update! Please don't forget to review!**


	57. We're Hyotei and We're Unstoppable

**Me: Hey thanks for all the reviews so far! I hope I managed to satisfy your need for epic tennis matches! But now is the moment you have all been waiting for - the Clash of the Titans: Souma Fuuka versus Kurenai Shizuru! Will Hyotei turn the tables and avenge their doubles pair or will Seigaku crush them with their brutality? By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis. I only own the OCs! Warning: suggestive themes!**

Chapter 57 – We're Hyotei and We're Unstoppable

As Shizuru quietly made her way to the court, her Regulars jacket floated behind her while she continued to watch Fuuka's movement. The brunette inhaled deeply; this moment should be like no other. Hyotei _Gakuen_ only had one more hurdle to jump over in order to go to the Nationals. Shizuru shook her head away from all her fears as her body tensed up with excitement and determination to battle the woman who had constantly tailed her for their rivalry. The strongest rivalry did not occur between Atobe and Tezuka since the latter had been incredibly indifferent about it. Fuuka and Shizuru although showed curt and cordial appearances and interaction - when on the court, Fuuka became the Blood-Soaked Fuuka and Shizuru returned to her Corpse Princess demeanour. Their eyes stared sharply with unbreakable eye contact as both started watching each others' movements calculatingly with a deathly silent gaze. Winds blew hard with the trees dancing quickly and the leaves rustling wildly. The crowds remained silent as only the girls' footsteps echoed throughout the court.

"Wow, everyone really nailed their mouths shut," Kirihara whistled loudly while watching Shizuru and Fuuka approach one another, leaning lazily against the railings. "Are these guys really that epic or is it just because I've seen better players?"

Sanada frowned darkly at the younger boy's words, promptly whacking the devil's head. "It is because you have not seen better that's why everyone is silent. They know how strong these two girls really are. Yukimura's sister has nothing on them in terms of skill and sheer brute power. Souma Fuuka, known as Seigaku's _Bishamonten_, clearly has an upper hand in power play and complete destruction. However, Kurenai Shizuru attacks in another way in making opponents become extremely frustrated with themselves. This battle is more than just a simple tennis match to them now..."

"Considering what's riding at this point," Fuji smiled slyly, leaning against the railing before nodding in amusement, glancing towards an expressionless Tezuka with a smooth chuckle bubbling out of his throat. "I think both girls know what they're fighting for."

As Fuuka and Shizuru faced one another in the court, the silence settled in heavily with both their eyes glimmering in determination. Red and lavender flashed between the two girls as their grips on their racquets tightened considerably before both girls raised their arms for the cursory shake of hands. The two teams shivered and stiffened at the sight of the seriousness flashing between the two captains, watching the two keep their hands in contact. Fuuka's shaggy red hair tossed around violently against the wind with Shizuru's wavy dark brown hair drifting gently along the wind. Seigaku and Hyotei found themselves completely silent and unable to let out any cheers whereas the other scouters and members of the audience stared in amazement.

"Truly, this is the match between two titans," Shiba whistled softly while pulling out his camera and zooming in to watch the two girls play against one another. "While Tezuka and Atobe are known to have impeccable skills, Souma and Kurenai are no small fry in the tennis and talent department either. Souma Fuuka is known for her physical strength but Kurenai Shizuru is known for her tactical planning - which one will win however?"

Fuuka smugly folded her arms. "I'm expecting a good match from you today. Players from the other schools don't really amuse me unless they have some whacked up history with me. Make sure you play to impress, Kurenai."

Shizuru nodded stiffly as the cheers from Seigaku suddenly thundered throughout the courts upon hearing Fuuka's goading and challenge, responding with a small smile. "Of course unless you're the one who's going to completely back down. I suggest you start dragging your butt a bit more. It's quite boring to attack a target that's not moving."

Hyotei's supporters whistled and loudly began cheering at Shizuru's exceptionally calm retort as Oshitari leaned against the railings with a confident smirk. "Go get her, Ru-_hime_."

"Singles Two will now begin: Seishun Gakuen's Souma Fuuka versus Hyotei Gakuen's Kurenai Shizuru! Game start, Souma to serve!"

The shaggy red haired female tossed the ball up to the air before letting her lavender eyes sharply gaze at the structure of the court and at Shizuru's behaviour and habits, bouncing it on the ground a few times before biting her lower lip determinedly. Images of the last Nationals match flashed through her mind as she found the freshman version of Shizuru standing at the other end much to her annoyance. Tossing it high into the air, Fuuka slammed the shot with a speeding service while Shizuru returned it with a backhand. She increased the power of her play instantly to the point that her shots sounded more akin to that of a cannon ball explosion whereas Shizuru played on a deflective style, sending the ball back with a drive volley. With sweat pouring down her face, Fuuka backhanded the ball once more towards the deep end of the court whereas Shizuru sliced the ball for a spinning shot. Cursing silently at her rotten luck, Fuuka rushed forward before lightly lobbing it into the air with Shizuru preparing to smash the shot.

"Chance shot," Kiyone jumped up and down from her chair with an expectant grin. "Go go go, Shizuru-_senpai_!"

Seeing Fuuka watching her own movements, the Hyotei Gakuen captain preferred a drive volleyed and slammed it way past Fuuka's face as the red head immediately darted for the back to catch the ball. As the Seishun Gakuen female closed the distance between her and the ball, Fuuka shot the ball from in between her legs as Shizuru darted with the Flash Step and returned the shot with the same abominable speed that Fuuka had sent it the first time. Clucking her tongue, Fuuka slammed the ball with a startling forehand towards the Flash Step specialist once again as Shizuru challenged her home ground with quick draw backhand. People watched the ball zoom back and forth with insane speed almost to the point of squinting due to it vanishing. Fuuka continued to explode the ball similarly to that off a shot gun as Shizuru strained herself to return it but managed to adapt to it after three exchanges.

"Kurenai's gotten better hasn't she," Yukimura Ai smiled at her fellow members, folding her legs. "It's been awhile since I've seen her so... dedicated."

Florence on the other hand held onto her inhaler before folding her arms in approval. "Nothing has ever occupied me this much to make me forget about my inhaler before..."

Shitenhouji's female captain whistled with her usual _Kansai_ drawl passing her lips. "Here we go."

Everyone refused to move their eyes from the fascinating match that began unfolding before them. Shizuru and Fuuka closed in towards one another as they began volleying at one another before pushing each other back. Both girls found themselves retracting all the way back to the baseline as they both started sliding back and forth on the court, watching the ball leave their racquet each time. Shizuru, ignoring the beads of sweat falling down her face, continued to watch Fuuka's eye movement and footwork as she sprinted towards the middle of the court. Fuuka slammed the ball with a devastating crack as Shizuru struggled to return it. An electrifying pain shot up her leg as she forced herself to dig her heels into the ground in order to compensate for her lack of bodily strength, flinching slightly.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Fuuka sniggered while slamming the return with double the given force, rushing towards the net. "Hope your body can keep up 'cause I hate it when you drop out early!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip and watched Fuuka bash through her defences, sliding her feet across gracefully in order to use her bodily weight to compensate for Fuuka's monstrous strength. "It definitely would be a shame if you could not keep that kind of monstrous power in check though..."

"Keep talking but how long can you keep your bravado," Fuuka slammed the ball towards Shizuru, watching the said sophomore glide easily to the other side.

_Tsk, she's gotten faster... No, maybe it's because she's become more calm and resourceful?_

The red haired female continued her frontal attack with multiple forehands forcing Shizuru to slide towards different edges and ends of the court. However, Shizuru showed no signs of relenting by responding with the same amount of power. Clucking her tongue in annoyance, the female Seishun Gakuen captain retaliated with a fast drive volley before moving right up to the front with Shizuru responding with the same attack.

"Whoa, you're getting aggressive," Fuuka exhaled sharply while twisting her body to get better power with her volley, smirking in delight. "It's been awhile since I last seen you play like this!"

Shizuru smiled lightly as she attacked the ball with the same unflinching and relentless force, hinting with a bit of slyness in her tone. "Well, I'm simply returning your attacks. I don't like leaving things unreturned."

Atobe frowned slightly before letting out an indignant huff, folding his arms in disappointment. "Kurenai's taking this too lightly. Souma's going to crush her if she keeps up her recklessness."

However, everyone's eyes widened when the ball suddenly curved towards the crimson eyed female's direction much to Fuuka's chagrin and disgust. Shizuru soon struck the ball with speed and a blurring spin similar to Fuuka's as the ball zoomed right past the opposing captain's leg. The Aries user blinked several times incredulously before recalling the speed of the ball that zoomed past her, eyeing the mark darkening behind her. She glanced at Shizuru who remained perfectly calm with her usual calm expression without flinching as Fuuka chuckled darkly, watching the crimson eyes remain completely still.

"Love - fifteen," -the crowd stared disbelievingly at the first rally.

"So, you're really banking on your tenacity to carry you far," Fuuka sighed dejectedly before shrugging nonchalantly. "I guess that's the similarity between both of you. You're both selflessly insane."

Shizuru stared quizzically at the elder captain, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I don't understand... What does that have to do with anything?"

The red haired captain of Seigaku shrugged uncaringly before preparing to serve once more, smirking at Shizuru's somewhat confused stare. "I want you to understand that it's no ordinary matter - with whatever you're trying to immerse yourself in. But, let's deal with that later - Queen of Diamonds. I'm tired of playing you with your normal tactics. Let's get a little hysterical shall we?"

Shizuru nodded stiffly before lowering her stance, preparing to receive Fuuka's service. "Very well but do not expect a good result once you end up hysterical."

Mai bit her lower lip while watching the exchange become intense once again with varied levels. Her body shivered at the sight of skill and power displayed by the two captains as Fuuka revealed enough power to distort a wire fence completely out of shape whereas Shizuru flashed at the speed of light and even switching feet instantly to deceive the Seishun Gakuen player. The red haired captain stumbled a few times before managing to return the shot with a slight lob which Shizuru smashed the ball away from Fuuka. Much to Shizuru's surprise, Fuuka immediately threw herself forward before hitting the ball over the net. Clucking her tongue, Shizuru rushed towards the weakly lobbed ball and drove the shot straight to the edge of the singles court.

"Love - Thirty," everyone howled in awe and astonishment.

Fuuka chuckled lightly before gathering herself, tossing her hair back. "Damn, you're playing pretty well. I guess you just needed to loosen up at the _Urabutousatsujin_..."

Shizuru smiled graciously, nodding curtly. "I guess... There are just some things that have to be really vented out huh?"

Tossing up the ball, Fuuka served the shot again. "Ha, you bet your ass there are! Like, how does it feel when you lose in front of your whole world?"

Much to Fuuka's surprise, the shot soared faster than normal and ripped past the Seishun Gakuen female. Seeing that she hit a nerve, Fuuka chuckled lightly as Shizuru maintained a smooth and calm expression. Fuuka attacked the shot with a wild forehand whereas Shizuru punched her hips to put more power. Both of their gazes constantly met as their volleys started popping towards one another. Fuuka's unrelenting gaze refused to tear away from Shizuru's determined one as the tennis ball flew back and forth.

"Arn~, _ore-sama_ has never seen Kurenai so serious," Atobe shoved his hands into his pockets; his ice blue eyes following both players' movements. "They may be playing simply but the emotions emitting from each of their attacks is astounding."

Florence humourlessly chuckled while watching the colours clash against one another. As the black slowly faded around Shizuru, her aura blazed a bright red colour with gold whereas Fuuka clashed with flashing blue. Behind Fuuka, Florence noticed a shadow of a long blue reptile coiled around Fuuka whereas a pair of red wings engulfed Shizuru. Their auras took shapes before smashing and crashing towards one another. A giggle bubbled from her throat as Fuuka and Shizuru continued fighting it out.

_Finally, a match that everyone has been waiting for appears._

Shizuru continued attacking the corners of the court with the ball spinning faster whereas Fuuka returned them, reinforcing each with power. The Hyotei female captain winced at the power straining against the strings of her racquet, watching Fuuka's movements carefully. As the red haired captain dashed forward to meet the brunette's volley, Shizuru darted towards her as well with both their eyes meeting each time they faced each other at the net. Fuuka moved towards the back in order to overpower Shizuru which she did so successfully as the ball zoomed right past the brunette's shoulder, leaving the junior no other choice but to dodge.

"Fifteen - thirty," - the crowd stared in astonishment, chanting loudly for more.

Fuuka chuckled lightly before mounting the racquet onto her shoulder, loosening her neck a little. "Not bad, not bad but you still have a long way to go if that's how you're going to play the whole time."

Shizuru twirled her racquet up, maintaining a calm composure with a slight smirk curving up her lips. "Oh trust me; I'm letting you have a few shots."

The two captains retreated back to their stations on each side as Fuuka prepared to serve once again. Shizuru, tightening her grip on her racquet, twirled her racquet around while watching Fuuka's movements. The Piscean Princess slashed the ball for a sudden top spin which forced Fuuka to move forward, causing her to drop it slightly. Despite being forced to move forward, the red haired Seishun Gakuen captain smirked determinedly before driving the ball with a volley. Shizuru tracked down the ball before smacking it once again with a drive volley and returning back to the middle. Fuuka shoved herself back for a ground stroke before unleashing a screaming forehand.

"Time to crush you," Fuuka chuckled humourlessly with a darkened smirk. "_Dodekathlon_!"

Shizuru's eyes widened as the power suddenly increased and bashed her racquet straight out of her hand, causing her to wince and massage her arm. "Ack, it's pretty strong..."

"Shouldn't you be used to my strength by now," Fuuka twirled her racquet around, mounting it on her shoulder snarkily. "Unless, you really got soft which I hope you didn't. Otherwise, that'd be a big letdown. Besides, shouldn't you be more than that - _Shikabanehime_?"

Shizuru giggled softly before walking over to pick up her racquet, wincing slightly at the strain in her arm. "Oh don't worry; there will be a lot more for you to worry about."

Fuuka chuckled humourlessly, tossing her hair back. "Alright then, show me what you learned from these past few months."

Without any warning, Fuuka struck again with a no-return serve as Shizuru immediately darted forward to forehand the shot right over the net. A smirk curved up Fuuka's lips as she increased the power in her shots once again with Shizuru adding top spins each and every return she had. The Hyotei captain dashed to and fro with her speed kicking up past Fuuka's whereas the Seishun Gakuen captain started exploding shots all over the court. Shizuru winced at the strain being bashed against her arm and legs whereas Fuuka started inhaling deeply to keep herself in the game. The red haired women's team captain glanced at the bleachers and watched Tezuka's eyes carefully. She chuckled humourlessly to herself before glancing at Shizuru.

_They have the same mentality. I shouldn't be surprised._

Fuuka slammed the ball towards the other edge of the court while finding Shizuru at the opposite end. The Hyotei captain however easily flashed towards that side and attacked the ball with the same speed the Seishun Gakuen captain shot it, forcing Fuuka to deflect the next shot. As the ball lobbed high into the air, Shizuru jumped up before smashing the shot down right between Fuuka's legs.

"Thirty - all," nobody could believe the time span of each rally as both girls went head to head.

"Hahaha," Fuuka inhaled deeply while smirking determinedly at the younger captain. "I haven't had this thrill in ages. You know - the last time I had a good match with you was the day you first arrived into the tennis circuit. But, I wouldn't push that leg if I were you after all Aikawa definitely makes me look bad in the Berserker Department."

"B-Berserker department," Rin stared agape before looking at the other captains. "Wait, he was the one who...?"

Florence bit her lower lip darkly, watching Fuuka and Shizuru return to their spots at the baselines. "Aikawa Onryou - one of the other members of L.X.A that you had met previously has a weird case of multiple personality disorder. It seemingly activates only to a single thing unlike other cases which seem to be either based on will or random appearance. I'm not quite sure whether or not he was born with it or he did it to himself but that one time challenged all of us."

Kiyone swallowed hard. "Did he throw _buchou_ around like a chew toy?"

"In a sense, he probably did that to all of us," Natsuki shook her head vehemently at the memory, not removing her gaze from the match. "He actually destroyed three-fourths of the building and they actually had to make a special cage for him."

Hitomi bit her lower lip while continuing to take down notes from the match. "So tell me, what got you all involved in L.X.A? What exactly was the purpose?"

"You're not being helpful as a psychiatrist but," Florence inhaled sharply before sighing into the sky. "I remember being brought to a hospital in hopes of getting a lung transplant. After that, I just found myself there in the barracks with Natsuki. My parents couldn't find me for awhile and it was only when I was like graduating Elementary School that I managed to get home. Fuuka was brought in a few days later since they said she had anger management classes."

Natsuki shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I ran away from home. Dad never did pay much attention to me anyway."

Florence chuckled bitterly, watching the two girls fight each other. "In terms of seniority, Natsuki and I were first before Fuuka and Shizuru. Obviously, Yukimura is youngest by default since well - she's basically cloned. However, in terms of power and skill - I'd say Fuuka and Shizuru had completely surpassed us."

"Souma and Kurenai managed to surpass us in terms of combat tactics," the charcoal gray haired female captain adjusted her wrist band while leaning against the back of the bench. "In fact, this match may look so simple but they're actually waiting for one to slip up. The first rule of combat: NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. EVER."

Shizuru and Fuuka continued to attack each other with the tennis ball flying back and forth, without tearing their gazes off one another. The brunette bit her lower lip before skidding across the court to counter Fuuka's next forehand as the red haired girl blasted it all the way to the back of the baseline. Fuuka barely forced down her chuckles; she found herself staring at her rival as a small smirk curved up her lips. She watched Shizuru's eyes follow the pathway of the ball each time as they continued attacking each other relentlessly until Fuuka found an opening on Shizuru's left side, prompting her to send in a sharp drive volley right past Shizuru.

"Forty - thirty!"

Tezuka found himself completely stupefied on how they were both onto each others' necks. Although his face didn't show it, his eyes widened slightly at the determination coming from the two and noticing Fuuka chuckling darkly while Shizuru maintained a straight face. The Seishun Gakuen male captain folded his arms with a slight frown; Fuuka's lavender eyes clearly reflected the obsession in victory. He couldn't blame her for that. As far as he was concerned, Tezuka found himself more irritated by her brashness and her superiority complex to the point of obsession. Fuuka had harped on and on how she would bring home the gold for Seigaku by crushing Shizuru under the weight of her own expectations, further motivating the girls. Although he did not know Shizuru too well, he could see how her teammates followed behind her but what he noticed also was how reckless she had become. Shizuru had challenged Fuuka's full-scale attack strategy head on. Normally, he would have considered it crazy but instead he found a small smile curving up his lips. Was it because he was amused by her sudden change in thought? He couldn't understand but whatever it was, he felt some swelling of admiration bubbling somewhere.

"Tezuka, you know girls would start flashing a camera in your face and you wouldn't even notice," Fuji chuckled all-knowingly, glancing at his bespectacled best friend.

Tezuka immediately returned back to his normal expression. "Fuji..."

"Saa~, don't worry," Fuji placed a finger on his lips with his usual angelic smile. "I'll keep your stalker tendencies a secret~."

_Fuji, you're lucky we are in public._

Tezuka massaged his temples before looking towards the courts once again. Shizuru now started pushing back Fuuka with long ground strokes and spin shots whereas Fuuka started playing on a more defensive stance. Seigaku's and Hyotei's chanting and cheering thundered in the courts with both captains' respective titles being drowned out by their howling. He glanced at the banners flapping in the wind as the chants slowly tuned out with him only hearing the ball being sent over the net. He watched both Shizuru and Fuuka continue pushing each other back with very little success until someone decided to shove him. He snapped himself out of the daze as he found another shot zooming past Fuuka from Shizuru's end of the court.

"Deuce!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip while trying to maintain a stolid expression. Her whole body started wincing at the strain especially her arm as she desperately tried to check whether or not she could lift it. Although there had been no injury there, the Hyotei female captain started to wonder whether or not Fuuka had been living on power and strength supplements or if she had been completely hooked on steroids. She giggled inwardly to herself; Fuuka definitely knew how to make bodybuilders look bad. The red haired Seishun Gakuen captain reminded her similarly to Ayane as both girls could render half the population deaf and both easily threw tantrums on certain things since Ayane would physically beat up Atobe while Fuuka would simply bulldoze anyone who opposed her. A sigh escaped the younger captain's lips while she walked back to the baseline.

"You should take it easy on that leg of yours, Kurenai," Fuuka raked back her short red hair, smirking at the slight limp. "I may be blind to tiny details but that doesn't mean I know that your leg is about to give. Remember the last match we had?"

Shizuru remained focused. "I know but that doesn't mean it will stop me from winning."

"_Maa, maa_, you know you should really loosen up a little," Fuuka tossed the ball up in the air with an arrogant smirk on her face. "Otherwise, your face is gonna become cemented that way."

Shizuru narrowed her eyes slightly while maintaining her calm composure, darting towards the ball to receive. "I prefer keeping a straight face. It pisses you off."

Fuuka snorted darkly before attacking Shizuru's return with a forehand. "Bitch, I'm gonna bloody beat the shit out of you!"

"See what I mean," Shizuru's lips curved up into a small smile as she continued blocking Fuuka's attempts to bring her down. "You're hilarious when it comes to frustration."

Florence shook her head with a sigh, noticing Shizuru's taunting attempts. "See what I mean? These two are meant to duke it out with another."

"Shizuru wasn't like that before when she first got into L.X.A," Natsuki chuckled lightly, leaning against the railing. "I remember like it was just yesterday..."

_Flashback_

A nine year old Fuuka tossed around a ball in the air with a grin whereas Natsuki started doing pull-ups from her bed. Florence on the other hand placed a harmonica near her mouth as she started playing a familiar tune. The room remained increasingly silent as Fuuka, finally frustrated, slammed the ball against the ceiling before letting it roll harmlessly on the ground.

"Gah, isn't there anything better to do," Fuuka rolled over on her bed with a disgruntled snort, kicking the air. "We haven't been given crap for weeks! We're just made to stay in this metal box until a huge mission or problem sprouts up!"

"Technically, our walls are made by the workings of the mind," Florence chuckled in amusement while turning the page of her book lightly. "It's our choice whether or not to leave the quarters or not."

The red haired little girl snorted in disgust. "Get rid of your damn British accent! It makes you sound like fucking pansy!"

"I dare say how uncouth you actually are," Florence sipped a small cup of Chamomile Tea. "Your mouth is not suitable to be that of a woman's let alone a human's. Normally, I would not be this insulting if you were not such a brute."

Fuuka twitched with all the words pouring out of Florence's mouth. "God, will you please make this woman shut up!?"

"Goodness Fuuka, I didn't know you were Catholic," Florence smiled all-knowingly, seeing how riled up the red haired girl was.

"Fuck you, I'm Buddhist!"

Natsuki shook her head with a sigh, rolling up onto the bed. "Buddhists are normally calm and following the energies in the earth and knowing that anger causes suffering. Fuuka, you're the complete opposite of that."

Before Fuuka could retaliate, a soft knocking came from the door as Kyouichi Sagara revealed himself to the three with a cheerful smile. "Hi girls, how are you doing?"

"It's cramped all because of you," Natsuki hissed darkly, folding her arms with a pout. "Will you stop throwing people into our room!?"

Florence sighed deeply, looking at the mess on Natsuki's bed and her side of the room. "Natsuki, I believe it is more your fault that this room is so cramped due to your unholy mess."

Natsuki pouted before climbing up the bed, glaring at Florence. "Hmph, you guys are such neat freaks. This was my room to begin with anyway!"

Fuuka rolled up her sleeves and pounced at the charcoal haired _Kansai_ female. "Screwed up rock!"

"Cherryhead!"

"Pebbles for brains!"

Sagara sighed deeply to himself and stepped aside while looking at the energetic bunch, revealing a shy brunette female hiding behind him. "It's alright, Shizuru. This will be your new room."

The three girls suddenly stopped as they found a very shy brunette staring past her long wavy brown bangs. Her auburn red eyes blinked several times while clutching on tightly to the pants leg of the older man, hiding behind Sagara. She whimpered a bit as Fuuka suddenly stormed towards her and grabbed Shizuru by her arm before dragging her into the middle of the room. Shizuru let out a slight yelp as Fuuka flung her aside, slamming the poor girl against the bed rail. Shizuru nearly fumbled over as her auburn eyes flickered slightly when Fuuka grabbed her by her collar.

"Fuuka, enough," Sagara prepared to separate the two apart until a huge flame emerged from behind the red haired girl, revealing a flaming gauntlet attached to the red haired girl's arm. "Where did you get that?"

Fuuka sneered darkly, tightening her grip on Shizuru's neck. "Haagasu gave me this. He said it would give me power to break out of this disgusting joint. So tell me, you little scum – which ditch did you crawl out from?"

Shizuru remained completely silent as she shrunk under Fuuka's darkening and threatening gaze, desperately trying to remove Fuuka's tight grip. "I…I…"

Groaning in disgust and annoyance, Fuuka flung the smaller girl against the wall. "Geez, you're useless."

_End of Flashback_

"Back then, Fuuka had a hair triggering temper," Florence giggled softly at the wave of nostalgia, watching the two girls play against each other. "If anyone new or someone she didn't like suddenly showed up, she'd immediately let loose. It's something nobody really understood about her."

Natsuki tousled around with her keychain hanging limply from her wallet. "On the other hand, Shizuru had no voice. She was nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust when she first showed up. In L.X.A., it's kill or be killed. Sagara was the only one who took us in like his children. He loved us like family but in the end, he could only choose one girl to handle."

Shishido raised an eyebrow before waving his hands in the air. "Hold on, what's this L.X.A thing? I don't even know what the hell it is!"

"The very shadows of the SDF," Atobe folded his arms, watching the points being stolen one after the other. "Japan could never have an offensive military ever since World War II. But then, they created the SDF – the Self-Defence Force. But when it comes to bigger and more international issues that involve the assets and stocks of Japan, that's when the L.X.A will intervene."

Shishido gaped at the new information swimming through his mind, shaking his head vigorously. "What the fuck-? How long did you guys know this?"

"_Ore-sama_ himself could not believe that Kurenai could easily point a gun and shoot at first until he saw her blow up someone's face right in front of him," Atobe shuddered upon remembering what had happened to the dead Oishi Haruhi, recalling how all her brains had been blown in his face. "Souma and Kurenai are leagues above the other captains. It's no surprise that no girl has been able to equal them. Their abilities would be hard to top."

Hitomi smiled lightly in amusement, writing down more data and compiling them in notebooks next to her. "Kurenai Shizuru and Souma Fuuka, also known as L.X.A's top princesses, numbers' 2 and 3 surpass normal capabilities of normal humans. They were taught how to fight, adapt and perhaps even become resourceful in times of apocalyptic events. In L.X.A's training regimen, our Regulars Training is barely 1/20 of the brutality and intensity."

Shizuru slammed the other ball towards Fuuka, watching her opponent's movements carefully. She felt her leg suddenly strain as she zoomed across the court to return Fuuka's other groundstroke. The brunette slightly winced in pain before unleashing another fast volley which zoomed right past Fuuka.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to love!"

The crowd howled and cheered as Tezuka remained completely silent, unsure whether or not he should be astonished or amazed. Shizuru and Fuuka held the longest rally in his own knowledge next to his and Yukimura's. He remembered playing against Rikkai's Child of God but never expected them to play for such a long time back then in the junior circuit. He watched closely at Fuuka's raging attacks towards the other captain. In a short description, he could see that Fuuka raged like a wild fire without any remorse. Mercilessly pounding through her opponents and blazing with a wild victory, Tezuka practically associated her more with fire. Her temper… Well, he could only wish that Momoshiro did not piss her off and had to go home with a fractured ankle and two black eyes along with a bleeding lip.

"Souma-_chan_ is fire while Shizuru-_chan_ is water no," Fuji smiled all-knowingly at Tezuka, immediately rebuking the bespectacled male's thoughts.

Tezuka immediately swivelled his head towards the smiling _tensai_.

"Fuuka constantly attacks without giving the opponent any room to fight back," Fuji leaned against the railing, watching the shots explode from Fuuka's racquet. "However, Shizuru calmly and simply redirects that anger and amplifies Fuuka's power with her own while using it against her. In a game of ability and willpower, Fuuka however has the upper hand. But in strategy – Shizuru definitely out-powers Fuuka."

Kikumaru gaped at his classmate in awe, glomping the feminine male. "Wow Fujiko-_chan_, I didn't know it could be seen that way!"

Fuji patted Kikumaru's head lightly before letting the red haired acrobat down. "But Tezuka, two things are for certain – fire and earth become diamonds while water and earth bring life. Which would you choose however if you were to weigh it?"

If there was anything Tezuka hated, it was all the riddles Fuji would throw in his face.

Although a fan of mystery novels, Tezuka found it extremely hard and annoying to decipher Fuji's statements. However, he understood what Fuji had been trying to tell him to a certain extent. Tezuka glanced at the court again when Fuuka suddenly smashed straight at Shizuru and forced the said girl to dodge.

"Thirty – Forty!"

Tezuka resisted the urge to face palm or twitch, considering how similar the plays were from the first game. What he could not understand however was where Fuuka and Shizuru suddenly gained so much gall and power to fight against one another without any remorse. Fuuka pummelled through Shizuru's defences but not before the brunette deflected it easily towards the red haired female, causing the Seishun Gakuen captain to stagger over.

"Deuce!"

Fuuka bristled slightly at the neck to neck pace of the other girl, wincing at the heavy pounding against her chest. She watched Shizuru regain her composure but saw her will slightly breaking after the fatigue and stress. She was amazed though by her consistency; no matter how long or how tired the younger girl was, Fuuka always found herself unnerved by her ability to maintain consistency with her performances. Shizuru's shots continued zooming back and forth as Fuuka finally found an opening on the younger girl's left side, taking the shot.

_Do you remember how we were before, Kurenai? Before the accident that made a mess of you?_

_Flashback_

A loud explosion echoed throughout the hallways as the alarms started ringing out. Fuuka immediately jumped out of bed whereas Natsuki suddenly shot up and hit her head against the ceiling. Florence immediately tumbled out of bed and Shizuru fell off the window sill. The red light flashed around in their room, prompting Fuuka to grab a ball and immediately shutting it down with a smash of a ball. As the noise died down in their room, the other alarms continued sounding off as Fuuka climbed into her bed.

"Shut those up will you," Fuuka pulled her blanket over her head. "I don't wanna hear those shitty things!"

Natsuki jumped down from her bed, dragging out the red head. "Come on Fuuka, for the whole L.X.A to be on sudden Code Red means that there's something wrong."

Florence zipped up her white latex suit and laced her black combat boots on, tightening her arm guards and claw-like weapons soon after. "I find this awfully rude if people intend to wake us up so harshly. Could they have not done things normally?"

Shizuru blinked several times before Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's arm. "Come on, don't just stand there and stare! We got a crisis on our hands!"

The four girls immediately jumped out of their rooms and saw soldiers running down the metal hallways, hearing loud commands echoing all over the place. The four girls crept into the hallway into a loud explosion threw them all back with the wall and metal debris falling all over the place. Fuuka and Natsuki stood in front whereas Florence stayed behind with Shizuru. Their eyes widened even further as a silver plated giant human suddenly emerged with flashing green eyes. Long blonde hair cascaded to the floor as several chains tinkled and crinkled with every thundering footstep the giant took. Fuuka immediately froze in fear until Natsuki suddenly drew out her gun and shot through a green metal octagon.

"Deceived by the desires of man," Natsuki fired a shockwave towards the device. "Capricorn Deception!"

A sea goat emerged from the device as it rammed the other humanoid-looking thing before the latter flung it away. Natsuki started firing bullets as they harmlessly bounced off the creature's arm, much to her horror. Florence immediately darted past Fuuka and Shizuru before unleashing sharp threads from the tip of her claws, wrapping it around the huge creature. The giant howled and began kicking and struggling before swinging its open fist against Florence's body, knocking her against the metal walls.

"Florence," Fuuka bit her lower lip darkly before activating the red device in her hand, covering her arm in a huge red gauntlet. "Shizuru, stay put! Don't do anything stupid!"

Fuuka hurled a huge metal plate towards it before rushing down the creature. However, what she didn't see was that the creature spat out a huge rod from its mouth and prepared to impale her. Frozen in fear, Fuuka found herself suddenly shoved onto the ground and found the mute brunette lying on the ground with the rod impaling straight through her left knee. Blood splattered on the ground with an unconscious Shizuru lying on the ground.

"SHIZURU!"

_End of Flashback_

"I wanted to beat you shitless for what you did back then," Fuuka bit her lower lip, attacking the ball with greater ferocity. "You were supposedly this stray bitch and you managed to stand in front of that thing without even flinching or giving a second thought!"

Shizuru forehanded the shot right back at Fuuka, shrugging simply. "You were about to get crushed. I simply did what I felt was right."

"Yeah by nearly sacrificing your ability to walk," Fuuka fired a frustrated backhanded the shot with a double fisted back hand, nearly distorting the strings on Shizuru's racquet. "Dumbass!"

Shizuru released her quick-draw backhand and forced Fuuka to move back in order to return the shot. Shredding the next shot, Shizuru winced slightly at the pain that her knee suddenly froze at but she forced herself to keep on moving. She remembered the fear that froze both of them back then; Fuuka stared back at the berserk Aikawa Onryou after he had lost himself to his form. Luckily, Florence and Natsuki managed to protect them both along with the timely arrival of the other two members: Kane Michaelides and GENESIS. However, she knew there was no time to ponder – if anything, Fuuka's brutality and strength had its ways in breaking through her defences. She rerouted Fuuka's strength constantly but noticed her strings whimpering from the blows. Shizuru sighed deeply; time for a trip to the Sports Store again.

"Waaah, her racquet's gonna break," Rin began biting her fingernails while wincing at the loud explosions coming from Fuuka's side. "It's either we're gonna have to buy her new strings or a whole new racquet! How did she get so strong anyway?"

Natsuki chuckled deeply before lying down on the bench, looking at the green octagon in her hand. "We never knew actually. She was a freak in terms of strength. It's as if we were all chosen for certain traits. Nobody actually understood why Fuuka and Shizuru could never get along either before. Fuuka always bullied Shizuru and since Shizuru had the mildest temperament among all of us – well, she always slept against the window sill. But after the day Shizuru saved her, Fuuka became a lot nicer towards her."

"It was never about a rivalry now was it," Oshitari chuckled humourlessly before sitting down on one of the benches, clasping his hands together. "Souma probably felt that there was a debt to be repaid and since Shizuru nearly lost a limb or perhaps her ability to walk."

Florence nodded lightly with a bitter smile on her lips. "Indeed, Fuuka's reasoning may be sound but the way she expresses it is somewhat weird considering her loud barbaric ways."

"I HEARD THAT," Fuuka promptly blasted the shot towards Shizuru which blasted the racquet right out of the younger captain's hand.

"Advantage: receiver!"

Shizuru whistled softly at the strain in her wrist, picking up her racquet again. She released another fast serve which Fuuka blasted it right back at her. Shizuru tailed down the shot before returning it with a forehand drive volley. Fuuka dashed for the net and went for a drop shot which Shizuru sliced down for another and forced Fuuka to lob the shot. Without any warning, Shizuru twisted her body and backhanded the shot towards the other corner. Fuuka leapt for the ball before dropping it right over the net.

Kirihara whistled, nodding in shock. "Wow, that's pretty intense for a girls' match."

"The two titans of _Kantou_," Yanagi opened his notebook and continued taking notes. "They're actually not playing at their normal numbers. They're holding back."

Niou smirked lightly, playing around with his silver blue hair. "My money's on Fuuka. Shizuru's going to break with that kind of strength. It's like putting Bakaya against a stick."

Yagyuu adjusted his glasses a bit, watching the match. "I wouldn't be so sure. Shizuru isn't showing any hint of fatigue. Perhaps, they're both planning to throw one game before blasting each other."

"Game, Souma: one all! Change court!"

Fuuka snorted in annoyance, looking at her racquet and approaching Ryuuzaki-_sensei_. The old woman frowned deeply at Fuuka's disposition, watching Shizuru also talk to Sakaki-_kantoku_.

"Fuuka, don't let your emotions rule your judgement," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ cast a wary glance at the brunette who simply nodded upon Sakaki-_kantoku_'s instructions. "You said it yourself; between your four rivals – Shizuru had the amount of tenacity that can easily rival yours or perhaps even more. Not only that, her movements are more fluid if you haven't noticed. Take note of detail, Fuuka."

Fuuka scoffed darkly before grinning with a confident smirk. "Don't worry; I have this game all under control."

On the other hand, Oishi began to notice something.

The Seishun Gakuen male vice captain glanced at the scores and then at the two players. He noticed Shizuru's calm facade and her sore knee whereas Fuuka had beads of sweat pouring down her face. His eyes widened slightly as the image soon changed to that of Tezuka and Atobe walking past one another in the courts. He bit his lower lip and glanced at his best friend before pondering deeply on the outcome. Will Shizuru make the same decision as Tezuka or would she actually back down? His body shivered at the intensity of auras clashing. He didn't need to see it; the air alone weighed heavily against his shoulders.

He wasn't the only one feeling uneasy however.

Atobe glanced at his watch before checking the wired exit where his girlfriend had recently left. A frown marred his features before he stood up and handed his jacket to Kabaji. With an obedient "usu", the king of Hyotei promptly walked out the gate before snatching one last glance. Although the match had been increasingly exciting, leaving Ayane in a destroyed state was not the best idea. He thought of several ideas: Ayane could easily demolish a poor wall with sheer brute strength alone, Ayane stormed off and broke a car into pieces or she would have snapped a huge tree trunk into pieces. Whichever it was, Ayane probably had the same berserker rage that Fuuka had.

"Ayane," Atobe found someone standing by the water fountain, only to have Vera face him with haughty blue eyes. "_Ore-sama_ has been looking everywhere...Oh, it's you."

Vera stood before him with a haughty smirk and due to the sunset, her hair had been tinged into a similar tangerine colour to that of Ayane. "Well, well, if it isn't the knave of the Queen of Hearts. I'm surprised she hasn't beat you black and blue yet."

Atobe narrowed his icy blue eyes at Vera's electric blue ones. "_Ore-sama_ was never a knave and he will never be."

"Oh? Then why are you here," Vera giggled with a sultry smile, watching Atobe's icy blue eyes flicker. "Isn't it like the knave's job to like seek revenge for his queen?"

"Is it also not a king's job to get vengeance on the woman who upset his queen," Atobe challenged back with a fold of his arms, smirking equally haughty as his tone.

Vera laughed smoothly, tousling her blonde hair around. "Well played, king of Hyotei. I didn't expect you to like know how my Heartbreaker really worked."

Atobe bit back his urge to laugh at her mannerisms. "_Ore-sama_ may not be a doubles player but _ore-sama_ can definitely see through you. You are nothing more than a shallow tramp with an alpha bitch complex. You are threatened by Ayane's abilities and that she can overpower you. Among all the members of the Seishun Gakuen team, you are the one with the least potential."

Narrowing her eyes, Vera sauntered towards him before pressing her body against his and backing him up to a soda machine and trailing her finger up his shirt. "Oh~, so you do have some bit of nerve..."

"_Ore-sama_ never backs down from a challenge," Atobe bit his lower lip, fighting the nasty feeling boiling in his stomach. _Tch, ore-sama didn't know she was this shameless._

Vera slammed her hands against the soda machine, licking her lips delectably. "So, you might as well give up – king of Hyotei. Because like, I know I will win."

Atobe immediately began racking his brains for any possible method of pushing Vera away. If he shoved her to the ground, things could get ugly and the story could get distorted. Let it never be said that an Atobe was rude to a woman! Yelling out for help? No, not on his living dignity and pride he won't. Wait for Kabaji or any of his team members to pass by? He could only imagine if the person passing by was Oshitari and become the entire laughing stock.

"So you don't only mess up people's game but their lives too?"

Vera swivelled her head around and found Ayane standing right there, much to Atobe's horror. "Well, well, well, if isn't little miss watermelon boobs. I thought you were off crying yourself a river?"

Ayane curled her fingers into knuckles until they became visibly white with her emerald eyes flashing angrily. "Oh, you didn't just say that – bitch."

Atobe on the other hand already sensed the fires burning between the two; he tried to push her away but Vera pretty much trapped him against the soda machine. _Great, now ore-sama is stuck between two crazy females. At least Ayane is violently affectionate and her type of punishment is physically beating ore-sama to death... Hopefully, she didn't buy a skillet or tear off a license plate..._

"You know, it's nice how he suddenly showed up here," Vera began making her fingers walk up Atobe's sweaty jersey, smiling sweetly. "I was just telling him how..."

"I DON'T GIVE A BLOODY DAMN ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT WITH HIM," Ayane stomped forward before grabbing the two of them and easily flinging Atobe to one side and Vera onto the ground; emerald flames dancing in her eyes. "THE DAY I LET YOU MESS AROUND WITH MY LIFE IS THE DAY PIES DEVELOP WINGS AND FLY! IF YOU GUYS WANNA SUCK EACH OTHER'S FACES, GO DO IT IN THE MOUNTAINS!"

Vera snootily tossed her hair back with a haughty smile. "Well thanks – I'll take care of him!"

"I WASN'T GIVING HIM TO YOU, BITCH," Ayane seethed angrily with her volume pretty much rising, stomping towards Vera.

"Well it seemed like it," Vera scoffed lightly and folding her arms with an all-knowing stare. "Besides, why would he want a loser like you? Your anger, your supposed strength is nothing – you're just a whiny little girl with watermelons for boobs even the little Pomeranian has more power than you have!"

Atobe expected a slap from Ayane but he realized that this is Ayane he was talking about. Instead of a slap, Ayane gave her a mean right hook to her cheek and sent her sprawling on the floor.

"My _buchou_ is highly against violence on the court," Ayane darkly cracked her knuckles, standing over a fallen Vera. "But what she doesn't know won't hurt her!"

"Ayane enough," Atobe grabbed her wrists as she prepared to floor Vera. "Attacking a rival team won't solve anything and you're letting your mind mess up the rest of your judgement!"

Ayane struggled hard against his grips, glaring. "You're trying to defend her!? You're actually interested in a bitch like her!?"

"_Ore-sama_ is not trying to defend her," Atobe retorted back darkly, tightening his grip on Ayane. "_Ore-sama_ is...!"

"LET GO OF ME," Ayane simply wrestled her wrists out of his grips before sending him also to the ground, fighting back the urge to cry. "You don't know anything! Do you know how hard I've worked to get into my ranks? Power is virtue in Hyotei! I worked my ass off and this bitch has no right to tell me that I have no right to be a doubles player or even a regular for that matter! You don't need to care about that – you're the oh-so-high-and-almighty king Atobe Keigo! You didn't need to worry about that! You were the all-so-blasted perfect; you had the looks, you had everything right in front of you! Well sorry for not being as perfect as you but I had to work my ass off to get here! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FELT TO STAND TO SOMEONE WHO WAS GREATER THAN YOU AND REALIZE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO CATCH UP TO THEM LET ALONE IMPRESS THEM NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY? Not only that... to think I began to actually really... love you..."

Atobe froze at Ayane's long set of words before trying to reach out for her until he heard footsteps running towards their direction.

"Yane-Yane/ AYANE!"

Haruka, Rin and Kiyone ran towards her as she stood in front of Atobe and Vera trembling violently from her lashing outburst. The silence pounded on all of them as Kiyone immediately ran towards Ayane along with Haruka and Rin. Ayane found herself able to say anything; her body continued to tremble and her mouth began to dry. She choked back her sobs as best as she could before turning her back at Atobe and the others.

"I'm going to take a walk," Ayane managed to choke back her sobs, shutting her glossy emerald green eyes. _As if losing once wasn't enough..._

Ayane slowly took her steps away but walked towards a folded chair before picking it up and decking Atobe with it. "That's for being a constant idiot!"

Soon, the other regulars saw her running off. Kiyone blinked several times before seeing Atobe and Vera around. Her liquid blue eyes widened instantly which prompted her to glance at Vera who shivered at the mere sight of her widening blue eyes. Vera although seemed fine looking at blue eyes but having Kiyone's widening at her along with this innocently sadistic grin curving up her lips did not make her day. With that, Kiyone decided to lock her jaws onto some unlucky blonde's arm while Haruka and Rin tried to tug her away without dislocating any of the smaller girl's bones.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game, Kurenai: two games to one!"

Shizuru inhaled deeply before sitting down on one of the benches for a short time out. Her body practically shuddered from the constant blasts from Fuuka. She glanced at her teammates, noticing that both her doubles pairs weren't there. Atobe had been missing also but she could have sworn that there was a loud scream coming from somewhere. She frowned slightly at her missing teammates only to be nodded at by Momo and Isane. Soon after, Shizuru stood up once more to return to the baseline while Fuuka prepared to receive her service. Mai remained completely motionless as her cat-like eyes rolled back and forth while following the ball. Shizuru leapt back to return Fuuka's shot as she continued attacking Fuuka's left side. The red head went straight for Shizuru's flank however, forcing the two to go cross-court battle.

_I have to keep on going... No, this isn't just for me...!_

Shizuru glanced to the side and found the others smiling at her in all confidence. Seeing their confidence, Shizuru quickened the speed of the ball with a faster spin and caused it to curve away in mid-air. Fuuka's eyes visibly widened as she forcibly pivoted to get the other shot flying towards her blind side. Lobbing the ball forcibly, Fuuka watched the ball spin awkwardly in the air whereas Shizuru smashed the ball straight down in between the latter's feet. The Arian Princess smirked lightly as she watched Shizuru land on the ground inaudibly.

"Not bad not bad at all," Fuuka flicked away the red strands falling all over her face, pointing at Shizuru. "Not a single strand out of place, you're really starting to calculate your movement..."

Shizuru smiled while glancing at her knee a few times. "Well, I have to make sure the gold belongs to Hyotei ne?"

Fuuka chuckled lightly before watching Shizuru's service fly towards her. "That's pretty cocky of you to immediately assume that."

"I only assume when it's something that can be changed," Shizuru sliced the ball once again and knocked it straight out of Fuuka's range.

"THIRTY – FIFTEEN!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the closeness of the match and Shizuru had suddenly begun overtaking Fuuka. The red head glanced at Shizuru's knee, noticing the soreness of it. She chuckled slightly while looking at the score and realizing that her arms were beginning to whine. She sighed deeply to herself; if anything, the only way to figure out who was stronger was through a protracted game. There was no way that Shizuru would just drop dead out of nowhere. Fuuka watched the ball bounce while watching Shizuru's intense gaze relentlessly maintain itself on her opponent. The red haired female could do nothing but chuckle at Shizuru's intensity; she remembered days before when Shizuru and she would fight.

"You definitely had your ways in pissing me off," Fuuka dashed towards the ball with a forehand, watching Shizuru's footsteps carefully. "I never understood how you did that but it really ticks me off!"

Shizuru deadpanned. "It's your fault for being ticked off."

"Damn it, there you go again," Fuuka exploded the shot towards Shizuru who managed to return it a bit. "You're doing it again!"

Shizuru stared at her quizzically, completely puzzled. "Huh?"

"You're giving me the "There-she-goes-again-she's-about-to-blow"," Fuuka exploded the shot with an angry snarl, nearly pummelling Shizuru in the process if not for the brunette's quick deflect.

The brunette on the other hand shrugged before returning the ball back to Fuuka, watching the other captain dash towards the other end. "I wasn't aware that I could do something like that. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Damn it, will you quit pissing me off," Fuuka attacked the ball again with extreme ferocity, blazing it towards Shizuru.

Shizuru slightly frowned at Fuuka before smiling. "Okay."

"Damn it, you're doing it again!"

Atoli, watching her captain blast Shizuru with all sorts of power shots, sighed into her palm before shrugging dejectedly. "Fuuka-_senpai_ should really stop looking at Shizuru's face. She always gets pissed off with people who communicate with their faces."

Karin sat onto the railing, watching Shizuru fight against Fuuka. "To be honest, its Fuuka's predictability that makes her terrifying..."

_Her front-on attacks make her unstoppable and with her physical prowess – who wouldn't be afraid? The mind can only be distressed so far..._

Fuuka on the other hand found herself extremely frustrated as she continued trying to break Shizuru with the power of her shots. Apparently, the brunette remained completely calm and the pressure pretty much had been thrown over her shoulder. She watched the flames dancing in Shizuru's eyes, matching them with her own intensity. The Seishun Gakuen girl couldn't understand what made Shizuru want to sacrifice herself for her team. It had been something she had always done; everyone else before her – she saw it for herself on that day. Shizuru had taken so many hits for their sake and it was a miracle that it didn't leave keloids or scars on her skin. But the damage to her knee had almost been downright irreparable.

"Your devotion is downright insane," Fuuka slammed the ball straight towards Shizuru, smirking. "Don't tell me you're still hanging onto Kotetsu's promise!"

Shizuru remained silent for a few moments as she sliced the ball for the _Subera Kagerou_, pushing the ball away from Fuuka.

"Forty – Fifteen!"

Fuuka clucked her tongue as Shizuru smiled lightly at her,

"Kotetsu is the past," Shizuru mildly admitted, looking into the sky. "I realized that the one who put me in the cage was myself and never her. Maybe you're right; there's a part of me that still believes that she is a good person despite her methods. But I'm fighting you now not as her carbon copy but as the girl who you threw against the bed railings that day. This is my stand as the Hyotei Queen of Diamonds: I don't care about the trophy being there on the shelf. It's an empty cup. What I believe in is – the glory that comes with winning and the bonds that come along with it. Glory is part of the experience but the skill and talent you learned from it is what makes it a true trophy. But if they want proof," –she pointed her racquet towards Fuuka with a determined resolve. "We, Hyotei Gakuen, will take this victory in front of their very eyes and make them well aware who are the true champions! _KATSU WA NO HYOTEI!_"

With her declaration, the Hyotei students howled and cheered loudly and chanted louder than ever. Seigaku could not help but be in awe by her stance towards Fuuka, watching her smirk at their female captain. Normally, anyone who opposed Fuuka was crazy and pretty much earned an earful and bruises. The latter always dealt things with a brutal K.O. and Shizuru stood in front of her as if she was never afraid to begin with. Fuuka chuckled lightly at the scene, watching the new flames dance behind Shizuru. Fuuka cast a glance towards Florence who stared in astonishment as well; the progression of Hyotei that once stood nowhere now shook the whole world with their one declaration for war.

_KATSU WA NO HYOTEI! _(The winner will be Hyotei!)

_KATSU WA NO HYOTEI!_

_KURENAI! KURENAI! KURENAI!_

Oshitari chuckled lightly, looking around for Atobe. "If Atobe were here, he'd accuse her for stealing his chant."

Gakuto grinned while punching the air. "Go get her!"

Mai smiled at her best friend as the two exchanged glances. The red head understood her gaze and actions from her eyes alone as she stood up and gave her a fist.

"You won't be carrying it alone, Shizuru," Mai smiled in assurance before facing the crowd with her arms spread out. "Because we're Hyotei and we're unstoppable!"

Seeing that the chanting got louder, Shizuru gripped the neon yellow ball in her hand before smiling at Fuuka.

"Very well then, let's begin!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 57! Sorry it took so long! I had so much school work being done! Please don't forget to review!**


	58. Scarlet Duet

**Me: Hi! Thanks for reviewing my story so far! Queen of the Suits is basically the longest fanfic I have ever written! Hopefully, I'll be able to continue the excitement and suspense in the story in order to keep you guys reading. If you guys want to see how some of the players from Hyotei look like, you check the links on my profile page. I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and the plotline of this fanfiction!**

Chapter 58 - Scarlet Duet

"Game, Kurenai: three games to one!"

Fuuka chuckled lightly as she could feel her heart pounding hard against her chest. The points were neck to neck and the cheering slowly deafened into a silence along with the surroundings becoming nothing but a jet black. The only thing she could see was the bright red eyes of her opponent that stared beadily into her own lavender ones. The red head smirked in delight while tightening the grip on her racquet, feeling the excitement rush through her veins. Her stomach sank into nothingness as Fuuka exploded a shot from her racquet, forcing the red eyed captain to move forward upon noticing the spin. The ball crashed on the ground but not before bouncing away from her, forcing Fuuka to jump for the ball and send it towards the far end of the court. Shizuru immediately flashed towards the corner before backhanding it right down the line but not before Fuuka managed to run down the shot and blast the shot right past Shizuru.

"Fifteen - love!"

Fuuka bristled slightly at the results, looking at how Shizuru easily set her up. However, the red haired female couldn't help but have a smile curve up her lips. Seeing the aggressiveness in Shizuru's play sent her blood boiling as her body trembled in excitement. The last time she had gotten that kind of high - Fuuka distinctly remembered the howling and the cheering echoing in her ears during that last match. The day she could easily tower over Shizuru - Fuuka snorted at the growth spurt of the thirteen year old as the brunette was taller than her now by an inch. She clenched her hand into a fist as she backhanded the next shot with an explosive _boom_.

"Damn, that's almost as fast as Ayane's _Kotsubushi no Katana_!"

"But this is Kurenai we're talking about! She's not gonna let some measly copy cat bring her down!"

Fuuka growled at the term "copy cat" as Shizuru forehanded the shot easily with a phoenix suddenly rising behind her, chuckling lightly at the spread of bright red wings. Seeing the speed double as the ball vanished, Fuuka suddenly started revealing a bright gold dragon dancing behind her. She immediately caught the shot as the ball started to drill through her racquet until the Seishun Gakuen _buchou_ repelled the shot straight towards Shizuru who sliced the ball for a fast spin. The ball zoomed faster than the last as Fuuka exploded the shot towards Shizuru however; the ball mysteriously disappeared from the speed and slammed right behind Fuuka against the wall.

"Fifteen - all!"

_Tch, she's getting stronger. Is there any limit to her capability?_

Fuuka attacked with a no return serve which Shizuru easily caught up to with the Flash Step. The red head felt the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead as the brunette managed to catch up with the shot with a slight drop over the net. Growling in annoyance, Fuuka forcefully pushed herself towards the net to drop it back at Shizuru only to have the girl send a spinning shot as the ball mysteriously curl jump towards the net.

One of the voices cried out from the Hyotei bleachers. "There it is, the _Subera Kagerou_!"

"Kurenai's got this one in the bag now!"

"Go Kurenai-_sama_~!"

Fuuka twitched slightly at the loud cheering from the males standing at the bleachers. Some even had forehead bands expressing their fandom for the brunette, causing the red head to snort darkly. How did Shizuru easily put up with the fan boys? Her eyes darted back towards the sophomore who forehanded the shot with almost the same ferocity as her only to have it repelled easily. Shizuru continued her play along with her flash step dancing around the court, forcing Fuuka to constantly move around. Fuuka sighed deeply to herself at the speed of her junior, biting her lower lip while trying to maintain her speed. The red haired girl cast a sideward glance towards Tezuka with a smirk; his eyes were clearly stuck on the match. She watched Shizuru's knee slightly become red as Shizuru continued using the Flash Step without stopping before finally smashing the shot right in between her legs.

_You're getting desperate, Kurenai._

"Fifteen - thirty!"

Fuuka chuckled lightly at the girl whose expression remained completely normal and curt as if to try and push her opponent to insanity. The red head looked at where the shot had landed before watching Shizuru walking away. She smiled lightly at the change of strategy and also the quick response to her challenge. However, Fuuka had not completely expected that Shizuru would strike with that kind of ferocity.

"The last time we fought like that was when we had that mission in Chiba," Fuuka smirked darkly at the brunette, averting her gaze in reminiscence. "We probably scared the people shitless with the way we used up bullets."

Shizuru smiled lightly, shrugging her shoulders. "We were a bit careless back then. I was pretty shocked with what happened after considering how much property you wrecked..."

_Flashback_

Two girls remained hidden in the darkness as they started creeping around behind a gang. Nobody had noticed the slight splashes from the puddles as both girls did their best to stay away from the light, ignoring the squishy substances beneath their feet. A huge smirk glinted in the dark, revealing a pair of lavender eyes. Fuuka giggled in delight as she dragged along a cello case with much ease while the other girl tucked a pair of hand guns

"Ya ready, brownie," a nine year old Fuuka pulled out her machine gun from the cello case and reloaded it, chuckling darkly at the younger girl. "I never thought I'd get to use these babies again! We get to do big mondo damage and actually do our job properly!"

Shizuru reloaded both her handguns before inhaling deeply, smiling at her senior. "But Souma-_senpai_, didn't Sagara-_sama_ say that..."

"Screw him and the organization, we do things our way," Fuuka snorted in annoyance before looking slightly over the trash bin they had borrowed as a barricade, seeing few people standing there. "You ready? You better remember the damn script or I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Shizuru swallowed hard, looking around. "What about Hoshimura-_senpai, _Amakusa-_senpai_ and...?"

"Screw that, we better get in some damage before L.X.A releases their new attack dog," Fuuka smirked with a battle hungry grin, throwing her cello case aside. "Time to dance, chickadee!"

Without any warning, Fuuka kicked the trash bin towards the people before revealing her shot gun with a huge grin. "Okay you scientific lab rejects, time to get some shit from me!"

The humans glared until their bodies started morphing into gruesome creatures with claws and glowing yellow eyes. Their former fair skin darkened into a dark brown while some suddenly developed insect like pincers and legs. In their hands, scythes and swords materialized before them as they prepared to charge towards her. Fuuka grinned maniacally before pulling the trigger and letting the gun rip through her opponents with bullets flying all over the place. She maniacally laughed while swinging the gun around with bullets hitting everything, including the walls of the other buildings and structures. One by one, the creatures fell until she stood above them with a triumphant grin.

"Wahahaha," Fuuka beat her chest before letting out a loud _guffaw, _raising her machine gun for better balance. "Sucks to be you bastards, doesn't it?"

Fuuka continued laughing until a snarl resounded behind her and above her. She immediately froze as yellow eyes suddenly peered out of the darkness before yellowish toothy grins started appearing, one by one. Her body trembled fearfully as sweat started pouring down her cheeks with tears slowly mixing with it. The nine year old never found herself facing something bigger than her with claws large enough to shred her apart in one slice. As the claw rose up, Fuuka snapped her eyes shut and waited for the impact only to hear a loud explosion along with a splotch of blood splashing itself on her face. When she slowly opened her eyes, the creature gaped and began hacking and choking while Shizuru's handgun remained firmly planted on its head with her crimson eyes gleaming angrily.

"Jackpot," Shizuru hissed darkly before pulling the trigger several times, causing the blood to splatter against her face.

Upon seeing one of its brethren being shot at, the rest launched themselves at Shizuru until the said girl pulled out a silver coloured handgun and began releasing a barrage of bullets. Fuuka stared in shock and amazement how Shizuru didn't even flinch at least a bit despite knowing the creature stood much taller than she did. Bullet shots echoed throughout the night along with explosive sounds as bullet shells littered the ground from Shizuru's and Fuuka's gun. Seeing that her partner gained some guts, a maniacal grin appeared on her lips as she reloaded her machine gun.

"TIME TO DIE, BITCHES!"

_End of Flashback_

"Come to think of it, you were the scary one back then," Fuuka chuckled humourlessly before watching Shizuru bounce the ball, lowering her stance once more to receive. "Your face always seemed to be the same. The way you threw out your emotions for the sake of a goal - that is something more experienced fighters do when they get involved in a mission."

Shizuru remained completely impassive and silent as a small smile curved up her lips. "At least I wasn't pointlessly destructive..."

Fuuka chuckled lightly before giving her thumbs down, smirking darkly. "You've become such a wuss..."

"Again, who was the one who garnered her handler the most debts?"

Haruka watched the match continue on, blinking several times. "You know these two talk like they actually lived with each other during those L.X.A times. I mean - they banter and argue at each other like how Rin and I argue most of the time except we don't resort to name calling. They fight like siblings."

Florence giggled softly before spread her fan, fanning herself lightly. "All of us were placed in one big barrack. At that time, Natsuki would complain and hit our handler for loading up our room with too many people but we managed to all get along. Usually, it would be Natsuki and Fuuka who would be fighting but then again - they never got physical. Shizuru before used to be more hot tempered but in a silent way. They never really could go through their day without provoking the other. Fire and water never did mix after all."

"Sure they do, they make a big puff of smoke is what," Natsuki chuckled with her _Kansai_ drawl, raking her fingers through her charcoal gray hair. "Then again, what exactly are these two fighting for other than the championship? Perhaps, it's a little bit of recognition isn't it?"

Florence shook her head with a small smile. "Indeed, one's aura is saying "look at me as your equal"; the other one is saying "please acknowledge me". Almost the same thing in terms of wording but in context, they may sound a little different no?"

Ai bounced up and down on the railing, smiling happily and childishly. "Wow, they're rivals in love~!"

Sarah shook her head dejectedly with a sigh, leaning against the railing. "You've been reading too much Fairytail."

The Seishun Gakuen sighed dejectedly to herself before trying to control her breathing, repelling all Shizuru's attempts to break through her defences. The brunette began speeding back and forth, slowly leaving an after-image of herself behind every time she did so. She chuckled lightly, recalling Kikumaru's doppelganger technique. The acrobat had the speed definitely but in strategy – he still needed more work. She glanced at Shizuru's knee with a darkened stare; if the whole match continued as is, Fuuka knew exactly where she would end up.

_In one hour, you will be limping and unable to play. I'll just have to buy myself enough time for that._

Fuuka continued attacking with explosive forehands whereas Shizuru remained at the net to constantly deflect them. The red head snorted to herself as she stared back at the flashing auburn eyes of the other captain. A huge smirk curved up her lips as her whole body suddenly started moving faster with Shizuru barely showing any shift in expression. Suddenly, from the overwhelming strength - Shizuru forcibly lobbed the ball and let out a slight wince as Fuuka suddenly jumped into the air with a huge smirk.

"Remember what we used to say," Fuuka grinned as her racquet raised high into the air.

Shizuru smirked lightly, running backwards to repel the shot. "Of course. But what makes you think I'll let you have that shot?"

"Jackpot*!"

The moment Fuuka cracked the smash; Shizuru caught the smash straight onto her racquet before flicking it over the net. Everyone could no longer peel their eyes off the match as both girls continued trying to provoke one another with the ball flashing back and forth. Tezuka, despite being expressionless, found himself completely bedazzled by the match. Shizuru despite being forced into a defensive play took it easy and responded to the challenge whereas Fuuka continued attacking without any hesitance. Tezuka however couldn't remove his eyes from the wildly dancing phoenix behind Shizuru as the brunette continued fighting back. A small smile curved up his lips as he could see how she saw tennis. Not as a game, not as an art but something that gave life to her and the others; it was the very thing that pulled her whole team together. The bespectacled captain of Seigaku stared in surprise as Fuuka managed to plough through Shizuru's defences once more.

"Thirty all!"

Echizen on the other hand blinked several times with a cocky smirk curving up his lips. He had never seen girls fight with that kind of ferocity let alone that kind of provocation. Most of the girls he had seen played tennis was basically Sakuno and she didn't do too badly considering Ayane could have easily broken her arm in a single blow. He remembered wincing at the explosive impact of each and every shot from the tangerine haired buxom vice captain. Sakuno on the other hand sat next to him, bringing her hand closer to mouth before slightly trembling. Echizen smirked lightly before looking at Fuuka exploded the next shot to Shizuru who seemingly responded without much difficulty. Fuuka was a monster; he remembered what happened to Momoshiro after the man had accidentally peeped on her when Kaidoh and him got into a fight. The two sophomores had fallen through the door of the girl's clubroom and that was where Fuuka had been changing. Vera had been laughing her head off while Fuuka cracked her knuckles and grinned psychotically.

"I remember running for my life after that day," Momoshiro shuddered at the mention of that 'day', hugging his body. "Fuuka-_senpai_ looked like she could raise hell and kill me."

Kaidoh scoffed with a dark snort and folded his arms. "It's your fault; you're the one who pushed me. I only got included because you shoved me, you stupid peach."

"_Urusei, Mamushi,_" Momoshiro bumped his forehead against Kaidoh's before visibly snarling. "If you hadn't started it, we wouldn't have to end up running away from a mad red haired lady!"

"It's your fault, you stupid porcupine!"

Tezuka could only sigh while trying to block out the quarrelling before finally turning to the two, glaring at them slightly. "Momoshiro, Kaidoh."

"Sorry _buchou_."

On the other hand, the Hyotei side found themselves wondering whether or not Shizuru would push herself beyond her limits again like before. Her play against Naomi proved that; Shizuru had changed in a way that nobody could understand. Shizuru had outgrown the past but did she have enough foundation to face the future? Standing against Seishun Gakuen proved to be something else considering that their team had become very prominent in the districts. Shishido bit his lower lip while watching Shizuru flash back and forth but alternating with simply sliding over to one side and from using the flash step. Suddenly, the gate creaked open with Atobe emerging with an ice pack on his temple before the purple haired captain sat down on the bench.

"I take it Ayane clobbered you with something," Oshitari chuckled with his usual _Kansai_ drawl, leaning on the wall next to Atobe. "I'm guessing a tree or some sort?"

Atobe slightly let out a groan but clamped his mouth shut before haughtily snorting. "_Ore-sama_ was not clobbered by Kobayagi! Something just fell on him! _Ore-sama_ just got hit by a falling fruit."

Shishido shook his head while rolling his eyes sarcastically, looking at the swelling. "Yeah, being hit by a mango merits a bruise almost the size of a tennis ball. Face it, Kobayagi hit you with something. Something equivalent to a freakin' skillet. The girl pretty much pulls out club-like objects out of nowhere and nobody has an idea how she does it."

_Although ore-sama doesn't mind being clobbered by Kobayagi, being bitten by Getsugan is actually a lot worse. The way Jerrard reacted was like being bitten by a rabid raccoon._

Atobe inhaled deeply while trying to focus on the match. However, he found himself completely bored out of his mind after two minutes and started glancing around. His chest sank heavily after seeing Ayane's distraught expression. At least she had not forfeited but the sadness and the betrayal in her eyes burned into his memory. He could remember her howling and how much she tried to hold back her sobs. Any woman would be heartbroken to see their man submitting to their rival when they were already together. He glanced towards the sky, wondering what he could do now. Vera had basically played Ayane like a piano and used him as one of her instruments. It sickened him; no one uses Atobe like an instrument.

Little did he know that, someone was also gazing at the very same sky that he was.

Ayane stood by the other tennis court as she glanced at the emptiness while the wind tossed around her tangerine strands. Her emerald green eyes flickered slightly with a bit of depression as she glanced at her palm. She inhaled deeply while remembering how the folding chair actually knocked Atobe down. The tangerine vice captain bit her lower lip guiltily; she never meant to give Atobe a concussion. She was only targeting for a bruise and if not for Rin and Haruka's fast thinking - Ayane shivered at the thought of turning him into a vegetable. Not that he was one already...

_You didn't have to hit him so hard. He was probably just cornered by Vera..._

Could Atobe be possibly that fickle?

Ayane wondered deeply to herself before walking down to the empty tennis court, glaring at the other side. Instead of it being empty, Vera stood before her with her haughty sneer.

"You don't deserve to be a doubles pair!"

Those words continued to echo in Ayane's mind as she continued walking around before stopping right in volley line. The blue sky continued to soar above her with the trees mutely dancing along with the wind. Her body shivered slightly from the spring wind licking against her skin as she glanced at her racquet. A bitter smile curved up her lips as her body began to tremble. She couldn't understand how everything suddenly fell apart despite having the foundation to bring her down. Ayane slowly fell to her knees before slamming her fist into the tennis court grounds. Tears started forming wet circles on the ground as Ayane curled up into a ball, beating the ground with her fist.

"WHAT THE HELL DID I DO WRONG," Ayane wanted to yank her hair out of frustration but resorted to yelling instead; last time she did, Kiyone began laughing at her for having a bald spot.

"Ayane-_chan_?"

Ayane immediately swivelled around with her senses fully alert only to find Marui standing behind her before blowing up a bubblegum. She could feel how swollen her eyes were from constantly rubbing and how badly her body began to throb from the stress. Rikkai Dai's Magician frowned darkly at how she looked; Atobe better not have screwed up this time because to the red head volleyist – it looked like he did. He didn't need to be a genius to figure out that Atobe had done something and seeing Vera yowling every time her friend tried to disinfect some bite marks proved something went wrong involving her. Ayane on the other hand immediately stood up before dusting her skirt, smiling weakly.

"H-Hi, M-Marui-_san_," Ayane desperately tried fight down her sobs, ignoring the nerve-wracking agony in her body. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Marui remained silent before walking over to Ayane. The red head volleyist saw how crushed she was despite the smile. He didn't know about the details but after seeing Atobe come back with a bruise the size of a tennis ball on his head, Marui knew that she was the only one who had that kind of power. Marui wanted to rush over and punch Atobe but he chose better to see the tangerine haired girl. Ayane had been aimlessly walking around for minutes and perhaps two hours with him silently tailing her. He had seen everything; the way Vera stepped on her despite already having had won made his blood boil. He knew Rikkai Dai to be cruel but not that cruel. They respected their opponents but crushed them in battle. It was their way also but with some forgiveness involved. Marui walked over to her only to envelope her in an embrace.

"I don't give a damn what Atobe says in that deal," Marui held her tightly, further shocking the vice captain. "I'm not gonna let you fall down like this. It's stupid!"

Ayane blinked several times while staring at the sky, feeling the warmth of Marui's words. She wanted her heart fix itself but only had it breaking down even further when the image of Atobe being leaned on by Vera crossed her mind. Tears further continued spilling out of her eyes as her arms went around Marui as well, trying to calm down only to end up sobbing. Her loss against Seigaku had been bad enough but losing Atobe to the same woman ripped her ego to pieces.

_No matter what happens, you'll always be ore-sama's queen._

"To think he even told me that," Ayane whimpered slightly while holding onto Marui tightly with more tears spilling out of her eyes. "I'm sorry that your jersey's gonna get wet."

"Better to have it wet with a girl's tears than anything else," Marui chuckled lightly, running his fingers through her messy tangerine hair. "At least I know that my shirt has a better end use rather than be pyjamas or a dish towel rag. I can happily say that this shirt will never get thrown out because I got to comfort you with this shirt even if it's just being used as a hanky."

The two players remained silence as Ayane's knees slowly gave way and she slumped to the ground. Marui knew how defeat was like; it had been her first major loss and to have it consecutively in both matters that concerned her passion - he knew the agony. If he had been told to give up both sugary sweets and tennis, he'd probably jump off a cliff first. But Ayane had been a totally different matter, he knew how hard she would train to get this far. The fact that she was the prodigious first year with overwhelming monster strength pressured her the same way he was Rikkai Dai's Magician.

"Ayane, I don't know but maybe you would want to train in Rikkai with us every weekend," Marui offered hopefully; anything to fix up her broken soul. He hated seeing Ayane being broken into pieces. "_Buchou_ always runs us to the ground and trains us. Maybe I can help you with your doubles play. You can bring Kiyone also! Wah, wait don't cry!"

Ayane hiccupped slightly while trying to smile, laughing and wiping her tears. "T-Thanks, Marui."

"Anytime," Marui grinned happily before looking at her smiling face again.

_Anything to make you smile again._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game, Souma: three all!"

Fuuka trudged along the tennis court, dragging her tennis racquet behind her. She couldn't believe the stamina the other girl had considering that Shizuru already had a permanently damaged leg. The Flash Step required full power devoted into giving her the speed of light but in doing so would damage her muscles and strain her to the very most limits. The red headed female sighed deeply in relief as the dragon started curling around her while the phoenix began shielding Shizuru with its wings.

"It's surprising only girls have this capability," Fuuka chuckled lightly, tossing back her shaggy red hair. "But then again, it wouldn't be this exciting if we couldn't see the beasts of sky dancing with one another. So, are you ready to fight for the Heavens?"

Shizuru smiled in acknowledgement, twirling her racquet around a bit. "To walk in the ways of Heaven and to denounce the ways of Hell - isn't that something you picked up from your mission in Germany? Something involving a couple of assassins?"

"It's the ways of a magus, Shizuru. You yourself should know these since you're such a mythology and mystic bug," Fuuka snickered lightly, preparing to serve before tossing the ball into the air. "_Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt. Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt**._"

As the ball cracked towards her, Shizuru released a fast spin on the ball which forced Fuuka to simply deflect the shot away from her. Fuuka staggered a little as another spin shot curled towards her before completely vanishing the moment it crossed the net. The Seishun Gakuen captain smirked lightly as she closed her eyes to listen to the ball, allowing her to move to one side and return it back to Shizuru despite its disappearance. On the other hand, the brunette managed to strike back with another spin shot as Fuuka exploded the shot.

"Wow, Souma-_chan_'s really going all out," Kikumaru bounced up and down in delight, blinking in amazement. "Ne Oishi, do you think Ayane-_chan_ will be okay, nyah?"

Oishi glanced over towards the other side and noticed that Ayane had not returned from the stands. However after seeing Atobe return with an ice pack - she definitely clobbered him. On the other hand, Vera started nursing her wounds and even applying everything from alcohol to Betadine***. Her eyes widened with fear as she whimpered at the sight of the teeth marks on her arm.

"AGH, THAT STUPID BITCH BIT ME! It's that bitch's fault that I'm going to get rabies! Wait until she hears from my father," Vera hissed in pain as the alcohol sank into her skin, earning a slap from Karin. "Ow, now you're hurting me too?"

Karin frowned in annoyance before cleaning up the poor job Vera did on her arm, sighing dejectedly. "Humans cannot transmit rabies unless they're infected with it and Getsugan-_san_ shows no evidence of it whatsoever. Your premise is completely unfounded and quit squirming around! The reason why she bit you is because you decided to attack Kobayagi-_san_ outside of tennis! We're only supposed to keep our rivalries until the court and not anywhere else!"

Vera snorted haughtily before folding her arms, wailing in disgust. "Someone ought to buy that bitch something like I don't know like a muzzle or something!"

"I don't think they'll allow that just because you provoked the little girl," Karin rolled her eyes before glancing at the freshman player. "Ne Sakuno, can you please hand me some bandages and maybe if you can find some duct tape in my bag?"

Sakuno understood the bandages but duct tape? "But _senpai_, why the duct tape?"

Karin grinned evilly before glancing at the blonde vice captain, peeling off a strip of duct tape. "Silence is golden yet in order to become gold; one has to go through the silver ranks hence the duct tape. At least this woman ought to shut up while I'm fixing her wounds."

Enma calmly pulled out a box of needles with her expressionless look. "I can do acupuncture."

"STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU VOODOO FREAK!"

"Yeah, we can do that later, find a pressure point that will make her shut up," Karin giggled until she got a slapped at the back of the head by the blonde vice captain. "Yeah yeah, I'm already disinfecting the wound. What the hell did you do to make the little chibi bite you? I actually find her cute, the little sandy blonde girl. She reminds me of my younger cousins except less whiny and more considerate."

"Pshaw, it's none of your concern," Vera scowled in annoyance as she flinched at the alcohol. "OW, GIRL - WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"

Karin snickered lightly, rolling her eyes. "Something a whole lot better than letting you getting messed up - if you know what I mean."

"KARIN!"

Fuuka sighed at the loud volume and commotion her vice captain and manager were making before sparing them a side glance. On the other hand, Hyotei seemed relatively quiet after the defeat of their doubles pair. The only ones making noise were the cheering squads and despite the distracting noise, Shizuru seemed to get better despite the wild whistles and wolf calls. Fuuka sighed deeply while continuing to press Shizuru back but with not much ease. The brunette continued sending spin shots until one refused to bounce and rolled on the ground away from Fuuka.

"Tsk, the _Ayame Gaeshi_," Fuuka forced herself to bend down and scoop the ball up into the air until Shizuru suddenly appeared and smashed the ball straight away from her.

_Tch, she's even replicating his strategy._

"Love - Fifteen!"

Fuuka remembered how Tezuka would play against her, mercilessly bringing out the _Zero Shiki Drop Shot_ to throw her off guard before following up with a smashing shot if ever the drop shot had been returned. The shaggy red haired captain found herself befuddled at how Tezuka could instantly react to his opponent and throw them off guard. She was amazed by his capabilities; was that the same thing Shizuru saw in Tezuka? Shizuru suddenly revealed another shot as the ball suddenly began increasing speed and spin power.

"_Tsuuro no Shichihenge_," Shizuru smiled lightly as the ball magically vanished from Fuuka's line of sight.

Fuuka clucked her tongue as she launched herself towards the ball once again only to fail miserably and fall onto the ground.

"Love - thirty!"

"Wow, this game is taking long," Gakuto stared incredulously at the two female captains. "I haven't seen a match like this since Atobe versus Tezuka and that cocky brat from Seigaku versus Sanada. Where do girls get that kind of intensity anyway?"

_When they're fighting for the same man._

Oshitari watched his favourite _kouhai _push herself once again to repel Fuuka's shot. He knew about Shizuru's feelings towards Tezuka but he saw how shy she was. In the court, Shizuru definitely had the confidence to bring down an opponent but when it came to men, her personality altered completely into being a shy mousy girl. Considering her background, a lot of people would think of her as someone with more backbone but apparently - she failed in the confidence department. He remembered the chocolates she had wanted to give to him before only to give them to Ohtori, Oshitari and Shishido in the end. Of course, he had given her a bracelet in response whereas Shishido gave her a couple of books along with a butterfly knife. According to Shishido, she had been eyeing the knife ever since she had gone to a bazaar with him. Ohtori on the other hand gave her a pair of crystal earrings.

"She never liked entering unchartered waters, or anything she didn't prepare herself for that matter," Oshitari sighed dejectedly while watching Shizuru fight back. "I wonder though - perhaps a little push from the _tensai_ might help."

However suddenly, the _Kansai _prodigy heard a loud _thud _on the ground along with a loud cry of panic and fear.

"_BUCHOU_!"

Oshitari snapped his head up only to find Shizuru thrown completely against wall, slipping down slowly. His eyes widened in astonishment; did he just see flames? Where did Fuuka get that kind of power? The moment he looked up however - Fuuka now stood with a different glint in her eyes. Not the maniacal type but she had a very cocky and determined expression on her face. Flames danced in her lavender eyes as she cracked her knuckles before pointing her racquet at Shizuru.

"Fifteen - thirty!"

"_Deus Ex Etoilé: Aries' Revenge_," Fuuka sniggered with a slight twirl of her racquet, watching Shizuru slowly get up. "Now that's what I call 'jackpot'. I betcha you didn't see that coming!"

Shizuru slowly managed to stand up before preparing for the next shot. "You have seen nothing yet."

As Fuuka served the next shot, Sanada found himself amazed with the strength and power of the ball. There was a long streak of black burns on the ground before the ball curved up diagonally and punched Shizuru on impact, dropping onto the ground where Shizuru once stood. How could a woman make a shot curve at that kind of angle and force it to suspend in mid-air?

"It was as if the speed was good enough to create enough wind to keep it aloft," Yanagi drew out the projection onto his notebook. "The friction marks on the ground had been caused by the speed and the backlash was created by the inertia, throwing the ball back. But since the ball has a bouncing capability - the air impact forced the ball to bounce and the direction of the ball's spin is what threw it forward. It's a very complex technique and it requires a lot of controlled power. Something Souma has that Kurenai does not."

Inui on the other hand narrowed his eyes at Fuuka as he watched her prepare another service. "However, I am more intrigued as to why Kurenai showed no visible signs of fear or surprise. Perhaps, their past together - _ii data_..."

The moment Fuuka cracked her next serve, the red haired captain stared in admonishment as Shizuru suddenly fired another shot which Fuuka easily countered and it stopped spinning on her racquet, allowing her to drop it right over the net.

"What the hell Kurenai," Fuuka chuckled arrogantly, checking the ball on her racquet. "Is that it or are you actually getting tired?"

"Tch," Shizuru could feel her knees giving beneath her but she knew she couldn't drop down.

"Thirty - all!"

Fuuka bit her lower lip as another serve cracked harder than before. "I won't hold back!"

Again with enough strength, Fuuka had slammed Shizuru into the wall with her racquet clattering onto the ground. Her teammates could only stare in horror as Shizuru decided to wait at the back as the Aries' Revenge prepared to fly. However, Fuuka smirked in delight as she dropped the ball right over the net.

"Forty - thirty!"

"What's the problem," Fuuka snickered at the sweating Hyotei captain, resting her racquet on her shoulder. "You're actually leaving a lot of holes in your defences."

Shizuru kept a straight face but she could feel her legs caving beneath her. She had often seen people be on the receiving end of the Aries' Revenge whenever they were on missions but getting hit by it was a totally different story. Shizuru winced at the pain that shot up her ribs and stomach, recalling the impact of the shot. The flames flashed before her eyes as she tried to recover from the blow. Fuuka began her service again before crushing her once more with the Aries' Revenge.

"Game, Souma: four games to three!"

Fuuka sniggered slightly until her eyes widened with fear and surprise. Shizuru slowly stood up as the serve cracked off at the same speed as her usual serve, forcing Fuuka to repel with a volley. She snickered slightly; Shizuru had no baseline attacks and if any - _Tsuuro no Shichihenge_ is based purely on speed and technique. Soon, the ball zoomed way past Fuuka as she sniggered.

"Hah, you're finished! All I need to do now is pummel you," Fuuka rolled up her sleeves triumphantly.

Shizuru however had a triumphant smirk on her face. "Jackpot."

Fuuka, blinking several times, looked at the ball as it suddenly started spinning towards her direction before whirling around and slipping past her racquet similar to river movement. Retracting herself a little, Fuuka immediately raised her racquet as the ball dug itself into her racquet. The ball spun off her racquet before falling onto the ground and spinning right past her feet, landing right on the baseline.

"Fifteen - love!"

Shizuru smiled lightly, holding her racquet sideways. _"Sogyo no Mai: Eien." _(Dance of Pisces: Eternity)

Hitomi could only stare in awe before flashing a business-like smile. "That's the first time I've seen her technique. It seems all the data I have gathered prior to this match is useless."

Momo snickered lightly, shaking her head. "How she can invent those on the spot - I have no idea..."

Florence smiled lightly, tousling her honey brown hair. "I haven't seen those moves in awhile. The Aries' Revenge and the Dance of Pisces - they practically were used more for battling each other with their respective weapons. I wonder why Shizuru waited so long though to reveal the technique. She should have countered the Aries' Revenge the moment it came out."

"Shizuru prefers to wait and see," Momo clasped her hands together with a confident smirk, leaning closer for a better look. "There's no way she's just going to let Souma steal those three games from her."

Seeing Shizuru suddenly yank the carpet right beneath her caused him to chuckle slightly. So that's why she was always so hell-bent in bringing her down. Shizuru made tennis look more like a flowing dance instead of the usual street style play of Mai. Tezuka could feel his heart pounding hard against chest for the first time; where did that come from? He immediately cancelled the thought from his mind as he watched the sweat trickle down her... No, he shook his head slightly. WHERE DID THOSE THOUGHTS COME FROM?

"Those are called hormones, Tezuka," Fuji smiled serenely, rebuking his friend's thoughts. "It's normal to feel that way. I'm sure you also have a darker side of your personality. Everyone has one. Look at Atobe - his is always out. He's actually less controlled. It's usually the more controlled ones who are susceptible to it."

Tezuka shook his head at his perpetually smiling friend before looking at Shizuru once more. No wonder men are always at the girls' games now; they're preying on any chance for Shizuru's or Fuuka's skirt to get ruffled by the wind. However, his eyes softened at the sight of her determination as Fuuka suddenly lost her momentum. Shizuru flashed across the field as she revealed the _Sogyo no Mai: Eien_ once again. She had the bright smile on her face as if she had been truly enjoying herself.

"They're equally matched - who will win this round," Momoshiro watched in astonishment and amazement. "I haven't seen a match this intense in ages."

Fuji watched Shizuru snatch another game from Fuuka as they both tied out. He stared in amazement; despite her injury, Shizuru showed no signs of faltering just yet. Fuuka had been throwing all her strength at her and the Hyotei captain showed no submission to it at all. The _tensai_ chuckled at the evident frustration on the red head's face; finding someone who would continuously fight despite the agony really frustrated her. Why couldn't people just drop dead after a few shots? Then again, things wouldn't be this exciting and Fuuka would have just pummelled through ages ago. He watched the determination glinted in the crimson eyes of the other before he passed a glance to his friend upon recalling the match against Hyotei.

_Just like Tezuka. Fufu, it's more symmetrical than they realize._

However as Shizuru returned the next shot, she suddenly stumbled forward and fell to the ground. Shizuru clenched her knee in agony as everyone suddenly jumped off the bleachers.

"Game, Kurenai: four games all!"

"_BUCHOU_!"

Fuuka stared in horror as her rival stayed on the ground as everyone darted towards her. She glanced at the score before shaking her head, biting her lower lip anxiously. Shizuru had lasted longer than she had imagined and despite the continuous use of the Flash Step – Shizuru continued playing as if it were normal. The knee had begun to swell along with her legs becoming really sore. The brunette visibly winced as she tried to push herself off the ground only to end up kissing the pavement again. The Seishun Gakuen captain looked at her watch and then looked at the sky. Had they really played that long? Shizuru would have collapsed minutes ago!

"Nobody come close!"

Everyone immediately stopped as Shizuru forced herself to stand up, watching everyone's astonished expressions. Haruka prepared to help her towards the bench but Momo stuck her hand out and shook her head. Shizuru glanced at the female Sanada who nodded in assurance, smiling in acceptance knowing what the captain had already chosen. Rin bit her lower lip and decided to smile; knowing that dragging her off the court would be pointless. When Shizuru nearly caved under the pain of her knee, she waited for the impact only to never get it and have a grinning Mai standing beneath her with her arm slung over her shoulder. The brunette smiled as the two passed a glance to one another with the red head _tensai _nodding in response. Soon, the Hyotei team slowly left the court with Mai and Momo leaving the area whereas Haruka, Rin, Isane and Hitomi remained standby along with the other Hyotei males. Even Tezuka found himself completely befuddled; the mere act of continuing on with an injury was insane. He watched Shizuru struggle in getting up but how come this scene seemed so familiar?

"It brings back memories," Fuji maintained his smiling features, folding his arms. "Saa~, Tezuka - It seems you're not the only one who thinks the way you do."

_Tennis makes me feel alive... That's why I will do my very best at it._

Tezuka faintly recalled her words when he had spoken to her during their time in Atobe's camp. For the last three days, they didn't have much time to talk but they always found themselves crossing one another. He didn't know exactly what to expect from the brunette but now he found himself wanting to stop her as well before she rendered herself immobile for the rest of her life. The captain in him however cemented his feet to the floor but something started pounding hard inside his body. He wasn't sure what it was but a small smile curved up his lips out of admiration for the sophomore but worry started showing in his eyes. Fuuka definitely could break bones and she was going to fight her to the end. Most of the matches he had seen with Fuuka usually ended up with a forfeit due to fear or broken bones.

"Alive... would that be her only reason for living," Tezuka narrowed his eyes slightly at the female as she continued fighting Fuuka.

"She's very deep about her emotions," Fuji smiled lightly, watching the two girls continue playing. "She actually reminds me of you. She wants to become a support for her team. Her team I guess is what makes her strong. For their dreams to come true, it will make her happy as well. Fuuka is more on "I want to stand up on the top with everyone. I'll beat the shit out of anyone who disagrees." Doesn't it seem so familiar?"

"Fuji," Tezuka sent him a warning tone.

But he couldn't help but wonder why she had chosen to take the same path he did.

He could see how her leg started to pull her down and start distracting her. Despite her injury, Shizuru managed to maintain the consistency of her speed as she danced around the baseline to keep her stamina and to ignore the pain. The Flash Step had vanished but she continued to use it despite the damage it had begun to cause. The _Tsuuro no Shichihenge_ also appeared as the ball started spinning back and forth between both captains. Fuuka had beads of sweat falling down her face with a clear expression of frustration, gnashing her teeth as she did so. Shizuru on the other hand had flinched slightly at every Flash Step unleashed in order to keep up with the pace of the match. Fuuka had stolen points off her as well as the games started becoming more one-sided than ever. With enough service power, Fuuka managed to throw Shizuru back onto the ground several times.

"You're really going to do it," Fuuka chuckled darkly as she watched the ball return to her, seeing Shizuru continue playing. "YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO DOOM YOURSELF FOR NOTHING!?"

Shizuru narrowed her crimson eyes as she attacked the ball with the same ferocity as she had done before. "My teams' and my dreams are anything but nothing. You will never understand what it took to bring us together and what made us strong. How many falls we had to take, I will not fall just because of this past injury."

Fuuka noticed the phoenix dancing around once again as her dragon launched forward and clamped its jaws against the bird's throat. With a wild beat of its wings, the phoenix threw the dragon off guard as it spiralled down to the ground along with her crashing onto the ground. The ball tripped over the net before spinning away from her, rolling towards the net once more.

"Game, Kurenai: five games all!"

"This match," Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the fallen sophomore, watching her continue the protracted game.

As Fuuka began her service, the ball screamed from her racquet with Shizuru forcibly trying to keep up with the pace of the match. Shizuru flashed back and forth once more without even letting down her guard even once. Fuuka returned Shizuru's forehand with a blazing forehand of her own only to have it spinning back towards her with Shizuru's quick draw backhand. Fuuka clasped her racquet with both her hands before unveiling a Jack Knife that started to rip through Shizuru's racquet. The brunette however delayed the return and punched the ball straight back at the red head as Fuuka continued raising the power of the ball. The Seishun male stared in shock as Shizuru continued to fight with her backhand and forehand returns. Finally, Fuuka fired another Jack Knife and threw Shizuru against the wall again with a loud _kablam_.

"Fifteen - love!"

"She knew that she would suffer throughout the match," Oshitari bit his lower lip on the other side of the bleachers, watching her continue the fight.

Gakuto groaned before pulling his hair out. "Why the heck is she doing that? She won't be able to play tennis anymore!"

"To her, dying is better than surrendering," Hiyoshi narrowed his eyes at the match, folding his arms. "That's one belief that will be hard to _gekkokujou_."

Shishido shook his head with an indignant snort, averting his eyes away from the court. "Damn, she's making everyone else look so uncool..."

Ohtori barely could rip out the words he wanted to say, clenching his hands into fists. "Shizuru-_chan_..."

Sanada on the other hand could only watch the girl he had grown to respect break herself into pieces. Was this something evident in all captains? Tezuka had exhibited the same behaviour when Atobe clearly wanted him to accept the protracted game. In fact, Shizuru's smirk clearly spelled out "challenge accepted" in his eyes. Sanada let an invisible smile curve up his lips before continuing to watch the match. Despite the pain, her face betrayed none of her agony as she continued attacking the shots with spinning volleys and drop shots which further annoyed Fuuka. Roaring in annoyance, Fuuka rushed towards the net and went for a drive volley which Shizuru fired another one straight past her.

"Fifteen - all!"

Florence watched the agonizing game continue as Fuuka despite seeing Shizuru had weakened showed no mercy whatsoever. A small bittersweet smile curved up her lips as she saw the enjoyment flicker in the red head's eyes, seeing that her rival had finally woken up from her trance. Shizuru attacked once again with the _Subera Kagerou _which Fuuka had pointless dived down for as the ball barely managed to leap over the net. Florence recalled the day Shizuru played against her in the quarter finals and how they fought each other with emotions and everything else. It was a psychological warfare whereas Fuuka simply chose to plough and blow up everything. She noted the aura's dancing around Shizuru - seeing bright red and gold flashing back and forth whereas Fuuka had a bloody darker red along with violet clashing against one another. The British-Japanese captain coughed slightly before smiling weakly at the two girls, looking at her watch.

_You've given me the best matches in my life you two. Don't destroy yourselves before you get to the Nationals. I want you two to be there after I come back from my battle._

"Fifteen - thirty!"

It reminded her of the missions they had together.

Natsuki found herself baffled by the two who had constantly been reckless ever since their entry into L.X.A. Fuuka always had the tendency to pick up some random bazooka and fire at anything moving whereas Shizuru found the joy of being surrounded before taking out all her opponents. The charcoal gray haired girl shook her head disdainfully with a sigh; the two girls had always been crazy in their own right especially when they received their first field mission. Natsuki remembered how Fuuka set off all the alarms just because she wanted to see how many people were in the building and how much security she wanted to blow up. The rest, Shizuru, Florence and she had to clean up after her. With a disgruntled groan, Natsuki leaned against the wall while watching Fuuka release another Aries' Revenge and throw Shizuru against the wall.

"Thirty all!"

Ai found herself amazed by the two girls, barely unable to tear her eyes away from the match. Shizuru was her age yet she could stand her own against Fuuka who was rumoured to be able to out-power Ayane in terms of physical strength whereas Fuuka supposedly had no mobility whatsoever but could easily keep up with a technique demon like Shizuru. Ai wondered why people constantly looked down on the girls' team. Was it because it was usually associated with fan girls and not ability? Ai couldn't understand what made the two of them so strong other than the constant devil training regimens they had to put up with. Fuuka struck with the Aries' Revenge as Shizuru countered with the _Subera Kagerou_. Nodding in astonishment, Ai found Shizuru's strength increasing with mobility slightly slipping. Despite the swelling knee, the Flash Step reappeared once again with Fuuka falling over.

"Thirty - Forty!"

Tezuka however wasn't sure what to say as she continued her pathway of self-destruction.

Fuuka showed no mercy much as he expected. She ploughed through Shizuru's defences with devastating forehands which the other girl had forced herself to return and try to end the rally quickly or bring her down. He noticed the acceptance in her eyes as he winced at every step. Now he understood why his teammates were worried about him; when he watched her, he felt his body wanting to jump and telling her to stop. But his mind threw itself in a daze; while deep down, he wanted to tell her to stop. He wanted to show that he cared and that she didn't need to be that reckless. However, the captain in him told him that jumping there would murder her pride and dignity. Regardless of circumstance, Shizuru pressed on forward as the ball tripped over the net and curled around before completely disappearing and smacking the net on Fuuka's side. The spinning increased as Fuuka started running around, huffing and heaving.

"Game, Kurenai: six games to five!"

Haruka wanted it to stop.

Handling Kiyone after she bit Vera was much easier although she wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea to let Kiyone wonder around but the sandy blonde insisted in looking for Ayane. The torture her captain put herself through replayed over and over again. She remembered her match against Florence, recalling what the senior had told her. Not only that, Naomi had buried many ideals into her that made her very self-sacrificing. She knew that although Shizuru had been made a little more aware - there were times that she was required to sacrifice. Haruka watched her captain pull of the _Ayame Gaeshi_ which Fuuka caught before it even bounced. The ball soared straight into the air as Shizuru winced at her effort to jump. As she jumped up, Shizuru managed to slam the shot straight towards Fuuka's left side.

"Fifteen - love!"

Rin wanted to hide her eyes from the view but she found herself unable to do so.

Although she hadn't returned early enough to see the start, Rin found herself staring at every little detail. She wondered deeply to herself; did Shizuru know about being pushed to a corner? The black dragon whimpered slightly at the sight of her captain fighting. But she found herself feeling more inspired to train harder than ever. Shizuru shouldn't be the only one to look epic, Rin pondered deeply to herself. She may be the captain but she can't be the only one to carry the weight of the world. But she noticed how Shizuru and Mai began talking through gestures again; it made her smile and it reminded her how she and Haruka started out. Shizuru leapt for the ball whereas Fuuka decided to punch her hips for more power into the shot, launching the dragon shaped aura towards the phoenix. Shizuru however delayed the shot and launched the shot with double the speed and power and revealed the Phoenix screeching in its full glory. Despite that, Fuuka blasted her with the Aries' Revenge and sent Shizuru skidding towards the wall as her racquet clattered onto the ground.

"Fifteen - all!"

Hitomi wondered if she had taken down all the data or was she better off memorizing and recording the match.

The blonde Mastermind clucked her tongue before looking at all the volumes of data she had composed about Shizuru. She glanced at her captain before shaking her head. All the data she had taken down had become pointless and meaningless; Shizuru revealed a new technique and her numbers were rising. Fuuka also had completely surpassed her initial data but Shizuru fought her power with a surprising preparedness as to most people would have flew and created a crater in the wall. Hitomi sighed deeply at how quickly her teammates have progressed, wondering about herself. She noticed Momo and Mai hadn't returned yet but could see the look in both captain's eyes as they turned to their last players.

_If I fall, take them down._

Hitomi smiled at how Shizuru developed trust and the dependence on them again as to contrast to before. The bespectacled blonde looked at the score; not even changing as the rally continued. It all boiled down to tenacity and willpower. The two girls barely even went on time-out as if ready to kill each other in the match. Hitomi sighed deeply before looking at her camera recorder: 2 hours and 25 minutes. Shizuru would have supposedly lost forty five minutes ago if she submitted to her knee and fatigue. A backhand exploded from Fuuka's side revealing the Jack Knife once again.

"Fifteen - thirty!"

Isane bit her lower lip anxiously before clasping her hands together. She couldn't believe the ferocity from both captains. The Doubles One match was already good enough to scare her after Vera had stepped on Ayane and Kiyone. She recalled every match she had, winning some and losing some but the Sniper couldn't believe how easily her juniors took in wins and losses. She shook her head disbelievingly at the maturity of their youngest player. Most people would have frozen from the frustration and annoyance of fighting someone stronger than them. However, the silver haired Sniper couldn't resist giggling at Vera being tended to after she howled at being bitten by the "tiny sandy haired bitch". She looked over her shoulder, wondering at where the Diamond Pair had disappeared to. Shizuru backhanded the tennis ball but only to have it exploded right back at her.

"Fifteen - forty!"

Shiraishi wondered whether or not he was the only one sane among the captains.

The Shitenhouji male glanced towards the other bleachers and found that the female Hyotei team had been reduced to almost only few of their members remained. The Twin Dragons were there, the _Shinigami_ had left with the Queen of Spades and the Sniper remained alongside the Mastermind. The Diamond Pair hadn't returned and he found himself quite anxious as to where the small girl had gone off to. According to Haruka, Kiyone had gone off to find her doubles partner after hearing a loud scream and that involved her biting the other Seishun Gakuen player. Although he was also not the type to encourage violence, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Kiyone actually clamping her jaws onto the blonde's arm. Sakuno had taken everything in stride but Vera simply had this aura that made him irritated with her. He then glanced at Fuuka striking with the Aries' Revenge and knocking Shizuru off her feet again.

"Game, Souma: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip as Fuuka prepared to receive her service. The brunette could feel her hand trembling as she tried to toss the ball. Her body couldn't help but shudder from the impact of the Aries' Revenge. Her legs nearly crumbled beneath her as she continued keeping her stance high. Fighting against Fuuka had dragged out her limit; Shizuru hung her head a little but knew she had to finish this. One more chance - she had one more game to turn things around.

Fuuka on the other hand had never smiled and had so much fun in her life.

The Seishun Gakuen captain waited for Shizuru to toss the ball, watching the brunette trying to fight the throbbing of her knee. Fuuka knew she didn't have the _Shinigami's _analytical ability but she didn't need to have that kind of ability to know that Shizuru was at the end of her ropes. She could clearly see it in Shizuru that her personality and determination had taken a drastic change. As the ball cracked from her racquet, Fuuka pushed on forward with heavy forehands and backhands. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face and her body began to throb like anything after using the Aries' Revenge. She let out a hollow chuckle as her shot pummelled through Shizuru's defences for the first shot.

"1-0!"

Shizuru on the other hand smirked lightly before revealing the _Subera Kagerou_, causing it to spin away from the net.

"1 all!"

Fuuka had never seen her use the _Subera Kagerou_ in so many ways before but now she could feel her blood boiling. Launching herself forward, Fuuka slammed the ball for a drive volley while Shizuru returned the favour with another drive volleying soaring right in between them. Both of them managed to have short eye-contact for a moment before Fuuka had to drop the ball on Shizuru's side. Her eyes widened when Shizuru actually dropped to the ground despite the aching and curved the ball right over her shoulder.

"2-1!"

_Damn, this is how intense it can actually get?_

Kirihara blinked several times before watching both girls taking points off each other with short but fast rallies. The Devil Ace of Rikkai Dai rubbed his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't going blind but the ball had vanished in between them. The only thing proving that the ball still existed was that Shizuru continued to flash back and forth whereas Fuuka continued attacking with ground strokes. He glanced at Niou who seemed more focused on the silver haired Sniper and the short dash specialist. Running his fingers through his curly black hair, he leaned against the railing while smiling excitedly.

_Too bad, if they were guys I'd wanna play against them!_

Niou on the other hand found himself annoyed with where the dash specialist was standing.

The trickster bit his lower lip while looking at how casually Shishido was talking to her. He knew how the dash specialist had initially broken her heart by throwing her chocolates away but now he was getting too close. He could feel his body wanting to get up and wrench her away but the Trickster maintained a lax position instead. Isane was cute but somehow he couldn't find her just cute anymore. Winning that lucky pack of cards for him made him want her in a different way. He wanted to kiss her, pull her away from whatever Hyotei influence there was and get her away from Shishido. Anything to get her away from the dash specialist.

But the fact that he also broke her heart somewhat infuriated him.

Normally, Niou found himself chuckling in amusement whenever he had a blind date to go on to the point it was easy to fake interest. He had brought many girls out but Niou remembered the time he had actually practiced the song "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars in a restaurant. It had been his first time after three years to play the piano again and he himself was surprised by how accurate it was. His eyes narrowed once again when he heard Isane giggling at whatever the dash specialist may have said. His knuckles turned white for a few moments until he felt something tap his shoulder. With a whirl, Niou nearly socked his doubles partner if not for Yagyuu's reflexes.

"You should calm down and think more rationally, Niou-_kun_. Physically wrenching away someone won't help," Yagyuu sat beside the Trickster before looking at the match. "Perhaps, try to talk to her later after this whole match ends. I told you that you should be more careful with a woman's heart."

"Yeah yeah," Niou brushed him off with a snort, rolling his eyes before looking back at the pair.

Yagyuu knew it was rare to find his partner very moody about something let alone about women. The Gentleman let out a defeated sigh before looking at the fight once again. He had seen Yukimura Ai and Kurenai Shizuru play against each other but that was far as he got. He had never seen the two titans combat each other. The way they captured the attention of the crowd by simply trying to bring down each other quirked him a little as a small smirk curved up his lips. Their exchanges were getting faster and he could see that neither one wanted to back down. Fuuka managed to plough through Shizuru with a forehand that knocked the racquet straight out of the girl's hand.

"20 – all!"

_I'm bloody fucking exhausted. Her tenacity's something else..._

Fuuka could feel her eyelids dropping as the heat continued to beat down on her. The sun continued to blaze on her back as sweat started trickling down her forehead. She glanced at her opponent who seemed equally exhausted. She could feel her chest tightening severely from the exhaustion but resting now would allow Shizuru to nurse her leg back to normal. Fuuka bit her lower lip as the ball suddenly floated in the air.

_Shit, a chance ball!_

With one high jump, Fuuka managed to score a smash that lightly smacked the net before falling on the other side.

"Advantage: server!"

Shizuru could feel her body slowing down but as Fuuka cracked the next serve, she sprinted forward for a drive volley. The brunette could feel her mind shutting down but she continued to keep hitting even if it's no longer strong. As long as it could throw Fuuka off guard and give her an opening, Shizuru bit her lower lip before aiming for Fuuka's blind sight. The said red head staggered back but managed to return it only to fall backwards with her racquet clattering aside. Seeing her chance, Shizuru prepared to drive the shot as Fuuka fumbled for her racquet.

"Shit no," Fuuka fumbled for her racquet before clambering for her feet again.

However, what surprised her was the ball flew straight forward and smacked at the top of the net – balancing and refusing to move.

"MOVE NOW YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT," Fuuka slammed her racquet into the ground as the ball fell to Shizuru's side as everyone's eyes widened with astonishment.

With the ball bouncing on Shizuru's side, the arbiter declared.

"Game and match, Souma: seven games to six!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Ouch, it looks like Hyotei's in a tie with Seigaku. I wonder who's gonna play though. It's up to you guys who you want playing! By the way, please don't forget to review~!**

***Jackpot - Hahaha, I got into playing Devil May Cry again. There was a part in Devil May Cry 3 where Dante and Virgil shoot with Ebony and Ivory against Arkham. They are so awesome!**

****_Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt. Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt - _this came from Fate/Stay Night. I thought it could do some allusion to the way they were fighting. Loosely translated: "I am the one who will walk in the ways of heaven and I am the one who denounces the way of Hades".**


	59. Dancing to Victory

**Me: Hahaha, I guess you guys didn't expect Shizuru to lose against Souma Fuuka but now - what's it gonna be? Will Hyotei manage to stay on top despite their best player being put down? Will Tezuka finally get his heart straight and will Atobe get any smarter? **

**Atobe: Ore-sama was never stupid to begin with!**

**Me: Sure you're not. You got yourself cornered by a girl with an alpha bitch complex. Care to explain?**

**Ayane: Humph. Yeah, nice going genius.**

**Atobe: Ayane...!**

**Me: Anyway, our special guest for today is... OHTORI CHOUTAROU! Can you please do the disclaimer?**

**Ohtori: Sure, Scarlette Shizuru-_san_. Scarlette Shizuru-_san_ does not own Prince of Tennis except the OCs and their techniques. She also owns this fanfiction's plotline. :)**

**Me: Aww, you're such a sweetheart! What I wouldn't give to have a brother like you.**

Chapter 59 - Dance to Victory

Shizuru hung her head lightly, biting her lower lip in shame. She lost against Fuuka; her position would definitely be wrenched away from her now. The law of Hyotei was based on the virtue of power; Shizuru drummed up several prospects - Momo definitely knew the team much better than she did considering she had the experience from the other team members of the past, Mai had more dynamism and willpower and among the rest Ayane struck the most fear. The brunette sighed before picking up her fallen racquet until she found someone picking her off the ground and helping her stand. Her crimson eyes widened when she found Fuuka standing next to her but what shocked her more was that Fuuka raised Shizuru's hand high above her head.

"Seigaku, know this: Kurenai is barely at her full power now," Fuuka narrowed her eyes at her team members, particularly Vera. "All of them are still untapped and ready to explode. You have seen Kobayagi and Getsugan fight Jerrard and Ryuuzaki; Getsugan is more powerful than she looks. And when we face them in the Nationals, we will face the true Terror of the Hyotei Demons. So, until that day comes," - she poked Shizuru's forehead with a smirk and an indignant huff. "FIX THAT DAMN LEG OF YOURS BEFORE I DO IT FOR YOU OR BREAK BOTH OF THEM!"

Shizuru blinked several times until she noticed herself being hauled over Fuuka's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "F-Fuuka...!"

"Can it, squeaky," Fuuka brought her to her side of the team, grinning cheekily. "I look at you as my rival but that doesn't change that you are one of the youngest of the L.X.A princesses next to Yukimura."

As she got to Hyotei's side, Fuuka plopped Shizuru on the bench before glancing at Haruka and Rin. "You two better watch over her. She tends to go a little extreme sometimes."

"Like you don't," Shizuru smirked lightly, earning another flick from the red haired Seishun Gakuen captain.

Fuuka stuck out her tongue impishly, walking away. "Pshe, at least mine's not self-inflicting. By the way..."

Shizuru looked up in curiosity as Fuuka chuckled lightly and ruffled her hair.

"Next time, I won't be so lucky," Fuuka glanced at her swelling knee with a bitter smile, gesturing over her shoulder. "You should head to Kyushu. According to Fudomine's Tachibana Kippei, they have good rehabilitation facilities there for your leg. It doesn't look as serious as Tezuka's. Just don't push yourself too hard. I want to fight you at full power so heal up properly, got it? Besides if you don't go, I've got a chair, rope and knife ready."

Giggling sheepishly at Fuuka's threat, Shizuru nodded before glancing at Fuuka's red arm. "Your Aries' Revenge didn't take to you too nicely either..."

Fuuka glanced at her sore right arm, rubbing it slightly before letting out a sigh. "I guess. But your flash step, you should try to come up with something that won't force you to run. Maybe if you had more courage to ask maybe he'd help you there. Actually, scratch that - he'd be more than willing. Just gather up some guts and talk to him straight."

Shizuru stared for a few moments whereas Fuuka began walking away the moment Momo and Mai returned. Shizuru found herself unable to look at her teammates in the eye as Mai dropped her hand on Shizuru's shoulder before completely embracing her. Haruka dropped her hand on Shizuru's head with a motherly smile while Rin glomped her from behind, nearly throwing the girl forward. The brunette found herself thrown off guard as Mai tightened her embrace, sniffing and slightly sobbing. A small smile crept up her lips before patting the _tensai_'s back gently before she let out a sigh.

"I guess this means I'm off the team," Shizuru sighed deeply in defeat, looking at the score.

Momo's eyes widened before she folded her arms with a darkened frown, flicking the junior's forehead. "No way, you're still our captain. There will be a protest you hear?"

Shizuru blinked several times before looking at Sakaki-_sensei_, hanging her head abashedly. "I understand. Defeat is inexcusable..."

Sakaki-_sensei_ inhaled deeply before looking at Shizuru's crimson eyes, folding his arms in his usual calm composure. "You have always led the Hyotei team to victory. I believe your team wants you to continue doing so. Henceforth, you'll be given another chance and I do not believe your teammates will follow anyone else."

Shizuru blinked disbelievingly before smiling humbly, bowing low. "And that I will... But, I believe there is one last match that we have to deal with."

The red haired _tensai_, throwing her jacket aside, smirked lightly before grinning triumphantly at her captain. "You can rest, Shizuru. Leave the rest to me!"

"By the way," Rin glanced at her captain after watching Mai leave for the court, blinking several times. "What does Fuuka mean that she already has a knife, a chair and rope ready?"

Shizuru sighed deeply, rubbing her temples in defeat. "Fuuka is the master kidnapper. As long as she has that, rest assured - she can kidnap or capture anyone of her choice regardless of circumstance."

"Indeed, Fuuka does sound more like a terrorist than any of us," - a British accent caused Shizuru to swivel her head towards the Jyosei Shounan captain who walked up to her. "I've never felt a game that intense in my life. But I do hope your leg heals. You've improved - greatly but you still need more work on that leg. We will find someone who can nurse it back to full health. Also, thank you for giving me something to look forward to after my operation."

Shizuru looked down solemnly, watching Florence slowly leave her. "No, thank you for bringing me back... Don't lose..."

"Singles One will now begin: Seishun Gakuen's Renkeikouji Atoli versus Hyotei Gakuen's Nagisaki Mai! Both players please proceed to the court!"

Mai inhaled deeply before casting a glance towards Yukimura who Rena completely latched onto. She could feel her chest tightening considerably before glancing at the other people staring back at her, waiting for her to enter the court. The _tensai_ inhaled deeply to try and calm herself down only to have her amber eyes slowly trail back to Yukimura Seiichi. The demi-god clearly had no memory as he waved continued looking at the scoreboard before answering whatever Rena's question might have been. Mai slowly sauntered onto the courts with her hand gripping her tennis racquet tightly, glancing at Yukimura.

_If you don't remember me, I'll make you remember me!_

As soon as Atoli and Mai faced each other, their stares remained heavily focused on one another as sweat started trickling down from their hands. The cheering faded into the background as the wind began howling and the trees danced around with the orange tinted sunset. Mai inhaled deeply once again whereas Atoli took off her police hat, spinning it around before placing it on again firmly. The two _tensai_ stared each other down for a moment as the racquet spun and landed on the rough side.

"You ready to take the silver," Atoli chuckled lightly, tossing back her dark royal blue hair.

Mai smirked darkly with her amber eyes glistening determinedly, twirling her racquet around. "Looks like you're gonna be the one taking the silver, dear. I do a lot more damage than you think."

"We _tensai_ do think alike after all," Atoli walked towards her end of the baseline after handing the ball to Mai, smiling lightly. "May the best player win?"

Mai chuckled lightly with a feline-like smile, letting her racquet rest on her shoulder. "May the odds ever be in your favour."

As the red haired _tensai _glanced at her team before looking at the scoreboard, she sighed deeply to herself. Mai knew that her captain had always wanted to play Fuuka but why didn't the two of them pick Singles One like always? She cast her eyes towards her teammates as Hitomi began nursing Shizuru's swollen leg which had a mixture of blue and black like some huge bruise. Mai winced slightly but a small smile crept up her lips the moment she started tracing Tezuka's line of sight. He was definitely unnerved; his hands were more clenched and despite the stoic expression on his face - she didn't need to be a genius to figure that out. Shizuru had walked down the same path he did; she made herself a martyr for her team to make sure they could keep on going. Although Mai knew that they had to work out that kink with her, Shizuru would have recklessly shoved herself even more if Florence and Naomi had not intervened.

_At least he notices her... Yukimura-kun doesn't remember squat about me..._

Mai laughed inwardly with a bitter taste in her mouth, realizing that there was a chance he may never remember her. She glanced at the sky as the doves started flying westward towards the setting sun as a small smile appeared on her lips. Inhaling deeply, Mai tightened her grip on the racquet while walking towards the baseline, facing Yukimura and the other people in the bleachers. Her eyes refused to meet Yukimura's but when Rena and Mai made eye contact - the _tensai_ grinned sardonically with a confident smirk but the way Rena held onto Yukimura started chipping her heart into pieces.

"Game start, Nagisaki to serve!"

Mai bounced the ball several times, feeling the ecstasy running through her body. Her amber feline eyes scanned the area, looking at Atoli swing to and fro. A small chuckle bubbled from her throat as she sent a no-return serve blazing towards Atoli. The blue haired female easily countered with a flying backhand as the ball zoomed straight down the line on Mai's left side. Sliding towards the left side, the dancer lightly sliced the ball as it suspended in mid-air for awhile right above the net. Atoli split right on the ground before dropping the shot right over while Mai covered the distance with a fast drive volley.

"Fifteen - love!"

Atoli smiled lightly before giving the ball back to Mai, glancing over the _tensai_'s shoulder. "I see you've been awakened."

Mai narrowed her eyes at the dark blue haired girl before turning her back at her with a triumphant smirk. "Not really, I just realized a few things. That's all."

The Seishun Gakuen _tensai_ lightly grinned while returning to the baseline, taking note of Mai's amber gold eyes. Despite being distracted, Atoli could see that Mai easily kept up her play. The blue haired girl smirked in acceptance and acknowledgement; it was only to be expected from a _tensai_ and the captains. She remembered the heavy fight between the two titans and how the heavens seemed to dance along with them as they continued to try and bring each other down. Shizuru definitely caught her eye; definitely someone she should go against one day. Fuuka was almost downright impossible; the girl had constantly sent her flying towards the bleachers. However, Mai once again began her assault and cut her thoughts short. Atoli launched herself to begin a volley which Mai suddenly sent the ball spiralling up into the air. With a huge smirk on her face, Atoli went for a smash straight down until the ball zoomed right past her head with Mai performing a very familiar technique, coiling around and sending the ball with a spiralling return.

"That's the _Adonis Otoshi_!"

"Wow, Nagisaki-_san_ is really something!"

"Go Mai-_sama_~!"

The red haired _tensai_ flashed an accommodating smile at the boys' cheering before inhaling deeply before looking back at Atoli with a triumphant smirk. Soon, the whole Hyotei audience started howling and cheering for their _tensai_ as the banners began fluttering in the air. Seigaku could only stare in astonishment and awe as to how Mai managed to duplicate Fuji's _Higuma Otoshi_ almost perfectly. Kikumaru had his jaw reaching the floor with Momoshiro sputtering and blinking in disbelief how she managed to replicate the attack. Fuji had now opened his bright cerulean blue eyes in interest; Nagisaki Mai had lost to him during their training camp and how she managed to imbed the _Higuma Otoshi_ on single sight baffled him. Inui muttered something about data whereas Kaidoh, Tezuka and Echizen maintained a very quiet and serious composure. Kawamura could barely say anything and even Oishi stared stupefied at the sudden change of movement. Chuckling in amusement, the dark blue haired _tensai_ raked her fingers through her hair before raising her racquet towards Mai.

"You definitely improved," Atoli lowered her stance while Mai got up to serve once more. "I haven't seen a girl easily replicate his counter just like that. Oshitari Yuushi is understandable; after all, he is the man of 1000 moves."

Mai narrowed her eyes darkly at the female with a cryptic smile curving up her lips. "True but 1000 moves don't amount to much now does it? There are variations to everything."

Atoli narrowed her eyes as another serve cracked off Mai's racquet with an awkward spin. The bluenette stared closely at the ball spinning in an awkward flower-like pattern before spinning around the ground and simply, stopping right there. Atoli's eyes widened; how did Mai manage to make a ball stop spinning right in the middle of nowhere? Keeping her stance lowered, Atoli moved in closely onto the ball until she heard something bouncing behind her. Slightly and slowly turning her head, Atoli soon found the tennis ball bouncing on the baseline as the image of the other tennis ball vanished right before her eyes.

"There it is, the _Sazanka Serve!_"

"Way to go, Mai-_sama_~!"

"We love you, Mai-_sama_~!"

Atoli flinched at the loud fan boys yelling out their admiration for the red haired _nekojin_ female, watching Mai prepare for her service. As the ball cracked off, Atoli launched herself towards the ball for a drive volley whereas Mai danced her way towards the baseline and easily sent the ball towards the deep end of the left side. Clucking her tongue, the Seigaku female _tensai_ dropped down for a volley to send it over towards Mai's side. The red head easily smashed the ball on the other end, giving Atoli no chance to retaliate.

"Forty - love!"

Rena groaned to her boyfriend, rolling her eyes. "Tennis is so boring. I don't understand how you can love it so much, Sei."

Yukimura chuckled lightly, gently ruffling his girlfriend's hair but not removing his eyes from the match. "Tennis is a very fun sport. What I look forward to every time is seeing new styles and taking on better opponents than the last. People can be so fascinating when the circumstances are done right..."

_However, I remember seeing this style before but... where?_

Yukimura bit his lower lip, trying to search through his memory banks. The demi-god frowned in annoyance; nothing happened to show up except blotches of bright red ever since his surgery. He sighed deeply to himself; Yukimura knew he didn't forget things like these often. Mai's graceful movements started creating more sparks and questions in his mind. The Rikkai Dai captain frowned deeply once again as he started running his fingers through his wavy blue hair in frustration. Her movements had his lavender eyes darting back and forth as she danced across the baseline without much difficulty. Atoli on the other hand struggled with every twist and step on the way as the red head quickly out ran her.

"Game, Nagisaki: one game to love!"

Atoli frowned slightly at Mai's speed but smirked a little at the challenge being posed before her. She glanced at the scoreboard and how Hyotei managed to bring down two of their better players instantly but wondered how powerful the other three were if given time to grow. As is, Mai maintained a calm expression despite the tensions and the anxieties rising between the two schools. She inhaled deeply while watching the feline female continue preparing to swing to and fro and waited to receive the shot. Tossing the ball into the air, Atoli sent in side-winding fashion as it curved towards Mai. Without flinching one bit, Mai darted towards the shot with a forehand whereas Atoli began dancing around to keep the _tensai_ at bay. The dark bluenette bit her lower lip anxiously, wondering at how Mai could remain so focused.

"It seems like the _tensai_ awakened before we could stop her," Karin tilted her glasses a bit, watching the match and having Atoli getting pushed back.

Fuuka chuckled lightly, running her fingers through her hair before glancing at Shizuru. "Physically, she may not be as adept as others but being able to inspire - the girl decided to use herself as a catalyst to awaken the potentials in each of her members. I'm sure if this had happened during Singles Three - we would have lost all our matches. Kobayagi would definitely have broken the Heartbreaker. You know that, don't you Vera?"

The blonde simply snorted haughtily before averting her eyes away. "It doesn't matter. As long as I won, it like so doesn't matter!"

Enma nodded weakly, looking at her own score with an emotionless look. "We would have died way before we could reach Singles One."

Atoli on the other hand crunched her nose a little before preparing for a shot, smirking before slicing the ball in an awkward angle. "I guess I'll just have to push you a little, now don't I?"

As the ball sailed through the air, Mai watched it closely before preparing a parry. The moment the ball appeared right in front of her racquet, something suddenly pushed her wrist slightly back as the ball suddenly flew straight out of the court. Her eyes widened slightly with her lips pursing a bit in curiosity. Atoli barely participated in matches after seeing Shibuya Rangiku easily plough through the other teams as if they were nothing but Mai found herself shivering in excitement. Was this what her captain felt when she played against Fuuka? Mai bit her lower lip in deep pondering but a smile curved up her lips with a determined smirk; breaking a technique like that won't be an easy thing. She glanced at Hyotei and their anxious expressions whereas Atoli had one of a bit of triumph.

"_Anemoi: Boreas_," Atoli smirked triumphantly, watching Mai's eyes suddenly widen. "Who said that the wind only struck in one direction?"

Mai bit her lower lip, mentally cursing herself for not paying attention to Greek class. Despite being completely clueless in that language, she managed to pick up things here and there but names in Greek completely pissed her off. Shizuru would often laugh at her and now the _tensai_ could imagine Shizuru giving her the "I-told-you-so" look every time she didn't pay attention in the teacher's class. It was a language she barely found herself using but heck, the mythology was good. The one who memorized this more was Shizuru and now Atoli's statement made it even worse. The red haired _tensai_ pondered deeply, knowing that there were other forms. But how many were there? Mai immediately began wracking her brains but nothing showed up, much to her chagrin and annoyance.

_Sheesh, I'm not supposed to be the one with memory loss! Think, Mai, think!_

"Fifteen - love!"

Mai bit her lower lip, watching Atoli prepare another service to go against her. As the ball flew from her racquet, Mai backhanded the shot towards the corner whereas Atoli forehanded the shot right down the line towards the _tensai_. Sliding across the baseline, Mai forehanded the shot before dancing back to the centre. Her eyes watched the ball zoom towards her straight for her body but a smile curved up her lips as she sent the ball straight up into the air. As the ball spiralled up into the air, Atoli prepared to smash until the ball seemingly stayed suspended in the air for the next thirty seconds. Seeing that the bluenette had dropped her guard, Mai smiled lightly before pointing behind her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. After all, the primrose is truly an astonishing flower, isn't it?"

The Seigaku _tensai_'s eyes widened when she looked back only to have the ball drop right in front of her, sliding down the net. Atoli bristled slightly at the trick play Mai displayed before taking the ball to serve again. She bounced the ball several times, seeing the _Kurosakuraso_ drop right in front of her. She narrowed her eyes darkly at the _tensai_ before tossing the ball up once again, watching Mai's swinging movement. As the ball sailed over the net, Mai darted forward for a drive volley as the two began forcing one another with volleys. Mai danced around with a spin before backhanding the shot with a strong spin. Atoli, narrowing her eyes calculatingly at the ball, deflected the shot before watching Mai's dance movement.

_Is she toying with me? Humph, her weakness is clear as day!_

Mai on the other hand continued dancing back and forth, ignoring the beads of sweat trickling down her face. The red haired _tensai_ inhaled deeply before continuing her assault as the ball zoomed back and forth in between the two players. Atoli increased the speed of her volley before going for a fast drive shot while Mai lowered herself down to spring out in response and bounced the shot right back at her. Everything seemed to slow down in front of her as she saw Atoli preparing to take another shot, causing a smirk to curve up her lips. However, her amber eyes slowly slid over to see Rena pointing excitedly at something happening as Yukimura's attention started searching somewhere else. She narrowed her eyes at the two until the ball suddenly curved up on her left side, snaking right past her defences and nearly knocking her racquet away with a blast of wind.

"_Anemoi: Zephyrus_," Atoli narrowed her eyes before inhaling deeply, relaxing a little. "You're normally not this distracted, Nagisaki. But I guess there were a lot more things the Heart can recognize more than the Mind. He can't remember you but will his heart be able to find you. He is the deity that brought forth your love for tennis."

Mai snapped herself out of the daze before slightly frowning at the information, redirecting her attention towards Atoli. "It seems so. But," - a smirk curved up her lips while watching Atoli. "I just wanted to recall a few things. One is - the _Anemoi_ are eight in number. If _buchou _can kindly clarify for me..."

Shizuru nodded with a light smile.

"Based on your last two attacks," Mai envisioned the attacks in her mind, remembering the wind blasting her racquet back and her wrist. "Let's see the other winds _djinns_ make their appearance, Renkeikouji Atoli of the Divine Winds. Unless, you haven't thought that far..."

Hitomi tilted her glasses a bit before opening a new notebook and exchanging the memory card with a new one for her camera. "This is truly once in a lifetime chance to see the Queen of Spades make her move."

"Nagisaki always flashed and showed off tennis with dance steps," Oshitari leaned against the railing, watching the _tensai_ take on the attacks once again. "But coming up with special attacks right on the spot - something like that is the worst thing to do right in front of Nagisaki Mai. Fuji was the only one who got past her because he got vicious that time but now that Nagisaki-_chan_ knows better..."

Karin readjusted her glasses, watching Atoli unleash _Boreas_ once again and Mai remained still as the ball zoomed past her. "She dances to the Ode of the West Wind and brings forth the terrible storm that is about to come. The Breeze Stepper was a title invented to not only show her speed but her destructive power as well..."

"Game, Renkeikouji: one game all!"

Momo folded her arms with a stolid gaze, watching Mai calmly take in the incoming attacks. "When the winds cease to blow, Japan believed that without its help - other countries would have destroyed them."

"If there is anyway who can outrun Hoshimura and myself in terms of speed," Shizuru admitted softly; her crimson eyes gleaming with pride and faith. "Renkeikouji-_san_ no longer has the advantage."

Atoli launched the Boreas once again with the wind blowing straight towards Mai. Seigaku's chants became louder as Hyotei's_ tensai _blocked them all out with their cheers fading into the darkness. She resisted the urge to glance back, knowing Yukimura stood right behind her. With another deep inhale, Mai felt his presence vanish from her mind; he was only a distraction for now. The only thing she could feel rushing towards her now was the neon yellow green sphere flying towards her. The red haired _tensai_ closed her eyes before taking a different stance and sent the ball straight up into the air. Atoli's eyes widened as a feline smirk curved up the red head's lips.

"The wind flies only in the direction it is sent," Mai opened her amber gold eyes with a smirk curving up her lips, staring deeply into Atoli's teal blue orbs. "It pushes things whatever lies in its path but cannot compensate for its open defences beneath."

The _Kurosakuraso_ launched the ball straight into the air before dropping onto the ground and spinning with three balls creating a neon yellow circle. Atoli's eyes widened as she looked closely at the ball only to have all three images vanish. She looked up and then behind her. Atoli frowned deeply at her predicament, feeling out the wind. The ball was nowhere in the air so it had to be on the ground. However, there was nothing in sight.

"This is the true form of the _Kurosakuraso._"

Atoli raised her head and found Mai holding onto the ball in her left hand with a huge smirk on her face. The Seishun Gakuen _tensai_ slightly gaped in astonishment, rubbing her eyes. How did the ball manage to zoom at that kind of speed all the way to Mai's hand without bouncing or making a single noise? She tried running through all the possibilities in her mind but none seemed probable unless...

"Quite a complex technique," Inui scribbled down data while trying to reassess the speed of the shot with physics, studying the projectile and performance. "Nagisaki used the wind from the _Boreas_ in order to curve the shot and send it straight into the air. After that, she places a spin on the ball to reinforce and redirect the wind to curve around the ball. But how she managed to calculate that far astounds me. Even Amagi Karin could not have predicted that kind of attack in an instant."

Atoli frowned lightly; she always thought that the _Kurosakuraso_ just bounced back after using the spin similarly to the _Hakugei_. Practicing with Fuji kicked up her analytical skills but Mai just came up with something new on the spot. Unlike the _Hakugei_, the ball landed on the ground and delayed its launch time on the ground but it still had the same principle behind it. Whether she reinvented it or not - Atoli didn't know. But what puzzled her was more that how did Mai conceal the _Kurosakuraso_ for so long? Karin and she had reviewed all of Nagisaki Mai's matches in hopes of finding a weak point. She frowned darkly at the very conclusion.

_Nagisaki Mai has no weaknesses._ _There is a reason why she is one of Hyotei's Queens of the Suits._

In turn, Atoli launched _Zephyrus _towards Mai's left side in hopes of blasting her back. Mai watched the wind currents swirl around the ball, pulling herself back to wait for the ball to bounce in. However, the moment the ball bounced on the ground it shot straight towards the net and forced Mai to run after the shot. The _tensai_ bit her lower lip as the ball returned straight into Atoli's hand as the Seishun Gakuen female smiled lightly.

"_Anemoi: Lips_," Atoli twirled her racquet around, watching Mai's eyes carefully. "You're not playing seriously are you?"

_Damn it, this girl's playing around with me. I've never had to use the Anemoi so early in the game let alone three of them. Why won't she fight me seriously?_

Mai remained completely calm as she watched the shots fly back and forth. She bit her lower lip, noting that the _Boreas_ had been easy to counter. The names had some link to their projection and Mai mentally cursed herself for not paying attention once again in Mythology. If Shizuru were the one playing against Atoli, Shizuru would have surely figured out all the shots barely even before they launched themselves. Mai frowned darkly at the situation before controlling her rapidly beating heart. Now that three made their appearances, Mai pondered deeply before preparing to serve the ball once again. There were five left to make their debut. The winds danced around the entire court as the leaves began floating in front of her.

_Boreas is North, Zephyrus is West, Lips is Southwest_ - _Damn it, I don't remember anything!_

She tossed the ball as the leaf slowly alighted in front of her, smacking the ball straight towards the leaf as the ball cracked on the ground before shredding the leaf into pieces. Atoli slammed the ball back with a forehand before moving to meet Mai's line of sight. The ball curled around towards Mai as the _tensai _launched the ball back with a forehand while watching Atoli go for a drop shot. As the ball lightly floated in the air, Mai tapped the ball right beneath the ball before it curled up the net and rolled off the net like a slide.

"Thirty - fifteen!"

Atoli darkly narrowed her eyes at the quick end of the previous volley. What exactly did Nagisaki plan for her? Mai had this eerily calm look on her face and her grip on her racquet seemed relatively normal. The blue haired _tensai_ glanced up to see Yukimura watching the game more intently now as a small smirk curved up her lips but slightly shivered at the thought of the two being together. Yukimura, the famous _Demi-god_ of Rikkai Dai along with Hyotei's Queen of Spades Nagisaki Mai, could make the whole world shudder in fear. She shook her head away from the thoughts before relaxing her position on the court.

"Forget it, he's not going to have an immediate flashback no matter how well you play the game," Atoli watched Mai's amber eyes remain eerily still as the female _nekojin_ remained extremely quiet. "Amnesiacs or patients with brain damage to their memory area don't get instant flashbacks to the stimuli. It usually comes in time. You can't expect him to remember your personality. The best he'll remember is your name at most or have slight recognitions."

Mai bit her lower lip darkly before casting a small sideward glance towards the Rikkai Dai captain who seemed completely clueless off her existence. The dancer remembered all the times she spent with him in the Tutor House ever since she had been enrolled to higher levels of math. Yukimura had easily made Pre-Calculus completely nothing before moving on to Trigonometry. She couldn't believe how fast she absorbed it herself that day. A bitter smile curved up her lips as she remembered the first time she met Yukimura. Mai bitterly bit her lower lip; thankfully she never told him that she thought he was a woman and that he was a Japanese super model.

_Flashback_

[_Summer: One Year Ago]_

12 year old Nagisaki Mai sat in the classroom along with her brunette friend as they pulled out a textbook. The red head wanted to laugh at the sight of how big Shizuru's eyes widened because the moment the brunette girl peeled open her book, Shizuru looked like she was staring at some foreign language. She kept on blinking whereas Mai easily understood the concepts and even began taking down notes and reading the next chapter. She yawned slightly at the pace until Shizuru tapped her shoulder.

"Mai, what is this," Shizuru swallowed hard, looking at the text book in front of her.

Mai ruffled the short haired brunette's _hime_-cut hair with a huge grin. "I can teach you later. Don't worry about it, Shi-_chan_."

Shizuru nodded weakly before sinking behind her book, letting out a slight whimper. "I don't understand any of this..."

Mai grinned goofily at her friend until the bell decided to ring. The girls immediately gathered their stuff before heading out towards the gates however, the moment the two got outside - there was a small clique of people gathering. Her eyes widened when she saw another colour of outfits, yellow and black instead of Hyotei's typical gray, cobalt blue and white uniform. Shizuru and Mai tried to move their way through the crowd but no one seemed to budge as Atobe and some dark haired guy stood in the middle.

"Who the heck is Atobe talking to now," Mai rolled her eyes as Shizuru tailed quietly behind her. "Does he always have this tendency to piss people off?"

"STOP BLOCKING THE WAY, YOU FREAKIN' MOLE DIVA!"

Mai and Shizuru swivelled her head towards a tangerine haired girl who dragged along a poor shaken sandy blonde girl across the field with murder clearly glinting in her eyes. She had bouncing braided pigtails and she suddenly shoved past one of the yellow and black uniformed students. The black haired boy staggered back along with the bluenette as they both soon ended up in a heap the moment the tangerine haired girl just ploughed through them. Mai blinked several times before casting her eyes to the ground at the fallen people. They definitely looked older than her as she and Shizuru walked over to them to help them.

"Sorry about that, that usually doesn't happen," Mai smiled before extending her hand to the bluenette. "Nagisaki Mai."

_Oh my gosh, she is so pretty! Why is she wearing boy's clothes? Why does everyone think like my fashion-dead friend!?_

The bluenette smiled at her with a serene smile before dusting "herself". "Ah Yukimura Seiichi, thank you for helping me."

Mai nearly paled but managed to flash a smile nonetheless. "Ah no problem."

_THAT BLUENETTE WAS A BOY!? NO WOMAN WOULD NAME HER DAUGHTER SEIICHI!_

_End of Flashback_

Mai shook her head before chuckling darkly. "Who said I was playing for his memory to return?"

Atoli folded her arms as the red haired _tensai_ pointed her racquet towards her.

"I'll make it quick and simple. Tennis is like a dance; you play according to the beat or you make your own," Mai twirled her racquet around her wrist before walking back to the baseline to serve. "The music you dance to is not to the sounds of the tennis ball but the intensity of the match. You can dance through the darkness and still win because as long as you have the rhythm," -a huge smirk curved up her lips. "You can win."

As the ball cracked off her racquet, Atoli's eyes widened when the ball spun awkwardly in a somewhat eight figure before rolling right past Atoli. The bluenette blinked several times as she watched the ball roll right behind her before hitting the heel of her left foot. Blinking several times, she tried to review the trajectory of the ball but nothing appeared. Soon, howls and cats calls echoed throughout the stands with people chanting Mai's name and her title over and over again. Seigaku chanted for their side as Atoli froze in shock at the speed of the ball along with the strange trajectory. She had never seen a ball curve at that kind of speed and power let alone create that impact.

"The Sasanqua finally blooms," Hitomi smiled as she watched Mai toss for another serve, cracking the same serve with a curving eight pattern.

"Game, Nagisaki: two games to one!"

Atoli bristled at how tightly knit the scores were becoming but chose to keep a calm expression the same way Mai had not changed expression for the last few exchanges. She looked at the ball in her hand before she noticed Mai tapping her foot to a certain rhythm. The amber girl's eyes remained beadily focused on her opponent as Atoli winced slightly at the intense focus coming from the feline female. She could feel her whole body trembling but Atoli immediately fought back the urge to fall. Fuuka had set up the stage - it was her job to finish it!

"Do you really think you're going to annihilate me this way," Atoli tossed the ball in the air before firing a no-return serve.

Mai danced towards it before giving it a sharp forehand towards Atoli who jumped after the shot. The Seishun Gakuen _tensai_ felt her chest pounding heavily against her rib cage as more sweat droplets started trickling down her neck and down to the ground. Her breathing slowly became more hoarse as her throat tightened considerably. She could feel her sweat evaporating right off her back as Mai easily slid across the court to return her shot. Atoli winced at the pain throbbing against her ribs, squinting slightly to maintain her concentration. As the ball spiralled towards her, Atoli launched a new move with the ball curling towards Mai's right side as a smirk appeared on her lips.

"I'm guessing that's _Anemoi: Apheliotes_," Mai pulled back before hitting the shot before it could touch the ground, forcing the wind off with a punch of her hips. "Not a chance!"

Everyone's eyes widened as Mai started returning the shots with _Boreas _spiralling towards her with the _Kurosakuraso_ flying straight into the air. Atoli rushed forward to get the ball before it touched the ground, smashing the shot. Mai coiled around with the Adonis Drop and sent the ball straight above Atoli's head. The bluenette shoved herself back all the way to the baseline in order to grab the shot with a weak backhand to which Mai smirked lightly before firing a blinding fast shot. Atoli staggered back at the speed as Mai smirked.

"_Ikoroze, Shinso_," Mai smiled slowly with a snicker, letting her amber gold eyes glimmer under the sunlight.

Haruka's eyes widened in astonishment as Haruka tried replaying the whole image in her mind, causing the Pearl Dragon to rub her eyes in disbelief. "She managed to copy Midoriyama?"

"If there's anyone who can break down special attacks as fast as I can, it would be Mai," Hitomi folded her legs before picking up her other notebook filled with data pertaining to Mai. "Mai's techniques are not the only thing that makes her dangerous. I'm sure Oshitari can also testify for Mai's prodigious abilities."

Shizuru smiled in acknowledgement, placing the ice on her leg. _Mai, you've come so far..._

Glaring at the red haired _tensai_, Atoli clucked her tongue as Mai unleashed another speeding shot right past her. "Love - fifteen!"

Atoli fired a service only to have Mai send a flying shot right past her. "Return ace, love - thirty!"

Atoli could only stare in frustration at the red haired female at how she managed to anticipate her next shot. She bit her lower lip before finally deciding to change her stance. Before serving, Atoli decided to go for a different style before tossing her racquet in the air and changing its grip. Mai blinked several times as she sent the ball curving towards her with a snake-like pattern. A small smile curved up her lips, seeing Mai's astonished face as it zoomed right past the red haired _tensai_.

"Gotcha," Atoli tipped her police cap at the red head.

At the top of the bleachers, Yukimura soon found himself amused by the tennis style of the red head female. She danced fluidly and glided across the baseline as if it were nothing but water. Mai even managed to spin and use the rotation power to curve her shot and send it back towards Atoli. The bluenette dashed forward before beginning a sharp volley with Mai as the red head flicked her wrist to send the ball right past Atoli's range. The bluenette jumped for the shot to cross court the volley only to have Mai instantaneously appear right at the side she supposedly could not reach before blasting the shot straight back at her. Silently berating herself for her lack of speed, Atoli continued to dance around before finally switching hands. Mai soon found Atoli's racquet in her left hand as the ball rushed past her in shock. She expected at least a backhand instead of a down the line.

"I guess Nagisaki never took into consideration that Atoli was ambidextrous," Karin continued writing down on her notebook, watching the next two points get taken by Atoli. "Looks like this match will be a terribly long one as well, Fuuka."

The red head captain shook her head slowly, watching Mai's eyes carefully. "I don't think so. Nagisaki doesn't look like she's a cornered rat nor do her eyes say it. It's as if... she's just baiting Atoli. But what exactly is she baiting her for? She already figured out the eight movements of the wind."

"Atoli's stared too much at the Abyss," Enma held out her tattered Goth doll before fingering the laces it had for hair. "She's becoming part of the Abyss..."

Midori leapt away fearfully, clinging onto Vera before the blonde girl shoved her off with an indignant snort. "Waaah, Enma-_chan_'s taking in riddles again!"

"Regardless, Atoli's going to win this anyway," Vera scowled darkly while tousling around her long blonde hair, folding her arms haughtily. "After all, Atoli's just like waiting for the time to strike."

_Vera,_ Atoli mournfully sighed to herself, overhearing her teammate speak. _I wish you were right but Nagisaki's actually cornering me._

Firing the shot back at Mai, the blue haired _tensai_ watched Mai's dancing movements as the red head returned the ball with the same speed as she had awhile ago. Both their eyes met briefly as she sprung away to fire the ball towards Mai's forehand side. Twisting around, Mai danced around the ball before firing a sharp backhand right at the corner of the volley line and forced Atoli to jump for the shot. As the bluenette tumbled on the ground, Mai cracked the ball on the far edge of the court.

"Deuce!"

Rin blinked several times, watching Mai continue the shots. "I don't get it. Why's Mai just keeping the game? Shouldn't she have scored by now?"

Haruka bit her thumbnail, watching Mai dance around plainly with a smirk plastered on her face. She watched the fight carefully until Atoli suddenly started stumbling around with the ball flying straight towards the net and the bluenette crashing straight onto the ground. As the _tensai_ rolled onto the ground, the ball made its way towards her. Everyone in Seigaku stared in shock and admonishment as the smirk on Mai's face became much wider.

"The problem with the wind is that it dies to easily," Mai spun her racquet while balancing it on her finger with a small smirk. "No matter what direction you throw your shot, as soon as the source runs out – your shots become potentially useless. In fact, their spin and the power weakens. Your _Zephyrus_ managed to blast my arm back but now it can barely make its way over the net."

Atoli began breathing heavily as her heart pounded heavily against her chest. She barely could see what was in front of her until her eyes widened with shock.

"Having motion sight sometimes sucks doesn't it," Mai tousled her hair with a triumphant smirk, watching Atoli trying to get up and maintain a little stability. "Not only that, your techniques are very complicated. You actually harness the small streams of wind surrounding you in order to give your attacks more power to make up for your lack of strength. It's quite genius to think about using nature's untapped energy but for you to control it is a different matter, am I right?"

Atoli smirked lightly before standing up and placing her racquet right in front of her, narrowing her eyes at the red haired female _nekojin_. "Just because I'm exhausted doesn't mean I'm going to fall."

Atoli cracked another serve as Mai watched the ball fly straight towards her with torpedo-like speed. The red head smirked as she returned the ball simply with a slight flick of her wrist for a volley until the ball zoomed towards her from her right side. As Mai prepared to return it back, the moment her racquet touched the ball – the ball suddenly disappeared with her racquet being pushed back. Her eyes widened as she swung it regardless as long as the shot gets over only to have it fly all the way to the bleachers. Her amber eyes narrowed darkly; that wasn't part of the eight _Anemoi_.

"God of the winds, Aeolus," Atoli picked up the ball once again. "Surprised? It's expected for you to be completely confused the moment you see it."

"Advantage: server!"

Fuuka chuckled darkly while watching her _tensai_ suddenly bend the match into her favour. She didn't expect Mai to get far with the _Kurosakuraso_ however there was one more attack she wasn't displaying. Something that could have easily terminated Atoli and her style in a matter of minutes and as long as she kept using that move to counter, Atoli would have lost ages ago. A frown marred her features as she looked at Nagisaki Mai once again, trying to figure out what the _tensai_ was thinking. She wondered if most of the Hyotei players were this irritating but remembering how Kobayagi managed to pull out of her slump quickly, Getsugan being able to rise to fight the Heartbreaker on a Singles against Doubles – a smirk crossed her features. She glanced at Shizuru with a small smirk; that was where it all laid.

"Game, Renkeikouji – two games all!"

Mai took on the next serve as she glanced at the score with a sigh. Atoli jumped a little while trying to watch her movement whereas the crowd had become increasingly quiet. She inhaled deeply until something mixed into the air. Where did that come from – was that salt? She looked straight into the sky as more clouds began covering the orange skies and the air suddenly became thick. With a darkened sigh, she tossed the ball in the air as slight rumbling reached her ears.

_It looks like autumn's coming early this year..._

As the ball awkwardly curved off her racquet, Mai watched Atoli completely ignore it. She groaned in annoyance; now this was just getting plain boring. Atoli simply stood there as the next Sazanka Serve cracked off her racquet. As the ball spun around, Atoli tried to attack it only to have it slap harmlessly on the net. Seeing that returning the Sazanka without it bouncing was impossible, Atoli on the other hand remained completely still but the _tensai_ decided to try something else. The moment she tossed the ball, Mai snickered at Fuuka.

"What did Shizuru and Souma use to say," Mai grinned darkly before slamming the shot with crazy speed, shocking Atoli as it went past her in an instant. "Jackpot!"

Isane's eyes widened as the serve blasted right past Atoli without many problems. "That's my... Sniper Serve."

Hitomi shook her head, checking down the numbers of her notebook. "That's one-fourth the speed of your serve, Isane. Don't sell yourself too short."

"Game, Nagisaki: three games to two!"

Mai began breathing heavily as her arm began to wince and ache from the speed of the Sniper Serve. Isane definitely kicked up the speed without even trying but when the dancer had thought about it, Isane definitely had the height and weight to kick up the power and speed of her service. She glanced at the score before looking at Atoli and noticing the sweat puddle forming beneath Atoli. She glanced at her watch before receiving Atoli's high speed service. Mai felt the wind run past her until something wet decided to drop on her nose.

_Rain?_

The moment the drop of rain touched her nose, more soon came to follow with people pulling out umbrellas immediately and some even leaving and running towards the trees. On the other hand, the tennis teams remained completely stolid. Mai slid across the water easily as a huge smirk curved up her lips. Atoli felt her racquet slipping out of her hands as the ball started flying around awkwardly. Mai continued to keep her focus on the ball as it zoomed right past the net with Atoli releasing the _Boreas_. Mai leapt back and deflected the shot as Atoli fired another shot that zoomed straight out of the court.

"Out!"

"Tch," Atoli winced at the awkward curvy trajectory of the ball. "But how...?"

Mai grinned darkly while tossing her hair back, noticing Atoli slowly collapsing. "I didn't know it was gonna rain but heck – I remember when Kotetsu smeared all our hands with butter! I don't even get why she did that!"

"More like she innocently gave us red velvet brownies that was HEAVILY SMEARED WITH CREAM CHEESE AND BUTTER," Haruka rolled her eyes with a defeated groan, slumping to the ground. "After that, she decided to have the courts cleaned. My racquet smelled like Philadelphia Cream Cheese and butter the whole day until I washed it with soap and water and then sprayed it with Lysol. I even remember all of us getting onto the court as if we were on ice skates! Although in all fairness, the red velvet brownies were delicious."

Rin happily jumped up and down before clamping onto Haruka. "Now that you mention it, I want one."

Isane pulled out her jersey jacket before throwing it over her head. "Hold on, does anyone know where Kiyone is?"

The whole team paled considerably before looking around. Shizuru immediately sat up from her chair and Mai weakly slapped the shot back in astonishment which still managed to go in much to Atoli's surprise. Atobe began looking amongst the girls and then around before cursing slightly for Kiyone's vertically challenge physique. The small volleyist was nowhere to be found; he immediately dug through Gakuto's bag to find any candy that the acrobat may have kept but no such luck. Hiyoshi began searching around as well before the female team captain regained her composure. Her red eyes glinted with admonishment for her lack of sensitivity at the same time concern.

"Momo-_senpai_, Uchiha-_senpai_ – please search for both Kiyone and Ayane! If I remember right, Kiyone's afraid of thunder and lightning. If ever, find Kiyone first."

Momo and Isane immediately left along with Shishido and a sputtering Hiyoshi who suddenly got thrown in to the group by Atobe along with Kabaji. Mai on the other hand continued her battle against Atoli as the ball suddenly started spinning out of Atoli's grip and even a few moments that their racquets would actually fly.

As the winds howled, nobody noticed a flash of green and yellow mysteriously disappear from his team.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the other hand, Kiyone continued walking around searching for her doubles partner with not much success. She checked all the courts and being caught under the rain was not exactly the happiest thing for her. She immediately found a bench with some roofing before running all the way there. Puddles of rain splashed against her socks and legs as she finally made her way to the bench. She exhaled in belief with her sandy blonde hair slapping against her cheeks with leaves and dirt stuck to her hair and white uniform. She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance; where could Ayane have gone? She sat on the bench while trying to dry her hair and combing out the filth with very little ease.

"YANE-YANE, YOU SUCK," Kiyone kicked against the bench with an indignant snort, pulling out some branch in her hair.

Soon, the winds began to blow harder as the little girl shivered at the cold wind licking against her skin. Her bright blue eyes immediately began surveying the area with not much luck before she hugged her legs while watching the trees bend and rapidly dance around with harsh howling winds. She shivered once again as the raindrops dropped loudly against the stone pavement. Leaves flew more into the shed as it started getting stuck to her hair and the floor began to flood. The rains were getting stronger and come to think of it, wasn't Mai still playing? She shivered slightly; hopefully Mai came out okay.

Suddenly, lightning crackled throughout the sky as Kiyone whimpered and hid at the corner of the shed.

"I HATE LIGHTNING AND THUNDER," Kiyone impishly stuck her tongue out at the grey thunder clouds looming over her head before picking up a rock and throwing it pointlessly at the sky. "YOU SUCK!"

The lightning and thunder roared back at her and sent her this time, hiding under the bench. Kiyone's bright blue eyes loomed up to see nothing but gray skies; she frowned slightly and pursed her lips – the sandy blonde remembered when they were nearly taken in by some slave organization. She also remembered when she found out her captain's true name. But then, did her captain even know? Shizuru never looked like she knew anything about her past or her name for that matter. Everything was about tennis, school and drama to them. There were times they would laugh, crack jokes but other than that – they were very dead-set in winning the nationals. Actually, it sounded cool to her too and having a medal for a paper weight instead of the typical crystal rock. Ayane had dragged her into becoming her doubles partner because she couldn't play volley for crap and Kiyone remembered hooting her butt off for it. However, a scowl appeared on her face when she remembered what Vera had told her.

"_You're not worthy to even be a doubles pair."_

Directly, it would be insulting Ayane but Kiyone felt the brunt of the hit as well. Kiyone played normally as the one who took orders, the attacker as Ayane and Haruka had explained to her. Kiyone always kicked up the pace, confused the people, called them weird nicknames to throw them off guard (which she had really done so ever since Elementary) but when Kiyone heard the cheer coming from the Hyotei bleachers – it changed a lot. She couldn't understand what possessed her to take the lead in the match and inwardly, Kiyone felt bad for Sakuno for having such a weird doubles partner. Kiyone pursed her lips at trying to figure out how Sakuno and Jerrard became partners. Sakuno was the complete opposite; Kiyone had gone to the bakery where Sakuno had taken a part time job in and boy did her cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate hit the spot! The girl happily complied with her order and sometimes personally made the cinnamon rolls or every Thursday so the volleyist thought. Kiyone grinned happily at the thought of getting a warm cup of hot chocolate with her usual clover design made by the milk and freshly baked cinnamon rolls especially with the cinnamon syrup and the baked enamelled vanilla cream dripping off the rolls. However, she frowned once again while trying to figure out how to bring down the Heartbreaker. She did it during their game but the best way would be to destroy it before it had a chance to make an appearance.

"The Rise of the Clovers," Kiyone pondered deeply before looking straight into the sky, placing her hands together to try and form a clover. "That would be cool... That would be a cool name..."

As the thunder and lightning roared and drummed throughout the sky, Kiyone suddenly and defiantly shook her head to shake out the water before stomping into the wildly crashing raindrops before yelling at the grey thunder skies.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, YOU BIG FAT BULLY! GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT!"

Suddenly, the thunder roared again and the tree bent down as if to swat her. With her tennis reflexes, Kiyone immediately jumped out of the way before running back into the shed and cowering under the bench again. The skies became much darker and greyer as the leaves continued to rustle wildly. Kiyone whimpered softly while looking at the raging storm before closing her eyes at the loud howling and crackling of the thunder.

"You know, if we were playing Hide and Seek – you would've won first prize."

Kiyone blinked several times as someone crouched right in front of the bench and found a familiar face with a boyish smirk crossed over his lips. "O-Oshitari Kenya-_san_?"

The moment he had left his team behind, Kenya had no idea that the little girl had vanished from her team.

He had been focusing on the match just like everyone else. Shizuru and Fuuka's match pretty much drove everyone up the wall and at the edge of their seat to see who was getting the point or winning the game for that matter. But the rain soon started tilting things into Hyotei's favour after seeing Mai gain back the fluidity of her movements and the match. The speed the dancer had rivalled his and he was supposed to be the _Naniwa _Speed Star. But the determination of the youngest player of Hyotei really caught his eye. The Rise of the Clovers – the name definitely described how much power she actually had. Kenya smirked lightly as he took off his jersey jacket and threw it onto the bench while trying to pull out a very terrified Kiyone from under the bench.

"They weren't kidding when they said you were terrified of lightning," Kenya chuckled smoothly while leading out Kiyone from a scrunched area under the bench. "Wow, you really are flexible. I had no idea you could squeeze yourself under a gap like that."

Kiyone whimpered as she suddenly began violently trembling with Kenya pulling his jacket and throwing it over her shoulders. "Eh?"

"You're gonna need it," Kenya glanced out at the sky while drawing in his _Kansai _accent, noticing the rain getting lighter. "Well, I think we can try going back. I happened to pass by another shed so I think we can make it. The rain's getting unpredictable these days."

Kiyone nodded until Kenya dropped onto the ground, facing his back towards her. "Huh? What are you doing?"

"You're not going anywhere with flooded shoes and soaked socks," Kenya smirked his usual boyish smirk, gesturing his back to Kiyone. "I'll get us back in no time."

Kiyone puffed up her cheeks at the incredulousness of the idea; Kenya offering her a piggy back ride? What was she – 8 years old? Okay, she did have the appearance but it did not mean she could be easily be bribed by food or candy. Then again, Momo's constant shoving of a coffee bun into her mouth contradicted her statement. So did the cinnamon rolls every time Ayane and she would pass by the coffee shop to eat and discuss things for school or whichever.

"Okay," Kiyone feebly climbed onto his back before locking her arms around his neck, making sure she didn't choke him. "Sorry..."

Kenya grinned boyishly, bringing Kiyone and treading forward carefully but with speed nonetheless. "No problem, just keep the jacket on okay? Despite the rain, I'm still Naniwa's Speed Star!"

Kiyone blinked before pointing behind her, waving her hands frantically. "Wait, we have to look for Yane-Yane!"

"Kiyone!"

The sandy blonde's face immediately brightened up when she saw Ayane returning back, worried and soaked. Marui on the other hand looked like had been dragged across the whole country side as Kiyone smiled weakly.

"I want a cinnamon roll."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Atoli struggled with sliding and slipping around as the court remained completely wet and slippery. Mai on the other hand seemingly started to dance and even started swaying her hips a few times to keep her balance as her shots echoed with more force. She watched Mai slowly lose her stoic composure and become more determined and more vibrant about the match. Atoli forehanded the shot as the lightning crackled throughout the sky. Water splashed as Atoli slid across the court and unleashed _Anemoi: Lips_ at Mai, watching the _tensai_ stagger a bit slightly from the slipperiness of the court.

_Now's the time!_

Mai seemingly fell back but not before a triumphant crooked grin appeared on her lips. "Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm gonna beat your butt now! THIS... IS FOR HYOTEI! The weight of the tournament and Nationals is not just for my captain to carry but everyone else as well!"

_Anemoi: Lips_ suddenly started to stop spinning as Mai punched herself up back to a standing position, catching the ball exactly next to her. Suddenly, the dancer launched the shot with a familiar spear-like speed as it zoomed right past Atoli. People began loudly exclaiming "it's the _Kosouku Yaribana_!", "Mai-_sama_ will win this!" The explosion echoed loudly and repeatedly in the _tensai_'s ears as the ball slowly rolled off towards the wall. Everyone was shocked and Seigaku's faces became distraught but not disheartened. Atoli bit her lower lip before falling to the ground in despair.

"Game and match, Nagisaki: six games to four! HYOTEI GAKUEN IS THE CHAMPION FOR THE REGIONALS TOURNAMENT!"

Atoli stared in shock and disgrace at the ugly score that sat in front of her. She could distinctly hear the loud cheering and chants of Hyotei echoing behind her until she found Fuuka patting her shoulder.

"You did well but Nagisaki will fall the next time," Fuuka glanced at the whole Hyotei team and supporters rushing forward except for their limping captain, smiling lightly. " Hyotei's definitely a growing team. Their captain is still in her prime and so is their _tensai_. I'm sure they have prospects lined up to replace the seniors and I'm sure they're training them already. Don't worry too much about it; but as Nationals come – you'll definitely win. After all, she gave you the answer to your problem didn't she?"

Atoli stared in surprise before hanging her head with a small smile. "Yes..."

"Yes, she did."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**I wanted to give Mai some development so here it is! I know it's not as epic as Shizuru and Fuuka but I wanted something that could punch Mai out of her daze. Please don't forget to review!**


	60. Straight Through The Heart

**Me: Finally, Hyotei pulls of the win! So, what happens now with the Regionals coming to an end? Will Niou finally pull himself out of his bad boy ways? Will Atobe understand Ayane? Can Marui sort himself out? Who will Ayane choose? Will Tezuka make a move? So many questions! Thank you also for all the reviews you have all given me. I am highly appreciative and grateful for all the support. I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 60 - Straight through the Heart

Shishido stared at himself in the mirror, looking at himself disdainfully. He had never imagined himself having another shot at redemption after rejecting her chocolates. The dash specialist inhaled deeply before checking his clothes. If ever, he might be severely underdressed. He wanted to give Isane the freedom of choosing the place where she wanted to go for today since he himself couldn't think of a nice place to bring her. The Sniper however abashedly insisted for him to be the one to plan as she wasn't sure how he was with things she liked doing or liked places she would rather go to. His sienna coloured orbs narrowed at his reflection in the mirror before noticing the picture of himself in first year. It was his class picture with Gakuto being his usual jumpy and mocking self while Jirou had almost completely nodded off to sleep. His brown hair cascaded past his shoulders back then hence the ponytail. However, he couldn't help but notice silver haired giantess standing at the very back. Isane even in her first year was already tall for someone her age. Her silver hair long time ago had been a pair of braided pigtails. She had a shy yet glowing smile on her face while desperately trying to hide her height with not much success. Shishido felt a chuckle bubble in his throat. It was so easy to find the girl in their class picture.

"Alright," Shishido cracked his neck before throwing on his backpack. "It's game time."

Walking towards Isane's house sent shivers down his spine. He remembered how Sasuke was willing to put a bullet in between his eyes. Itachi seemed the calmer one between the two brothers but both would be furious at him at their own right. Isane had been extremely forgiving but what about her father and her two brothers? Come to think of it, he had barely seen Isane's mother around the house. It was always the three men watching over the female sniper. He wondered though who he should be more afraid of: Itachi, commander of the police force and master pistol marksman, Sasuke, the hand-to-hand combat specialist and a dual handgun specialist or the father who probably knew more than both of the boys put together. Isane at least inherited her mother's meek and mild personality despite being a maser sniper.

_Damn, I hope her brothers don't shoot me the moment I walk through the door..._

He chuckled at the thought of having the female Hyotei team coming out as a mercenary group. If he remembered right, Hitomi was a chemical analyst, Haruka and Rin were Kung-Fu and Wu Shu practitioners and Ayane was Ayane. He shuddered at the thought of being punched by the buxom tangerine haired girl considering she wrestled Kabaji and gave him a good run for his money and pulled off a license car plate before bludgeoning Atobe with it. Shishido chuckled dryly at the thought; Japanese version of the Expendables in female form. Kiyone had her flexible wrists to fling yo-yos at people or perhaps her famous so-called "infectious rabies bite" and Momo had _kendo_ to back her up. Shizuru on the other hand had the reputation a year ago for dealing things via Knock-Out. That wasn't exactly what he was looking for; Shishido nervously swallowed his saliva upon thinking of the possible ways each of the regulars could possibly finish him off. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Shishido looked up and found the huge white westernized house in front of him. Inhaling deeply, the capped dash specialist weakly removed his cap before shakily pressing the button on the door.

_Ding dong._

Shishido could feel his whole body shivering all the way down to his converse sneakers. If ever, he wanted to shoot himself for shivering so violently right in front of the door. As soon as the door opened, the dash specialist immediately began praying for Isane to be the one to answer the door and shut his eyes tightly. Instead, he heard something cock and reload right in front of him as a piece of cold steel touched his forehead. When he opened his eyes, instead - he found a black haired male standing around his height with a dark ominous emerald glare while holding two hand guns one in each hand.

_Shit, it's Sasuke_, Shishido shivered but immediately kicked himself to buck up.

"What are you doing here," Sasuke glared coldly with murderous intention dripping from every side, almost tightening his finger around the trigger. "If you're here to break my sister's heart again, I'm going to unload a full clip at your face. And if _Amaterasu_ and _Tsukiyomi_ won't work - I'm sure _Susano-o _will."

Shishido wanted to run but decided to stand his ground and kick back his fear; no way was he letting this guy take advantage of the fact he had guns to his head! "Look Sasuke, can we talk like normal people instead of you unloading an entire clip on something so petty?"

Before Sasuke and he could get into a glaring match, Shishido immediately softened up the moment he heard his name from the door.

"Shishido-_kun_!"

The capped dash specialist swivelled his head towards the tall female standing behind her glaring younger brother as the Sniper flicked the back of his head. "Sasuke, stop being mean to our guests. That's rude."

Sasuke scoffed before shoving his hands into his pocket, storming off. "Tch, whatever."

Shishido blinked several times as Isane warmly dusted her jeans before holding onto her messenger bag. "Sorry about my brother. Sasuke's in one of those emo-phases again. Shall we go?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shishido wanted to hit himself for being severely underprepared.

Other than having no idea where to go other than walking around the entire city of Tokyo, he had no idea where to bring her. He couldn't exactly drum up ideas until a street market caught his eye. Shishido bit his lower lip; should he drag her there or not? Isane on the other hand seemed particularly content with simply just walking around. He watched her emerald green eyes glisten in contentment as she breathed in the fresh breeze while watching the other kids running around with their balloons. The capped specialist looked to and fro before finally sighing to himself; he looked at her and found her so ideally distracted. Without thinking, his hand immediately jumped out to get her hand.

"Let's go there," Shishido immediately grabbed her hand before pulling him along with her.

"Eh," Isane began blushing madly as the smell of mint from his usual bubblegum wafted into her nose. _Wah, how did I suddenly get all giddy all about this?_

However, the scent of mint reminded her also of a foxy man who she had come to know.

She laughed a little as Shishido started jumping from shop to shop. His eyes widened in amusement as he found little trinkets being sold. Isane also found some nice bracelets but instead of a smile, the silver blue stones caused a slight frown to mar her features. The silver linings and carvings on the bracelet reminded her heart of the heartbreak back at Rikkai. Did he intentionally lead her on or was she just that stupid not to see it right away? She knew Niou was a trickster but the way he brought her around and acted around her felt very real.

"I think emerald green is more your colour," Isane snapped herself out of her daze as she found Shishido holding up a vintage brass pocket watch with an emerald face and brass numbering.

Isane fingered the engraving and intricate designs as a smile curved up her lips. "It looks beautiful."

Seeing her expression brighten up considerably, Shishido immediately placed the bills down before handing the pocket watch to Isane. "Here you go."

Isane stared agape at the capped dash specialist, stammering with a bright blush."B-but you...!"

Shishido inwardly chuckled before blushing himself; he soon began sputtering and averting his gaze from her. "J-Just take it alright? I bought it for you."

Isane weakly took the pocket watch as cautiously held the pocket watch in her hands. She glanced around before taking notice on a couple of CDs and then a few rings. Her father never allowed her to go around alone especially in markets. Usually, her older brother would avoid the darker or the crowded districts. Sasuke on the other hand was well - either at home reading and shooting or being his usual emo self. A small laugh escaped her lips, catching Shishido's attention.

"You look so much like Sasuke when you start pouting," Isane giggled lightly while placing the pocket watch around her neck.

Shishido scowled slightly, averting his eyes away from her cheery expression. He remembered the time she gave him the chocolates - her expression had been extremely cheerful that day despite them being bombarded by a history long test, Latin orals and a music presentation. That was first time he had been so panicked in his life; Latin and languages had never been his forte. He had no idea how Atobe had been so capable in memorizing the languages and still have enough energy to rub things in people's faces. Shishido remembered how the both of the managed to become orals partners. The both of them continued walking around as they found pets on one side and some children eating some of the _takoyaki._

"So where do you wanna go now," Shishido glanced around after seeing all the stalls.

Isane glanced around before taking note of an Arcade on one side before glancing back at Shishido. "Umm..."

"What is it, Uchi- I mean, Isane-_chan_," Shishido raised an eyebrow, mentally slapping himself. _Damn you Oshitari, none of your advices are freakin' helping!_

_Flashback_

"I need you to teach me how to romance a girl," Shishido grabbed Oshitari by the collar, slamming him against the railing.

Oshitari whistled slightly, plucking off Shishido's fingers easily with a chuckle bubbling from his throat. "Now now, take it easy Shishido. You're becoming very jumpy. The one thing women love is a very smooth and suave man. You have to walk with your head high and straight back. You stride with style."

Shishido stared at him stupidly before blinking several times, trying to walk suave. "Dude what the hell-?"

Oshitari shook his head disdainfully, tugging Shishido along. "It seems we have a lot to do. And for starters, we have to work on your brazen and crude attitude. That never attracts a woman."

_End of Flashback_

Shishido sighed deeply to himself; Oshitari definitely subjected him to all sorts of etiquette fixing which included dancing and even the way he dressed and spoke. What was wrong with wearing a normal shirt with a pair of jeans and loafers? Oshitari had even told him to ditch his cap but Shishido found himself feeling naked without it. It was what made him the way he was after all. But since Oshitari had insisted he look good, Shishido ended up wearing a white collared quarter sleeved shirt and a pair of jet black pants and black loafers that he grabbed off Oshitari. The _kansai _prodigy pretty much drilled him on everything including on where to bring a girl, what to get a girl and how to talk to a girl. Who knew going on a date could be so damn complicated, Shishido grumbled mentally to himself while watching Isane stare distantly towards some place. The capped dash specialist tugged his collared shirt lightly, allowing himself some breathing space.

Shishido groaned while making sure his hair was flat, wiping the sweat away from his face. "So," - he scratched his nose sheepishly. "So where would you like to go?"

Isane swallowed hard, looking at the Arcade before shyly pointing there. "Do you mind?"

Shishido's eyes widened before excitedly dragging Isane to the Arcade. "Do I?! What are we waiting for?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mai sighed deeply while walking along the stage, looking straight into the ceiling. She inhaled deeply and danced around the stage, letting the light shine down. She smiled brightly at the blazing stage lights. She slightly scratched her nose before looking at her green coloured hand with a sigh; she mentally noted to bring green coloured powder instead of allowing people to spray paint her with an entire can. Then again, Mai found herself standing as a wicked witch; the irony of it - she could actually see herself ripping apart Yukimura and Rena from one another to tell him the truth. A sigh escaped her lips; people would call her a "home-wrecker" for that. However, on the stage - everything was different. The stage was her world; Mai twirled and danced around as she whirled around in her black dress. Other people stared in amazement as the centre light drifted from one place before shining down on her. Although the tennis court had given her so many memories, there was one memory she could not let go of.

"So if you care to find me," Mai spread her arms and raised them high into the air, gazing at the imaginary crowd only to see her director and head producer. "Look to the western skies! As someone told me lately that everyone deserves a chance to fly? And if I'm flying solo at least I'm flying free! To those who ground me - Take a message back from me!"

Mai felt her body tingle with excitement as she continued dancing around, gliding across the stage. She remembered the match she had with Atoli especially with the wind djinns making their appearances. The excitement in tennis racked her to her very core but feeling the spotlight blazing down on her - that was true art!

_Tell them how I am defying gravity!_

_I'm flying high; defying gravity!_

Mai twirled around with her black dress flowing in the air with her amber eyes glimmered proudly with excitement. Although she didn't have make-up on, Mai could feel the thrill of dancing on stage. She inhaled deeply before casting back her eyes towards the imaginary crowd.

"And soon, I'll be renowned! And nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was - is ever gonna bring," Mai inhaled sharply as the lights flashed even brighter as she hit the high notes. "Me down!"

_I hope you're happy!_

_Look at her, she's wicked! Get her!_

Mai belted her last few notes, watching men and women in green suits converging towards her. "Bring me down!"

So we shall bring her," the people crowded with their spears pointed at her.

Mai shut her eyes tightly before hitting the last note; there was no way she could foul it up. "Ahhhh!"

"-Down!"

And with that, the lights went out as Mai let down the smoke bomb before laughing maniacal similarly to that of a witch. The other people drew back as the spears clattered onto the ground. As Mai found herself standing in the darkness, she wondered how it was like to be in the confinement of four walls. She shivered at the thought of being caged in a room let alone her own body. Although she didn't know exactly what Guillain-Barré syndrome was; she remembered how he suddenly collapsed when he had been helping her with Broadway performance.

_Flashback_

Eleven year old Nagisaki Mai danced around in a black ballet tutu. She watched black feathers dance around her as the lights slowly dimmed into a dark red light. She wore her black feather mask while her pale face glistened under the spotlight with her pale pink cheeks glimmering. She twirled around lightly and leapt gracefully. She inhaled deeply before performing a pirouette.

"Alright, that's enough," - Mai snapped her head up as the music stopped, watching the director bring someone in.

"Why Reishi-_nii_," Mai pouted a little, seeing that she had been cut off.

The director, her older cousin brought in a bluenette effeminate looking male. But ever since Mai had seen the boy back at Hyotei, she was very careful to make sure she was looking at a boy and not a girl. Shizuru was already the worst case when they both got into a fist fight although Shizuru was the one who inflicted more damage. A pout curved up her lips; why do people keep cross dressing nowadays? It made no sense to her or to anyone for that matter! Mai frowned upon remembering the time Shizuru had first walked into her classroom. Many people had suspected Shizuru for being a boy due to her short messy hair but the moment she started speaking, Mai resisted the urge of howling in laughter and chiding the girl right there and then for looking so much like a male. However, Mai's eyes widened the moment the effeminate bluenette looked up with amazing lavender eyes.

She pointed in astonishment at the familiar bluenette. "You!"

The bluenette smiled serenely with his usual calm face. "Ah, so it seems. I had not thanked you properly, Nagisaki-_chan_."

Mai blushed bright red abashedly, looking at the ground. "Oh, um - I didn't expect to see you here, Yukimura-_san_."

The effeminate blue haired boy laughed softly. "I've always wanted to try out for the arts you see. But I had tennis also to deal with. When I heard that Hyotei's _tensai_ had been studying here, I was hoping to get a few pointers. Oh and please, just call me Yukimura-_kun_."

Reishi chuckled in amusement, clapping his hands and letting Yukimura go to the stage. "Alright, we have a new member in our cast today. Treat him well - he's a pretty good singer and his movement coordination is a lot better than it looks."

Yukimura bowed down humbly before smiling at the cast members. "Hello, my name is Yukimura Seiichi. I know I am nothing compared to you all in terms of art but I will do the best I can to help you. Please take good care of me!"

The cast members warmly received him as they started showing him the ropes. Days began to pass as Yukimura slowly began gaining his bearing throughout the plays with him dancing with the other members. He would wobble every once in awhile but Mai started him off fairly easy and he soon started picking things up. Yukimura blinked several times as Mai started teaching him how to dance and spin around, giggling as he tried to kick back for ballet. Clearly, Yukimura's body had been used to being stiff from swinging his tennis racquet. Days passed, Mai found herself in her dress rehearsal with Yukimura and her other cousin as they prepared for the dance-off of the white swan and the black swan. The bluenette soon began following her as he started dancing towards her in a white prince suit. Her eyes glimmered in amazement as he caught her gently before fluidly dancing across the stage. His hands didn't grip hers out of fear but were more of a gentle guidance. Yukimura maintained a gentle smile as the music and the orchestra continued to play. Mai felt her whole world dim softly as she spun around and let Yukimura embrace her. As the black swan, Mai soon found the white swan dancing towards him as she spun Yukimura behind her with a protective gaze as was her part.

"Cut! That was beautiful!"

Mai relaxed her stance as she shook her hands with her cousin after the lights dimmed out, smiling cheerfully. "You were great!"

Her cousin smiled happily, shaking Mai's hands vigorously. "You were too!"

Mai spun around before running towards Yukimura, grabbing both his hands. "You really came a long way, Yukimura-_kun_!"

The bluenette smiled kindly, bowing modestly at Mai. "Thank you but it's because I had a very talented teacher."

Mai blushed bright red before averting her eyes away from Yukimura. "N-No, you did so much more... I...!"

However, all of a sudden - Yukimura's hands suddenly tightened as Mai noticed his breathing suddenly became more laboured. His eyes dilated all of a sudden when he fell forward right towards Mai. His arms dangled limply with his breathing completely going to a stop.

"YUKIMURA-_KUN_!"

_Flashback End_

Mai bit her lower lip while glancing at the pseudo-sky set-up before getting off the stage. Inhaling deeply, she walked towards her dressing room labelled with her name on it. Ever since the Regionals had ended, the Nagisaki Entertainment Company boomed louder than ever with her returning to the stage. Her cousin became intensely busy with the Wicked Broadway they were putting out. She glanced at her posters, revealing pictures of Idina Menzel, Sierra Boggess and Sarah Brightman. She smiled lightly when the other lights revealed the male Broadway stars such as Ramin Karimloo, Michael Crawford and Julian Overden. She sighed deeply before falling onto her Arabian style cushions, staring in the ceiling.

_I hope he got better from it._

"Gather around everyone!"

Mai immediately rushed outside with the director gathering all the cast members. Her cousin walked in before revealing a sheaf of tickets in his hand.

"I'm sure you'd like your families and friends to see this grand production of Wicked," Reishi smiled confidently, handing out the tickets. "After all, the Nagisaki Academy for Dramatics has never directed a failure. So, make sure you choose carefully. I have given you twenty tickets each. We saved the VIP tickets for each and one of you. Remember, choose wisely."

Mai blinked several times as she received her sheaf of tickets, counting each and every one of them. She began counting in her head - her team alone composed of nine tickets. However, a sly smile curved up her lips and she shoved the tickets into her bag. Many of the other cast members started chatting and squealing at the tickets before counting each and every one of them. Some had been going to their boyfriends, another to their families. The opportunity had presented itself - all she needed now was willing accomplices. All she had to do was tell the team about it. Shizuru had never missed one of her plays; ever since they had become friends - Shizuru had always made time for the plays to see her perform along with the seniors. That was one thing Mai had forgotten to thank Naomi for however; the older brunette captain had called going to see Mai's performance as a bonding session and that the stage is where they could see the truth better than anywhere else.

The _tensai_ couldn't agree more.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ayane bit her lower lip as she started packing her tennis racquet and extra clothes into her gym bag before looking out the window. The bright sun created a small pool in her sandy yellow room that was decorated with green straw reeds in white jars along with her wooden bed leaning against the wall. Her walls were decorated with drawings of reeds sitting near the lakeside. The white windows were covered by floating white translucent curtains as the sunlight managed to penetrate through the curtains. Her dresses lay scattered on the bed with some of her dumb bells lay on the ground next to her strawberry patterned slippers. She started packing her other tennis things until a white towel came into her view with the initials A.K. on it. Ayane blinked several times; wait, was this Anne Klein or...? Ayane frowned slightly as she traced her fingers on it.

A.K. also meant another... Atobe Keigo.

Ayane bit her lower lip darkly while she held the towel in her hand. She remembered the day Atobe had thrown the towel in her face when Oishi and she had been talking. The tangerine haired girl sighed deeply; Atobe really only thought in one direction. If anything, Atobe always shot straight rather even if he had already made a mistake. Ayane groaned in annoyance; it must've been the time he had gone to England to study or something.

"What was Keigo thinking," Ayane kicked her dumb bell away with a frustrated grumble, flopping down onto her bed. "He's such an idiot that stupid mole diva."

The tangerine haired vice captain glanced at her tennis racquet before she stashed it away in her bag. What did Vera want with Atobe exactly? Was it to rub salt in the wound? The thing that irked her more was: how did Vera find out that they had some mutual relationship or maybe a romantic relationship? Growling in annoyance, Ayane picked up a tennis ball before bouncing it off her wall. As the sound echoed loudly, the tennis ball zoomed back to her as Ayane caught the ball before completely crushing the ball in her hand. Exhausted and annoyed, she opened her laptop and began scrolling through her playlist with not much idea. She clicked the play button as Demi Lovato's voice blared through her stereos.

_Let me give your heart a break_

_Give your heart a break._

"Give your heart a break," Ayane whispered in a hollow silence while staring straight at the ceiling.

Her loss against Jerrard left her wandering around; she curled her hands into a fist and tried to figure out what exactly allowed Jerrard to win while punching the wall. Vera had easily ransacked her mind and Ayane was certain that there was a throbbing inside her for her to rage at her with berserker fury and break her into pieces physically. She remembered how her blood boiled at the sight of her and how Vera laughed and mocked their capability as a doubles pair. But what stunned her more was how Kiyone easily took over her role and pulled her back. Kiyone however handled the fight better than she expected; Ayane bit her lower lip as she remembered how Kiyone managed to fend off both players in a singles versus doubles match. Kiyone had never shown that kind of ability before; where did she get that power?

_Probably she gained it from her other friends. Kiyone soaks up everything like a sponge._

Ayane sighed deeply as she slung her bag over her shoulder, checking her wallet for money. Today, she would push herself to newer heights. Everyone had been evolving and jumping over their obstacles easily but she could barely feel any improvement on herself. Marui had offered on the day she lost to train with her to help her become a full-rounded player. Soon, she began walking towards the train station headed towards Kanagawa since Rikkai still had training during the summer. No wonder Hyotei barely had a chance against them; she definitely had a slight idea on how Yukimura worked them to the ground. Marui would text her at night saying how exhausted he was and how he couldn't drag himself out of bed. Hopefully, Yukimura or Sanada didn't kill them before she got there. Soon, her phone began vibrating as a familiar number appeared on her screen.

_To: Kobayagi Ayane_

_From: Marui Bunta_

_Hey Yane-Yane, fukubuchou allowed me to have you train with us today! ^_^_

_He's also asking a favour that kind of involves clobbering Niou with a right hook or something._

_I have a few baseball bats here from my brother; I can lend you one if you wanna leave marks on Niou! ^_^_

_Oh btw, I'm at the train station already! :)_

Ayane giggled softly before thinking about what Niou had done to Isane. As the bullet train began to move, Ayane glanced put the window to see the passing tall skyscrapers and buildings. She saw blimps at LED screens flashing news and all sorts of things but nothing did give her an answer. She glanced at the other people sitting around; some of the men were old and were reading newspapers. Little children were excitedly looking out the window as they continued bouncing up and down happily. Ayane smiled lightly at the kids until she found a couple kissing one another at one side of the bullet train. She frowned slightly; were they always this unlucky with love? Rin and Kajimoto according to Mai had been working well and famously. Although Isane did have a very forgiving personality, Ayane knew at one point it could break. Did Niou really do that on purpose? She couldn't tell as she texted back.

_To: Marui Bunta_

_From: Kobayagi Ayane_

_Hi I just finished fixing up my stuff. _

_Sorry for the late response!_

_I had a lot of things to think about. ._

_Hopefully there are no delays but I'll be there in 10 minutes!_

Satisfied, Ayane smiled as she clicked "send" before looking out the window once again. The buildings sped by as a small relaxed smile curved up her lips. She could imagine the winds in her hair but chose to close her eyes for a moment.

_Dream_

A tennis court suddenly appeared in her mind as Ayane found herself standing at the middle of it. She found herself in the tennis courts until the tennis ball cracked past her ear. Her emerald green eyes widened with shock as something exploded right behind her. Her whole body tensed as she immediately swivelled her head around only to find Kiyone plastered on the ground. The sandy blonde girl remained on the ground completely unmoving as Ayane stared in horror.

_Kiyone!_

Ayane opened her mouth to yell only to have no sound come out of it. She grabbed her throat, trying to wring out her voice. Where did it go? Her eyes widened as Kiyone mechanically stood up again as the ball zoomed towards the smaller girl with Kiyone pushing herself to attack the ball. Shots echoed back and forth as Kiyone started volleying without showing any hesitation or any intention to fall back. Her body trembled as she immediately darted forward upon finding a tennis racquet lying in front of her. She rushed towards Kiyone's side before attacking the shot. However, she found herself completely astonished as her eyes widened when the ball mysteriously passed through her racquet. As the ball echoed behind her, Kiyone stumbled over and fell to the ground with her body all covered in dirt.

Ayane frantically searched around until a haunting howling laughter rang in her ears.

"YOU'RE NOT WORTHY TO EVEN BE CALLED A DOUBLES PAIR!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU'RE THE WEAKEST AMONG THE HYOTEI PLAYERS!"

The murmurings and the mocking echoed louder as Ayane felt the whole world laughing and sneering at her. Lights blazed down on her as the tennis court distorted into the darkness with howling laughter and sneering echoing in all surround. She trembled violently while staring in horror. Ayane fell to her knees, covering her ears before screaming into the darkness. "SHUT UP!"

"Ayane."

As the silence wedged itself amongst the howling, she suddenly found a pair of familiar icy blue eyes staring back at her. The whole scene suddenly became dark as she found herself suspended in mid-air. Her body shivered when a familiar king stood before her. His eyes no longer revealed arrogance but a more menacing and haunted look as he started advancing towards her. Ayane choked in order to force herself to breathe as he stopped two inches away from her. His eyes stared down at her for moment until a sinister sneer suddenly bubbled from his throat which then evolved into a cruel mocking laughter echoing in the air. The tangerine haired girl shivered at the cold wind licking her skin as her emerald green eyes widened at his words.

"You dare think that you could have become _ore-sama's _queen, mongrel?"

Her heart pounded wildly with agony as she backed away, wondering how long the nightmare was going to last. Was all this real? Why did everything come out so vivid? Where was all this coming from? Ayane trembled with tears threatening to fall out of her eyes as another voice entered the scene.

"The so-called Queen of Hearts has like been so totally beaten."

Ayane looked up fearfully only to see Vera draping her arms all over Atobe with a sultry cynical smile. Atobe on the other hand didn't seem bothered too much that she was right there. Atobe chuckled haughtily as he teasingly brushed away Vera's arms. The blonde Seishun Gakuen vice captain giggled lightly as he trailed her skin with baby kisses.

"Now we shouldn't shock the little girl," Atobe chuckled haughtily with icy blue eyes suddenly glinting with cruel madness. "After all, most of her brains went to her so-called assets."

Ayane shivered as their laughter howled and thundered in her ears before she let out a wail of fear.

"AYANE!"

_Dream End_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Marui had been glancing at his watch and waiting to see a very chipper and determined Ayane. What he didn't expect to find was a wildly thrashing tangerine haired female screaming and shuddering violently in fear. People suddenly began crowding around her as Marui tries to look over the crowd but nobody would move until he shoved them out of his way. His eyes widened when he finally found Ayane screaming in a hysterical fit. Without thinking, he immediately jumped towards her and began shaking her.

"Ayane," Marui shook her roughly, panicking that she wasn't responding. "AYANE-_CHAN_!"

Ayane's eyes snapped open before she finally stopped flailing her arms wildly, causing her to snap her head in different directions. Her body was trembling with sweat pouring down her face and her complexion becoming increasingly pale and her emerald green eyes were widening with fear. Upon seeing all the people staring at her and Marui holding her hands, Ayane could only wonder - why did everything seem so real?

Why did her heart start pumping wildly and when did her body start screaming as if it were on fire?

On the other hand, Marui frowned at Ayane's current distressed state. He took her hand before leading her out and slinging her bag over his shoulder. Every step seemed so cautious - it was as if her loss had completely crushed her spirits. She trembled as if unsure with every step she took until Marui guided her to the bench. As she sat down shakily, Marui sat next to her as he watched her trying to regain her bearing. Definitely a nightmare; he wasn't stupid. He didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know who and what were the causes of the nightmare.

_I bet Atobe had something to do with it! Stupid idiot!_

Had Atobe given him nothing but empty threats? Marui frowned darkly at the thought of Atobe taking advantage of Ayane's kindness. She may have been the loudest girl he had ever met but she definitely had more heart than most girls. She meant so much; in Rikkai - the girls liked him for being the Magician of Rikkai Dai. It was all for the fame and glory but talking to Ayane made him feel normal. She didn't mind that he was a tennis player; they had shared candy together and even interests. He had been wanting to learn how to play a guitar from Ayane but cursed his horrible schedule and why did Rikkai give him such a crappy schedule. He liked seeing her smile too but that whole deal thing he made with Atobe - why did he accept that when he knew he was going to lose in a Singles match? Atobe had made short work of him and Sanada had backhanded him like anything. Marui winced at the pain of the memory, getting hit by Sanada was like getting hit by a bullet train straight on. Yukimura luckily had not been there to witness the loss but even Kirihara had laughed at him. He narrowed his eyes at a random dust speck on the ground; he never had felt so small in his life but it wasn't too bad. Marui found himself working more on his cardio in the gym even until the late nights. His legs burned like anything but Marui told himself it was worth it. But...

Not being able to spend time with a girl who saw him for him felt like him being castrated ten times over.

Marui inhaled deeply as he recalled the times he had been plastered by Sanada and Yukimura before. Fighting them was fighting for your life - every shot they had fired at him had the intent on destroying him or reducing him into a useless piece of mush or trash. However, although it was psychologically damaging - Marui found himself somewhat appreciative for his _buchou_'s sadistic tendencies and Sanada's perpetually strict and merciless disposition. His opponents didn't know what to expect and were probably admonished by his inability to be startled unless it was something out of nowhere like his bubblegum being banned. Now that would have been a calamity! He frowned slightly at Shizuru's method and morals for the team; he found Shizuru's way of leading her team being a bit too cushioning. She had shielded them constantly from the psychological wars and dealt with them herself but never gave them the chance to combat along with her. Ayane and Kiyone, being new in the field, Marui knew the horrors of facing someone older and more experienced than himself in his favourite field but it was something they were bound to deal with eventually. Haruka and Rin clearly had more experience in dealing with psychological warfare and Mai was the master at it along with the captain.

"I," Ayane hiccupped before burying her face into her hands, sobbing softly. "Oh my God, I am a mess. What's happening to me?"

Marui pulled her closer while grinning cheerfully, draping his arm on her shoulder. "Well, we're just gonna have to clean you up now aren't we?"

Ayane looked up with her tear-stained face as Marui gave her a confident grin, ruffling her tangerine hair.

"_Fukubuchou_ and everyone will help you work on your kinks, Ayane-_chan_. You have my word and _tensai_ never go back on it!"

However, Marui couldn't help but think one thing.

_I'm gonna need Niou and Akaya to help me topple down the king._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

Shizuru stared at the dart board lying in front of her with multiple knives stuck onto it, all intersecting at a certain point. She sighed deeply before recalling the match against Fuuka, glancing at her leg and wondering how it managed to give out at such an important time. She winced slightly at the pain before throwing another knife towards the dart board. As it imbedded itself, Shizuru staggered back before falling back onto the chair, catching her breath. Tezuka had seen her lose and Shizuru found herself realizing how far he truly was and how unreachable. Tezuka had bounced back from his loss so easily while she had her leg that could render her completely helpless. When he went to get a rehabilitation, she wanted to find a way how to tell him that she wanted to play against him again and then perhaps find at some point to tell him how she felt but her pride clamped her mouth shut. In her book, the guys usually did the romancing not the other way around. It was the first time she found herself in the romancing part. Sure women did have a free choice on who to choose but wouldn't she seem desperate? Shizuru shook her head before throwing another knife into the wall until a knock came from the door.

"You busy?"

Shizuru swivelled her head towards the door, packing her knives and politely beckoning. "It's alright. Come in."

As the door opened, Roger Alexandersson revealed a swishing letter in his hand with a smile. "I believe this is for you."

Shizuru's eyes widened with surprise with her heart fluttering a little, causing her to blush. "Oh? He replied?"

Roger chuckled lightly at his subordinate's face; it was one of the few times she had been allowed to act like a normal school girl. "Yeah, don't forget to reply to him soon. Wouldn't wanna keep the man waiting now would you?"

Shizuru swivelled her head towards her superior, raising her eyebrow. "You know him?"

"Heh," Roger laughed sheepishly, scratching his head upon realizing he dropped a clue. "I only assumed the profile of the sender. I mean who else would write letters to you in this day and age? There's such a thing as e-mail after all. I'm going to go with Alisa for patrol tonight. Make sure you get that letter answered."

As Roger left, Shizuru now couldn't help but wonder: why didn't her pen pal use e-mail?

The brunette stared blankly at the letter in her hand, inhaling deeply. She glanced at a small drawer at the lowest part of her shelf, noticing several envelopes stashed away. Shizuru fingered the letter in her hand, feeling her heart jump nervously as her fingers neared the opening. Should she open it or wait until later? The letters had been sent in but Shizuru frowned at her inability to respond immediately. She sighed deeply - someone ought to fix the mailing method in L.X.A. and make things a lot more organized. Kane found one of her letters before with a pressed blue honeysuckle flower in it. Onryou and his brother hooted with laughter when her favourite milk tea suddenly appeared at the door, completely paid for and with a letter a few other days ago. Whatever it was, Shizuru slowly peeled open the envelope before taking a seat on her bed.

_Dear Shizuru-chan,_

_I saw what happened during Hyotei's match; congratulations - you really worked hard to bring them to the top. Your team must be very happy to have you work hard and hopefully, they follow your example. Although, I couldn't help but wonder why you sacrificed yourself. Was it to make yourself a catalyst? Although a heroic effort, is it really necessary to throw away what you want for what they want? Forgive me for my selfish thinking, I found it horrible to witness your self-destruction that day. I wanted to help you; it hurt to see you in pain and to see you self-destruct. It hurt for me to see you to dance your way into destruction. It reminded me of my own stupidity but I realized we had been fighting for the same reason. You inspired me more with the way you play and the way you had continued to carry the torch but also had shared the burden with your members. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I wanted to ask you though - what is it like being a leader? The way you had protected your doubles pair, the way you had desperately fought to make sure they could rise to the top; it's something that puzzled me. What is leadership to you? What is it like being a captain? It's something I couldn't do myself._

Shizuru blinked several times; nobody had asked her questions like this before.

_I understand that you have taken responsibility of your team. You heal their broken spirits and teach them how to bounce back. But I hope they take responsibility for you too - the same way you care for them and the same way... I care for you. The way Souma Fuuka had defeated you may have been brutal but I could not help but feel disgust for myself that it had to be something that extreme to make me realize how much I do think about you. Although your sense of martyrdom and devotion is astonishing and awe-worthy, please watch out for yourself as well. Promise me that you will and I promise you - I will reveal myself to you and be able to convey my message along with something important to you... face to face._

_Yours truly,_

_Anonymous_

Shizuru couldn't help but notice how hard her heart was pounding against her chest. Sighing deeply, Shizuru fell flat on her bed with a satisfied smile curling up her lips. His words sounded severely inspirational; she pondered deeply on the source of her dedication. Shizuru sighed deeply but as she read the letter again she saw Tezuka cupping her cheek before nuzzling her nose gently. Warmth filled her cheeks as she could feel the heat rising up her face. Imagining how he could - wait, it had to stop - NOW! Her eyes widened immediately before she cancelled any other romantic thoughts from her mind. She couldn't believe her mind had been conjuring these images from her mind! She slammed her face into the pillow.

"I'm going crazy," Shizuru whined straight into her pillow before flipping and tossing herself around.

However, she couldn't help but admit how butterflies suddenly started dancing in her stomach based on the thought.

Shizuru stood up from her bed before walking towards the table before pulling out her favourite gel pen, pondering upon what to write. The whole letter thing had been going for awhile now and she couldn't figure out who it could be. She glanced at her e-mail and frowned, even her colleague in writing hadn't been showing up. Her auburn red eyes flickered slightly as she started writing on the sheet of paper. She inhaled deeply before looking at the blank sheet of paper; what should she say now?

_Dear Anonymous,_

_Thank you for your kind words. But I believe that my team is the one who had brought me up more than I ever have them. Sad to say, I'm not as strong as people usually perceive. My strength is based on the bonds that my friends and I have achieved during our years together._

Shizuru couldn't help but feel that she should continue writing.

_In terms of being a catalyst, I can't help but wonder to myself sometimes whether or not I am doing the right thing for my team. There was this one match that I had also seen from a rival school but he did the same thing that I did. It inspired me really; to see someone so unhesitant on whether or not he should sacrifice for the team. I envy that kind of straightforwardness. The way he inspires his team was something I wish I had. But..._

Shizuru bit her lower lip while looking at the letter carefully. Did sacrificing really mean anything to her or was she simply fooling around? She had always imagined tennis to be that intense but this one man she had never met started showing his concern. He had confessed to her outright that he did care for her and hold heavy affections for her. Now if only she knew who he was posed to be a problem. The brunette sighed at the letter before inhaling deeply to begin writing once more.

_Somehow, I begin to wonder whether I am really that selfless. Or was it all just a ruse to find a way towards him? To understand how he feels? I have seen him play so many times and I understand how you feel about me destroying myself. I felt that way too when I watched him throw himself unhesitatingly into a path of destruction. He had played until he could no longer lift his shoulder and he was already cringing in agony. Sad to say, I don't have the courage that you have to tell him that I care and that he should just stop. But it would have murdered his pride. I guess it only caused me so much pain is because I love him._

Shizuru's eyes widened; what was happening to her? Everything was just flowing out to this one man who she had never met face to face! But there was one question that had bugged her...

What did being a captain truly mean to her?

Shizuru tapped her gel pen on the table, recalling the events that had happened during the Regionals. She remembered how Mai had willingly slung her arm over her shoulder with a confident smile, knowing that they would bring home the gold no matter what. True to Mai's word, they did. Everyone had piled on the red haired _tensai_ and even Mai had burst into tears. Shizuru smiled fondly at the memory; at her loss - her teammates have once again grew. Hopefully, for the better. She however couldn't help but frown at how Vera had crushed Ayane's spirits. When the tangerine haired girl had returned to them, Ayane had completely ignored Atobe and had been harping on about gaining more power. She had trained herself day in and day out to the point of even enlisting the help of Marui Bunta according to Hitomi. Yes, being a captain meant sacrificing for her teammates but she couldn't carry the burden alone.

_As a captain, placing one's personal desires and issues as secondary is something that is required. But understanding the needs of your teammates along with their sentiments is the most important thing of all. Disregarding the rules and morals can make someone trash but those who disregard his or her comrades is even lower than trash. I must thank you though - your letter helped me reform my creed. I hope too to see the man behind the letters for I feel I must thank you personally._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Shizuru_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"ACCOUNTING SUCKS!"

Haruka stared at the multiple columnar books stacked on one side with her calculator lying on the other side. She groaned in annoyance while looking at the outbox on her side of the table. Three columnar books remained neat and clean with scratch papers strewn all over the place. The Pearl Dragon slammed her hands on the wooden furnished table before face palming straight into the table. Banging her head against the table a few times, Haruka sighed before pushing herself away from the table via the rolling computer chair before she slid over to the other side of the room. Standing up with a defiant huff, Haruka stormed out before grabbing her coat hanging off the rack.

"Hikifumi-_sama_, where are you going?! Have you finished your work?"

Haruka groaned in annoyance; why did the old woman have to appear now? "I need a little fresh air, Madame Rainton. _Wo bù aì zài zhe l__i__. Wo de Ba Ba ming bai wèi she me wo bù xi huan zài zhe li." _(Loosely translated: I hate staying here. My father will understand why I don't like staying here.)

Leaving behind a spluttering and sputtering governess, Haruka placed on her beanie before heading out into the cold afternoon. She watched the red and orange leaves dancing around her. She inhaled deeply while shoving her hands into her pockets while walking out into the cold misty afternoon down the sidewalk. Cars zoomed past her as there were some people chatting and some girls sharing umbrellas. Couples also began walking together, huddling together closely. Haruka inhaled deeply until she found herself standing in front of Raindrop Avenue café. A smile curved up her lips as she walked inside with bell jingling as she stepped inside. The Raindrop Avenue café had been given to her as a test to see if she could apply everything she knew about business. Fair enough, Haruka enlisted the help of her teammates and she couldn't believe what they had done.

_Yes, it's ours. Not just mine but the whole team's._

The café barely had the aristocratic aura; Haruka smiled at the effect that Ayane's design had brought the once dull café. Instead of the usual furnished wood and classical music, Ayane had insisted on a more simplistic wrought iron design with leaves and plants as the decoration. The walls had white wooden carvings along with a stone fountain standing in the middle of the café where people could also sit down on the benches and drink their coffee or whatever hot drink they may have. The white daisies arrangement had decorated the top of the glass table top held up by wrought iron welded stand. Haruka fingered the reeds and the white daisies gently; Momo had instantly made money for using her traditional knowledge in flower arrangement. Haruka glanced at the glistening pastries being kept warm by the dessert keeper. Kiyone had applied her knowledge in candy and cookies without relying on her family's import and export company. If the company had not sponsored them, Haruka couldn't have been able to expand the chain internationally. The cakes slid around from the _barista_ to the customer as Hitomi also had reinvented the kitchen with the latest kitchen gadgetry. Ayane had pretty good ideas also considering she made Raindrop Avenue's famous Wild Berry Panna Cotta along with Shizuru's famous cheesecake. Haruka found Rin's famous coffee buns and meat pockets while there were some drizzled with a light dash of gravy. Isane on the other hand helped manage the menu and the human resources, bringing in students who needed money. Haruka walked over to the cashier, glancing at the menu. Shizuru had made multiple combinations including Raindrop Avenue's best seller - Butterscotch Hazelnut Frapuccino.

"I should really rename this place," Haruka dryly chuckled before, walking to the cashier. "Hmm, Royal Flush – maybe..."

"Hikifumi-_san_?"

Haruka blinked several times and upon looking up, a very familiar bald Brazilian male. "Jackal?"

Jackal blinked several times before regaining his composure. "Oh right - may I take your order?"

Haruka contemplated for a moment, scanning the menu before smiling lightly. "I'll have the Pearl Empress Latté."

Jackal punched in the order before glancing up with a small smirk. "I'm guessing you'd like a Cinnamon Cheesecake with that?"

"Ye - wait a minute," Haruka snapped her head up, staring in shock at Jackal. "How did you know...?"

Jackal shrugged lightly before bringing out her order. "Shimohi-_san_ told me when she brought that guy from Jyosei Shounan here. She told me specifically how to make it."

Haruka immediately beat down her urge to blush, mentally wondering how Rin managed to talk to Jackal despite her hyperactive tendencies. "Really - Wow, so until what time are you here?"

Jackal smiled before handing the drink and cake to her. "I get off in five minutes."

Taking her drink and food, Haruka walked over to the table nearest to the window while watching the red leaves dancing along with some people walking along the sidewalk. There were children holding onto their trench coats tightly and the cars continued to zoom by without stopping. The pearl dragon couldn't help but sigh at how the leaves fell to the ground. Autumn wasn't really one of her favourite seasons; everything was red, dark green, brown, orange or yellow and people were always so bundled up. Shizuru had cancelled training for the time being until the typhoon had come to pass. Haruka groaned for a moment, forking a piece of cheesecake into her mouth, pondering deeply.

"May I take this seat?"

Haruka snapped her head up with a shocked expression, only to see Jackal now standing in front of her in casual clothing instead of his work clothes. "Go ahead."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Huh? Ayane's in Rikkai now," Haruka's eyes widened considerably; she didn't know that the tangerine haired girl would head straight to Rikkai. "Couldn't she train with us or something?"

Jackal shrugged before sitting in front of her after ditching the apron and worker hat, folding his arms. "I don't know. Marui just said that Kobayagi-_san_ would be joining us for the whole summer training. I don't quite understand why either since she has Atobe but I guess she wanted a change of atmosphere."

Haruka pondered deeply as to why Ayane would suddenly train with Rikkai Dai. She could have trained with Shizuru if ever or any one of them. After what had happened between her and Atobe, Haruka was surprised that Atobe only got clobbered and not completely mauled like Ayane would usually do. The tangerine haired girl had barely spoken since her loss and even Kiyone had become worried for the older girl. She took another piece out of her cheesecake before glancing at the dancing leaves.

"I wonder – if you were Vera, would you have done the same thing," Haruka swirled her drink half heartedly, sipping it placidly.

"I wouldn't have crushed her spirits just like that."

Haruka lifted her head towards Jackal as the Brazilian male had a cup of Spiced Cinnamon Tea in one hand. "Kobayagi-_san_ has potential; I think it's more that Vera's threatened by her power. I think Ayane's superhuman strength is famous way beyond _Kantou_ but even in the other regions. I mean – she's in first year and a potential threat in taking the championship for three years straight alongside Shizuru. So, I think it's more an inferiority complex on Vera's part."

"But that didn't give her any right to try and flirt with Atobe right in front of Ayane. The worst part is – he bit the bait."

Jackal sighed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, we all know that Atobe simply loves the attention. Regardless who it is, he'll bite it."

Haruka glanced around, seeing more people pile into the café. "So, what made you want to work in Raindrop Avenue?"

Jackal paused for a moment before leaning back against his chair. "I don't want to be a burden to my dad. It's already hard enough that we had to transfer here and make new adjustments to the schedule, workload and everything. So, I plan to make as much money as I can so we can at least afford our own house here. We're just renting out in a compound and sustaining it is not easy."

Nodding slowly, Haruka folded her arms across her chest. "How long do you plan on staying here in Japan?"

Jackal shrugged lightly, shaking his head with a morose smile. "I really don't know. It's been awhile since my mother and father last spoke to each other."

"Why," Haruka blinked several times before shaking her head, berating herself. "Sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"My mother divorced her first husband due to suspected infidelity," Jackal frowned darkly, taking a slight sip from his drink. "Apparently, it was true and she won the case. After that, she married my father and now he's been hounding her for money. We've been trying to get her here to Japan but she really wants to fight him nitty gritty. I don't blame my mom; I've seen the man personally and frankly – I'd like nothing more for him to get what he deserved but I don't understand why she has to bring him down all the time when she could've just left him alone."

Haruka remained silent for a moment as she remembered how her family was. Despite being part of one big family, Haruka remembered how her mother had constantly fought with her father for neglecting Ino. Fair enough, both her parents ended up divorcing with Ino developing some severe case of inferiority complex and always had tried to crush her or take away what she had. Would things turned out better if they were raised normally? Whatever it was, at least Ino and her had tried repairing the bond.

"You're amazing to think that way, Jackal-_kun_," Haruka smiled softly, stirring her cup of Pearl Empress Latté. "Many kids would end up blaming their parents for supposedly giving them horrible lives."

Jackal took another drink from his Spiced Cinnamon Tea, glancing out the window. "Well, I think it's more that their parents are affected. Not a third party affecting them."

The two tennis players remained silent for a moment as they continued drinking their drinks, watching the autumn leaves pass them by. Jackal found himself staring at the Pearl Dragon as he glanced at the people looking around the café. The place had a nice Victorian feel to it in comparison to Haruka's Chinese orientation. He leaned against his elbows before casting an observant gaze towards Haruka. Her chocolate brown eyes watched the swirling white foam on top of her drink as the image of the dragon slowly got distorted into the drink. Her pale pink hair framed her face as he wanted to continue observing her. He shook his head; damn, that was more of Yanagi's thing. But he couldn't help but keep his eyes on her until his phone rang. Quizzical, Jackal flipped open his phone with a message saying:

_To: Jackal Kuwahara_

_From: Marui Bunta_

_Jackal, I'm gonna need your help. Yane-chan needs doubles and singles play tactics._

Jackal blinked several times; what did Marui know about Singles Tactics? He sighed before closing his phone and glancing at Haruka. "I think your friend's gonna need some help back in Rikkai. I was hoping maybe you would like to come along?"

Haruka placed down her drink with a determined smile.

"Totally."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's chapter 60! Finally, Shishido makes a move and Marui's working his way. Will Shizuru ever find out who's the one writing the letters? Stay tuned! Please don't forget to review!**


	61. Faces Behind the Demons

**Me: Thank you for the reviews and the alerts and finally 250 reviews! Whoo hoo - thank you so much. I was thinking of putting this story on hiatus since nobody seemed to review and it kinda made me think that I have to continue studying after all but all these reviews came in. Finally, we're delving deeper into the drama. Tezuka finally dropped some hints to Shizuru but does the brunette that the three are the one and the same person? Will Atobe finally get a hold of himself? Will Yukimura recall Mai as the girl he danced with? Remember - I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs!**

Chapter 61 - Faces Behind the Demons

Kiyone plopped down on her bed before crossing them around. The sandy blonde volleyist, sighing to herself, tossed the tennis ball up into the air before staring straight into the white ceiling. She glanced at her sky blue snowflake printed ceiling before looking at the other snowflakes dangling like a chandelier above her. Her walls glowed with a foggy light blue hue while a pale light blue lamp stood on top of her white wooden table with all her books piled on top of it. A white rocking chair stayed near her bedside table whereas her brown Labrador dog slept contentedly on her dark blue rug in front of her flat screen TV. Kiyone suddenly sat up before picking up her yo-yo and walking out the door.

Kiyone knew Aidan wouldn't wake up until 5'o clock. She grinned to herself while merrily walking down the stony sidewalk; the dog definitely had issues on what time it took its nap. Her mom on the other hand had gone off to work, managing the Getsugan Enterprises ever since well - she couldn't particularly remember. However, Kiyone sighed deeply while swinging her yo-yo around and looking at the other children playing. She never really liked going near other kids; Kiyone winced at the loud shrieking and the screams each kid made on whatever the other may had said. The sandy volleyist sighed once more before walking on.

"Mom's taking awhile at the Osaka branch," she frowned slightly, looking at her watch. "She usually doesn't take that long whenever there's just a product check. I guess mom decided to go for a plant check."

Kiyone whistled happily to herself while walking along until she found a takoyaki store. Her eyes brightened up immediately when she remembered how Shiraishi and Kenya brought her out for takoyaki. The boys really knew how to do it, Kiyone grinned to herself until she remembered that both boys had Kansai accent and were both from Shitenhouji, a school in Osaka!

Kiyone jumped up and down for joy, hugging herself. "Whoohoo, it's time for a food trip! I also want my coffee buns, my melon buns~."

"Dad," - Kiyone nearly fell forward as a kid rushed and pushed past her, causing the sandy blonde to blink.

"Hey," Kiyone snorted indignantly with her hands on her hips until she saw the man place the little girl on his shoulders.

She couldn't help but have her eyes water. her lower lip; when was the last time she saw her dad? She bit her lower lip while continuing to walk on. Her body felt a bit heavier now while the clouds continued to drift by. The blue skies gazed back at her as she cast her own liquid blue eyes to the skies to prevent the salty crystals from falling out. She inhaled deeply with her chest tightening, not even noticing that a familiar sandy brunette was staring down at her.

"Getsugan-chan?"

Kiyone snapped herself put of her daze before looking at the face that was looming above her. There she saw the captain of Shitenhouji standing above her with a concerned look on his face. His gray eyes reflected with worry and concern as the sandy blonde girl started wiping her tears. Despite having a doll-like appearance, Shiraishi found her personality very adorable. Her attitude was nothing like that of a stereotypical Hyotei student. Actually, her whole team by themselves are very different. Their personalities completely deviated from the spectrum; he remembered looking at how Ayane spoke with Atobe. He didn't need to be a genius to predict Ayane's next move when Atobe had said some smart-ass remark. How could he not hear the tangerine haired girl's remarks? She definitely had the pipes. She even could pick up a boy who was two heads above her and lift him off the ground and shake him shitless. Kiyone on the other hand well - had her own methods of being quirky. Yanking Ayane's hair, saying that she'll crush people's heads like lemons even though the tangerine haired girl had a very convincing argument and often showing up with a coffee bun shoved in her mouth made her look so adorable.

Actually, he frowned slightly to himself. He barely knew her teammates or anything about her in particular.

He definitely didn't choose to stalk. Good heavens no, Ayane would have come at him with God knows what for being a cradle snatcher considering that she was the youngest in the team. Knowing Sanada from stories, Shiraishi could only shudder and imagine what the female Sanada could have done to him and messing with the tensai was a big no-no. Isane and Shizuru perhaps had a more accommodating demeanour but after hearing that Isane clocked the fastest service in the female division, he shuddered once more at the image of Isane clobbering him with that service. Shizuru would probably hear him out but he knew the old adage - the quiet and the sweet ones were the ones one should be more afraid of. Rin and Haruka were protective but at least had a willing ear but Hitomi had all the satellites under her command. She could have shot him out of the sky if she wanted.

"Getsugan-chan, are you okay," Shiraishi pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to the Queen ofClovers. "You've been staring at the sky for the next thirty minutes."

Kiyone weakly smiled, forcing out a giggle although to her it sounded like a choking llama. "Yeah~, don't worry about it! I was just thinking how to be better in tennis!"

However, Shiraishi knew better and Kiyone was definitely sure he wasn't captain for nothing.

Kiyone bit her lower lip as she stood next to him and playing around with her yo-yo. When she was young, she would always play with her yo-yo whenever she was in a bad mood. Her mom could easily tell and she wasn't sure about her dad but he didn't seem to notice when one of her yo-yos accidentally flew out the window and broke the glass. Ayane also knew how to tell how she felt but after seeing Vera break Ayane during that match and she could imagine all of Atobe's fan girls laughing and mocking them. She had never felt so afraid and furious in her life. The cry "Rise of the Clovers" had been the one thing that had been pushing her to crush the Seigaku pair but more Vera in particular for taunting and snarling at Ayane. The rumours about Vera breaking a doubles pair had slowly become a reality; Ayane had completely begun training on her own and without her and left for Kanagawa without even telling her. She found out from Haruka who told Shizuru after hearing it from Jackal. Both the Pearl Dragon and the Queen of Hearts had gone to Kanagawa without their respective doubles partners. Kiyone, although she wasn't sure how Rin felt, felt her heart break at the thought of Ayane breaking away from the formation she had grown up with in the tennis world. Playing with the Black Dragon would have also been fine but Ayane knew her inside and out down to her favourite food and toothpaste.

"Do people really think I'm that stupid," Kiyone sniffed and sobbed a little, sitting down on the sidewalk. "Am I really that small to them?"

Shiraishi blinked for a few moments before recalling the match between Seigaku and Hyotei. Vera haughtily and heartlessly taunted and mocked them, even saying that their potential as a doubles pair meant nothing. He knew how to be ruthless but that was just plain cruel; her voice actually irritated him although his mature side gave in and told him not to clobber her with the nearest heavy object that being his precious newly restrung tennis racquet.

"Kiyone, it doesn't matter how small you are," Shiraishi smiled lightly, feeling like he was living out one of his favourite Korean soap operas. "Even the smallest creature can change the course of the future."

Okay, watching Lord of the Rings with Kintarou now didn't sound as bad as Zaizen initially had made it.

Zaizen complained to Shiraishi about Kintarou watching Lord of the Rings like some "shitty retarded brat with shit for brains." Shiraishi had pacified the sophomore after having Kenya stay with Zaizen and help him out with his latest music piece. He frowned a little at seeing how Kenya magically lit up when Zaizen had mentioned something about his really helpful invention. Whenever Zaizen actually mentioned a good comment, Shiraishi definitely knew that Zaizen had something up his sleeve for Kenya and may have been for Kiyone. He had heard Kenya singing in Zaizen's room and had been hearing comments from the Naniwa genius such as "even a dying suffocating frog could sing better than you, senpai". After all, Shiraishi remembered seeing Kenya jacketless and Kiyone slumped on his shoulders. He hadn't noticed that the girl had wandered off on her own nor did he know that she was terrified of lightning. He remembered how Kiyone suddenly squeaked and clung onto the brown haired Naniwa Speed Star for dear life when the lightning cracked. He wanted to laugh at her childish expression but not at Kiyone's expense. He frowned at Kenya's immediate progress; how did he do that?

Kiyone twiddled with her fingers, casting her crestfallen liquid blue eyes towards the ground. "But how do they do that?! It's no fair! When stars glitter back, nobody cares what constellation they're from!"

"Not many people do care but how about when they ask what sign a person is," Shiraishi smiled lightly before letting out a dry chuckle, brushing her sandy blonde hair away from her face. "I know I'm a Sagittarius. I just hope Scorpions don't sting me to death even if we're on opposite spectrums."

Kiyone stared in astonishment. "How did you know?"

Shiraishi shrugged slightly with a guilty smile. "I kinda checked your Facebook profile and," he averted his eyes away from her sheepishly. "Um, he he."

Kiyone giggled slightly, noticing Shiraishi's guilty look. "It's okay. Megane-_senpai_ is much more of a stalker than you. She knew everything from my favourite toothpaste to my favourite dessert and when I usually eat them! She doesn't feel the least bit guilty but you could have asked for my birthday."

Shiraishi smiled lightly, looking at how Kiyone's face suddenly brightened up. She hugged her legs closer to her body with a small smile, looking at the sun. Shiraishi inhaled deeply before standing up and extending his hand. Kiyone blinked several times as the sandy brunette smiled kindly as she weakly took his hand.

"Well, let's get down to business. Shall we?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rin on the other hand looked at her watch while walking towards the train station. Kajimoto had wanted to take a short trip to Kyoto but he had not explained to the black haired acrobat why. She remembered his reassuring smile but the Edelweiss scent wouldn't leave her nose. She remembered the high when Kajimoto and she had gone ice skating. Despite having only to spot her, Kajimoto slid and glided on the ice while guiding her carefully as if he had gone into professional skating. Rin blinked incredulously; come to think of it - she never knew how to ice skate before. Haruka had constantly gone back to the Heilongjiang province in China to visit her grandparents. The province had been frozen over; Rin remembered that even wearing five sweaters still hadn't stopped her trembling from the frost. Good thing her ear or her hand hadn't fallen off!

I wonder why though he wanted to go to Kyoto.

Rin tugged her black tank top, looking at the people walking around. Kajimoto had also specifically asked her to wear dark colours as long as she didn't look to Goth. She adjusted her dark blue skinny jeans while glancing at her beat up black vans shoes. Rin racked her brains for any ideas but soon found Kajimoto standing right by the sign, waving his hand. She glanced at her cellphone as well; no call from the Pearl Dragon. Haruka probably had to deal with the accounting books.

"I hope you brought an extra shirt," Kajimoto grinned boyishly as the door to the train opened up. "We're going to do a lot of running around in Kyoto."

Rin's eyes widened; good Heavens, what exactly were they going to do in Kyoto? She knew the cultural capital was the home to many of Japan's ancient ancestry similar to Kanagawa. Rin immediately racked her brain for any history lessons she had retained despite the vacation. All her books and schoolwork had been tossed to one side and out her brain.

Oh man, I wonder what we're doing there...

The train ride had been pretty uneventful for Rin as she watched the buildings pass by with blurring speed. She glanced at the other people staying on the train while some of the children started running around while the elderly had been seated on the benches the whole time. Kajimoto winced at the lurching speed as it continued to zoom forward. She remembered the first time she got onto a bullet train. Rin particularly remembered Shizuru vomiting after the constantly breaking train when they were headed to Kyoto for a tournament and how Haruka had paid for her ticket due to lack of money. It had been their first debut as the Twin Dragons; St. Therese's had been known for their senior division of tennis players and much to their surprise - they had blazed through the middle school and high school team. St. Therese's captain had known Naomi personally since she had finished grade school in St. Therese's College and she definitely had attachment issues. The moment Naomi showed up - the whole middle school team apparently were all her friends and they glomped her upon her arrival. To them though, the girls glared and prepared to hammer them. Most of them had shoved Shizuru and Mai before laughing at the two girls for being some kind of joke until Shizuru and Mai revealed their abilities as Singles players. That was where they had their very first debut as singles players as well, Rin pondered deeply. If not for Haruka's fast thinking for the Dragon Legends with Osakada Yuri, they would have been done for. That had been the basis of their play ever since. A small smile curved up her face as she glanced at the shell bracelets Shizuru had made for them during their beach trip before they went off to look at the historical sites. Digging through her wallet, Rin glanced at the photo of all them in kimono and yukata during the _Tanabata_ Festival. Naomi stood in front with a demure _Yamato Nadeshiko_* expression while Yuri had a more opulent appearance with the thick lipstick and golden headpiece. Lulu had rolled up her kimono sleeves and had her haired tied into twin low pigtails. Midoriyama Nanako and Sanada Momo looked like traditional Japanese wives and Shizuru had the shy priestess expression on her face with Mai posing with her fist in the air. Kyoto was the cultural capital after all. However, Rin couldn't help but snicker at Kajimoto's particularly green face.

"Kaji-kun," Rin smiled before gesturing to her lap, noticing how Kajimoto constantly tried to hide his green complexion. "Would you like to sleep on my lap?"

Kajimoto laughed sheepishly despite how enticing the idea was, forcing down his barf. "No it's okay. I'll be fine."

Rin snickered with an all-knowing smile. "I don't think so. You're greener than Ayane's eyes."

Kajimoto groaned but managed to give her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I won't be like this once I get down."

Of all days, Kajimoto cursed mentally in his mind. Why did he forget his motion sickness pills?

Sure he was used to flying in the air due to his acrobatics but moving in a train that constantly bolted and bucked on the tracks never worked well for him. At all costs, he avoided trains but Kajimoto glanced at Rin's happy face - he had to bear it at all costs. Cars were perfectly fine; he could sleep in them and had the whole back to himself. But trains - well, he would rather not remember the day he puked on Wakato by accident. All of a sudden, Kajimoto suddenly fell onto something soft and found Rin grinning at him. Her bright black eyes glimmered cheerfully and Kajimoto felt all the nausea and lightheaded feeling suddenly vanish. Whatever Rin was doing, she did an amazing job of curing his motion sickness.

"I'll wake you up when we get there," Rin smiled cheerfully as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Kajimoto chuckled sheepishly before closing his eyes, lacing his fingers with hers. "Okay..."

When the train finally arrived at Kyoto, Rin had never seen Kajimoto desperately jump out of the train. She giggled softly while walking out of the train and following after the Jyosei Shounan captain. As they handed their tickets and headed out, Rin found herself looking at the old samurai houses and the buildings of influential shogun families. She remembered the Sanada family being in Kanagawa but maybe they moved from Kyoto to Kanagawa? She didn't know but whatever it was - she was glad Momo had decided to join them in Hyotei. She glanced at the merchants selling _katana _imitations and some even had samurai statues being sold. Little children ran around while many elderly shuffled along while admiring the scenery around them.

"You ready for the biggest surprise," Kajimoto smiled before extending his hand to Rin.

The black dragon nodded wordlessly as the acrobat brought her along. The cherry blossom trees hadn't bloomed softly as the wind brushed and tossed her black locks. The koi ponds remained completely calm while birds continued to flutter around with butterflies alighting on the smaller bushes. Tokyo barely had parks like this, Rin frowned lightly. She could have gone roller-skating in a park if Tokyo hadn't become a huge bustling metropolis. Haruka and she often had to go to the mall and locate the ice rink in the Tokyo Plaza Mall. Rin watched the children do hopscotch and some playing with balloons until Kajimoto abruptly stopped.

"We're here."

Rin's eyes widened when she saw the blue and red neon lights flashing before her eyes.

**KYOTO MEGA LASER-TAG ARENA**

Rin glanced at her clothes with a satisfied sigh. Good thing she wore rubber flats!

"I thought you might enjoy this more," Kajimoto smiled before seeing a car pull up. "Well, here they are!"

Rin's eyes widened as she found a tall man emerging from the car along with four boys launching themselves out of the car. Another car pulled up with two girls jumping out while a hooded little boy slid out of the van solemnly. Many cars began pulling up and some started finding parking spaces while few more people started entering the stadium. The other people on the other hand walked towards her. Instead of white coloured shirts, majority of them were in dark clothes. She swallowed hard before looking at the woman who stood next to the man in a white polo shirt as Kajimoto tugged her along and only then did she snap out of her daze when they were one metre in front of her.

"_Okaasan, Otousan_," Kajimoto bowed lightly before gesturing to _Heilongjiang_, smiling kindly. "This is my girlfriend, Rin."

Rin swallowed hard; she didn't expect to meet his parents today! Haruka would be laughing at her right now! The team normally would consider a male bringing a girl to show his parents showed how serious he was. Her eyes widened as she imagined the triumphant smirk on the Pearl Dragon's face. Ayane would be jumping up and down and Mai would have dragged her to a salon and called her clothes a complete "utter disgrace to fashion society and that should be shredded into threads again to be made into something useful". Kiyone would have jumped on her shoulders and would be grinning from ear to ear, staring at her with her liquid blue eyes until she gained answers. Hitomi would have her business smile on her face and jotting down every detail on her notebook. Isane would simply smile while Momo had this smirk that would have spelled out "you should have expected it".

Looking around nervously and bowing weakly, the black haired girl swallowed hard before facing the floor. "Um, g-good afternoon..."

The mother smiled and clasped Rin's hands kindly. "It's alright. Taki-_kun_ has always been telling us stories about you. We wanted to meet you because of that. I'm sorry if this is much of a surprise."

Rin giggled sheepishly before shrinking a bit from the crowd of people surrounding the mother. "A-Ah, it's okay! I'm fine, _ku _- I mean, ha ha."

The father however remained silent as he walked past them, paying the workers for the guns and armaments for the laser tag.

Kajimoto sighed deeply, seeing how she suddenly clammed up. He had gotten used to Rin being the very bouncy type although Kiyone had definitely beaten her there since the latter easily leapt onto people's shoulders without knocking them down. The black haired girl suddenly got pushed into the family crowd as his brothers introduced themselves, showing that they were twins with two older brothers split apart by three years and Kajimoto being the youngest of the boys. The girls shyly introduced themselves to Rin as the black haired girl smiled kindly while the hooded boy poked her rib cage, eliciting an "eep" from the Black Dragon.

"Relax," Kajimoto laughed lightly as he pulled her along, letting her face the younger male. "My family won't bite you. This is my cousin, Kajimoto Junai."

The boy meekly raised his head and stared deeply into the taller girl's eyes before he pointed at her chest, getting a puzzled reaction from Rin. "Nii-_chan_ never had a girlfriend before. Be nice."

Rin's eyes widened before she softened at the little boy. "Well, that makes both of us. I've never had a boyfriend before. The only one who had an ex among my teammates I think was one of my seniors and Hitomi-_chan_."

Junai blinked several times before walking away from her, making Rin even more puzzled. She had never expected the Kajimoto family to be a big family and most of them were boys. She didn't even expect Kajimoto to have twin older brothers. The only ones she knew who had that many relatives in one place would be Ayane, Mai and Kiku-_chan_. She frowned slightly, where did Kikumaru go again? She barely heard from him ever since the training camp. Other than that, Kajimoto had found his way into her life. Gakuto too had suddenly vanished from her life; in fact, his teasing became a lot less and sometimes – she noticed he didn't want to see her whenever Kajimoto showed up at the gates of Hyotei to walk her home. Shrugging in defeat, Rin soon found herself being pulled by Kajimoto inside the stadium. Many of the kids soon started lining up while Kajimoto paid a couple of bills before handing Rin a vest.

"We'll be on the same team," Kajimoto handed her the gun, pressing a few buttons to activate her gun. "Now, the rule of laser tag is not to get hit and to destroy the bases. But you also get points for shooting at a person. The blinking lights are the targets people aim at. The shoulders garner more points than the lower parts of the vest and you can also get shot in the back. Back shots are the highest garnering points."

Rin nodded stiffly and found Kajimoto's cousins suiting up in each of their own armour, planning out their tactics. "Um, do you guys do this often?"

"Yeah actually," Kajimoto pondered deeply while looking at the other people suit up from other families and groups. "We're a team of nine so don't worry about it. First time is usually when we're getting used to the ropes. So, there's me, my brothers, Mint and Maya, Junai and then you. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll do fine! Just stay close to me."

Rin swallowed hard as all his cousins and siblings geared up with Kajimoto staying in front of her. She remembered the time they nearly got kidnapped and Shizuru and the others had done everything in their power to make sure they weren't sold into slave trade. Shizuru and Isane would have probably enjoyed the game too and the whole team would have liked shooting at each other. She remembered the rainy day and how they were pursued by crooked cops to be sold in slave trade. Come to think of it, did that still exist even until now? She shuddered upon remembering the time Ayane had been kidnapped and Atobe had been hospitalized. Although he managed to escape with a slight scratch, Atobe still ended up in the hospital. As soon as the door opened, mist emerged as the whole team went in with another few groups. Rin followed after Kajimoto as they hid near their bases with the girls taking the back and the boys taking up front. Her body tensed up as she shakily held her gun, watching the other teams dispersing and guarding their bases. If it were Haruka, things would have been easier. Haruka was the playmaker between the two of them; but having Kajimoto as a partner wasn't too bad either. A smirk appeared on his lips as the alarm rang out.

"OPEN FIRE," Kajimoto's eldest brother howled as the boys lunged for the bases.

Kajimoto jumped out from his hiding place and began unleashing a barrage of lasers. Rin followed suit as lasers and beeping sounds started echoing around the place. While the girls stayed behind to guard the bases, more people suddenly started surrounding them from both sides. Clucking her tongue, Rin kicked off the wall blockers before shooting them down from the air. Kajimoto stared in shock and amazement as his girlfriend slid past enemy defences and went straight for the base.

"Cover Rin," Kajimoto glanced at his brothers and his cousin as they started opening fire towards the other players.

A huge smile curved up his lips as he found Rin easily adjusting as Maya and she started shooting together. The two girls immediately swamped the other team and Rin had no qualms of not having enough experience as she soared over one of the blockers and landed on the other side and took out their base easily. Kajimoto chuckled lightly before tumbling on the ground and dodging another shot before taking out the other players in the game. He grinned slightly to himself as Rin and he glanced at each other with a huge smile.

"Attack!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Momo stood in front of the training dummy at the gardens of her dormitory. To be honest, she refused to go back to the Kanagawa home despite her amendments with her cousin and her immediate grandparents about moving to Tokyo. She watched the sword glint under the sunlight before swinging it over and striking the air two inches away from the dummy. She spun around back to her former fighting position while watching the leaves fall down slowly unto the ground before it split into several pieces. She blinked several times while tightening her grip on the sword, feeling out her surroundings. Where had that come from? She bit her lower lip before spinning around the moment a tree branch cracked. With one full swing, Momo swung her _katana_ only to have it slide down and find another man standing in front of her.

"You," Momo glared darkly, creating sparks between her _katana_ and the other. "What are you doing here?"

The man smirked before parrying her shot and engulfing her in his arms, breathing against her neck. "Only to claim what is mine. Where is that orange haired imbecile who's always with you?"

Knowing Sengoku, the boy would have done something even more stupid like probably charge the guy down or something. Not that Momo had little faith in him as a whole; she had little faith in his intelligence and assertiveness for the severity of the situation. Momo watched his movements carefully, making her struggle less evident as her voice laced itself with venom and darkness.

"His welfare and his state is none of your concern. I ask you again: what are you doing here, Toyotomi-_san_?"

"At least your manners and dignity hasn't sunk to that of a common whore," Toyotomi tightened his grip on her wrist, pulling her closer. "Tokyo has too many bad influences here. You belong in Kanagawa."

Momo smirked darkly, trying to angle her sword properly. "That is what the council has been trying to tell me. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why I avoid going back to Kanagawa."

"And you're probably one of them."

Momo looked up when she found Sanada standing at the door way with his _katana_ in hand, narrowing his eyes at the perpetrator. "I think Tokyo has done her very well in terms of exposure. Although even I do not agree with her relationship with the orange haired fool fully, I certainly know he would cause her less problems and not be extremely imposing."

Toyotomi chuckled before shoving Momo aside and allowing her to position her sword in front of her once more, sheathing his own _katana_. "What? I can't see my fiancée anymore? I do believe that both parties had agreed that the Sanada family would hand over Sanada Momo as a form of goodwill and alliance as ancient samurai clans."

"I was never your fiancée to begin with," Momo sharply stared down at the man as her grip on her _katana_ tightened until her knuckles became white. "Whoever decided this clearly didn't inform me about it. If you haven't known, I have been in Tokyo for the last two years hence my decisions and my life is no longer a matter for the Sanada clan."

Chuckling humourlessly, Toyotomi waved her comment dismissively with a small smile. "Women – it is so sad that there are some always believing in individualism and feminine empowerment. That is what makes women so annoying to handle sometimes. I wish you could have just become a Yamato Nadeshiko. Women are to stay at home and take care of the children. The corporate and business world is no place for women and let alone letting a woman handling a _katana_."

Momo snickered lightly; remembering the first time someone told Ayane she was too girly for wrestling. "You tell that to one of my teammates and she could have given you a full-power Howitzer Haymaker. People in wrestling fear that move of hers; she'll literally break you through the wall."

Toyotomi narrowed his eyes darkly before sauntering towards her menacingly until Sanada stood between them. "You think you can stop me?"

Sanada narrowed his eyes with a deadly gaze, cracking his knuckles. "_Kendo_ is not the only thing I am good at."

Raising his _katana_ and landing it right on Sanada's shoulder, Toyotomi smirked darkly and haughtily. "So, where is that orange haired imbecile? Unless he's too chicken to face me..."

"Momo-_chan_ and... Sanada-_san_?"

Everyone swivelled their heads towards Sengoku who stood by the door. Sengoku found Toyotomi pointing a sword at Sanada and the black haired Rikkai Dai vice captain not flinching while Momo looked positively furious enough to slice and shred him into ribbons. The orange haired boy held groceries in one hand before placing it down next to the door before blinking several times with an incredulous look on his face. Momo groaned inwardly to herself; he better not get the wrong idea or there would be a lot of hell to pay!

"Well, I didn't know the Sanada family got this complicated already. All I wanted to do is drop a box of cream puffs I made since Momo would ask me for some before."

Momo froze in shock; could the day get any worse?

There at the door way Midoriyama Nanako stood with her crutches and a box of cream puffs in one hand. She glanced at the two parties with Sengoku staring incredulously and standing on her left side. Sighing deeply, Nanako put down the cream puffs on the bench before hobbling over while mentally cursing her crutches for being so dragging. She stood between the two with a small serene smile on her face before looking at both parties.

"Normally, this wouldn't be my business but seeing that this guy is threatening my _kohai_ with a _katana_ in her face along with her cousin," Nanako's tone dropped to a low venomous whisper. "I think this has become my business."

Momo remembered that among the seniors; Nanako and Lulu had the highest levels of tolerance. Their ways of getting angry had been completely different from one another like Lulu would stalk off and sit in a corner in the tennis court while staring blankly at nothing in particular while Nanako's tone would become a venomous whisper while her amber eyes glimmered with heavy murderous intent. Being her doubles partner for some time taught her that never to make Nanako angry unless you want to be humiliated.

"Okaaaay, I'm extremely lost," Sengoku exchanged glances with both parties; although the _katana_ did nothing to soothe his fear of the presence of the two _samurai_. "I missed couple of episodes. So unlucky~."

Momo sighed deeply at the orange haired boy who stared awkwardly and goofily at the situation before he scratched his head sheepishly. She couldn't understand what completely eliminated his fear of the two _samurai_ trained boys and that both were experts in shredding people's egos and people themselves into ribbons. Nanako on the other hand two crutches to whack the guy with so she didn't need to worry too much and that in a court case – Nanako could easily win since she could say her cripple would be an end result of the confrontation. To be honest, she didn't know what made him go after her in the first place. People had called her an "ice queen" for constantly saying no to boys and telling them off. Midoriyama's obsession with her after her accident made things a lot worse; boys had gone around saying that she had been seen kissing Midoriyama Nanako. She remembered the multiple telephone calls that the Sanada family had bombarded her with and all of them pretty much ended up in heated arguments except the one with her parents in which they listened to her before delivering their input. She could have easily scared Sengoku away yet he chose to stay and continued to catch her off guard. The way he took that blow for her and dented his racquet (although the boy started mourning for his racquet) – that definitely threw her off guard. Not many boys would throw themselves in the way nowadays when a _katana_ was about to slice and shred him into ribbons.

Momo smiled deeply until she moved away from Sanada and went to Sengoku. "Yeah, there's a reason why I never returned."

Toyotomi stared at her and Sengoku menacingly as the _Shinigami_ drew her _katana_ and pointed it straight into his face.

"I'm staying here to protect who matters to me," Momo narrowed her eyes and pressed the sharpened edge against the other male's throat, matching his dark red eyes with her jet black ones. "The law holds onto a lot of traditions and upholds the structure of society but there are some things that cannot be dictated especially when choosing who people want to be with."

Toyotomi stormed towards her, without any warning and knocked her off her feet and throwing Sengoku against the wall. Sanada prepared to intervene until Toyotomi staggered back when Sengoku gave him a strong right hook to the man's face while Nanako had simply stuck out one of her crutches as the boy tripped over. Momo blinked several times; how many times is Sengoku going to surprise her? First he took a straight hit from a _katana_ from one of her relatives and now he just socked her supposed fiancée that had been approved by the Sanada clan. She wasn't sure whether or not to freak out, shake him senseless or beat him up herself to ask whether or not his IQ had constantly taken a drop every day. The boy staggered back with blood trickling down his nose while Sengoku took a boxer's stance while watching the man carefully.

"I don't really know who you are but it must be my lucky day to actually use my boxing in practical situations," Sengoku's formerly cheery self sank as his green eyes sparkled with all seriousness before standing in front of Momo. "Momo isn't my princess and I wouldn't want her as a Yamato Nadeshiko like most guys want. She's better this way and I appreciate her input and if you say she can't survive on her own – you should see her and her teammates. They'll probably leave you in shreds..."

Toyotomi backed up as Sengoku moved closer and flicked his nose with a goofy grin.

"With that kind of mentality you have, I completely understand why you're so unlucky~," Sengoku grinned childishly before walking away from Toyotomi and picking up the groceries that he left on the bench near the entrance. "Momo-_chan_, where we gonna put this?"

Momo began giggling and laughing much to everyone's surprise as she smiled at Sengoku.

"The kitchen would be nice."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hitomi sat in the midst of multiple bottles of beer and a couple of computers scattered around her room. The light from her computer tinted off her glasses as she leaned against her swivel chair with a sigh before glancing at the videos displayed before her. All the tennis matches they had together and everything else – all had been recorded into one big file in her computer. If anything, she knew they'd definitely be screwed if anyone got their hands on them. She ran her fingers through her messy curly blonde hair while scanning through the many files stored n her 50 terabyte hard drive, pressing a few things on her holographic set-up and dragging the screens left and right to display several videos before pulling out her calculator and her timer. She glanced at the many facebook posts that her friends had posted and showing pictures.

Isane smiled with Shishido playing in the arcade.

Mai singing as Elphaba – Hitomi held the ticket for Wicked in her hand and smiled deviously; Mai definitely was not a genius for nothing.

Sots of Shizuru and Tezuka playing a tennis match in a tennis magazine splayed themselves all over the page.

Ayane had pictures with Marui, smiling and laughing with one may have said.

Kiyone walked around with Shiraishi and pointed at the huge fireworks display in Osaka.

Rin and Kajimoto took a picture with his family although the black haired girl seemed a little uncomfortable.

Sengoku trying to make a cream puff with Nanako's help only to end miserably with flour on his face and the filling all over his fingers. Momo laughed herself sick while Sanada could only face-palm.

Hitomi sighed while looking at the other newspaper clippings stuck on her wall, seeing how famous her friends had become. She glanced sadly at her notebooks before checking her racquet which she had recently re-strung. Somehow, nobody gave much importance to the one who constantly trained them to become better or the one who had designed everything to make sure they were still in tip top shape. The blonde woman grabbed a bottle from the bottle rack before popping open one of the corks and downing the whole bottle. The taste of beer exploded in her mouth as she glanced back at the computer screen. Seeing that nothing started working out, Hitomi grabbed her coat before walking into the cold afternoon.

Cars continued to zoom by while she glanced around to see people chattering away. She looked at the many stores that came into her view and found a couple of books, tennis racquets, the latest fashions and many other things. A sigh escaped her lips until she bumped into someone, prompting her glasses to fly up in the air. She staggered back onto the ground as the world around her became insanely blurry. She shivered fearfully while grasping and groping whatever she could find on the ground, mentally cursing her rotten luck and her horrible vision. Hitomi stumbled and crawled around until something cracked from afar, seeing nothing but colours zooming past her.

"Yamaguchi-_san_, be careful!"

Hitomi staggered about until she moved straight into a solid wall and squeaked. She nearly fell over when someone held her up by her wrists and put her glasses back on her face. Her eyes widened when she found out who the person was.

Tezuka Kunimitsu, holding her by the wrist and Oishi had been the one who put her glasses back on her face.

"Oh shit," Hitomi mentally cursed before pulling herself back from Tezuka's grip, bowing apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't see where I was going..."

Oishi shook his head, smiling. "Oh it's alright; Tezuka and I were just walking around also. Oh by the way, there is something I want to ask you."

Tezuka saw the look on his vice captain's face and he wasn't sure how to interpret it whether or not it had some devious thought to it or perhaps a little plan forming. The bespectacled male frowned a little as they suddenly started walking. Oishi on the other hand had been chatting with Hitomi the whole time while he started looking at the stores. Come to think of it, it was almost Christmas and everyone had begun to relax after the tennis matches. However, his eyes glanced the light gray skies as slowly snowflakes started raining down. He glanced at the stores and how many men and women were getting together under the mistletoe. Tezuka knitted his eyebrows together until he noticed a snowflake designed music box. If he remembered right, the girls had their own affinity to each of the elements based on their playing style.

"Even though Shizuru has a phoenix for a Hyakuren form doesn't mean that she doesn't appreciate winter," Hitomi coyly smiled before looking at the music box with him, causing him to back track a little.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the blonde female, stepping back. "What?"

"Surprised? You're more predictable than people say you are, Tezuka-_san_," Hitomi folded her arms, looking at the other trinkets in the store. "I'm sure you were wondering about the seasons they symbolize. With Ayane's bright green eyes, people often say she symbolizes spring. Shizuru is summer, Mai is autumn and Kiyone is winter."

Tezuka remained silent while the blonde leaned on the glass.

"So when will you tell her that anonymous, tk1007 and Tezuka Kunimitsu are one and the same person?"

Now that caught Tezuka completely off guard. "What?"

"Don't try to fool me, Tezuka-_san_," Hitomi had a business smile on her face while Oishi looked completely stupefied and shocked. "I know that the love letters idea came from the movie Letters to Juliet and that you have been in contact with Shizuru's uncle – Lars Alexanderson. I have to admit; it's been your best move so far in trying to earn her heart."

Tezuka frowned deeply, watching Hitomi's eyeglasses glint. "How..."

"I may have helped her a bit," Oishi scratched his head sheepishly, noticing Tezuka's expression harden a little. "But I didn't know how she managed to do it."

Hitomi smiled wider, wagging her finger in front of the bespectacled boy's face. "Tut, tut, there are some things that are better off not being explained. However, will you just leave it at that? Or will you finally expose yourself as the man behind the letters?"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the bespectacled girl. "It will be too much trouble if I suddenly appear to her."

"I didn't say you had to do it right now but your set-up time is really slow, Tezuka-_san_," Hitomi snickered lightly as they continued to walk along. "In tennis, your reactions are off the charts but in terms of human social networking – you're the worst."

Oishi sighed deeply, scratching his head at the blonde's remark. "Yamaguchi-_san_, I'm sure Tezuka doesn't want to jeopardize your captain or your chances of going to the Nationals."

"On the contrary, I think it would do her very well that someone she admires has now seen her as an equal," Hitomi smirked lightly, taking a seat on one of the benches as they watched the children feeding the ducks in the pond. "I think we all remember what happened in the camp that night Fuji decided to test your level of alcohol tolerance..."

Tezuka's expression darkened visibly at the memory. He had kissed the brunette and it was all because Fuji decided to play with his drink a little. Everything had blacked out by the moment he had downed the whole thing without stopping but now he completely regretted it to some extent. The girl would have probably been terrified by his impulsiveness but half of him somewhat enjoyed it. He glanced at the poinsettias growing at one side as he fingered the red leaves.

"You can't keep holding back your emotions forever," Hitomi's voice sliced through his thoughts as the bespectacled boy glanced at the Mastermind.

He glanced at Oishi who only sighed in agreement.

"Tezuka, I have to agree. I remember you and her seeing each other and you were really shy that day. It was white day and you had some chocolates and stuff you wanted to give her," Oishi scratched his head, smiling lightly at the water as the ducks continued to paddle across. "You can't keep running away. You've never run away from a tennis match and you have always faced things head on. I don't see how this is any different. And maybe, she likes you too. Besides, I'm sure there is some way we could help."

To Tezuka's ego, he wasn't sure what was worse: getting told off by the Mastermind or being pointed out by his own vice captain.

He couldn't understand how things suddenly flew out of hand but Tezuka refused to let things be known by the other schools. Sure, Shizuru had her own set of fan boys but she showed no reaction to them and even rejected Sanada. He saw a little ray of hope (even though he found it bad to take pleasure in people's misfortunes) and had gathered the courage to try and tell her his true feelings. Unfortunately, he found himself unable to speak to her after her crushing lost. He remembered how he could not bring himself to talk to her after his lost. Both of them had suffered a crushing lost under their respective rivals (although it was relatively one-sided in his case because Atobe was the only one actively pursuing and declaring it) and both of their injuries had handicapped them at the worst possible time. The only thing that had passed through his mind that day she walked down the path of destruction was who was the one who gave her such a stupid idea to render herself cripple in a wheel chair for the rest of her life?

"I believe that most of your actions also influence hers," Tezuka swivelled his head towards Hitomi, wondering how the blonde managed to rebuke his thoughts. "She pretty much has a hard head like you so; I think there should be some similarity there no?"

_So that means... I influenced her to take that path?_

He hadn't intended to influence the girl; Shizuru had supposedly chosen the path herself but wouldn't most captains do the same things? Being captain meant knowing the welfare of one's teammates and also knowing how to push them to achieve their dreams. He sighed deeply, knowing what kind of sacrifice came being a captain but the philosophy of Hyotei was supposedly different. If he remembered right, they based their members based on the virtue of power hence Atobe constantly staying in the captaincy position and being the one to deal with him when it came to meetings unfortunately. No, Tezuka Kunimitsu did not hate anybody but he surely got irritated. Atobe probably was part of the top ten in the list among many other things.

"It's not easy, Oishi," Tezuka inhaled deeply, glancing at the sky as snowflakes started to fall. "It's a 75-25 chance."

Hitomi chuckled lightly, folding her arms. "Oh? So, you're talking in percentages now? So tell me, what is the 75 percent?"

"75 says that she will reject me," Tezuka frowned slightly; he wasn't as exact as Inui in terms of numbers but he was definitely sure that there was a bigger chance that she would turn him down.

"What makes you say that?"

Tezuka bit his lower lip; his onyx eyes reflecting the water darkly. "Sanada had more credentials than I did."

"What makes you think she's meritocratic in nature," Hitomi raised her eyebrow, pulling out her notebook. _This is really good data. Good thing Oishi and I can weasel out information out of him._

Tezuka wanted to debate but chose to keep his mouth shut. She did have a point.

"Besides, you have a chance to tell her," Hitomi smiled brightly, handing him a flyer. "I remember the Tennis Association is holding Invitational for the Goodwill games. All middle school students are invited to join. I know Shizuru and the others are going to join this. There's a saying that goes "if an opportunity presents itself, take it. If you don't have the opportunity, make one". So, what will you do now, Tezuka-_san_?"

Oishi glanced at Hitomi and saw the earnest look behind her thick lenses. She had a business-like demeanour but he couldn't help but look at the round rimmed glasses accenting her slender square-shaped face. Her blonde curls dropped lightly on her shoulders and he now understood why she had been feared. Her mind was fast and even he was at a loss for words pertaining to Tezuka's problem. Come to think of it, they were just talking about the invite for the Goodwill games and how did Hitomi plan her timing? Coincidence or not, but she was really amazing for easily picking out at Tezuka's brain. Although Fuji had the same capability, he had never seen someone from a rival school easily sort out through Tezuka's emotionless mask.

"You may be a wild card on the court, Tezuka-_san_. But in the game of emotion and romance, I can predict you like predicting what sweets Kiyone is in the mood for."

She did it again! Oishi stared in astonishment and amazement, watching how Hitomi cracked his defences easily. He watched her blue eyes flicker in amusement as Tezuka watched his steps and words more carefully. He would've done the same if he was in the hot seat with Hitomi as the interrogator. Before they could say anything however, Hitomi's phone suddenly rang in the middle out of nowhere.

"Hello," Hitomi flipped open her phone, noticing the name "Sanada Momo" scrawled across the screen. "Momo, what's wrong?"

"We have a little of a situation," – deep voice echoed through Hitomi's phone which soon caused the Mastermind to pale. "Momo's missing."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It didn't take long for the whole Hyotei team to gather along with some additional people. Shizuru immediately showed up with Mai tagging behind along with Ayane, Marui, Haruka and Jackal. Kiyone had a slight delay coming from Osaka whereas Rin had immediately hopped on the first train from Kyoto to Tokyo with Kajimoto. Isane immediately ran over with Shishido following behind the tall lanky Sniper after their date. Everyone gathered up at Momo's dormitory where everything had been trashed into a mess. Her racquet had been shredded and broken, papers were thrown all over the place, covers were ripped off the bed and the window was left open. Sanada Genichirou stood there with Sengoku while they were digging through the mess, seeing if Momo had left any clues.

"Momo's not the type to not give up in a fight," Sanada looked at the carpet treads on the ground. "There are signs of struggle."

Shizuru looked around carefully with Tezuka following over, checking through Momo's belongings. "Sword marks?"

"Possibly," Tezuka fingered the destroyed curtain carefully, feeling the frayed strings and tattered pieces of cloth. "If Momo is a _kendo_ practitioner then, there is a high possibility they came in armed. No one in their right mind would just waltz in and try to catch her by surprise."

Sanada frowned slightly, noticing Tezuka discuss the evidence and traces with Shizuru. To be honest, he found the two tennis players good together – now getting them to see each other's feelings was a totally different story. Hitomi and Oishi began dusting her cabinet, finding the boxes completely over turned and the pictures were ripped. Hitomi frowned darkly at the content of the pictures, showing the past players and their winnings. Medals lay scattered on the floor and so did her _katana_ and her _kendo_ practicing uniform.

"She normally doesn't go anywhere without her _katana_ even if it was just an imitation," Mai unsheathed the blade hidden in the racquet. "Whoever these people were, they out-powered her by number and not by strength."

Oishi rubbed the dust in between his fingers, checking for anything. "Well, it definitely didn't occur the other day."

"Midoriyama-_san_ was here with us and then we stayed downstairs and shoved this guy out of her dorm," Sengoku frowned before pondering deeply on the situation. "After we scared him off, two minutes later we heard loud crashes and things breaking and the door was locked until Sanada-_san_ asked for the spare key to Momo's dorm. But seriously, the guy couldn't have possibly jumped into her room from outside. She's on the third floor!"

Haruka looked out the window, checking the white walls and shaking her head. "There are no footprint marks on the wall either. Besides, there aren't many people who do Parkour here in Japan. The only one who could possibly have that kind of profile are usually acrobats and Gakuto is definitely ruled out. Momo would've thrown him out the window, regardless."

Sengoku glanced at Sanada. "Could it be that Toyotomi-_san_ was just a distraction?"

Hitomi glanced at the patterns on the floor before nodding. "Possible – how tall is this Toyotomi-_san_? Toyotomi is a pretty old samurai name and not very common. From there, we can find out who the perpetrator is through his connections. Coming from an ancient shogun family should give him a lot of possible accomplices."

Sanada looked up into the air for a moment before shaking his head. "He was definitely shorter than Uchiha-_san_."

"Everyone's shorter than Uchiha," Shishido snorted indignantly before pointing at the tall girl, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "The only one who is probably her height are Kabaji and Ohtori!"

Hitomi frowned slightly, adjusting her glasses and checking the carpet fibres. "Shishido, not now. We're trying to find our friend before anything happens."

Glancing sideward, Tezuka noticed a knife stabbed into Momo's night table with an etch mark of the _Gosan no Kiri_ on the blade before pulling it out and handing it to the Emperor. "Sanada, does this mark look familiar to you?"

Sanada bit his lower lip before examining the blade carefully, noticing slight amount of blood on it. "It looks like Momo really fought during the scuffle. And there are only two families that have this mark, the Hosokawa clan and the Toyotomi clan."

"Yeah but didn't that family split themselves into four clans," Shishido pondered deeply, biting his thumbnail in irritation. "There's the Main Kumamoto, the Takase, Udo and the Hitachi-Yatabe. It's going to take ages!"

"Wait, one of the officials were a descendant of the Hosokawa of Kumamoto," Sanada furrowed his eyebrows deeply, glaring at the knife. "We can track him from there."

Hitomi pulled out her iPad and Samsung S3 with a business smirk, hooking up her laptop to the wall. "No website is safe from the hacking skills of a Yamaguchi. Leave it to me!"

Shizuru glanced outside before noticing someone leaping away from the electric pole, running to the window and leaping out. "I don't think we need to electronically track him anymore."

Tezuka's eyes widened and so did everyone, even Sanada couldn't believe what she did. Did she just jump from three stories?

"Uchiha-_senpai_, I need a fast ball on my mark," Shizuru immediately began tracking the spy, pulling out a pouch hidden in her messenger bag.

Swallowing hard, Isane narrowed her eyes sharply at the blurry black figure Shizuru continued to hound down before tossing the ball in the air and shooting it straight out the window. Watching the neon yellow green ball zoom right in between them, Shizuru had pulled out a needle and knocked the ball forward to change its trajectory. Fair enough, the spy took a hit straight to the head and collapsed forward with Shizuru finally cornering him and having a needle dangerously near his neck.

"I think you know something I know," Shizuru whispered deadly and venomously, pressing the cold steel against his neck.

Soon, everyone else followed out with Ayane throwing him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "So, where do you want this guy?"

Hitomi snickered slightly, rubbing her hands together villainously. "Oh I have the perfect place to do it."

Everyone shivered slightly from Hitomi's business smile; where could she possibly bring a suspect?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ugh, where am I...?"

Wincing from the nauseating feeling, Momo shook her head while noticing a traditional Japanese tea room with nothing in it. The_ Tatami _mats had been well-maintained though the incense continued burning as some smoke wafted into the air. The _Shinigami_ glanced around, noticing nothing on the windows and her completely unarmed. She dug into her pocket before cursing her luck inwardly; her cellphone was gone and no knife or sword anywhere. What was more was that Momo noticed that now she sat in a traditional _kimono. _Although the _kimono _weighed her down, Momo found places to hide anything if ever she had a chance to escape. She narrowed her eyes while trying to explore the room, feeling out the wooden panels on the ground. She traced the small gaps in the door, wondering if it was possible if she kicked it. No, property destruction is only for cavemen, Momo argued with herself.

"Damn, they just had to kidnap me before the Invitational match," Momo bit her lower lip in irritation before letting out an indignant snort.

"I see you have awakened, Momo-_himesama_."

Momo swung around and glared only to find a smirking Toyotomi standing before her. "Toyotomi..."

"I believe you should be more respectful to your future husband," Toyotomi sauntered around the room in his traditional _hakama_, noticing Momo's jet black eyes glowering darkly at him. "Look at what staying with Tokyo folk has done to you. It has reduced you into nothing more than a loudmouthed whore."

Momo narrowed her eyes and stood up despite the heavy _kimono_, glaring darkly. "You dare try to cage me here?"

Toyotomi smirked lightly, grabbing her by the collar of her _kimono_. "Momo-_sama_, I am sure you will find your life here to be much to your liking. After all, your family has gained a debt from us during the Ashikaga Shogunate in the battle of Sekigahara. I believe I come here to claim what is mine."

"Well know this," Momo narrowed her eyes before swinging the long sleeve of her _kimono_ over, knocking back for a moment before she kicked him in the stomach and sent him keeling over. "Man or woman, we Sanada never give up without a fight."

As Toyotomi doubled over, Momo ripped a portion of her _kimono_ before using it as rope to bind him. "Good luck getting out of that."

With that, the _Shinigami_ ran out of the room and ignored howling rage echoing loudly in her ears.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Wow, it seems they seemingly get kidnapped a lot! What's Sengoku gonna do now? He better go save Momo! Find out in chapter 62! Please review!**


	62. East Versus West?

**Me: Wow, who knew ancient samurai families could get a bit crazy? Now with Momo captured and fighting her way out, what will the other members of the Hyotei team do for their Shinigami? Sorry for the late updates - I've been having trouble sleeping lately but at least I was able to put my head back together. I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and the plotline of this fanfiction!**

Chapter 62 - East versus West?

"So let me get this straight," Rin popped out from the bushes, looking at the huge samurai castle that stood within the forest. "Momo's trapped in that huge thing and we gotta get her out of there and there are chances that there will be skilled assassins and bodyguards who are gonna ring our necks?"

"Yep," Hitomi's voice crackled through the earphones. "I'll navigate you guys throughout the castle and hopefully avoid confrontation while we're at it. Oishi and I will do whatever we can from the van outside."

Haruka sighed deeply, fixing her own earphones. "You know, as dangerous as this sounds - I prefer this rather than going through a bunch of accounting books. It kind of reminds me of one those Mission Impossible movies. Although," - she glanced at the orange haired Yamabuki Regular who stood beside her in a black burglar suit. "Are you sure you wanna fight a couple of Samurai? Rin and I can hold our own as Wu Shu fighters but that's us. Ayane can scare people with her brute force and voice and Kiyone just needs milkshake foam. Shizuru and Isane are experienced in the military aspect and I think Momo will slice down a whole army when she finds out you're here. Sanada is a kendo specialist himself and Mai is definitely the best in theatrics. Are you sure you wanna do this?"

Sengoku glanced at the tall samurai castle, feeling his knees become weak at the sight of it. He shivered at the thought of facing professional combatants and somehow the Hyotei girls - he couldn't guarantee their safety. Tezuka and Sanada focused deeply at the structure lying before them while Shizuru quietly crept ahead of them with her hand placed behind her back. He shook his head; this rescue needed way more than just luck. Sengoku tightened his grip on his tennis racquet before moving in.

Shiraishi on the other hand couldn't believe what the sandy blonde volleyist was doing with a pair of yo-yos. He knew that yo-yos had their own set of levels for their tricks but what did Kiyone plan to do with children's toys against professional bodyguards? He sighed deeply as the little girl placed on her yo-yo gloves before checking the grip and fit, grinning excitedly to herself. Marui swallowed hard as he found Ayane suiting up with a pair of fingerless gloves and in a black Camouflage ops suit which pretty much accented her every curve on her body. The red head however could only imagine what Atobe would do to him if he ever found out that he had quite a view and also that Ayane was not out to kill him. Jackal put on a black beanie and black shirt whereas Haruka borrowed one of Rin's black Chinese Wu Shu robes. Night easily covered their tracks and all they had to do now is hide the glimmer of their eyes behind the bushes and the trees.

"Ayane-_chan_, we're gonna be dealing with bruisers and more experienced fighters," Marui shuddered fearfully although not for himself but more about the anticipated damage that Ayane was capable of. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

The tangerine haired vice captain strapped her gloves on cheerfully, slapping her hand against her arm and showing her muscle. "I may have dainty arms but I bet I can put a hole in a wall any day!"

Jackal glanced at Haruka strapping on a light pink sash as a smile appeared on her lips. "It's show time."

"The fortress has six floors deep beneath the earth and twelve floors ascending," Hitomi's voice crackled through the earphones, giving the team a full scale view of the tower. "Now, there's a bit of a problem here. We only have one door entering the facility considering we can't just sail over the wall. There are two guards making a circle. At a certain point, both guards will not be able to see you but the window will only be three seconds. He has some bodyguards but the security is not too tight according to the satellite's reports. 50 percent of his security members are the typical brute force fighters while 25 percent are patrollers and the last 25 are divided into two groups: 12.5 percent are veterans and the other 12.5 percent are the members of the Toyotomi family themselves. But the veterans shouldn't be too hard to handle after a tennis ball clobbers them in the head. Isane, tranquilize both guards."

Isane positioned herself at the top of one of the peaks, setting up tennis ball and racquet. "You got it."

Isane narrowed her emerald green eyes carefully, bouncing the ball up and down. She watched the two guards encircle the whole structure as the first tennis ball flew out straight at the man's head. As that guard fell down, Isane glanced at the other one and aimed straight at his neck as well. She knitted her eyebrows together before trying to calm herself down. After two whistling sounds echoed through the air, both of the guards took a straight hit in the head and fell down on the ground unconscious.

"Good job, coast is clear," Hitomi's voice crackled through the earphones, prompting the others to move in. "Move in before anyone sees you. Remember your divisions and make sure you have your things with you."

Shishido dashed in, followed by Isane, Shiraishi and Kiyone towards the eastern wing. Shizuru led in Mai and Tezuka towards the southern side while Ayane moved along with Sengoku and Sanada for the frontal attack with Marui. Haruka, Jackal, Kajimoto and Rin strapped on their Wu Shu weapons before entering the other wing of the castle. Hitomi watched her teammates roll in while looking at the digital and holographic 3D image of the Toyotomi castle. Touching another screen, blue dots showed Shizuru, Tezuka and Mai's names on it as they continued moving in. Another screen showed red dots with Ayane, Sanada and Kiyone on it. Her eyes swivelled back to check the other screens while Oishi kept his eyes on the others.

"You guys are really good at this," Marui swallowed hard as Sanada followed behind Kiyone, noticing the smaller girl narrow her eyes. "Where did you guys learn how to do this?"

"Green dots representing Sengoku, Isane and Shishido," Oishi watched the green dots move quickly. "Wow Hitomi, you're really good at this... They're not fighting anyone at all."

Hitomi giggled softly, wiping her lenses against her jacket. "Before I destroyed my eyes, I used to play DOTA, Warcraft, League of Legends and the usual strategy games. Right now, it's like playing a game of chess except your pieces don't have limited movements."

Suddenly, one of the screens started beeping as she found yellow triangles converging towards the blue dots. Hitomi calmly pressed the three triangles before looking up the characteristics and stats of the enemies via satellite, watching the computer measure their power. She called up several tabs in her browser before looking through their criminal records and their credentials, shivering in fear. Toyotomi had come completely prepared! She saw one familiar name before googling it up on the internet only to backtrack in horror.

_Tokugawa Kyo is the direct descendant of the one and only Tokugawa Ieyasu and grandson of swordsman Tokugawa Shigure._

Hitomi's eyes widened in fear as the Mastermind grabbed her microphone.

"Team Kurenai: You have three friendlies moving in! I repeat: three friendlies; get out of there," Hitomi swallowed hard nervously, hearing the beeping getting louder. "The other two are easy to take down but do not confront! I REPEAT: DO NOT CONFRONT! YOU GUYS HAVE A MASTER SWORDSMAN SHOWING UP! SHIZURU, TAKE ANOTHER ROUTE, DAMN IT! Mai and Tezuka are going to be taken down before you know it! These aren't your normal lackeys! These guys are high paid fighters!"

Oishi had never heard Hitomi so frantic and panicked. He grabbed the microphone from Hitomi, hooking himself up to the system.

"Kurenai-_san_, please be careful," Oishi bit his lower lip while looking at the screen. "These guys are professionals."

"We currently don't have any other passageways unless we make one," Mai's voice crackled through the stereo. "We've been following one way paths to get around here. This guy came prepared!"

**Team Kurenai **

"Shizuru, you do know we're going to end up fighting a bunch of veteran fighters, right," Mai swallowed hard, holding her tennis racquet tightly. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Shizuru remained silent and looked at Tezuka who crept behind the walls along with her. Checking her black bag strapped onto her back and her belt, she bit her lower lip anxiously. She definitely did not imagine introducing herself to Tezuka in such a way that he would see all the scary and dangerous stuff she does. Fuji already knew her secret as the tomboy girl who beat up guys for sick kicks and especially those who played foul just because the person was better than them. Opening a small pouch in her bag, she pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and glanced towards Tezuka before shaking her head distraughtfully. Tezuka definitely wouldn't approve violence in the court; what made her think that he would approve of violence now? She inhaled deeply before facing them, noticing the shadows appear on the wall.

"Mai, Tezuka-_san_, the moment I throw the smoke bomb - run straight and make sure they can't hear your footsteps," Shizuru glanced at the corner they were about to take, inhaling deeply. "I'll buy us as much time as I can."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the brunette; why would Shizuru want to face master and professional fighters? "Shizuru-_chan_, as honourable as it sounds - facing them and hearing the panic in Yamaguchi-_san_'s voice spells certain death. We should retrace our steps and find another path."

Shizuru bit her lower lip darkly, smiling faintly at Tezuka. "If we did, we would give away that we were trying to break in. According to Yamaguchi-_senpai_, there are two easy ones to take down. Mai, I'm sure you have your tennis racquet to clobber them with. Your racquet's made of pure _karophite_. That thing isn't going to break even with a bombing so I'm pretty sure a racquet won't dent even after a straight hit to the head."

Mai nodded nervously while Tezuka grabbed Shizuru's wrist, staring straight into her bright red eyes. His throat ran dry and his grip on her wrist tightened considerably. He knew how samurai families worked; especially those that had been prestigious during the battle of Sekigahara and the Edo Era. Some of the samurai families still maintained the traditional feudal system and most of the fighters probably descended from war-torn or noble samurai families. Many of the fighters would at least have fought on the average one battle in their lifetime or at least five confrontations. With muscle memory, the speed and reflexes would have never faded. Shizuru was going to get killed out there!

_"So when will you tell her that anonymous, tk1007 and Tezuka Kunimitsu are one and the same person?"_

Hitomi's words suddenly began to echo in his mind as he looked deeply into Shizuru's eyes. He wanted to tell her so many things but the task of saving her teammate came first. His grip slowly loosened as she pulled away from him, looking ahead. Tezuka inwardly berated himself for being so afraid; he had already set the stage. All he needed to do is take advantage of it. True, it's normal to fear rejection yet it was better knowing the answer than not knowing what she thought at all. He couldn't believe it; how did she manage to completely walk through his defences without even trying?

"Shizuru, um just so you know," Mai swallowed hard, looking beyond the corner. "I don't have any martial arts expertise whatsoever but I'm pretty sure there is one thing I know that will come in handy. I think I still have a few mist mixtures in my pocket. Do you have any water at least?"

Shizuru smiled sadly, shaking her head before getting ready to pull something from her bag. "Unfortunately, I don't. But I do know one thing - I can take down a full-grown man armed if I wanted to."

"I think you're selling yourself short sweetheart," Mai grinned teasingly as the three of them crept along. "Although, I noticed - why are we the only three man team here?"

Shizuru smiled lightly and pulled the sticks out of her bag, taking the turn at the corner. "Because we're doing a stealth attack and both of you stay here and don't move."

Tezuka and Mai stopped as Shizuru took a turn only to hear loud beating and whacking sounds. Loud groans of pain echoed in the hallway and Tezuka saw shadows falling on the ground. The _tensai_ laughed a little upon noticing the astonished expression on his face; Tezuka probably never expected someone with Shizuru's face to be the type to take out three veteran fighters. Suddenly, loud groans and loud blunt force sounds echoed throughout the hallway as some of the shadows fell on the ground. Mai flinched slightly as Tezuka twitched several times; what was Shizuru doing back there?

"How," Tezuka glanced at Mai as the _tensai_ nonchalantly shrugged as one of the thugs fell down right in front of them.

"Don't ask me, she's been like this since first year," Mai laughed slightly until they heard a loud metal clang, causing the two to freeze. "Shizuru!"

The two tennis players immediately rushed to the other side as they found a samurai _katana_ grinding against Shizuru's bamboo stick. The brunette however didn't seem fazed as she ducked beneath and swept the man under. The man rolled away with his _katana_ gleaming in the light and reflecting Shizuru's darkened crimson eyes. His traditional dark blue samurai _hakama_ slid down and revealed multiple dark blue, purple and green marks from the bamboo stick while Shizuru had a small cut bleeding right beneath her right eye. He smirked before standing up, adjusting his samurai armguards.

"Impressive for Tokyo scum," he lowered his stance before smirking darkly. "There is no honour in battle without an exchange of names."

Shizuru smiled faintly with a darkened gaze, tightening her grip on her bamboo stick before adjusting her stance to combat a _katana _and unveiling two sticks. "Your master has no sense of honour to force a woman to comply with his will."

Tezuka stared for a moment; this wasn't the same Shizuru he and the tennis world had been accustomed to seeing. She normally had polite words but not words that dripped with venom and promised defeat of the opponent. The bespectacled captain of Seigaku suddenly heard something unlock as both bamboo sticks suddenly extended and revealed a sharp end on each stick. His eyes widened and Mai definitely had her eyes popping out of her sockets as Shizuru lunged forward and swept him under from the spear before defending with the shorter one. Her eyes watched his movements carefully as the man launched himself again with his spear which she redirected and slid the blade along her spear. The moment his direction changed however, she slammed both spears together and locked them together before revealing a chained double edged _naginata_ that wrapped around his blade.

"Humph, modern weaponry," the man snorted indignantly as he tried to yank Shizuru closer. "Bastardizing a traditional and simple weapon of the Japanese soldier..."

Shizuru narrowed her eyes at her opponent, parrying his attack. "Tezuka-_san_, Mai, please go on ahead."

Shizuru remained silent before dashing towards him, vanishing the moment she was two inches close and appeared behind him. The chains had already wound themselves around the fighter as he fell to the ground. Looking up with the same cold eyes, Shizuru slowly stood up before dismantling her double edged _naginata_ back into double _baston_. Watching him groan in agony, Shizuru slowly began walking past him until he slowly started getting up. Tezuka's eyes narrowed darkly as he slowly approached him from behind and spun around for a full roundhouse kick with Shizuru jumping for a jump spin hook kick. Tokugawa fell over as the two captains stared in astonishment at one another. Shizuru blinked several times; when did Tezuka know how to strike with a full roundhouse? She blinked several times once more, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her. Her crimson eyes widened with horror; he had just seen her fight a more experienced fighter! Would he be scared of her? Would he hate her for being someone who could throw away one's emotions the moment she enters the battlefield? Shizuru bit her lower lip; she was definitely screwed.

"T-Tezuka-_san_," Shizuru still continued to stare agape at the man she admired.

Tezuka watched the girl gape at him as if he had made a fatal mistake. It was only then that it occurred to the bespectacled Seishun captain that he had seen her wield a dual set of weapons and he just ambushed a guy who was about to attack her. Martial arts had been his hobby ever since he was small since his grandfather had achieved master status in Judo, Aikido and Karate so he followed in his steps until his grandfather started struggling with scoliosis due to age. He silently berated himself for being such a fool; Shizuru was one of the sweetest girls he knew in comparison to what he had in Seishun Gakuen and the other stereotypical female Hyotei students and certainly aggression couldn't be part of her personality now could it? He had heard the stereotypical loudmouths, the stuck-up rich brats and the loud crazy fan girls and frankly, his team and he had been coming up with ways on how to avoid them. He remembered the time Hyotei had played against Seishun Gakuen - the fan girls would not stop cheering and screeching. If Tezuka knew if he didn't know any better, he would've believed that they were half banshee or some sort. Whatever it was, he had no desire to attract a fan girl and here he was - trying his best to make a normal girl fall in love with him and he just well... As Fuji would kindly phrase things, he just blew it.

"Anyway," Mai clapped her hands, walking in between them and smelling the tension. "So shall we head on? Momo might be looking for us."

**Team Sanada**

Sanada Genichirou hadn't expected his cousin to be kidnapped easily by Toyotomi. He probably could imagine the damage she could do to him alone. She won _Kendo_ tournaments and had been wielding a steel blade way before he did. He always preferred sharp _katana_ instead of his family's serrated edged tradition. However, Momo had completely deviated from the style and had it changed into a reverse-edged blade. He frowned darkly; why would she want such a blunt blade? It wouldn't do much when she was going to show off her _Samurai_ abilities in the annual floor exercises in front of the elders. But when she used the sword, Sanada shuddered upon remembering how much force and speed she had on the blade. She nearly shattered his shoulder if not for his defensive measure and the armour plating they used for swordfights.

"Ayane-_chan_," Marui swallowed hard, searching around the place. "Are you sure we're going in the right direction? I don't think I wanna fight some professional fighter at the moment."

"Nobody wants to," Ayane smiled cheerfully while patting the Magician on the head; her eyes sparkled determinedly. "Don't worry; all they need to taste from me is my Howitzer Haymaker* and the Jupiter Straight if they're gonna mess with me!"

Okay now Sanada seriously began to doubt whether or not Momo was still sane despite everything she had in Tokyo.

Sure Rikkai Dai had their own set of nut cases but he had never heard of cases of a girl ripping off car license plates and clobbering people with it or attacking people with thirty inch skillets or attacking people with random things in a caveman-like fashion or having rumours that humans can transmit rabies by biting other people. Sanada remembered all the rumours he had heard the first time about Hyotei's eccentric team and so far, Shizuru seemed to be the only one normal but somehow - he definitely knew that there had to be some quirk to her if her whole team was insane. Yukimura Ai had maintained the decorum in her team and had their set of eccentricities but how did Shizuru and Momo put up with that abnormal level of insanity? He pondered for a few moments before frowning; then again, Momo had been friends with Niou and Marui ever since elementary school years so there should be some sense of immunity right? The heir to the Sanada clan sighed deeply as he proceeded on, keeping his sword closely to his body.

"Stay close to me, four of you," Sanada glanced at Sengoku who fearfully began looking at the place, knitting his eyebrows in annoyance. "Sengoku, if you didn't want to come here you could have waited outside."

Sengoku shook away his fear before pounding his chest. "And leave Momo-_chan_ with some ancient uptight bastard who sounds like he has a stick shoved up his butt? No thanks, that's really unlucky and she's my lucky _Shinigami_! Momo-_chan_'s... really different."

Sanada raised his eyebrow; he had never been the sociable type but he might as well know who would be his cousin's boyfriend at the least. Their relationship as is was extremely strained ever since the creation of the hierarchy in the Sanada family.

"Momo-_chan_ didn't swoon like other girls; I don't like shallow girls really," Sengoku admitted mildly with a wry smile, prompting everyone to stop. "I flirt sure but it gives me a chance to see who can be real or who can be really plastic. Momo-_chan _was the first one who bit back instead of swooning over. She actually threatened to punch me a few times and shred me to ribbons and I know as a Sanada, she doesn't need luck to be able to do that. I was really confused... why didn't she fall for it?"

Sanada chuckled dryly, walking forward. "Of course, you should never expect anything less but excellence from a Sanada."

"Yeah, I know that now," Sengoku goofily scratched his head, remembering how Momo would smack his head for saying something stupid or whatever weird thing he may have said. "But when I watched her play and behave, I could see how conflicted she was. It was like she wasn't enjoying the game anymore. She was just playing mechanically and striking down her opponent mercilessly but not in the spirit of the game. She was treating tennis like a battle when it's supposed to be a game of sportsmanship and good will... I saw Momo-_chan_ cry in the rain before. I mean - I'm sure even the reaper cries sometimes for the souls she is sent to collect."

Marui chuckled in amusement. "That's rich, coming from someone who usually goofs off. Ow," - Marui found himself whacked at the upside of his head by Ayane who glowered at him to not tease Sengoku. "But yeah, Momo always takes things seriously no matter what happens. She didn't have a stick shoved up her ass before though. She used to be a lot more lenient and crazy before. What happened, _fukubuchou_?"

Yes, what happened?

Sanada remembered the times when she was a lot more optimistic and kind. She would smile meekly and do little girl things; not pedal her bike at extreme speeds and nearly get him killed via heart attack. He remembered how her family would often spend time with his and they would do _kendo_ together. He remembered how the elders would yell and beat him for losing against her, saying that women had no capability to fight. But he remembered the times he did win, was Momo giving him a chance or did she feel bad for beating him all the time? Momo also had perfected the Tea Ceremony without any complaint and had done many _miko_ rituals without any complaint. So what exactly went wrong? One day, she suddenly became so uptight and their relationship strained. Or was he the one who strained their relationship?

"I see you've made yourselves welcome in my humble abode, Sanada-_sama_. My apologies for not setting up for the party you have brought along. I was too focused on scheduling and setting up the wedding that I had forgotten to take notice of my own wife's guest list."

Sanada glared at the sounds echoing in the hallway; his voice sliced through the air like a knife. "Where is Momo?"

"Do not fret; she is in perfectly good hands. You should have more faith in me as her husband. Although," - Toyotomi paused for a moment with a slow smile. "I did not know that the Sanada heir has also sought help from the Tezuka _clan_ and the sister of the commander-in-chief of the police. Uchiha was it? She is quite the marksman; just like her older brother except with a rifle. The rest – I did not know you had also brought mongrels to deal with me."

Sanada's blood ran cold. How did he know all these people?

"I was quite surprised that a couple of Hyotei brats could take down experienced fighters especially that disgusting brunette," Toyotomi hissed darkly through the speakers. "She has a cute face though but she is such a pest. I did not expect a Tezuka to condone such behaviour from a woman. Kyo is one of my good friends and how did she treat him? Humph, I'll see to it you are all sued for trespassing and abuse of my hospitality."

"WHAT FUCKING HOSPITALITY," Ayane balled her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white, shaking her fist in the air. "YOU STUPID RETARD, YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN JERARD ON THE INTELLIGENCE SCALE! GIVE BACK MOMO-_SENPAI_ OR I WILL MARCH UP TO YOUR OFFICE AND CLOBBER YOU WITH WHATEVER I CAN GET MY HANDS ON!"

Marui squeaked fearfully before adding at the end of her sentence. "Take her seriously, man. If you don't want a hairline fracture in your skull, you'll do as she says! Besides," Marui managed to man up despite Ayane's threats making him feel small. "I want my best friend back! More like my first girl best friend!"

Toyotomi remained silent for a moment. "She dated an idiot like you?"

Marui, fuming, stamped his feet furiously on the ground. "No, she's my friend that's a girl, dumbass! Ayane's right - you're probably even stupider than Bakaya in English! You probably get zeroes in Behaviour Tests!"

Somewhere far away, one could hear the Rikkai Dai Devil sneeze the moment Marui made his reference.

Toyotomi chuckled in amusement, causing the stereo to crackle a little. "Well, perhaps this world is simply too modern for my tastes. Momo belongs in the samurai world as my Yamato Nadeshiko*. She is to be a housewife to take care of my heirs while I work. Is that not how society works? Men are of the highest power in society and that it is our job as men to display our power. What better way than to have an obedient housewife who knows the traditional code?"

"FUCK YOU!"

Everyone froze when Ayane snapped loudly. Sure they have heard her call people bad names but swearing with her uncontrollable volume? Not very pleasant.

"YOU DON'T KNOW SQUAT ABOUT MOMO-_SENPAI_! SHE IS ANYTHING BUT A YAMATO NADE-WHATEVER," - Sanada sweat-dropped slightly at the sight of the tangerine haired girl yelling at the air; how did Atobe and the rest of her teammates or the whole Hyotei in particular put up with her volume and yelling? She could probably shatter glass at her volume. "I DUNNO WHO THE HELL YOU ARE BUT NOBLE SAMURAI CLAN OR NOT - I'M GONNA BEAT YOUR ASS SO BAD THAT PIGS ARE GONNA START FLYING AND ATOBE GROWS A BRAIN! WHILE I'M AT IT, I'LL FIND YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE SWORD OR ANTIQUE AND BASH IT OVER YOUR EMPTY HEAD! MAYBE THEN YOU'RE HEAD'S GONNA FIX UP AND GROW A BRAIN, SLEAZEBALL!"

"Um, Kobayagi-_san_," Sengoku swallowed, watching the fuming girl glare at nothing but a random dust particle.

"WHAT," Ayane suddenly grabbed Sengoku by the collar of his shirt, glaring with her blazing wrathful emerald orbs.

"Um," Sengoku swallowed hard, knowing well enough that Ayane could easily pummel him into a wall. "They sell pork chop meals on planes, Swine Flu infected the world via airborne and some countries transport frozen pig meat as export to other countries via airplanes. And technically, Atobe does have a brain - he grew it ever since he was..."

"OKAY FINE," Ayane threw Sengoku to the ground with such force there was an explosive _thud_, pointing menacingly at the air. "I'M GONNA BEAT YOUR ASS SO BAD THAT PIES WILL GROW WINGS AND FLY TO END WORLD HUNGER, DINOSAURS WILL ROAM THE EARTH AND YOU'RE GONNA SPARKLE LIKE EDWARD CULLEN BECAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TO SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST! WHILE I'M AT IT, I'LL TAPE YOUR WHOLE BODY AGAINST A CHAIR AND MAKE YOU SIT THERE AND LISTEN TO JUSTIN BIEBER OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH THE HEADPHONES DUCT TAPED TO YOUR EARS! MY SENPAI AND I ARE GONNA BEAT YOU TEN TIMES OVER!" (SS: No offense to Bieber fans or to Justin Bieber, I just saw a meme like that online and I kinda found it funny.)

Seeing her breathe heavily, Sanada could only stare at Atobe's current girlfriend. The man wasn't kidding when he said that Ayane definitely had the pipes in singing or cheering. He could feel his eardrums splitting from the sheer volume and his brain melting from the strange or extremely flawed logic of her threats. Heck, he didn't even know who Justin Bieber was but the way she made the person sound was like he was the Ultimate Scourge of mankind, Prelude to the Apocalypse or some sort. Again, he began to question whether or not it was a good idea to drive her away from Kanagawa. At least she'd be spared from the insanity that Ayane was spewing off.

There was nothing but silence until Toyotomi chuckled darkly.

"So, you must be the reason why Momo is being so defiant to me, you buxom air-horn. Very well, I would like to meet you and your so-called 'teammates'. Continue down the pathway and take the third staircase. It will lead straight to my office, wench."

Ayane extremely fumed up that Sanada wasn't sure if he smelled something burning or if Ayane simply emitted much steam from her ears before cracking her knuckles. Ayane soon broke into a sprint with Sanada and the others following after the rampaging female vice captain. He exchanged glances with Marui who shrugged sheepishly; even he had no idea that Ayane could burst into a crazed rampage so quickly. The Rikkai Dai vice captain had never met anyone with such heavy aggression issues but during the training, she was very polite and sweet not rampaging like the Hulk for that matter. The only thing lacking was that she needed to be green and in a female version of the Hulk's clothes and also she needed to be was to be smashing through walls.

"YEAH, IT BETTER - YOU STUPID SLEAZEBALL!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I could've sworn that I heard Ayane yelling..."

Momo quietly walked around the hallways with a torn _kimono_ top and _hakama_ bottoms that she managed to find under the floorboards. Momo held onto the _katana _imitation in one hand while feeling out the walls with the other hand. She shivered slightly from the unsettling feeling she had in her stomach and the deafening silence. She held her breath before closing her eyes, listening to all the sounds around her. The wood creaked and an eerie silence filled the corridor; Momo flicked up the _katana_ while creeping over carefully to the next corner until a shadow started appearing on the other side. She narrowed her eyes darkly and lightened her steps considerably until she got to the corner. As the shadow crept closer, Momo prepared to swing the sheathed blade to knock out her opponent until nobody appeared. Her eyes widened as she stepped into the corridor only to see nothing but an empty corridor.

"Where," Momo knitted her eyebrows together until the wood creaked and she spun around blocked the blade that nearly decapitated her. "Who are you?"

The woman flashed a sultry smile before blinding her with her _kimono_'s sleeves and knocking Momo back. The _Shinigami_, staggering back, fought back to regain her balance and composure as she swung her still sheathed _katana_ and blocking the blade that nearly took her face but still managed to cut a strand of her hair.

"Well aren't we cheeky," the woman brushed back her black tendrils haughtily, revealing bright red lips curling up into a smile. "No wonder Hatori-_kun_ seemed so determined to make you his wife. You're no slouch either. Unfortunately, Tokyo has somewhat tarnished your mind."

Momo smirked lightly, unsheathing her blade carefully. "Toyotomi Ukiyo - you know, there is a reason why I refuse to marry into a samurai family. That kind of life of being a submissive housewife and a household possession of a man - disgusting."

Ukiyo tossed back her long black hair, curling her hair around her finger. "Should it not be a great honour for a woman to be married to a man of high status?"

"Where is the honour when she is nothing but a pleasure toy and a punching bag to the man," Momo retorted hotly, tightening her grip on her blade. "I will carve my path with my own power and talent. That is society's law."

Ukiyo frowned as she changed her stance, unsheathing her blade carefully with her _katana _glimmering under the dim light. "Very well. Let me test that strength of your resolve."

Momo's dark eyes glowered as she slowly drew her sword, watching Ukiyo's movements carefully. She inhaled deeply before changing her stance into a more aggressive stance, watching Ukiyo's sudden change of stance or any foot twitch. Her heartbeat pumped slowly as drops of sweat trickled against her face. Without any warning, Momo dashed forward with her sword humming loudly as it let out a loud _clang_ against Ukiyo's blade. Sparks flew upon contact as Ukiyo slid to the side to go for a rib strike while Momo blocked it and redirected her attack, preparing to strike against her shoulder. She kept her two hands fastened tightly to the blade as she went for slashing her legs. Ukiyo back-flipped and kicked the girl right under her jaw, knocking Momo back and regaining her balance.

"Tokyo has dulled your fang," Ukiyo chuckled humourlessly as Momo sprinted forward again with her blade singing towards her. "I wonder - who exactly has dulled your fang? Is it that orange imbecile that Hatori_-kun_ had met that day he went to profess his love for you?"

Momo flared angrily as her sword clashed against Ukiyo's. How dare she insult Sengoku like that! Momo bit her lip and slammed her blade against Ukiyo's and knocked the woman back before launching herself towards her for a relentless assault. Hold up, Momo pondered deeply as she started defending herself from Ukiyo's attacks. Why was she so angry when Sengoku was called an imbecile? He really was anyhow at some point. Sengoku may have had his stupidity but he always knew how to make her happy. Come to think of it, how did Sengoku know how to make her happy? He couldn't have gotten information out of Hitomi but Sengoku always knew how to make smile.

_"Aww, but you're so cute when you're mad."_

"_I wasn't flirting with your captain."_

_"I'm lucky to have met you, what's your name?"_

_"I'm Sengoku Kiyosumi! Yoroshiku, hime-chan!"_

_"Well, at least I found my lucky Shinigami under the rain~!"_

_"Yay, I got to make you laugh, lucky~!"_

_"Win or lose, it's the experience that counts right? If you win, that's a bonus. If you lose, that's a bonus for you too since you learn from it right~? I have faith in you, Shinigami-chan!"_

_"I don't know what your context of crazy is, Shinigami-chan. But yeah - I did become crazy; crazy for you."_

_"Doesn't the sun look better when it has ten rays instead of five?"_

Smiling wryly, Momo slowly lifted her blade and held her _katana _now only with one hand. She could see Ukiyo's haughty black eyes staring back at her as she took on a different stance. Ever since she first enrolled in Hyotei, stayed in a dormitory, had been beat down by the Sanada family, Momo couldn't believe how far she had gotten. She remembered how her teammates had accepted her with open arms even if Naomi had her brains attached the wrong way. Sengoku had stood beside her without complaint even as going far as helping her face her demons with the Sanada clan. He had taken a healthy hit though; she pitied more the racquet that had taken the full brunt force of the _katana_. With a sigh, Momo chuckled dryly; she felt like she was part of one of those traditional _samurai_ soap operas she hated.

"Hou," Ukiyo watched Momo take a more aggressive stance, raising her blade in front of her face. "I've never seen that stance before. Where did that style come from?"

Momo refused to grace her with a response as she darted towards her and shoved Ukiyo back. As the black haired woman stumbled back due to impact, Momo kept up her attack as her sword flashed right at Ukiyo's left side, lightly scratching the girl's face. As Ukiyo bent her back backwards, she sprung back and prepared to slash Momo who parried with her sword going at the opposite direction. Despite Momo's parry, Ukiyo nearly took off Momo's arm only to slash the sleeves of Momo's _kimono _and slap her with the sleeves of her own _kimono. _Momo staggered back and followed the sound of the clattering _geta_ before side-stepping and cornering the woman against her blade. Ukiyo stopped before her neck touched the blade, standing still silently. Momo slowly stepped forward as the blade remained an inch away from Ukiyo's neck.

"Take me to the exit," Momo coldly commanded as she pressed the cold steel against the girl's neck. "I shan't say it twice."

Ukiyo smiled slowly as she held onto her own blade. "The test is far from over. As the fiancée of Tokugawa Nezu, I cannot disgrace the name of the Toyotomi by accepting defeat from one of my vassals! The Sanada are vassals to both the Tokugawa and the Toyotomi."

Momo remained glacially silent as Ukiyo surveyed her eyes carefully at the dark brown orbs. Soon, Ukiyo flipped up her blade and swung it at Momo's as the _Shinigami _stepped back to gain more momentum for her blade. As both their swords clashed, she slid back and forth as their blades grinded and slashed against one another. Momo, kicking off the ground, rammed her _katana_ against Ukiyo's as the girl slid her blade against Ukyo's to knock her back and push the violet haired female back. Digging her heels into the ground, Momo lowered her stance and launched herself again for a spinning strike as Ukiyo had been completely thrown off guard as Momo zoomed past her, slightly tearing her obi before striking her from behind which Ukiyo managed to block in time. Sparks ignited between the clashing steel as Momo parried Ukiyo's blade away before giving her a straight kick to send Ukiyo tumbling over and her sword falling unto the ground.

"Tch," Ukiyo rolled back to her stance, watching Momo stand firm on the blade. "Where did you gain such ability? You barely used open handed combat like that before."

Momo sheathed her blade before taking Ukiyo's blade. "The modern world taught my father and me many things about women and men. That - men are to protect women not as their possessions but as their equal and that women are not to abuse their kindness but enhance it. Men cannot strike women for it is a sign of weakness. But women can also not strike men for one does not bite the hand of the one who has granted the same courtesy. Am I right?"

Ukiyo froze before lowering head, prompting Momo to notice a bluish-purplish mark near her collar bone.

"And I also believe that a man should not force himself on a woman when she is not ready to make the step and vice versa," Momo darkly narrowed her eyes at the mark. "I believe that is from Tokugawa Nezu?"

Ukiyo could do nothing save nod wordlessly at the violet haired female.

Momo inhaled deeply and sheathed her blade before kicking back the _katana_ back to Ukiyo, turning away from her but not before taking one last glance. "Whatever you intend to do with that blade is none of my concern. However, it shall be my concern if you lay a finger on my pride then, rest assured. Death will come knocking on your door if ever that were to happen."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Team Shiraishi**

Well, Shiraishi had expected crazy ninjas to jump out of the floorboards and shoot him but the hallway they took remained pretty quiet.

The wooden panels creaked under their feet while Isane stood behind them with her rifle in hand, watching the back of the team. Shishido cracked his knuckles while waiting for anything random to pop out whereas Shiraishi remained in front of Kiyone. The smaller girl glanced around her while making sure her hands were near her yo-yo until they finally reached a flower patterned door. The whole team stared at it for a moment before exchanging glances with one another.

"I've seen these in video games," Shishido groaned and twitched furiously at the ornate sliding door. "Every time there's a door at the end of the hallway, there's usually a big boss behind it that we need to defeat or something."

Kiyone blinked several times before grinning childishly. "Then we're just gonna have to squish its head like a lemon, right Cap-_senpai_?"

"Yeah – wait a minute, who gave you that idea," Shishido stared aghast at the nickname that the little girl had given him. "Can't you remember names like everyone else?"

Kiyone pouted before sticking her tongue out childishly. "I'll remember yours... eventually."

"In which that term "eventually" means never," Shishido groaned in annoyance before preparing to slide open the door. "Well, you ready?"

Isane swallowed hard, making sure that her gun was loaded and that she had one extra magazine left in her tennis bag along with an extra gun. For some strange reason, her brother had dumped it there because Itachi had noted that it was "too bulky to carry around". What more the customized pistols and hand guns that both he and Sasuke had made? Sasuke always had two of his hand guns strapped at the back of his waist and Itachi had his strapped onto his legs.

"Yeah, let's go."

The moment he slid open the door, the four of them stared in shock and surprise they found a huge green house with plants growing all over the place. Shiraishi blinked several times as he found several aconites on one side and some butterfly attracting flowers. He wouldn't be surprised if he saw exotic and rare plants and even found poison ivy growing in a very ornate manner. He blinked several times and started fingering the leaves carefully, watching out for any thorns. Kiyone on the other hand had her yo-yo's drawn out as she started looking at the bright yellow sunflowers that seemed to be gazing down at her.

"STOP REMINDING ME THAT I'M SHORT," Kiyone pursed her lips in annoyance at the sunflowers while stamping her feet in a tantrum, sticking out her tongue then after.

"Kiyone-_chan_, the flowers aren't doing anything," Isane tried to calm down the sandy blonde who looked like she was going to rip them into shreds by plucking off their petals one by one and then stamping on them while searching and surveying the place as well. "But I have to admit; these plants are abnormally huge. I wonder how they managed to grow them so big."

"The Toyotomi clan was known to have the biggest gardens before the Battle of Sekigahara. After all, isn't one of your friends a History bug?"

Shishido narrowed his eyes darkly, glancing around at the Japanese characters and Japanese themed decorations lining on the wall. "I see, this was the blueprints of the castle of the Toyotomi clan was supposed to look like if not for the Tokugawa clan for bringing you guys down. After Hideyori had been deposed, Tokugawa Ieyasu had taken over and when he was forced to commit _Seppuku_, his clan took over."

A hollow chuckle echoed throughout the air. "You're quite intelligent for a stupid Tokyo scum. Not many would choose to remember ancient Japanese history."

Shishido narrowed his eyes as a young man in a suit and monocle stepped out from behind the huge leaves with a book in hand. "Who the hell are you?"

"Do you like it," the young man gestured to the many plants surrounding them. "Hatori-_kun_ suggested the landscape would be similar to the Zen gardens. But Ren thought – how about those tea green houses the British had back in the Victorian period? Ah, it is only during such a relaxing time you get to appreciate their beauty."

"Zip it, three eyes," Shishido blinked several times at himself before venomously glaring at the man; how did his insults get so lame? "Where the heck is Sanada? You don't just kidnap someone out of whim or to get laid! Besides, wrong woman – she could have shredded him into ribbons if she had the brain of Gakuto! If the guy wanted to get laid so badly, he could've just gone to Tobitashinchi in the southern area of Osaka! Tch, _gekidasa daze_."

They all stared at Shishido in astonishment; why did he know these things?

Upon seeing the stares, the capped dash specialist groaned in annoyance and pulled his face. "Geez, what the hell is wrong with you people!? My brother's took History as his pre-law course and he's now a lawyer! I had to listen to him mumble that stuff everyday!"

"My, my, my, such a hot-blooded youth," the young man plucked a flower from one of the bushes, inhaling it before throwing it aside. "Well, Ren thinks you all shouldn't be here in this fortress. After all, Hatori hates it when people do not greet him when there is such a wonderful party. Such impudent guests."

Shiraishi however glanced at the aconite sitting in a row of other aconite before quietly bending down to pick it up. He examined the petals on the flower quietly without the people noticing him. Their stare off was pretty intense and he stood behind Isane who practically towered over him. He fingered the flower gently before checking the substance between his fingers. Smelling it a little, Shiraishi shook his head before looking at the other plants. He wasn't a botanical genius but he didn't have to be when he saw oversized Venus Flytraps growing all over the place. The red marks and the jagged leaf like edges said it all and the sight of the other hanging pitcher-looking plants that looked big enough to fit humans in there really proved to be something. Shiraishi quietly pocketed some of the flowers and a few more plants he had found on the ground. He couldn't help it; it all looked so pretty. Shishido on the other hand stormed towards the male while Isane held him back.

"What's this," Ren brushed back his long jet black hair, laughing in amusement. "I did not know women are allowed to carry such barbaric weapons."

Isane narrowed her eyes darkly and suddenly aimed her hand gun straight in Ren's face, shocking the man and Shishido and losing her shyness and meekness all at once. "Please, we do not have time for this. Can we please have Momo-_chan_ back? We simply came here for our friend."

Kiyone pulled out both her yo-yos with her liquid blue eyes sparkling angrily while singing innocently and impishly, rolling her yoyos up and down. "GIANT-SENPAI'S GONNA MAKE YOUR FACE LOOK LIKE A CORKBOARD~!"

"Well before we do that," Ren smiled slowly and snapped his fingers as the plants suddenly started to quiver and shudder to life. "I think you should all know how interactive my plants are. They haven't had friends over for some time."

As the plants started shuddering and quivering, many of the Venus Flytraps opened their gaping mouths before snapping them shut. Isane's eyes widened in horror as she pointed her gun straight at the mutated plants. Shishido bit his lower lip and backed up a little as the plants started stretching their necks and snapping their jaws. Shishido kicked one aside as he swat one of them with his tennis racquet.

"Damn it, I thought this only happened in movies," Shishido whacked another plant with his tennis racquet.

Ren smiled and drank a cup of tea before sitting down and folding his legs on the white iron chair. "Do not fret; the pain will steal you over faster than you know it."

Kiyone rolled down her yoyos before whirling it around and whacking the Venus Flytrap right under the chin. With her Loop-the-Loop trick, she doubled the speed as it started swatting back the creatures. The Venus Flytrap tried to snap her yoyo as she slid right beneath it due to her height. She swallowed hard and looked at the voracious plants. Shishido stated quite a point; where did they get the resources to create voracious man-eating plants? She jumped up on one of the creatures before swinging her yoyo around to wrap two together. Isane started opening fire, reloading as fast as she could. Bullets pierced the creatures but not enough to destroy the plant unless they had something that could cut it from its source or something good enough to burn it. Isane bit her lip as she backed into Shishido who whacked another plant's vine with his racquet.

"Hey Isane, you don't happen to have a spare gun do you," Shishido went for a full baseball swing and swat the creature straight in the face if it had any.

Isane glanced back and checked her tennis bag, swallowing hard and hesitantly handing the gun to Shishido. "Unless you're good with handguns..."

"Works for me," Shishido watched the creatures come closer as he placed both hands on the gun, squinting at the creatures for better aim.

At this point, Shishido couldn't help but curse his inability to fire a gun properly.

His hand shivered and shuddered along with the aching in his arm didn't help. The plants swivelled their necks as his bullets fired straight past them, causing Shishido to step back. The dash specialist dashed out of the way as one of the plants stretched out its neck to strike him. Kiyone whacked a few more with a spinning UFO and whirling it in a horizontal lying loop. The plants continued to march towards them, seemingly cornering the three players.

"What the hell? Where is Shitenhouji's captain," Shishido glanced around the area frantically, firing more bullets. "What the hell, he freakin' ditched us!"

"Not quite."

A plastic bag flew in the air and went straight into the Venus Flytrap's mouth. For a few moments, the plant popped the water balloon in its mouth as the three players stared at it in shock and it suddenly let out a howling shriek. The plant jerked its head straight into the air and howled angrily before completely crashing on the ground with a loud _thud_ before completely withering. Their eyes widened and Ren looked extremely surprised when Shiraishi tossed a plastic bag in his hand with some weird substance in it. Their eyes widened as they backed up from Shiraishi who had a very confident smile on his face.

"Regardless how mutated something is," Shiraishi tossed one to Shishido, tossing another bag to Isane. "I don't think they can beat nature's most powerful poisons. At the same time, when we don't have fire – poison and a little bit of this and that should do the trick."

Shishido stared at him aghast; his jaw hung agape. "What the hell did you mix in this thing?"

"Nothing a little Aconite poison couldn't do and a little bit of salt," Shiraishi shrugged with a calm smile, pouring some of the contents down a Pitcher plant that prepared to eat him only to have it crystallize. "I really don't know who keeps super saturated salt solution in a greenhouse. Aren't salt solutions dangerous to plants unless they're going into sculpture making also...? And usually, in a greenhouse – you have all sorts of creatures. All I had to do was step on a Funnel Web Spider and not get bitten before getting some of the venom off the floor."

Seeing the weakness of the plants, Isane grabbed her magazine of bullets. "Shiraishi, do you still have some of that mixture left?"

Shiraishi pulled out a bag of dark coloured liquid. "Yeah but whatever you do, don't make it touch your skin. The super-saturated solution will crystallize on your body from the sweat coming from your pores. As long as you have some trace of salt on your body, it will react even if it's not a crystal."

"Why the hell do you know this, you freakin' nerd," Shishido popped another bag in the plant's mouth as it started crystallizing and withering away.

Ren narrowed his eyes at Shiraishi. "Oh so Tokyo folk do have some brains."

"For your information, I'm from Osaka," Shiraishi blinked several times; could he not see the difference in their accent? "Besides, being eaten by a mutated plant doesn't look good on an obituary."

Kiyone launched herself into the air before stuffing a bag into the creature's mouth, winding the yoyo around the creature's mouth to instantly pop the balloon. "Kura-_kun, _do you have more?"

_Wait did she call me by my name?_

Although on the inside he was leaping up in joy, Shiraishi tossed her a couple of bags as she started stuffing it into the other creature's mouths. That was one step ahead of Kenya unless she had been calling him by his first name by then. But everyone called him by his first name since he refused to be mistaken for the other Oshitari. Hopefully, not on a very affectionate scale yet. He had never expected his vacation to involve fighting an ancient samurai family let alone killing mutated man-eating plants. He dodged a vine as he threw the bag on the creature's face along with some salt he found. He glanced around at the plants only to see a coconut tree growing somewhere in the middle of the freshwater plants. Shiraishi nodded to himself; so that's why there was some random bottle of sodium chloride lying around and a pool walled with salt crystals. It only meant one thing: that thing had enough salt to solidify into a crystal.

"Anything combustible here," Shishido groaned as he served another shot into the plant's mouth. "I don't think we have enough ammo to go around."

Kiyone glanced up to see a gas vent up at the roof. A frown marred her features however when she realized how short she was and even climbing on one of the mutated toadstools didn't help. She jumped on one of the Venus Flytraps and looked for a spring boost only to have the creature nearly eat her if Shishido hadn't burst the salt bomb in the plant's face. Shards blasted and pierced the creature from the impact of the bullet as Kiyone jumped back down.

"Splendid show but I don't think that will get you anywhere," Ren smiled as he closed his book before pulling out a lighter to light his Tobacco cigarette. "Your friend seems to have some advanced knowledge in Chemistry."

Shiraishi glanced at the lighter, seeing the fluids inside. But he couldn't just randomly grab the lighter until he remembered how quick Kiyone's hands were as she snapped her wrist to launch the yoyo.

"Kiyone-_chan_," Shiraishi grabbed her arm as he pointed to Ren's table. "Think you can get the lighter?"

"I can't reach the gas valve," Kiyone pouted childishly, pointing above at the very corner of the room. "It's too high up."

Isane fired at another creature, glancing at Shishido suddenly having an idea. "Shishido-_kun_, the gas valve – up on the corner of the room!"

Shishido, swivelling his head around, suddenly spotted the valve before gaping in admonishment. "I can't shoot that far! I don't have the grades of Yamaguchi or your 20/20 vision that's been modified to see 20 metres away from you!"

"I know you can do it," Isane smiled as she started firing at the other creatures, taking steps back. "I'll cover you."

Shishido could feel his heart jumping and watching Isane shooting the other creatures while Shiraishi and Kiyone went off to steal the lighter. His lips thinned into a line as he stared deeply at the gas valve. His hands trembled but he knew that this was their only chance of getting out of a crazy room filled with man-eating plants. Shishido once again glanced at Isane before steeling himself to stare sharply at the gas valve. He glanced at the last two bullets sitting in the magazine before looking once more at the gas valve. Why would anyone put a gas valve over there anyhow? He glanced at some of the stoves hidden behind the other leaves before blinking several times. Okay, he had seen too many horror and combat movies. Star Wars was his favourite but nothing there mentioned man-eating plants.

"You better hit or so help me God," Shishido pulled the trigger as the bullet flew and cracked the valve open. "Yes!"

Soon, the smell of gasoline filled the air and Isane immediately stopped shooting. "Why did you do that?"

Kiyone grabbed the lighter as Shiraishi tied up Ren with some vines and some of Kiyone's extra yoyo string, grinning impishly. "We don't have time! We're gonna burn these guys like how Yane-Yane burns cheese!"

Shishido stared aghast as he and Isane ran out towards the door behind Ren with Kiyone and Shiraishi following closely behind them. "That made no sense!"

"Your face makes no sense," Kiyone stuck her tongue out as they finally reached the exit, looking at Shiraishi throw Ren aside. "Can we set the world on fire now?"

Shiraishi nodded. "Throw the lighter as far as you can."

As Kiyone pitched it towards the creatures, Shiraishi glanced at Isane and Shishido. "Shoot it down!"

As twin vines shot out and nearly hit the two of them, Isane and Shishido nodded and spun around to dodge both vines before Shishido placed the gun on top of Isane's horizontally with a smile crossing their lips.

"_KATSU WA NO HYOTEI_!"

As the bullets cracked from both guns, the whole room suddenly set ablaze with the plants screeching in agony as the fires nearly set the doors on fire until Shiraishi and Kiyone slid it shut. Ren stared in horror as he remained completely pale and motionless. Shishido blinked several times and poked him with the gun.

"Geez, what's his problem," Shishido blinked until he noticed a row of teeth marks on his arm with some foam-like substance, rubbing it in between his fingers. "Wait, Vanilla Milkshake foam?"

Isane swivelled her head towards Kiyone who began sipping out of her water jug frothy white vanilla milkshake before revealing a milk moustache. "What? Hitomi-_senpai_ told me to drink a lot of milk if I'm gonna be any taller than Yane-Yane!"

Shiraishi chuckled lightly until he heard a loud explosion and the castle suddenly began rumbling. "What's that?"

"Team Shiraishi, get out of there! The fires will slowly set the whole hallway on fire and Rin decided to play press the big red button! There's a big flood headed your way!"

**Team Hikifumi**

"Rin, I told you not to randomly press any big red button no matter how enticing it looks," Haruka broke into a wild sprint as water rushed down the hallway.

Kajimoto and Jackal stared back in astonishment as Rin immediately ran past them. "When did this happen?"

Running ahead of Jackal, Rin flailed her arms in the air as more water rushed into the hallway. "I'm sorry, _kuwee_! Hitomi was the one who told me to hit that button!"

"I told you to hit the other red button on your left not the big one right in front of your face, Rin," Hitomi's voice crackled through the speakers in their ears. "Team Hikifumi, there should be a door the moment you take the first right. Go straight into it and you should find yourself in the main living room. By then, you should be able to meet the others."

Water crashed loudly against the walls until it started catching up with them. Rin's eyes widened as she immediately took the turn until the water completely splashed towards them and washing them towards the other ends of the castle. Kajimoto immediately began looking around, looking for a wall to randomly hit so the water would at least divert. Jackal pulled out Haruka from the water as they started swimming through the mess.

"How do you plan we get out of this," Jackal glanced at the water rushing in all sorts of directions, spitting out some of the water that made its way to his mouth. "This guy had enough water to create an ocean and he wasn't even near the sea for that matter."

Haruka glanced around before seeing the currents continue rushing forward before noticing the door that Hitomi had been talking about. She could only thank her lucky stars that the castle had multiple ways to get to one room, seeing the sliding door. Preparing to unsheathe her racquet, Haruka suddenly glanced at Rin and dove under water despite the rushing current. Jackal stared in shock as the water soon started rising to the ceiling. Jackal stared at Kajimoto as the current slowed down to a stagnant state as Haruka suddenly emerged right in front of Rin.

"Well, it could be worse," Haruka hopefully smiled, looking at the mess they made. "I hope we at least helped the others instead of just flooding the castle."

Jackal swam over to them, despite the water rising dangerously to the ceiling. "What exactly did that button say, Shimohi-_san_?"

Kajimoto glanced at his girlfriend as the Black Dragon smiled cheekily. "Press red button to drain water."

"Did it at least say from where," Kajimoto blinked several times; how could Rin just randomly press any red button and assume it would work?

Haruka and the other two could only gape at the Black Dragon stupidly at what she had said. Face-palming in shock and horror, Haruka could only groan in response as she started looking around. Waters had flooded all the way to the ceiling, leaving very little room to breathe. Glancing at the other pathway, Haruka glanced at Rin and Kajimoto before looking at Jackal and the rising level. She and Jackal could definitely pull off holding their breath in water but Rin barely had the lung capacity and she wasn't sure about Rin.

"Hold on," Haruka inhaled deeply before plunging under water and swimming towards a pathway.

While under water, she tried to yank the door open but to no avail. The place had been completely barricaded; Haruka even tried kicking it with a straight kick but the water softened her impact. Haruka frowned deeply before rising up to the surface.

"Guys, come over here," Haruka beckoned the three players as she pointed underwater. "There's a door around here and I think this is the one Hitomi was talking about. It's deeply lodged though; I can't yank it open."

"The water pressure is what's preventing it from opening," Kajimoto glanced at Jackal, earning a nod from the South American-Asian male. "Alright, here we go."

Kajimoto and Jackal dove underwater with Rin and Haruka as they found the door deeply lodged as she had said. As Jackal and Kajimoto tugged on it, there was no way that the door would move. Rin stared at the door for a moment however before unravelling her sash and lacing it against the knob. After knotting it on the knob, all four began to tug on it as hard as they could until the water spilled out with rushing pressure. Haruka tumbled out to the ground along with Rin, Jackal and Kajimoto as they were somewhere Hitomi predicted they'd be.

"I guess this is the living room that Hitomi was talking about," Haruka sauntered cautiously around, examining her surroundings. "But where-?"

Before she could say anything, the other doors and windows spilled with water from Rin's big boo-boo and out came tumbling the others. Ayane, Sanada, Marui and Sengoku tumbled down the stairs while Shizuru, Tezuka and Mai crashed from the door right under the upper corridor. Shiraishi, Kiyone, Shishido and Isane rolled out the door opposite from Shizuru and the others. One thing they had in common: they were all soaking wet.

"What the heck happened back there," Shishido began drying his cap and his shirt. "Who the hell decided to flood the place with water?"

"I thought I was going to drown," Shizuru shivered slightly from the cold water. "Where did all that come from?"

Before Haruka and Rin could explain, the lights suddenly dimmed when a gold spotlight shone on top with several native drums being beaten in the background. Their eyes followed the light only to find Toyotomi Hatori standing at the top with a smirk on his face, clapping his hands mockingly. Toyotomi strode forward in his traditional _samurai _armour before bowing before them.

"Welcome to Toyotomi Fortress."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**So sorry that this thing took do long! I know it's probably a bit crappy since I had so many writer's blocks. I had so many things to do for Christmas! Hopefully, I get some rest and be able to update faster! Please don't forget to review!**


	63. Death X Luck

**Me: Wow, long time no update! Sorry, I have a lot of schoolwork to do but I always try my best to continue keeping the story fresh and well. Hopefully, I'll be able to manage my time better since college really starts demanding from me. Anyway, I don't own Prince of Tennis! I only own the OCs and this fanfiction's plotline!**

Chapter 63 - Death X Luck

Momo bit her lower lip as she anxiously held onto the katana that she had randomly grabbed from the decorations on the wall. Despite being a fairly blunt blade, Momo smiled at her own expertise in learning how to wield blunt weapons similarly to a sword. Despite her kimono being damaged and heavy, the female Sanada gathered some of her wits to rip off the hem of her kimono and altering it into a ribbon for her hair. After hearing the loud rushing of water, Momo had immediately ran towards the source of the rushing sound only to find herself in the living room with another flash of water soaking her. Her teammates managed to gather themselves as well until she found a familiar mob of orange hair sticking out from the mess.

"Sengoku," Momo rushed over until an arrow shot right in between the two of them, causing her to glare at the man who stood at the steps. "Tch, Toyotomi - you better know who you are messing with."

Standing in a hakama and kendo uniform, Hatori smirked arrogantly before lowering his samurai long bow. "Well, as far as my memory serves me - the Sanada family still owes the Toyotomi clan quite an allegiance and an amount of money. After all, your family since the ancient times have served as the Toyotomi clan's attack dogs. I think even the head himself can clarify that for you."

The male Sanada glared holes into the haughty young man. "Toyotomi, that era has long gone to an end. We have settled the treaty and became an alliance instead of a vassal clan to the Toyotomi. We are of equal standing."

"Do not make me your equal, dog," Toyotomi bristled angrily at Sanada, spitting venomously at the black haired Sanada. "I am here to fulfill my great-grandfather's wish: to bring about an heir that will gain me control of all the samurai clans that walk this country! The Toyotomi clan had suffered enough under the hands of Tokugawa! I will not surrender to my own vassals!"

Ayane twitched angrily as she pointed at the young samurai. "God, you have an ego even worse than Keigo! What part of 'Momo-senpai has a boyfriend' don't you understand? Maybe I should kick your balls in to make you actually grow a brain!"

Haruka could only sweat drop at the sight of the vice captain, keeping up her guard. "I sometimes wonder how Ayane can fearlessly yell at a man even if he has a long bow ready to shoot her."

Sanada remained silent as Toyotomi stepped down to their level, tossing his bow aside. "Very well; it seems that this woman must be taught her lesson personally. You however," - he snapped his fingers as squadrons of soldiers suddenly marched out. "Please excuse me but I have something else to deal with."

"Momo-chan," Sengoku ran past Sanada and watched the squadrons flood in before jumping over to reach Momo. "Momo-chan!"

Momo however continued to glare glacially at the mastermind of her kidnapping, drawing out the sword. "It seems I have to remind you about the difference between you and I."

Toyotomi scoffed lightly as he drew out his own sword, positioning himself to fight her with a dark smile curving up his lips. "Very well but you know what men say: I must punish you for your disobedience, my Yamato Nadeshiko."

"Scum," Momo launched herself towards her opponent as both swords clashed.

As the soldiers swung their pikes and swords, Ayane dodged the spears before grabbing them under her arm and swinging them aside using the spears. Seeing them fly towards her, Kiyone whirled around her yo-yo before spinning them around like a top to which Shiraishi and Marui knocked them out with a solid punch. Rin jumped high into the air before locking her legs around the man's neck and bringing him down with her pendulum-like movement. Haruka danced gracefully with the Chinese blade humming and blocking the Japanese swords, deflecting their attacks before flying in to bring them down. Sanada clucked his tongue in annoyance as he brought down his blade to wound the other soldiers, noticing Momo fight Toyotomi. As another attack came from above, Sengoku gave the attacker a quick right jab at the soldier's face before he chopped down Sanada.

"Thank you," Sanada found himself completely astonished; how could Sengoku beat off soldiers who have trained for years? "But how..."

"After your grandpa's friend tried to chop Momo down, I couldn't just stand there and watch," Sengoku ducked before punching another soldier straight in the face, knocking him out cold. "Even though Momo-chan doesn't show it outright, I know she's special and she's my inspiration, Sanada-san. I never liked girls who were always all-over me or easily flustered by me. I want someone like Momo-chan."

Sanada couldn't help but let a small smile curve up his lips. Who knew Yamabuki's famed Lucky Sengoku, a flirt and playboy to boot, would finally choose one girl? Sanada ducked and brought his blade up to block the attack, swinging it down to sweep the attacker off his feet. However, he found himself distracted again by the one woman who easily knocked him down. Shizuru gracefully slipped past the attackers as her naginata extended and began slashing her opponents as she spun around. Tezuka seemingly fought with her rhythm as they both managed to take down the opponents surrounding them. If that didn't convince them that they were meant for each other, he would point his katana in their faces until they admitted their affections towards one another. As he swung his blade to knock down one of the attackers, Sanada ducked until a person mysteriously flew over him and crashed into ten other soldiers like a bowling ball to a bowling pen. Sanada blinked several times and staring incredulously at Marui who pointed at the tangerine haired buxom vice captain as she picked another by his shirt before going for another strike

"That's a double strike folks," Ayane grinned until an alarm started blaring off. "Eh?"

Suddenly, the speakers crackled to life with the walls dropping down.

"Yamaguchi-_san_ are you sure you're doing the right thing," - a worried Seishun Gakuen's voice echoed into the hall. "All I see is numbers and weird sentences..."

"I hate to break it into you, Oishi but your data master doesn't have the equipment and the skills for a combat operation like this," Hitomi chuckled darkly as she cleared her throat. "Ah Toyotomi-_san_, forgive me but your firewalls and computers need better work if you want to defend against a hacker like me."

Seeing Toyotomi visibly pale, Momo sniggered lightly as she lowered her blade a little. "She's so good that it makes me wonder why the government hasn't listed her yet for their technology and security department."

Toyotomi blinked several times. "But, but we barely...!"

"I don't need you to have computers to knock you down," Hitomi calmly responded as her voice became much clearer. "All I needed to do was to hotwire the cables and lock my signal on the same frequency as your telephone and use it as a terminal to send commands. I've installed a prototype of the world's smallest cameras on each of a fringe of my teammates' clothing. Even Momo has one except I've put it on something that not even you can find."

Toyotomi remained silent and everyone stared for a moment as Hitomi sighed dejectedly.

"Gah, doesn't anyone speak English and not dummy," Hitomi groaned as she audibly smacked her head against the screen.

"Yamaguchi-_san_, not everyone is as smart as you," Oishi laughed sheepishly.

Momo blinked several times as she started feeling out her body until her hand went up to her earrings, causing her to smirk lightly as realization hit her. "Hitomi, you're really a sly fox..."

"Well, using the smoke alarms as heat detector wasn't hard," Hitomi smoothly chuckled as holes revealed themselves on the wall. "You guys may want to leave the room. Fighting a bunch of pesky soldiers is quite tiring, isn't it?"

Arrows and _kunai_ shot out towards the soldiers as many of them were struck down. Mai jumped out of the way and danced through the barrage before finding a blind spot at the corners. More arrows flew out as they pierced through the armour of the soldiers, creating a pile of dead bodies.

"Get to the corners," Mai narrowly dodged a _kunai_ that missed her face by inches.

Clucking his tongue, Sanada sailed over a sofa and dragged Tezuka before clumsily setting up another barrier to shield them from the deadly crossfire. Shizuru whirled around her _naginata_ to form a wind-based dome as the arrows and _kunai_ bounced off the dome harmlessly as she made her way towards the sofa and hid. Haruka and Rin jumped towards the higher floors and went for the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. However, Sengoku took a shot as the _kunai _grazed his ankle and an arrow met his shoulder.

"Sengoku," Momo whirled around the sleeve of her _kimono_ as the arrow snapped against the momentum, grabbing Sengoku by his shirt and dragging him towards the barricade. "Tch, what was Hitomi thinking?"

"She probably wanted to help eliminate all the soldiers all at once," Momo exhaled weakly as she kept the _katana_ close to her. "I can't beat Toyotomi at this rate," - her eyes widened as she began tending to Sengoku as her heart suddenly began to stop. "Sengoku, hey... Sengoku-_kun_! Damn it, Kiyosumi don't think your luck will spare you from being haunted!"

Sengoku chuckled lightly as he pulled out the arrow, flinching in pain. "Don't worry; it's not a deep wound! But we have to find a way how to dodge all those arrows or find a way how to shut down the whole arrow barrage thing!"

"Tch," Sanada held onto his _katana_, watching Sengoku and the others try to figure out a plan. "If Yamaguchi has the key to tap into the mainframe, why can't she just shut it down or at least control the firing rate?"

Everyone stared at Sanada as if he grew another head. "What?"

"He he, I never knew that _fukubuchou_ could be so technologically intelligent," Marui grinned until Sanada slapped the back of the Magician's head. "Owww, you didn't have to whack me that hard!"

Shizuru inhaled deeply as she grabbed her microphone, avoiding an arrow narrowly missing her head. "Hitomi-_senpai_, can't you shut down the defence system first? I think we took out majority of the soldiers."

"I'm trying to shut it down but someone sent in a kill code," Hitomi continued rapidly punching in the keys on the laptop. "Toyotomi must've hired special personal hackers to try and stop my signals. I'm rewriting my kill-code and algorithm to see if I can control the whole fortress. Each program has at least three firewalls. Give me a few minutes."

Shizuru nodded stiffly as she pushed Tezuka out of the way as an arrow pierced through the sofa. She never knew he would be dragged into combat scenery and she barely wanted people to know that she could swing her _naginata_. Let alone him of all people! She groaned inwardly to herself before tightening her grip onto her _naginata_ and inhaled deeply. She visualized the whole area in her mind as the sound of the arrows began to fade into the back of her mind. Her own heartbeat faded into the background as she prepared to re-extend her _naginata_. As her eyes opened, she glanced at Momo who nodded to her with the _katana_ one hand.

"Hold on," Sanada pulled out a blade in its sheathe from his bag, tossing the sword to Momo. "I think you're looking for this".

As Momo caught her blade, a smile curved up her lips as her fingers traced the varnished sheathe of her blade. Momo slowly drew out the shining silver _katana_ as her fingers tightened its grip on the dark lavender strips of cloth that wound around the hilt. She felt her spirits lift up considerably as the blade smoothly slid out of its sheathe, glimmering under the white lights. Inhaling deeply, Momo glanced at Shizuru as both of the girls leapt over the sofa wordlessly with their swords singing in the air. The _naginata_ blades sung as the arrows crashed against the chains and blades while Momo's _katana_ split the arrows in two. Momo ducked as she continued blocking the arrows while Shizuru spun around and formed a dome around her to deflect the rest of the arrows. Toyotomi stood at the top of the staircase as he watched Momo and Shizuru cut through the piercing attacks.

Sengoku and Tezuka could only watch in amazement although the orange haired vice captain had his jaw dropping to the ground while Tezuka's eyes simply widened. Sengoku watched Momo cut through the arrows as she leapt up to bring down her blade against Toyotomi. The rate of the arrows slowed down as Shizuru danced around to prevent Momo getting hit by arrows, slashing the arrows with a quick whirling dance.

"She's so cool," Sengoku gawked as Momo jumped over Toyotomi's slashing attempt at the legs. "I can only imagine how she would cut me to pieces if I did something wrong."

"Momo's cutting you into pieces and Shizuru would shred Tezuka into ribbons if he didn't watch his step," Mai chuckled lightly as she continued staying behind the wall, pulling out her cellphone. "Hitomi, you can stop the barrage now!"

"I'm trying; I'm dealing with several bogeys here also," Hitomi quickened her speed of writing before Mai heard the rolling of a computer chair. "Just don't jump out into the fray, whatever you do!"

"Tell that to Shizuru and Momo," Isane squeaked onto the phone as an arrow narrowly shot through her head. "They're blocking and fighting the guy in a sword fight!"

Momo jumped back as she dug her heel into the ground before swinging her sword to push Toyotomi back. As the male _samurai_ fell back, Momo pushed her attacks and began striking at Toyotomi's shoulder. Clucking his tongue annoyance, Toyotomi swung his sword towards Momo's arm as she blocked the attacked before whirling around to bring a full round strike. Toyotomi rushed forward to slash her stomach as Momo vaulted over the blade as she brought her sword down in a vertical strike.

"Tch," Toyotomi dodged Momo's strike as he prepared to kick her away until Momo ducked and swept him off his feet. "You truly are becoming a pain, Sanada Momo!"

Momo chuckled lightly as she sidestepped as her blade clashed and sparks ignited in her face. As the steel clashed against one another, Momo and Toyotomi pushed their blades towards one another. Momo began shoving the blade towards Toyotomi's neck, narrowing her eyes at the male _samurai. _She winced at the strength Toyotomi had as the _Shinigami_ continued trying to make sure he did not force her to retreat. Her hands trembled from the sword struggles as the arrows soon stopped flying. Shizuru, glancing at the splintered arrows around her, remained silent before retracting her double-edged _naginata_ back into a normal looking baton before glancing at the swordsmanship match between Momo and Toyotomi.

"I think it's safe to get out now," Shishido slightly peeked over the sofa as he heard nothing but swords clashing against one another.

Sengoku's eyes widened as he leapt over the sofa while watching Momo deal with her captor. He slightly gaped in amazement at how fluid her movements were despite feel the fatigue from running around in a castle. Momo leapt up once more before knocking down Toyotomi as the man rolled away while dodging Momo's upward slash. Clucking his tongue in annoyance, Toyotomi clambered up onto his feet again as his blade clashed against Momo's and he aimed a well-placed kick onto her stomach before flipping her over and stomping on her back.

"Momo-_senpai_," Kiyone prepared to run until she saw Toyotomi place his blade right by Momo's neck.

"One move and I will start branding her pretty little neck with this blade," Toyotomi sneered darkly at the small volleyist, pushing the blade against Momo's neck. "It is because of your stupid school that turned my darling fiancée into some feministic fool that says she has to go gallivanting. This society is for men - there is no place for women in this world."

"That's where you're wrong."

Toyotomi glared darkly at the orange haired vice captain as the Yamabuki regular took a step forward unrelentingly. "Momo _-chan_ may be just a "girl" or a "woman" in your eyes but Momo-_chan_ is more than just that to people. To her team and school, she is Hyotei's _Shinigami_. The girl who relentlessly brings down her opponents as a prelude to the Hyotei's True Terror; she makes her opponents seize in fear with the three _kabuki_ movements. To her family, she's their daughter and more precious to them than what the elder's keep trying to tell them and to me..."

Momo's eyes widened as Sengoku smiled this huge sincere yet goofy smile.

"Momo-_chan_ is the strongest woman I ever met," Sengoku scratched his head sheepishly. "I know she can shred me to ribbons if angry, I know she can clobber me with a wooden sword and even her tennis is better than mine. But it takes a lot more strength to stop oneself from lashing out and boasting about your abilities rather than showing off how easy it is for you to break a rock. That's why - I don't like people like you who beat down on her just because she's a woman. To me, she's Sanada Momo - the _Shinigami_ and not just any _Shinigami_, MY LUCKY SHINIGAMI!"

Momo couldn't help but gape awestruck at Sengoku's suddenly declaration when suddenly he managed to slide behind her and strike Toyotomi in the stomach with a straight right hook without the male even noticing. Letting out a slight grunt, Sengoku created a distance between him and Toyotomi as Momo managed to roll out and grab her sword before standing right next to him.

"You're crazy! He could've cut you with that blade and this time you don't have your racquet to take a dent for you," Momo stared at him aghast, resisting the urge to whack him with the _katana_. "What is with you and knocking the daylights out of _samurai_ clan members or interfering with the _samurai_?"

Sengoku shrugged sheepishly with a huge childish grin. "Can I call it coincidence?"

"More like your stupidity," Momo wanted to hit him but decided against it when she found his grin and that he was standing beside her; she could feel her heart fluttering and her chest threatening to burst out with happiness. "Sengoku...?"

"Yeah?"

Momo bit her lower lip anxiously before glancing at Sengoku with a melancholic smile. "Do... do you mean...?"

"I meant everything I said, Momo," - Momo froze in astonishment when Sengoku had dropped the "_chan_" when he had usually used it with her name. "I'm deathly afraid of what you could do to me if you're angry enough but I also know how much it hurts to constantly run and try to be someone you are when the world won't let you. I know we can't have the "us-against-the-world" thing that everyone seemingly can get but I know that I've got your back no matter what and that I'm giving you everything that I am. If you don't want it, it's fine but I'll stand with you - regardless."

Momo could barely let out a sound, much more her breath as it got stuck at the back of her throat. She's had many confessions in her life but none of them seemed as honest as his even if he did have his idiot moments. Sengoku gave her that goofy grin as always and somehow, she always felt better. In Rikkai Dai, she was known as the _Kendo _princess and could beat down anyone including her upperclassmen. She had transferred out after the Sanada clan gave her nothing but disdain and spite and Momo felt glad that she did. IF she didn't, would she still have met the Hyotei team? Would they be her friends as well? She would have never met Midoriyama-_senpai,_ the one woman who moulded her love for tennis. Momo smiled to herself, glad that she finally grew up and actually got a real boyfriend. Restraining her tears from falling out of her eyes, Momo held up her blade while Toyotomi scrambled up to his feet.

"You're abandoning yourself for that imbecile," Toyotomi hissed venomously as he brandished his blade, as their reflection glinted off the shining _katana_.

"How would I be abandoning myself if all the things I've gone through made me who I am today," Momo glared as she sprinted off with her blade singing high into the air until someone blocked it. "Ukiyo?"

In front of her, Toyotomi Ukiyo blocked Momo's blade before parrying her and sending the violet haired girl back. As Momo staggered back, Sengoku moved right in front of Momo before clobbering Ukiyo straight in the stomach. The black haired girl's eyes widened as she struggled to keep conscious, glancing at Sengoku's bright green eyes. The orange haired _Yamabuki_ vice captain let her slump down onto the ground gently before picking up Ukiyo's sword and placing it in front of him.

"You know - I think I know what the problem is," Sengoku inhaled deeply and determinedly gazed straight into Toyotomi's eyes. "You guys don't think I'm good enough just because I'm from a normal modern day Japanese family. Well, guess what - I guess that's what makes me lucky because I think Momo will be bored with whatever you got here anyway other than trying to make sure she doesn't end up being pierced by an arrow at the end of the day."

Toyotomi glared holes as his _katana_ was raised right in front of him. "Very well, you peasant. I will deal with you. But rest assured - you are gambling more than your honour."

"Death before dishonour," Shishido mumbled, remembering his History classes talking about the persona of _samurai_ back then. "Sengoku's got no chance at this! He's going to get himself clobbered."

Sengoku swallowed hard as Toyotomi's black eyes glinted with malice and murderous intent. His hands suddenly started getting clammy as he noticed how sharp the blade was. However, Sengoku shook away the feelings as he cemented his feet into the ground. His sword flashed lightly as Toyotomi let out a howl of rage, charging towards him. Sengoku bounced a little as he sidestepped to avoid the blade, seeing the fury flash in the _samurai_'s eyes. He ducked as Toyotomi tried to decapitate him before whirling around to get behind Toyotomi. Sengoku blinked to himself several times; he was actually getting the hang of it. He danced around Toyotomi easily without once raising his blade and sliding his feet on the ground.

"Where did he learn that," Shishido gaped in shock. "He never held a _katana_ at least once in his life!"

Even Sanada found himself completely baffled by Sengoku's sudden proficiency with the sword; when did Sengoku suddenly learn how to fight against someone who's trained all his life as a _samurai_? The Yamabuki captain seemed to bounce around before dodging the strike that nearly slashed him in half. Everyone could only stare in amazement and Momo was not sure if she was looking at the same Sengoku who seemed to goof around whenever he had the chance. Instead of the usual goofy Sengoku, he now had a serious expression plastered on his face as he continued dodging Toyotomi's rage directed shots. He had not once swung the sword at Toyotomi when he could have taken the decisive strike right there and then yet he didn't. His dark ebony eyes kept on focusing on the speed of the sword as it came singing and flying towards his face. Sengoku ignored the beads of sweat trickling down his face as his feet continued to slide smoothly across the marble floor with his slight bouncing for a tactic.

"You coward," Toyotomi exhaled venomously as he raised his blade again to strike down Sengoku only to have the orange haired boy dodge it once more. "WHY ARE YOU NOT STRIKING?"

Sengoku shrugged. "You know - maybe because I don't want to?"

"You fiend," Toyotomi's blade finally made contact with Sengoku's as the orange haired teen slid the blade before striking Toyotomi with the butt end of his _katana_, causing the black haired boy to keel over on his knees. "You will regret this-!"

"To be honest, I've never wielded a _katana_ in my life. I learned all of what I showed you today from Momo-_chan_."

Toyotomi stared in shock as he looked behind Sengoku and found Momo staring in astonishment as well to what Sengoku said.

"They say that when a man does something for the world, you always look at the profile of the woman who is closest to him. She is the one who everyone should give credit to for the ideas," Sengoku smiled goofily, scratching his head. "And frankly, Momo-_chan_'s the only reason why I'm strong right now. In fact, my hands feel so clammy that I'm about to drop my sword. Seriously, seeing how sharp that blade was really wanted to make me drop the sword and run. But then again, she's also my lucky charm. I'm always lucky when she's around."

Momo couldn't help but blush upon hearing Sengoku's words, giggling softly. Sengoku definitely knew what to say even if he sounded like an idiot and no matter how much she wanted to clobber the said man with the blunt edge of her _katana_, she could not. She glanced at the _katana_ in her hands before mumbling softly, tracing the silver blade gently.

"I know what your name is now... _Kouun_," Momo smiled lightly until she heard a loud clattering and found Sengoku standing victorious and Toyotomi on the ground with his sword far away from him. "He won? Are you kidding me?"

Toyotomi coughed raspily as he looked up at Sengoku when the orange haired male just shrugged and placed his sword on the ground before he kicked it away. "What?"

"I don't think I should go around swinging something I'm not familiar with," Sengoku scratched his head sheepishly, revealing a couple of burn marks and cuts on his finger with a goofy grin. "I kinda learned that when we were making cream puffs in Momo-_chan_'s dorm! Who knew baking pans could get so hot even after putting them through an electric oven for 10 minutes?"

Nobody was sure how to react with Sengoku's statement as Momo could only face-palm in response to her childish boyfriend. Haruka shook her head with a sigh and everyone else could only groan at Sengoku's trademark stupidity. Was he doing it on purpose or did he really have to mention that, Haruka herself didn't know but even Jackal started giving her the expression that asked how Sengoku magically became the tennis vice captain if he was that susceptible to his own stupidity in burning his fingers in an electric oven. Sanada couldn't believe that his cousin fell for an idiot and Ayane and the others could only grin at the comedy.

"Well, at least Momo's life will never be boring," Isane smiled lightly until Toyotomi suddenly rushed towards Sengoku with his fists. "Sengoku-_san_, look out!"

Sengoku could barely track down Toyotomi's movement but felt it as air from his punch brushed against his face as he managed to dodge. Getting into a guard position, Sengoku readied himself as he ducked the next punch before sliding away and punching Toyotomi's side. Despite taking a direct hit, the _hakama_ and the _samurai_ armour had lessened the impact of Sengoku's strike as Toyotomi whirled around to kick the Yamabuki vice captain's face. Sengoku staggered back as his arm blocked the kick from making direct contact with his face as Toyotomi landed a punch in Sengoku's stomach and sent the boy doubling over onto the ground.

"Pathetic, you rely on your woman," Toyotomi sneered darkly as he stepped on Sengoku's white jersey, kicking him repeatedly. "She is not yours. She is mine! You have nothing to rely on!"

Momo on the other hand had other ideas as she ripped off both the sleeves of her _kimono_ before making into some sort of whip-like rope and snaking it towards Toyotomi's leg, dragging him away. Sengoku stared in shock as Toyotomi suddenly slid on the floor when Momo now stomped straight on his shoulder with a cold fire dancing in her black eyes.

"Do not dare refer to me in the third person, peasant," Momo seethed venomously, repeating the insult Toyotomi had used on Sengoku. "If there is anyone here who is a peasant, it is you. Nobility comes from the mind and not from the blood," - Momo paused for a moment before realizing a few things, staring in shock and astonishment. "Did Atobe just make himself useful or something?"

Out of nowhere, Atobe sneezed from a far away land.

"What does Atobe have to do with anything," Marui stared aghast at his female best friend, scratching his head.

Toyotomi hissed darkly as he tried to kick her down only to have Momo stumble far back to avoid his kick. The male continued fighting with a couple of punches thrown into the female's direction until someone caught his fist and gave a healthy right hook to his jaw as the _samurai_ fell over. Much to their surprise, Momo found Sanada stretching and flexing his fingers after her had punched the man in the jaw.

"Had I not known this we would still be on opposing sides," Sanada smirked at his cousin as he drew out his own sword, looking at Toyotomi shivering with fear. "I would not cut him down but there should be a good way of dishonouring him..."

"I would have agreed to cut him down but I don't know any better way to bring him down," Momo pondered deeply until her mind suddenly popped up with an idea as devilish smile curved up her lips, actually causing shivers to run down Sanada's spine and reminding him of Niou's own mischievous grin. "Wait - Kiyone, give him **it**."

All the girls in the Hyotei team froze the moment Momo gave emphasis on the word "it" that even Shizuru paled slightly from the mention of it. Kiyone blinked several times until a huge grin appeared on her face that seemed very akin to a psychotic sadistic grin with her shiny liquid blue eyes shining in amusement, knowing what Momo had in her pocket. Ayane shook her head, stepping away from the smaller girl. The other team members made way for the younger girl as Toyotomi snickered at the sight of the small girl. How could someone so small garner that much respect and fear from the others who were older from her?

"What are you going to do? Jump on me like a trampoline," Toyotomi scoffed at the small girl as she stood in front of him with a huge innocent grin. "What makes you think a child will intimidate me?"

"Oh ho, she is not just any child," Momo snickered as she shoved her hand into her pocket and tossed Kiyone a Pixy Stick. "I think you should know how much sugar that thing is loaded with."

Shiraishi blinked several times before glancing at Momo. "Wait, what's going to happen?"

"You'll see," Haruka shivered slightly at Kiyone holding the blue Pixy Stick, swallowing hard. "The last time we gave her a coffee flavoured hard candy made of real coffee - you do not want to be there."

"I think someone even gave her Cobra also at that time," Rin shivered violently, shaking her head. "I'm never giving her something that strong ever again."

Tezuka glanced at Shizuru, noticing her paled expression. "When...?"

"It all started when we gave her that sugar loaded cinnamon apple pie," Shizuru shook her head, twitching slightly. "I think it's best you see the horror for yourself."

"It looks like I'm about to hear the terrors from the Walking Candy Terror," Hitomi chuckled amusedly through the speakers. "May the odds be in his favour."

Kiyone ripped off the paper covering the sugar treat and downed it in one go before tossing the wrapper aside with a snide grin on her face. She cracked her knuckles as her eyes seemingly eyed him psychotically much to Toyotomi's fear. The black haired _samurai_ staggered back as a huge psychotic grin curved up the small volleyist's face as she let out some Indian battle cry out of nowhere. With a flying tackle, Kiyone wrestled him down much to the guy's shock and managed to rip off some strands of his hair. She began to laugh childishly and maniacally with a sing-song rhyme, dragging him like a limp rag doll around the room without having any intention to stop and easily ignoring Toyotomi's cries of pain. Shiraishi stared in shock at the formerly innocent and sweet girl now turned into some sugar-high girl running faster and beating up someone faster than someone who was turned on by crystal meth.

"What was in that thing," Shishido stared aghast at Momo as the _Shinigami_ shrugged nonchalantly.

"The flavouring and mixture for cotton candy all rolled up into a Pixy Stick in bubblegum flavour," Momo shook her head as Kiyone started playing with Toyotomi's head like a drum. "She gets really crazy after given a lot of sugar. Why do you think we barely give her anything sugar loaded during matches? We don't want to deal with law suits."

"Hey when can I get in," Ayane pouted with a bored snort, cracking her knuckles with a very creepy grin. "I've been wanting to have a go at this guy for ages!"

Momo pointed to the poor _samurai_ being abused by Kiyone, raising an eyebrow sceptically. "Wanna try prying Kiyone despite her breaking out her wild monkey side?"

"I'm perfectly capable of that," Ayane confidently smirked while walking over to the small girl and picking her up by her shirt and placing her down on the ground, causing the sandy blonde to halt. "Sorry, it's my turn. You already abused the poor guy already."

Kiyone pouted childishly, folding her arms with a purse of her lips. "Aww, I wanted to have more fun! I wasn't done beating his head like a drum yet! I haven't heard the people sing yet!"

"Kiyone, that is a metaphor from Lés Miserables," Ayane sighed as she picked the guy up by his shoulders, seeing how distraught and shaken the boy was. "I'm sorry about her. She tends to overdo things when running on pure sugar."

"It's Diabetes," Kiyone grinned with a hyperactive maniacal grin and whispering with the best evil creepy maniacal tone that her child-like voice could muster. "In the best form possible~!"

Toyotomi yelped as Ayane gripped his shoulder with an evil sardonic grin. "Now, now, now, we're not going to let you get away what you did to Momo-_senpai_..."

Toyotomi swallowed hard; now that he had seen the tangerine haired girl personally, he started to wonder whether not it was a good idea to taunt her especially with her Iron Grips of Death and that smile that was promising his funerals. He definitely did not know which was much worse: going against a sugar high kid or fighting someone who was already insane in both strength and with the idea if beating the living daylights out of him. He finally understood why the Hyotei Team had been deemed as dangerous but what he could not understand is why Momo had easily warmed up to them.

"You know I've been having a bad week," Ayane continued to grin evilly as she clamped her hand around his neck as her emerald eyes seemed to blaze with utter fury, despite her small frame. "Now, I'm gonna make sure that YOU FEEL THE BRUNT WEIGHT OF ALL THE STRESS THAT MY BRAIN'S BEEN HANDLING!"

Toyotomi could barely say anything as Ayane pitched him with full force all the way to the wall and had a glare in her eyes as if she had vented out all the stress on her desired target. A loud _crash _echoed throughout the common room as a crater remained on the stairs that Ayane had thrown Toyotomi against. Sanada blinked several times before looking at Tezuka who could barely shake his head only to widen his eyes ever so slightly but also slightly gape. To the girls, Ayane's tantrums were very normal. Shizuru smiled with a soft laughter and let her finger push up Tezuka's jaw to close his mouth and Haruka raised an eyebrow at Jackal who stared, completely slack-jawed at the damage Ayane was capable on her own. The boys that were with them only had one question in mind: did the girls really go through something like this everyday to the point it seemed normal to them?

"I already thought that Kurenai-_san_ with the double-edged whipping _naginata_ was scary," Marui gulped as he watched Ayane grinning like a madwoman in front of a crumpled Toyotomi. "I guess looks are really deceiving, ne, Tezuka-_san_?"

Tezuka glanced at Shizuru who maintained a polite and warm-hearted expression on her face as he smiled faintly at the sight of her, remembering their sudden martial arts moment even if both of them looked like the cat got out of the bag. "Ah."

Before the fight could continue however, the doors suddenly slammed open as the servants stared aghast. "SIR, THE POLICE HAVE LOCATED THE FORTRESS!"

Soon and with a little help from Hitomi Yamaguchi, the police rammed the doors opened and took in Toyotomi Hatori for kidnapping and holding many illegal weapons and a whole array of samurai weaponry in the house when they should be imitations at the least. Momo's parents had run towards her asking if she was okay until they found Toyotomi screaming in fear at the sight of the small clueless liquid blue eyed volleyist who innocently cocked her head to the side when around people but sardonically smiled at him before the ambulance took him to the hospital. Sengoku had bandages wrapped around his knuckles since he took a beating from the armour, wincing slightly at the soreness. Shizuru and Tezuka stood side by side in silence while Haruka began drying her hair and Jackal and her sharing a towel draped on both their shoulders. Kajimoto and Rin started trying to explain to the police along with Isane about the kidnapping. Hitomi handed in the evidence with Oishi as the two suddenly cast their eyes towards the captains talking to one another or at least staying close to one another.

"Even though they don't say anything, I guess physical presence is good enough to bring them to life," Hitomi smiled lightly, remembering what she saw on the camera when they both simultaneously kicked the person at the back of his head. "That's one secret about Shizuru down."

Oishi nodded as he watched his friend try to inch his way towards her with not much success. He could only shake his head; Tezuka really needed a hard push.

"Kiyosumi," Sengoku suddenly looked up and found Momo in a tattered and torn _kimono_. "You didn't have to..."

Sengoku shrugged with a small smile, scratching his head sheepishly. "Well, at least we broke you out earlier than you would have on your own."

Momo shook her head with a defeated smile on her face. "You're crazy."

"Wait," Sengoku suddenly rewound back to the first part of the conversation. "Did you just call me Kiyosumi?"

Momo blushed pink before shaking her head. "It must've been the wind."

"No, I recognize your voice anywhere," Sengoku brightened up considerably despite just coming out of a death match against Toyotomi. "Yay, my day is so lucky today~!"

Momo giggled softly before bending down to kiss his forehead, causing the boy to suddenly stop his cheering. A few moments passed as he found himself staring straight at Momo's onyx black eyes as well as he realized that she had pressed her lips against his forehead. It was soft, not like one he had imagined in those romance movies that his mother kept dragging him to watch with her. Without saying a word, he took her hands and stood up as he brushed away a strand from her face. Momo on the other hand traced the bandages he had on his knuckles and the one bandage he managed to earn himself at his forehead when the arrow had zipped by when Hitomi decided to play with the security system.

"You know Kiyosumi, you always manage to get yourself in and out of stupid situations," Momo chuckled lightly as she leaned in a little bit. "I swear to God, how do you manage to do that?"

"People do a lot of stupid things when they're in love, Momo," Sengoku smiled lightly as he brushed his own forehead against hers, brushing his thumb under her right eye as he noticed her eyes getting glassy. "Whether I'm a guy and you're a girl, we're still human and that's why we do irrational things sometimes. It doesn't matter as long as we do what we believe is the right thing to do whether it is out of love or devotion."

Momo wanted to burst out in tears out of worry but she kept it in like she had taught herself all those years of living in the dormitories near Hyotei Gakuen. Sengoku noticed her shoulders shuddering violently as a smile curved up his face as he leaned in against her forehead and let the tears trail down her face.

"It's alright Momo, you can cry out everything you need and want to."

Momo managed to let out a slight sniff, tightening her grip on her _katana_. "You're an idiot."

"But I'm your lucky idiot," Sengoku grinned as he gently held Momo's left cheek. "By the way, you told me your _katana_ had no name. What are you gonna name it now?"

Momo lifted her sword as she guided his hand to hold onto the hilt of her _katana_ as she smiled.

"Even Death has found love in Luck," Momo smiled while looking straight into Sengoku's warm gaze before looking at her sword. "_Unseimaru_."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"WHAT?! SINCE WHEN WERE WE GONNA SHARE A BUS WITH THE HYOTEI BOYS," -Shizuru could have sworn that all her teammates (minus Ayane) had suffered major eardrum damage and gone deaf.

It had been a few days since the kidnapping of Momo and the days had been pretty uneventful then. Soon, the Goodwill Games were three weeks away and they needed time to train and form a team that involved both mixed and segregated matches. The problem however did not lie there; it was more at the seating arrangement. Shizuru sighed deeply at Ayane's insane ability shatter eardrums and make water vibrate in a thick drinking glass which normally would be impossible. Kiyone, despite her craziness, had leapt right under the table the moment Ayane let out an ear-splitting, banshee-worthy and earth-shaking shriek upon hearing that Atobe and the others were going to share a bus with them. Not that they have never done so before but apparently the seating arrangement was made by Atobe himself and unfortunately for the rest of the universe...

Ayane and Atobe were sitting next to each other.

"_BUCHOU, _I AM NOT SITTING NEXT TO THAT RETARD," Ayane slammed her hands against the desk on the table with an infuriating snort as Shizuru tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Ayane, I was not the one who arranged the seating arrangement," Shizuru massaged her forehead, feeling her patience wearing thin. "Secondly, I thought you are able to at least hold a decent conversation. I thought Atobe is your boyfriend."

"WHO THE HELL TOLD YOU THAT," Ayane screeched louder as Shizuru began breathing in and out, trying her best to calm herself down. "And he **WAS **my boyfriend until Jerrard decided to suck face with him! BESIDES, WHERE WAS HE WHEN I NEEDED HIM? HE DITCHED ME FOR THAT FUCKING HUSSY!"

"It was more like she **almost**," Kiyone whimpered from underneath the desk until Ayane nearly kicked her in the stomach. "Eep!"

"Kobayagi, control your temper. Getting angry will not get your anywhere," Momo narrowed her eyes darkly, watching the emerald green orbs flash angrily. "Getting angry at _buchou_ also won't fix things because she wasn't the one who arranged the seating arrangement."

Shizuru bit her lower lip as her empathic abilities started to kick in and watched Ayane's body language and felt the heat emanating from the younger girl's body. The vibrations from Ayane's slamming of the desk rattled all the way to her arms as her blood slightly began to boil. She couldn't understand how Ayane got ticked off so easily by the mere mention of Atobe's voice and even Kiyone started shivering under the table. Normally, Ayane's loud psychotic yelling would be more of teasing and mocking and joking around but for Kiyone to be terrified? Shizuru knew better than to get the rest involved. Ayane always had loud temper issues and that her voice already by default could echo in the whole club room but for her to cuss and swear – Shizuru had already had plans to extract every single piece of information out of Atobe since he left her to deal with a ticking time bomb.

"Ayane, come with me outside," Shizuru suddenly stood up as she began walking towards the door, earning quizzical looks from the other team members.

Even Ayane suddenly stopped flaring up and glanced at her captain. "_Buchou_?"

"Outside, now," Shizuru simply walked out the door and left the door open.

Ayane swallowed hard at the iciness, calm and collected tone her captain had used. Shizuru barely had used calm, cold, calculating and dark tone in her voice on her and her face barely even showed the expression of anger. It was rare to have Shizuru to start snapping at them but Ayane certainly knew that the quieter ones usually had scarier outbursts. Kiyone slightly whimpered as Shizuru started rolling up one of the nets and placed them on one side. Haruka and Rin watched their captain place the ball baskets on one side and making sure that the field is completely clear of any obstructions.

"Come here," Shizuru's voice sliced through the air.

Ayane never felt so afraid in her life but Shizuru's eyes had a cold dark look in them despite her gentle expression. Shivering slightly, Ayane slowly sauntered into the tennis court. The tangerine haired vice captain swallowed hard; what could her captain be planning? Shizuru wasn't holding any racquet but she had suited up by tying up her hair into a low ponytail with two blood red fingerless gloves. She found the net rolled up on one side and the tennis balls remained in the basket. She froze – was she going to throw her out of the team? Her captain wouldn't dare! Or would she? Many thoughts passed through her mind as she stood in front of her captain.

"I feel that your aggression should be centred on someone who can take the beating," Shizuru tightened her gloves as she took her stance. "Show me then - the true nature of your strength."

Ayane's eyes widened as she watched her captain analyse her movement carefully. "W-wait, what...? What are we gonna do...?"

Without any warning, Shizuru struck with a sweep kick while watching her leg brace support her knee. She winced at the rehabilitation she had gone through during the days after the tournament. Her participation in saving Momo was more of an acid test to see how long she could last without her leg caving into the agony. Shizuru sighed deeply as she remembered the time Fuuka had boated her off to Kyushu and strapped her onto a chair with industrial-grade rope. Knife, rope and chair easily made Fuuka the master kidnapper and Shizuru couldn't help but frown slightly at Florence's knock-out trick with chloroform. As Ayane fell back, Shizuru calmly dashed forward before vanishing from the tangerine haired girl's line of sight. Ayane, startled, staggered back as Shizuru reappeared behind her.

"How the heck," Ayane caught Shizuru's punch as she tried to throw her over her shoulder as the brunette managed to slip out of her grip and parry her punch.

"What's _buchou_ doing," Rin blinked several times as Ayane threw more punches and Shizuru simply began swinging side to side to avoid the attacks. "How does getting Ayane to clobber her get to do anything?"

Momo watched Shizuru's combat pattern as Ayane tried to charge her down only for the brunette to evade her attempt to trample her down. As the tangerine haired girl threw her fist towards Shizuru, the captain easily caught her fist as she brushed her arm away.

"Damn it," Ayane flinched as she threw another fist to try and connect it to Shizuru's jaw. "Tch, damn it – Shizuru! Stay still!"

Shizuru continued to dodge without throwing any attacks until she landed a quite a distance away from Ayane, watching Ayane finally stumble over and fall onto the ground. "Well, feel better?"

Ayane breathed heavily as Shizuru winced slightly from the slight strain on her knee. "What?"

"Sublimation – the best way to release your aggression in a socially accepted way," Shizuru giggled lightly as she started walking towards Ayane. "Now that you're exhausted and calmer, I think we can talk more like civilized people yes?"

Ayane stared with wide-eyes as she noticed that her captain had only laid a hit when she provoked her. Other than that, Shizuru had been dodging and escaping her attacks. The elder girl barely showed any signs of fatigue while she completely had been plastered after trying to hit Shizuru twice with her frustration. She glanced at her hands before glancing at her smiling captain before standing up and bowing.

"I-I'm sorry, I just," Ayane averted her eyes away from Shizuru as the captain walked towards her, dropping her hand on her shoulder. "Huh?"

"I understand your conflicts with Atobe-_san_ especially with Jerrard-_san_ but please understand that there is much more to what meets the eye," Shizuru smiled lightly and throwing Ayane off guard as the door suddenly creaked open with the male tennis team showed up. "Speaking of which, I see the boys have arrived."

The girls found the Hyotei male tennis team in their school uniforms without their blazes with their tennis bags slung on their shoulder. Shishido twisted his cap backwards with Ohtori smiled boyishly as Oshitari kept his usual confident smirk with Gakuto. Hiyoshi stood next to Kabaji carrying the sleeping Jirou. However, Atobe kept his usual narcisstic appearance as he brushed back his hair.

"Kurenai, how long are you going to take? The bus is here," Atobe flipped his hair back before walking away, with an arrogant snort. "Hurry up."

As Atobe walked away, Ayane remained extremely silent as she watched the male captain walk away. What did Shizuru mean when she said that there was more than what met the eye? The buxom tangerine haired girl frowned slightly at her _buchou_'s tendency to throw around riddles instead of telling her directly. She glanced at her other teammates who already had their things hauled over their shoulder in back packs, normal sports tennis bags or just a simple draw string bag with the racquet sheathe attached to it. Her eyes narrowed darkly as she headed towards the club room quietly until Kiyone happily handed her bag to her.

"Don't kick me," the sandy blonde grinned innocently as she handed the bag to Ayane.

The tangerine haired girl smiled lightly as she picked up the bag. Kiyone smiled as she took one step back while watching Ayane open up her bag to check if everything was inside. Upon opening it however, confetti and party string burst in her face as Ayane found herself covered with neon pink party string and confetti while the sandy blonde girl simply grinned innocently as if she had done nothing wrong. Twitching slightly, Ayane pulled out the strings before fury flashed in her eyes.

"GETSUGAN KIYONE!"

The moment Ayane howled, Kiyone's liquid blue eyes widened with fear as she made a mad dash around the tennis court. "WAAAH _BUCHOU_, FORGIVE ME! I SUMMONED AN AXE MURDERER!"

"YOU'RE CALLING ME AN AXE MURDERER? YOU DON'T KNOW HALF OF WHAT I CAN DO TO YOUR FACE, MIDGET," Ayane rushed towards the smaller girl and got ready to claw at the smaller girl, roaring mock angrily while preparing to claw the girl into oblivion. "AN AXE MURDERER HAS NOTHING ON ME!"

"WAAAAH," Kiyone suddenly ran as fast as her short legs could carry her while Ayane prepared to charge her down. "_BUCHOU_, SHE'S GONNA KILL ME! GROUND HER!"

Haruka shook her head at the sight of the two girls, giggling slightly. "I feel bad for the authorities who are going to deal with them. I mean – we're going to be segregated right?"

"I know there's gonna be mixed matches later," Mai glanced at Shizuru's braced leg, raising an eyebrow at her captain. "Can your leg handle it?"

"Quite well actually," Shizuru shook it a little, smiling. "That rescue mission we did for Momo was a good enough test to see if my legs could handle the stress."

Mai grinned while patting Shizuru's shoulder, watching Ayane and Kiyone now start wrestling all over the floor and laughing at the same time. "Well, so now that he got to see you in action – what now?"

Shizuru blinked several times. "What do you mean 'what now'?"

"You know, we've known you longer than he has and I don't think he was completely prepared to see that his favourite girl knew how to kick butt a veteran fighter," Mai grinned with a Cheshire grin, looming over Shizuru's shoulder. "I bet you Tezuka's like 'holy God, where did that all come from' except his face won't show it. Face it, Shizuru. You have to tell him one way or another that he's the guy you got revenge for since you beat up that guy... What was his name again?"

"Takesue and it was because we had mistakenly walked into Seishun Gakuen territory and you got into trouble by deciding to prank people with some pink goo," Shizuru wanted to face-palm at her red haired best friend; why did _tensai_ have to drive their captains insane? Was there some social or psychological correlation? She herself could not understand why Mai always seemingly attracted trouble despite her genius. "Besides, I don't think he'll know if that girl and I am the same person."

"It's not that hard to find a girl wielding two bamboo or _rattan_ sticks as weapons instead of the traditional _kendo_," Mai continued keeping her grin as she picked up her things, heading towards the bus. "Besides, I think it's going to be a good wake-up call to him that he better get his butt moving because frankly, there are some guys who are turned on by girls who can kick butt. Take Lara Croft for example; men probably do crazy stuff by simply looking at the movie poster. So, how are we going to do this? If we're going to go for the mixed matches, I'm gonna guess that Atobe's gonna rig it in some way to pair up him and Ayane. He's becoming kind of predictable if you ask me. Then again, it would be entertaining if Ayane found out and prepared to annihilate him from the face of the earth."

Shizuru chuckled lightly as she continued walking towards the bus with her things as well. "I don't think you'll be below that if it concerns Yukimura-_san_."

"Bah, even I know not to push his Guillain-Barré syndrome that far," Mai scoffed lightly as she nudged Shizuru's shoulder, seeing the captain break out a small smile. "Besides, I think he would be busy dealing with his own therapy. That Guillain-Barré syndrome – from what I researched, it's like neural degradation..."

Soon, the nine girls climbed onto the bus with their respective male counterparts as they stored their things in the lower compartment. Rin sat next to Gakuto who seemed to bob his head with the music blaring through his ears. Shishido and Isane sat next to one another with Haruka and Kabaji sitting next to each other at the seats behind the two Regulars. Hitomi quietly slid over to Taki who welcomed her kindly while Oshitari and Mai seemingly had this evil grin on each other's faces directed towards Ayane and Atobe the moment they took their seats right behind Shizuru and Ohtori. Shizuru took the seat sat in front with Ohtori nearest to the window and Kiyone sat next to Jirou who in the end used her lap as a pillow. Hiyoshi on the other hand quietly sat next to the _Shinigami_ as she slid her _katana_ right under their chair so that no one could just randomly grab it and hack everyone into pieces.

"So, where are we going to start training," Shishido glanced at the silver haired sniper as he noticed her hair seemingly grew a little longer that now she had green and blue beads decorating the strands. "Did Shizuru tell you anything?"

Isane shook her head unknowingly, shrugging lightly. "According to _buchou_ and Mai, they said it was a real-high end place somewhere at the mountains near Mt. Fuji. I don't know why they'd put it so far away from the city though. It doesn't make much sense..."

"Training with nature is always fun," Haruka looked over to their side with a small smile to Isane, opening a box of Chicken Pies. "Want one? It's going to at least be a two hour ride."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Staring at the huge training centre, Ayane could not believe that the whole place had been rented out just to have them train for the Goodwill Games.

Inside, the training centre had a lobby similar to a hotel decorated with simple varnished wood and marble flooring. The tall glass walls revealed the greenery and forestry outside with an Olympic lap swimming pool and another pool for leisure. Five restaurants entertained athletes in each in every floor with an orchestra standing at the second floor. The bakeries had the scent of pastries wafting out and if not for Haruka and Ayane, Kiyone and Rin would have been glued to the patisserie's glass the moment they caught a whiff of its scent. The common leisure sitting area had carpeted floors and tapestries hanging on the wall and even the stairs had their own red carpets. The whole place had some Greek design to it as plants stood by the doors with people opening the doors for them and bringing up their luggage to whatever room they were assigned to. The gyms glimmered with the latest gym technology and the whole training centre in itself had its own strip of shops and jogging lanes. As soon as Hyotei arrived, the other schools stood there such as Rikkai Dai – revealing Sanada, Kirihara, Yanagi, Marui, Niou and Jackal along with the girl's team. Yamabuki had only sent the Jimmies and Sengoku as their representatives, St. Rudolph had Yuuta, Mizuki and Akazawa as their players, Seishun Gakuen had sent in their whole team along with their counterparts and now Tezuka stood among them much to everyone's shock and surprise. Hyotei Gakuen had also sent in their whole roster of Regular players. Jyosei Shounan had only sent in Kajimoto and Wakato along Tachiwara and Juushinhi (much to Mai's relief without wanting to deal with the snake girl who had begun to flirt with her the last time). Rokkaku had enlisted all their boys as well without the girl's team since the team had to turn down the invitation. What they didn't expect as well was that Shitenhouji had answered the call also and now the whole _Kansai_ team stood there including the girl's team.

"Okay, we have a lot of bullets and ammunition to take out whatever team we have out there," Fuuka snickered lightly as she glanced at Shizuru. "It's kind of funny why we're so many when many of the countries are only what, sending a maximum of nine players?"

Natsuki chuckled lightly while brushing back her charcoal gray hair, drawling with her thick _Kansai_ accent. "Meh, it doesn't really matter now would it? Besides, we already know how to bring them down as long as we have the skill and power."

"Speaking of which," Fuuka began searching amongst the crowd. "Where's Hoshimura?"

"Florence-_chan_'s getting her lungs checked 'member," Ai grinned childishly at the shaggy red haired girl. "Besides, with her Alpha 1 Anti-Trypsin, she's not going to be able to do much right now."

Fuuka glanced at Shizuru with a slight chuckle. "Well, I think we're quite accustomed to dealing with Europeans especially with people like Alexandersson and Michaelides in L.X.A. It's no surprise if they come out as arrogant self-loving twats."

Soon, several coaches from the different teams emerged. Sakaki stood next to Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ and Hanamura along with Banji of Yamabuki and Ojii-_san_ of Rokkaku.

"Alright, each of you will be segregated into the different dorms with certain people. I expect you to try and get along with them. For all you know, they will become your partners," Ryuuzaki stepped up to look at the boys straight in the eye, folding her arms. "Training will start tomorrow at 7:00 AM sharp! I expect all of you to meet here and then you will be grouped with certain coaches. The room assignments are on the concierge's table. Use this time to get to know your roommates and partners."

With a nod of affirmation, the teams soon scattered out and headed to the concierge desk and getting their keys to their rooms all not knowing who their roommates would be.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Looks like the Goodwill games are about to begin! Sorry for the late update! I have a lot to study for! Please don't forget to review!**


	64. Welcome to the Goodwill Games!

**Me: Thank you for the many reviews you gave for Queen of the Suits! I truly appreciate it! :) After this, I'll be able to update Queen's Lives with all desired pairings. In addition, I'll be making a supernatural and romance genre for Prince of Tennis with the Queen of the Suits AU. By the way, I do not own Prince of Tennis!**

Chapter 64 - Welcome to Goodwill

Ayane glanced at her room key before sighing dejectedly. Would Atobe manipulate the room assignments to end up in the same room as she? The tangerine haired female pocketed the key before dragging her luggage and her stroller bag behind her. She remembered how Atobe had constantly tried to talk to her in the bus and frankly, she was fuming! How dare he try talking to her after everything that had happened! Ayane remembered how Vera had cornered Atobe against the soda machine. Maybe there was some truth to it; maybe Atobe did not flirt with the girl and he was the victim of the whole situation. She shook her head; not now, she darkly set herself straight. They had a tournament to win! She stared sadly at the ground as she continued walking through the hallway. The sunbeams shone through the huge windows before finally reaching her room.

"Room 369," Ayane inhaled deeply as she opened the door and her eyes widened when she found a familiar Seigaku brunette with two braided pigtails trailing behind her.

_Isn't that Ryuuzaki Sakuno?_

Ayane, blinking several times, walked into the room quietly before dropping her luggage onto the bed. She expected Fate to hate her and drop her in the same room as Atobe or Vera. She groaned slightly when Sakuno suddenly jumped in surprise as she found the tangerine haired girl standing on the other side of the bed

"Ah, Kobayagi-san," Sakuno blinked several times as she started sorting out her things. "I guess we'll be roommates?"

Ayane scratched her head sheepishly, giggling lightly. "I guess so. At least I'm not stuck with the psychopathic blonde bitch. I'm perfectly okay with other people. "

Sakuno hung her head slightly, abashedly looking away from the strawberry blonde vice captain. "Jerrard-senpai is sometimes mean but only sometimes..."

"Would you say the same if she started kissing Echizen," Ayane glared heatedly at the brunette, causing the younger girl to cower in fear. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to scare the life out of you. I'm just really annoyed with her."

"I think 'annoyed' is an understatement," Sakuno giggled lightly as she sat next to Ayane. "But Ayane-chan, I don't think Jerrard-senpai meant to flirt with Atobe-senpai without knowing he was really your boyfriend..."

Ayane furrowed her eyebrows at the smaller girl. "I'm going to guess Jerrard would rather have you shut up and let her do the thinking," - earning a shocked stare from Sakuno before the small girl affirmed with a hanging of her head. "I thought so. Stupid stereotypical blonde bimbo bitch, Yamaguchi-senpai's a blonde but she's definitely not a bitch. In fact," Ayane sighed bitterly. "I think I'm the biggest bitch in the Hyotei team..."

Ayane blinked several times for a moment; where had that come from?

She normally just exploded and beat the crap out of people. However, looking at Sakuno - the little brunette had pulled out something from inside her. What the feeling was - she didn't know for sure however, Sakuno smiled brightly as they sat together on the bed. Ayane felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach as she smiled kindly at the brunette volleyist. Although she could not help but worry and wonder about who Kiyone had been assigned to, Ayane simply sighed to herself and began unpacking. Well, more that she was worried that Kiyone would be given a truckload of sugar and become the "Terror of Sugar" throughout the whole training session. Ayane glanced at the two other beds; who could be the two other people who would be in the room? Exhaling with a sigh, Ayane smiled at Sakuno and ruffled her hair. Maybe that's why Sakuno had been assigned as her roommate.

"SAKUNO/YANE-YANE ARE YOU OKAY!"

Sakuno and Ayane immediately swivelled their head up when they found Vera and Kiyone at the door, breathing heavily. The moment Ayane saw Vera however, the tangerine haired female could feel her blood boiling inside and her fibres screaming to beat Vera into a bloody pulp but she soon began wondering how Kiyone had managed to find her room.

"Why the hell are you with that bitch," Vera screeched as she grabbed Sakuno by the pigtails, dragging her to her side and earning her a slight yelp from Sakuno. "Didn't you tell Coach like I'd rather be with anyone but those damn Hyotei brats?! Now look where I am - I'm stuck with Sanada!"

Ayane chuckled coyly, snickering. She could already imagine the fear Momo would strike into Vera by just bringing out her sword. The damage would have been a lot worse if Vera was stuck with Mai. Mai despite her cool and snarky exterior had one of the shorter fuses except she didn't explode. The Hyotei girls had their own ways of expressing their anger; yelling and mocking each other had become extremely normal. The last time she fought with Kiyone - the two had refuses to speak for weeks. Kiyone had stared at her with hatred dancing in her liquid blue eyes before calmly and venomously seething out the words.

_"I hate you."_

Kiyone had refused to practice whenever Ayane showed up. The tangerine haired girl remembered how she had broken Kiyone's favourite necklace and even to the point of distorting the pendant that she had gotten from her mother out of anger and frustration. Ayane had guiltily and apologetically had searched for the best jeweller and metal smith to re-craft the pendant down to the last detail. She couldn't give the pendant until Shizuru had challenged them both to a Doubles-Single to match which the brunette won single-handedly until they found out their differences.

"Now look, I'm stuck with a sword wielding psycho-bitch! She'll shred me into ribbons," Vera tightened her grip on Sakuno's hair, earning her a yelp from the smaller girl. "Stupid Ryuuzaki, you're so damn useless!"

Ayane frowned darkly as Kiyone stood next to her. "Wow, who knew?"

"That she was a plastic bitch on the tennis court? I'm not that surprised though," Ayane narrowed her eyes at the blonde vice captain who seemingly dragged Sakuno by her hair. "Once a bitch, always a bitch - Jerrard's a bitch to the core. She's such a stereotypical alpha bitch."

"Oh, Kobayagi-san!"

Ayane looked up and found Tachiwara Miho extending her stick and tapping against the white wooden doorframe. Vera immediately stopped scolding and screaming at Sakuno before letting go of the girl's pigtails. The Jyosei Shounan regular smiled kindly while dragging along her roller bag and her shoulder bag. Miho, quietly letting down her things on the bed nearest to the window, dragged her things along.

"Kobayagi-_san_, is it alright that I take the window? I like feeling the warmth on my face," Miho placed down her walking stick on the bed, pulling out her clothes in plastic bags. "Oh do not worry too much, Ryuuzaki-_san_. I'm quite fine despite my blindness."

Sakuno stared in shock; how could she see that she was about to help her? "O-oh, okay..."

"Sure, by all means," Ayane grinned, watching Miho pull out her things.

_Tachiwara Miho, despite her blindness, can hear, feel, smell and taste better than any human. Her ability also to sense emotions is at par with Shizuru. She is the best trainer for Doubles pair and can synchronize with anyone using a special technique that surpasses even that of Synchronization known as Soul Link. Not much is known about the technique due to people being unable to identify the signs of its usage. She is one opponent who has truly never lost a Doubles Match._

Hitomi's words echoed in Ayane's mind as she saw the dark haired girl quietly placed out her things including books written in Braille and a container full of tiny plants as she extended her hand as if to judge the amount of sun beaming through the window. She watched Miho slowly settle into the room while opening the cabinet behind her bed to stock her clothes in before placing her tennis racquet and tennis gear at the corner of the bed. The tangerine blonde couldn't believe how easy it was for Miho to organize her things despite her blindness as she started setting up some water filtration plant and some stones through the machine before passing out the funnel outside the window to create some sort of rain catcher.

"Humph, so you're supposedly Jyosei Shounan's Blind Soul," Vera scoffed lightly, tousling her blonde hair before walking towards Miho and "accidentally" knocking over her plants. "Oops."

Much to her shock and surprise, Miho's hand immediately shot out to catch her tray of plants and she extended her walking stick into a longer length and had it two inches away from the blonde's neck before smiling at Vera. "Oh please don't do that. These plants are what eat the creatures that cause dengue. Maya-sensei, René and Florence will be very disappointed if some blonde bimbo knocked over our precious plants."

Ayane snorted in laughter as Vera's face paled for a few moments before having it return to her usual pompous brat expression.

"Tch, I'll wipe your face on the court, Tachiwara," Vera venomously spat in her face as Miho slightly flinched from the saliva that touched her face. "Jyosei Shounan couldn't even defeat those Hyotei losers," - Vera put an L on her forehead, further causing Ayane's and Kiyone's blood to boil. "So why should I be afraid of you?"

"Back then we had no idea what power Hyotei was capable of," Miho narrowed her eyes, coughing slightly from Vera's extremely strong perfume. "Now, we have our plan and I have been looking forward to test it against someone who was from the famous Heartbreaker pair since breaking your pretty little face seemed like such a joyful dream in Kobayagi-san's mind."

Vera froze while Ayane could do nothing but blink. How did Miho sense that without even knowing her?

"Ah _pardon, je ne devrait pas trop parle_," Miho giggled lightly as she placed her plants onto her windowsill, positioning them in a place with enough sunlight. "Ah, _mademoiselle_ Kobayagi _parlez vous Française_?"

"Um, _oui_," Ayane grinned sheepishly, scratching her head. "_Je parle peu le Française_."

"Ah _génial_," Miho smiled lightly as she gestured to her bags, pulling out other things from another bag. "_Vous pouvez aidez moi défairez ses bagages s'il vous plaît_?"

Sakuno blinked several times and glanced at Ayane while Vera slack-jawed at the strawberry blonde female. "Um, Kobayagi-san - you speak French?"

"Just a little, Mai and Haruka have a better proficiency in languages than I do. Hyotei requirements," Ayane scratched her head bashfully as she walked over to help Miho unpack her other things. "You don't have any other carnivorous plants or creatures in your bag do you?"

Miho giggled softly while setting up the hydroponics system for her plants. "Ah no, just the Venus Flytraps. The pitcher plants were getting too big to bring around. Some people found it troublesome to end up walking into them sometimes," - causing Ayane to slightly pale until suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Oh, come in."

As soon as the door opened, a shorthaired pale blonde girl stared in shock and amazement. "Whoa, I'm in the same room as my idols!"

Ayane glanced towards the door way and found Rikkai Dai's Torinaka Yui standing by the doorway. Everyone halted for a moment as Yui innocently tilted her head while looking at the other people in the room. Upon seeing Ayane and Miho however, her face immediately lit up like a light bulb. She immediately threw her things on the other bed closest to the door before grabbing Miho's hands and shaking it vigorously.

"OMG, Jyosei Shounan's Miho the Black," Yui squealed in delight, shaking her hands vigorously before suddenly tackling Ayane. "ERMAGHERD, IT'S THE QUEEN OF HEARTS KOBAYAGI AYANE! Wheee, I can't believe it - I will go to the shrine and thank _Kami-sama_! I've always watched Hyotei's Diamond Pair blaze through every junior tournament! I hope we can work together!"

Ayane stared in shock before sheepishly laughing, feeling her whole body shake as Yui began shaking her hand enthusiastically. "Yeah I hope we will too."

Yui grinned childishly before looking at Kiyone with intense enthusiasm and happiness. "Waaah, Hyotei Gakuen's Queen of Clovers - Getsugan Kiyone! Your Rise of the Clovers was amazing against Ryuuzaki-chan and the blonde bitch!"

"What did you call me," Vera glared angrily before haughtily grabbing Yui's jacket, narrowing her eyes venomously at the Rikkai Dai player. "You bitch!"

However, the Rikkai Dai player just stared at her in curiosity before tilting her head innocently. "Who are you? What school are you from?"

"The name is Jerrard, Vera Jerrard," Vera jabbed her newly manicured nails at Yui closer to her face with a venomous hiss. "I'm the one who destroyed the Queen of Hearts!"

Ayane bit her lip and averted her eyes away from Vera and Yui as the Rikkai Dai girl grinned in response.

"Hmm, I don't know you. Maybe it's because you're just there warming the bench with your big fat butt," Yui tactlessly grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean - I think Yuki-buchou said something about one of the Seigaku players being a replacement since the other senior had broken her legs and I think she was failing school too. Oh now I remember you! Yuki-buchou said that you're only in the team so you won't get kicked out because your papa paid the headmaster."

Vera fumed up considerably before screaming in frustration and embarrassment and storming out of the dorm room, slamming the door in front of their faces. Ayane and Kiyone exchanged glances while Miho sighed deeply with Sakuno staring in astonishment as Yui saw all their dejected and puzzled looks.

"What? Was it something I said?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shizuru on the other hand stared incredulously at the sight before her. Fuuka and Natsuki had already trashed the room and began yelling at each other straight out. Ai skipped around happily while eating her chocolate-coated wafers, ignoring the mess and jumping on the bed. Soon after, Fuuka and Natsuki broke out into an all-out fistfight and being trained from L.X.A did nothing to alleviate the situation. Ever since they were young, Shizuru knew the intensity of their training menus especially in the combat department. Fuuka had left bruises on Natsuki's eye, the girl had already twisted the red head's ankle, and their kicks were becoming more fatal and deadly. Fuuka landed a kick against Natsuki's rib while the other girl had kicked Fuuka's shin and sent the red haired captain staggering and stumbling around, earning her a cringe-worthy howl of rage. Shizuru winced at every blow exchanged between the two girls while Yukimura seemed to cheer them on. The brunette could only twitch at the sight before breathing heavily with a dejected sigh. Why was she with these people again?

"God, you really are putting my patience to the test," Shizuru made the sign of the cross before walking into the room. "Guys."

However, Fuuka and Natsuki however continued yelling while Ai just started jumping on the bed. Shizuru could only massage her temples; where was Florence when she needed her? The British-Japanese Jyosei Shounan captain always managed to settle the two down before she arrived or even when they began their missions, Florence managed to pull Fuuka and Natsuki out of their petty brawls. How Florence had managed to talk Fuuka and Natsuki into submission without snapping or breaking a sweat was completely beyond her. She started to twitch slightly as her slight chiding remained unheard. She could feel the frustration bubbling until something decided to squarely splat on the brunette's face.

"ENOUGH!"

The remaining three girls found a fuming Shizuru standing at the doorway with her hands clenching into fists as the pillow slipped onto the ground from the brunette's face. Silence dropped into the room as she noticeably began twitching. Fuuka and Natsuki blinked several times while Ai dropped her candy bar onto her bed. All girls knew one thing: Shizuru does not yell or raise her voice unless she is REALLY, REALLY stressed. The last time she had raised her voice was when Fuuka decided to use up all the hot water and Shizuru had recently returned from one of her assignments. From then on, Shizuru always took a bath first and never deprive her of a hot or warm bath. Normally, Shizuru knew she wouldn't be that furious but ever since her yelling match with Ayane (although it was more one-sided on Ayane's part) that morning regarding the seating arrangements and now she had three more people to deal with. Ai would have been more mature if not for the large dosage of sugar and Fuuka and Natsuki, the two girls had always been at each other's throats although it was more Fuuka who started the fight.

"Oh, great - isn't this great," Fuuka chuckled as she let go of Natsuki's charcoal gray hair before flopping down on the bed with a smirk. "I didn't know you were going to be my roommate. Isn't this just like back then?"

Natsuki nodded lightly, running her fingers through her messy charcoal gray hair with a _Kansai_ drawl. "I'd say, I ain't kidding when I say we're gonna be stuck together for the rest of the three months in this camp."

Ai jumped on the bed happily. "Aww, the only one who's not here is Florence."

Shizuru could only sigh and could not agree anymore; Florence was the only one who was sane next to her amongst the five of them. Yukimura had become a sugar addict as discovered by Aikawa Onryou when he had given her a three layered chocolate fudge mousse cake for her birthday. The girl refused to sleep for ages, played the Teletubbies theme song repeatedly and started searching for chocolate fudge brownies when she started sensing the end of her sugar rush. The whole organization could barely sleep for weeks. Fuuka had anger issues and berserker-like tendencies especially when she had flung Kane Michaelides to the wall and Natsuki definitely was a lazy ass when it came to cleaning the room especially now that she found t-shirts and socks on the ground. They weren't even there for a day yet! She twitched slightly as she began manoeuvring through the mess with a groan of annoyance before picking up the stuff behind her.

"Natsuki-_senpai_, you could at least try picking up your t-shirts instead of leaving them all over the place," Shizuru folded one of her shirts before placing it on Natsuki's bed, dodging any other fallen shoes or objects. "This place looks like an atomic warzone. Don't you ever have a hard time in finding the clothes you're lacking?"

"But it's a clean mess - don't worry about it," Natsuki waved her hand dismissively at the brunette as Shizuru started fixing the other things that had fallen on the floor until she noticed Shizuru's side of the room suddenly immaculately clean and orderly with books stacked around in alphabetical order. "Girl, you need help. What kind of human brings a whole stack of books in alphabetical order and then cleans up the room and makes sure nothing is out of place?"

"A sensible one," Shizuru narrowed her eyes at the _Kansai_ captain. "Being clean is not a clinical psychological disorder."

"No but being obsessive compulsive with cleanliness is," Fuuka chuckled lightly until Shizuru grabbed one of the pillows and whacked the reddette straight in the face. "Hey!"

Shizuru actually rolled her eyes with a smirked as-a-matter-of-factly at Fuuka. "You're the one who started it."

"Bitch," Fuuka hissed as she leapt from her bed and began throwing more pillows, knocking over one of the lamps to which Yukimura instantly caught. "You're gonna get it!"

With a "challenge-accepted" smirk, Shizuru dodged all the flying pillows that nearly knocked down her pile of books before she lunged at Fuuka as well. Both girls soon abandoned the idea of throwing pillows at each other and went for kicks and punches. Natsuki blinked several times with Ai incredulously as Shizuru had used her legs to clamp around Fuuka and grapple her down to the ground. Soon, both girls started wrestling with each other as Fuuka threw a mean right hook to which Shizuru blocked before kicking the Seigaku captain under her chin.

"I thought Fuuka and I were bad. Has it always been this bad between Hyotei and Seigaku," Natsuki glanced at the youngest captain as she cheerfully began cheering for one of them to win, face palming. "Geez, forget I asked."

Suddenly, the door opened and revealed Tezuka, Sanada, Jirou and Wakato staring at the mess that involved the two girls beating the daylights out of each other. Sanada blinked and saw feathers floating in the air from Fuuka's rabid striking and Shizuru had started dodging and using chairs as a catapult to spring her towards Fuuka and knock down the stronger red head. Jirou, no longer showing any signs of narcolepsy, stared in astonishment as Ai grinned cheekily before jumping into the fray and began whacking Fuuka also but the red head had immediately caught the young bluenette's wrist before flicking the girl's nose.

"Guys," Natsuki tried to get the three girls to stop before sighing to herself in defeat; once Shizuru and Fuuka caught themselves in a deadlock, they were going to fight to the finish. "Guys...!"

"YOU BITCH, I'M GONNA FUCKING FLOOR YOU," Fuuka hissed angrily as she started throwing more punches, ignoring that Shizuru had begun parrying her easily and effortlessly.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job that's for sure!"

Upon hearing noise from one wall of their room, the boys had decided to check what was causing all the noise and ruckus. Sanada had prepared himself to slap Niou and Kirihara and make them run laps while Tezuka prepared himself to separate both Kaidoh and Momoshiro if ever. However, what the boys didn't expect to see was Shizuru and Fuuka tumbling and beating each other shitless. Tezuka had never seen Shizuru so badly riled up nor had he ever heard her yell but then after realizing her opponent was Fuuka; who wouldn't be forced to defend oneself when Fuuka lashed out angrily? The school counsellor had constantly monitored Fuuka's rage and subjected her to anger management therapy. So far, there had been little success until the red head had tried tennis. Her anger management became slight better especially after throwing in Jerrard Vera but he had never expected Fuuka to actually throw fists at the brunette. Shizuru however had this darkened expression on her face that spelled out "stop before I kick your butt" but she maintained a calm expression while parrying Fuuka's strikes. To make matters worse, they were in a tiny room and how they managed to contain the fight within that kind of containment certainly bewildered him.

"Wow, who knew they really went crazy against one another," Jirou blinked many times at the sight of two girls beating up each other.

Sanada gawked at Fuuka throwing Shizuru over her shoulder until the Hyotei captain easily redirected her weight and sent Fuuka flying towards the bed. Tezuka stared in astonishment (the very first emotion that he had made extremely visible) as Fuuka threw a punch towards Shizuru and sent the brunette flying despite the girl blocking the attack. Fuuka, seeing that Shizuru had been knocked down, roared angrily and lunged towards her until Shizuru gave her a good bicycle kick to the chin and knocked the girl back before sweeping her off her feet. Natsuki sighed before shaking her head and standing in front of the boys.

"Sorry about them, Shizuru and Fuuka really get immersed in their fights," Natsuki waved her hands sheepishly, looking at the two girls before shrugging nonchalantly. "We usually just let them duke it out until one of them gives up."

Ai grinned happily before downing another pixy stick. "That usually takes around... I dunno~ 3 hours?"

"THREE HOURS," Wakato and Jirou gaped in surprise while Tezuka and Sanada had their eyes visibly widening.

Shizuru had landed another kick on Fuuka's jaw while the red head had swept Shizuru off her feet and sent each other sprawling on the ground. Shizuru soon changed her punching tactic and started evading Fuuka's attempts before slamming her knuckle into the Seishun Gakuen's captain's ribs. After five shots to the ribs, Fuuka found her left arm dangling and roared with her right fist flying out again which Shizuru caught and punched a few points on her arm. As both Fuuka's arms dropped limply at her side, Shizuru whirled around for a roundhouse kick and sent Fuuka flying towards the wall.

"Bitch," Fuuka glared as her arms dangled limply next to her with both her legs still working. "That's a chicken's way out."

"It's a smart way of defeating a person who barely uses her brain," Shizuru smirked and brushed her hair back, watching Fuuka sulk off towards her bed and plop down with an annoyed snort. "At the same time, we don't have to use knives against each other and beating you senseless is not going to make you stop. So, I just decided to knock out all your pressure points until you're paralysed and useless."

_Knives?_

Tezuka mentally screamed in his mind; how did she learn how to use knives? He had seen her use a twin edged chain-like _naginata_ but she can utilize knives as well? He remembered seeing her fight in Toyotomi Castle and how she easily defeated Toyotomi Hatori's fighters without any problems or reluctance. He knew she had some martial art background (most rich kids were forced to learn in order for self-defence) but he had never expected her to be more on the assassin level. Knowing the pressure points in the body and actually memorizing them took a lot of time. Applying the technique in split seconds took much more practice so, how did Shizuru gain that kind of knowledge in her teenage years? Where did she grow up? Many questions started popping up in his mind until finally Shizuru kicked Fuuka away and set the both of them apart.

"Wow Shizuru-_chan_, Tezuka-_san_ should see you act like this more often," Ai grinned cheerily before eating a giant Snickers bar, bouncing her eyebrows. "He would be probably thinking, "Homaygahd, this girl is crazy!"."

Shizuru rolled her eyes and turned to face Ai until she saw Tezuka. "Yeah...oh..."

The moment she saw Tezuka, Shizuru paled considerably. He saw everything! Her level of neuroticism and psychoticism, her assassin-level combat – okay, he had seen her fight but not at the professional level. He had seen her cocky, battle-pumped side also which really didn't suit well to her. She remembered her time in freshman year when Mai had been caught by Takesue because she and the _tensai_ went to pick up her nephew. The boy had managed to leave in good shape unless gaining two black eyes and full blow to the stomach and the crotch didn't fall under "still in good shape". Shizuru yipped and immediately readjusted her composure back into the calm sweet girl, clipping her wavy brown hair behind her ear.

"Um, sorry I didn't know we were causing a ruckus," Shizuru bowed humbly even with the words seemed to rip themselves out of her throat.

Fuuka roared in laughter with a snide snort, clutching her sides hysterically. "Hah, as if! You clearly knew we were kicking each other's asses! You're just trying to be sweetie to Tezuka!"

Shizuru twitched and inhaled deeply to hold in her anger before kicking a tennis ball lying around and squarely knocking Fuuka on the head. "OW!"

Tezuka could only sweat-drop at the sight of Shizuru smiling after kicking a tennis ball to Fuuka's head. He wasn't sure what to make of it but he remembered one of his classmates talking about Barney's Hotness to Psycho scale. The hotter the girl is, chances are – she is more psycho than she looks. Tezuka glanced at Fuuka and then at Shizuru before sighing. Anyone would lash out at Fuuka; he himself knew that from experience despite having the longest line of patience among his peers. But his morals and ethics held him back; nope, he was not going to hit Fuuka or exploded at her regardless of how unreasonably crazy she was going to be. Nonetheless, Tezuka had already expected something like this.

_It's usually the more quiet ones that are more dangerous._

Tezuka heard Fuji's words echoing in his mind before looking at Shizuru. He did have a point; Fuuka had blatantly exploded at everything regardless of the simplicity of the matter. She always spoke her mind, which either constantly got her into trouble or probably shocked the class. Her self-control had probably left many of the men in Seigaku scared of her and full of bruises. However, he remembered hearing about an incident regarding Takesue, the same senior he blasted his arm with his racquet being beaten up by a Hyotei freshman. Nobody knew who the kid was but all they knew was that Takesue was harassing a redhead girl before he got himself knocked down a peg or two and Takesue soon developed a fear for _kendo _sticks or any weapon made of wood. Whoever it was, he or she must've beaten him far worse than Fuuka ever had. There was one thing he couldn't understand however...

Why did Shizuru seem so ashamed of her martial arts capabilities?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, well, well, I didn't know I'd be sharing a room with the famous Queen of Spades."

Mai swivelled her head towards Rikkai Dai's Wild Dog as Miaka threw her bag onto the ground and flopped onto the bed. The Queen of Spades remained silent however as she glanced at her clothes hanging on the rod in her closet. She sighed deeply before looking at her tennis racquet, wondering about her other teammates. She could only hope that her teammates ended up with better people. Vera had already wailed loud enough much to her annoyance since Momo was Mai's neighbour in the dormitory hall. She shook her head lightly and glanced at her racquet before something fell to the ground.

_A half-mask?_

A half-mask with the Black Swan fell to the ground as Mai stared at the black airbrushed mask on the ground. Slowly bending down, Mai gently traced the mask before exhaling deeply to herself and letting herself reminisce. She remembered the time Yukimura was the Swan Prince but because she was the Black Swan – she could not have him. A bittersweet chuckle bubbled from her throat as she stood in front of her bed, looking at her other performances she had placed in her album.

"You were the Black Swan?"

She turned around only to find Seigaku's Mouri Enma carrying her patched up Gothic doll with some dull stare. Dusting her black skirt, Enma quietly walked in and placed her things down before opening her sewing kit. Pulling out a piece of fabric, the Gothic Lolita soon began sewing as Miaka and Mai exchanged glances and watched her gracefully glide her hand across the fabric before knotting what seemed to be the last bead. After she cut off the string, a ghostly smile appeared on Enma's lips as she held out the dress in front of Mai.

"I have always loved your performances as the Black Swan – I hope that your production of Wicked is just as spectacular," Enma handed the black dress to Mai, holding it up proudly for the red head to see. "I saw your promotions for Wicked and I couldn't help but feel that your dress was lacking..."

Startled albeit a bit surprised, Mai shakily took the dress while watching the somewhat happy Gothic Lolita present the dress to her. Much to her surprise, the dress Enma had made portrayed Elphaba better than the dress that her producer had designed. The dress cascaded until her ankles with long black flared sleeves and a black turtleneck with silver linings around the margin of the neckline. Under the turtleneck, Enma had created a square neckline with a medieval dark silver swirl design. Mai stared for a moment before glancing back at the Gothic Lolita who had a visible expression of some pride in the dress. She felt the fabric – it was neither hot nor constricting compared to what she had to wear. Even though her family worked in the fashion industry as well, the clothes could barely capture Elphaba's character. Maybe Enma's taste is what they really needed...

"This is amazing," Mai fingered the fabric carefully, glancing at Enma. "Where did you learn how to make stuff like this?"

Enma quietly hung her head with her usual emotionless expression. "Before my papa became the way he was, I always would volunteer for the school plays as the costume designer or actress roles. Though I never did get the actress role, my costumes had to be flawless."

_She must be really close to her dad, for her to call him papa..._

Miaka scratched her head, checking the dress. "Sheesh, that thing's so black people are gonna think you're the black lady. But whatever it is, you're the Wicked Witch of the West right? So you gotta sound cold and heartless at some point and obsessed with flying. It'd be stupid if you sounded so whiny if you are Elphaba."

Mai raised an eyebrow to respond but remembered that the Nagisaki Theatrics Division of the Nagisaki Entertainment Zaibatsu is internationally famous. Her brother was a famous illusionist in Las Vegas and performed in all sorts of shows, her second eldest brother was the director of multiple plays along with her eldest male cousin and her sister was a famous Broadway performer. Although, Mai remembered that she was more of an opera singer than a Broadway performer. Her sister's last performance of Christine garnered so many reviews that people had the tour running for five months.

"Besides, isn't there that song about Fiyero and Elphaba singing together," Miaka raised an eyebrow, earning a quizzical stare from the two girls. "Oh geez, just because I'm the Wild Dog of Rikkai Dai doesn't mean I can't appreciate Broadway and music. Sure I'm an animal lover but I got my own love for music also!"

Mai chuckled lightly, folding her arms. "You know that is one thing we share in common despite being from rival schools."

Enma clutched onto her patched up rag doll tightly, playing with three blue marbles in her hand. "We're playing under one flag now. Our commonalities will eventually be shown... if we have to learn how to work together."

Miaka chuckled with a snort, placing her hands behind her head. "Fuck yeah. Besides, someone out there needs a good wake-up call. So, you better make an intense performance – something that will engrave in his head forever."

Mai slightly raised her eyebrow; where did she get that kind of information? "How...?"

"I may be violent but I'm certainly not a stupid bitch," Miaka picked her teeth with her pinky nail, flicking the dirt to some unknown place. "Besides, I've seen Sumiyagi. Angel Face over there needs someone who could knock some sense into him and not agree with every little shit he says just because he is Rikkai Dai's Demigod. Sumiyagi probably knows his memory got fucked up as a side effect to the operation. I should know – my mother is his physical therapist."

Mai giggled lightly until the door opened and revealed another Regular. The red haired girl raised an eyebrow at the young girl who shyly stepped in; who was this girl? She didn't remember seeing her from any of the teams but recognized the colours of Shitenhouji. Her lavender hair fell past her shoulder in a single French braid and her pasty white skin glittered under the light. Mai stared closely at the girl's complexion; was she really that white?

"Geez, what did you do? Did ya decide to take a bath with glitter? Don't tell me you're tryin' to be that damn kleptomaniac from that stupid vampire movie! Who the hell are you," Miaka scrunched up her nose with arrogance as Mai sighed; trust Rikkai Dai's Wild Dog to be the crassest person among them. "Edward Cullen ain't exactly the best guy to take after."

She bowed lightly at the sight of the three girls while averting her icy blue eyes; her voice thickly laced with a Russian accent. "My name is Uzume Valkov. Pleased to meet you. I'm sorry if my Japanese is not that great. I only have been in Japan for two years."

Mai blinked several times; her Japanese sounded natural if anything except for her Russian accent. "Well, I think you practiced pretty well to sound like a native although your accent's really thick. That's the only thing that's giving it away."

Uzume kindly smiled, brushing away her bangs. "Thank you, it is very nice for a native to say so. This is my first time to participate in events like this so forgive me if I am a bit slow with the system. Russia has a different system."

"So you must be first year?" Enma looked at the sight of the girl, wondering how a girl could be so pasty white. "I haven't seen you in the Shitenhouji games."

"Oh no, I'm Second Year. I had to go back one year because I transferred out of Russia's school system," Uzume placed down her bags on the floor next to the last bed, dusting her Russian overcoat. "I transferred two years ago and stopped going to school for a year because I had to finalize some papers and citizenship issues. The government can be so unreasonable sometimes."

Mai glanced at how Uzume placed her things down before looking at her body. The girl definitely had the build of an athlete under the overcoat but to what extent? Uzume slowly let her coat slide off her shoulder and revealed her very curvy body and Mai gawked at the sight of the girl; how did she get those curves? She knew that Russians had great tolerance for icy cold weather but, what about her tolerance for hot weather? Letting her eyes dart around, Mai noticed the gym bag lying next to the bed along with a pair of ballet shoes. She glanced at Uzume as the lavender haired girl glided gracefully across the room and noticed how light her feet were as she made her way through the room.

"You're a ballet dancer," Mai glanced at the other things lying in her bag. "Wait, I've heard your name from somewhere."

"Nagisaki Mai – daughter of the Nagisaki Entertainment Zaibatsu, some even say she could have been taught by the very goddess I was named after," Uzume curtsied as she smiled sweetly at Nagisaki Mai, keeping her head low. "Hyotei Gakuen's Queen of Spades, the Lady of Song."

The _tensai_ finally remembered where she had seen the girl's name as a smirk appeared on her lips. "Uzume Valkov, Russia's Black Swan from the Bolshoi Ballet Company. I've seen your performances and it's amazing! You were so graceful; it was as if you were dancing on a feather!"

Uzume smiled politely, hanging her head abashedly. "I also remember watching the Japanese production of the Black Swan play. Your portrayal of the Black Swan was fantastic. Actually, that is one of the main reasons why I was so ecstatic when my parents had told me I had to move to Japan. The taxes were high and our business flourished better here in Japan. I have always wanted to see the Nagisaki performances live and I cannot believe it! I am standing in front of the very star of the show."

Miaka chuckled lightly, running her fingers through her red streaked black hair. "Heh, we're all stars in this show. We gotta make sure we bring home the gold."

Uzume chuckled lightly with her thick Russian accent, placing her hand forward as they formed a circle. "Indeed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wow, so this is my new room~."

Kiyone began looking around with a huge grin as she skipped happily and placed her things on the bed. Being the first person to arrive at her room, the sandy blonde volleyist threw her things on the bed nearest to the wall and grinned happily before plopping onto her bed. She stared straight into the ceiling while swinging her legs in the air absent-mindedly. This was one of her first times participating in an international event but it sounded fun to her. Ayane stayed in another room with Ryuuzaki Sakuno luckily although she really wanted to see Ayane beat the living daylights out of Vera. She grinned impishly; then again, there was also a chance where Vera, Ayane and Atobe could end up in one group. That was going to be one big mess!

_Knock, knock._

Kiyone swivelled her head up and found Jyosei Shounan's Juushinhi René carrying her suitcases with a small smile. "Oh, do you need help?"

René gestured to her ear and began making hand gestures.

"Oh right, you're deaf but," Kiyone blinked in realization but soon began wondering why the girl had not begun to speak, gesturing with her hands. "How come you're not talking then?"

René raised an eyebrow at the girl with an "are-you-that-dumb-look?"

"Oh right, if you're deaf you can't hear sounds and copy," Kiyone grinned childishly as René simply face-palmed as the smaller girl pouted impishly, waving her hands in the air frantically. "I'm sorry, I always have Ayane screaming at me and telling me everything so I'm not used to deaf people!"

René smiled accommodatingly while ruffling the girl's hair before picking up a piece of paper and writing down her thoughts.

_I'm sorry for giving you a hard time. Nevertheless, I'm quite talented in reading lips so there is no need for you to be physically expressive. _

Kiyone's mouth formed a small 'o' as she glanced at the door opening and revealing a member from Rokkaku _Chuu_. She blinked several times; their school had never faced Rokkaku due to being eliminated easily by Seigaku. She watched the short woman tousle back her pale pink hair while pulling out her racquet and placing it right under her bed and another tub and filling it with more water. In another container, she pulled out a small turtle before placing the little creature in the huge basin. The sandy blonde volleyist's eyes widened as she looked at the creature intently.

"Aww, you have a turtle," Kiyone grinned in innocence before looking at the girl. "I never met you before! What's your name?"

The short woman bowed humbly with a smile. "I am Rokkaku's captain – Priscilla Yamamoto, a third year. I am very honoured to meet the Queen of Clovers."

However, the moment Kiyone shook her hand – the sandy blonde girl couldn't help but shiver at the intention dripping from the short woman's aura. Bloodlust and horror coursed into her hand as the younger volleyist staggered back slightly but managed to keep her composure. One thing that she had learned from her _senpai_ was to be polite no matter how scary the person may seem. The pale pink haired girl seemed a few inches taller than her but for her to be a third year and at least 5'2? Well, most of the people in her team were pretty tall especially Isane and Hitomi. Isane stood at 6'3 ft and Hitomi following at 5'10 but the others were at an average of 5'5 – 5'8 ft with her being the shortest at 4'8 ft. She frowned slightly when looking at the short girl; does this mean that she was doomed to look like a midget for her whole teenage years? She even remembered that she constantly had to look up at Shiraishi and many people thought that she was his younger sister when she was his friend.

_More like he does look cute._

**Nooo, I don't wanna think of that!**

_Face it, Getsugan Kiyone. Shiraishi Kuranosuke does not look like a rear end of a donkey. He's got the better looks; you just need more height._

Kiyone whined softly, scratching her head in a defeated sigh. Was she going to stay this short forever? Isane practically towered everybody, Mai and Shizuru were the perfect height, Ayane was still growing in both bust and height and Haruka, Rin and Momo were relatively the same height and Hitomi stood tall also right next to Isane. She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance; she definitely had to grow taller! She didn't want people thinking she was only 7 years old when she was already a middle school student.

"Don't worry about height," – Kiyone swivelled her head towards Priscilla who rebuked her thoughts with an encouraging smile. "I'm only this small because my parents are quite short you see. Besides, 5'2 is not a very small height. I'm sure you'll still grow. Most of the smaller people grow later on and are usually taller than the rest of their seniors."

Kiyone's eyes glimmered in hope; at least she still had a chance to grow!

"Although," Priscilla smiled sheepishly, scratching her head. "I don't think it applies to Echizen Ryoma though. Again, it is very dependent on the genes."

Kiyone nearly exploded laughing at the somewhat hopeless situation of Echizen. Most of the boys towered over him and everyone treated him as if he was a baby or an elementary school student. That is, until he started goading them and wiping the floor with his opponents' with tennis. At least the girls had more respect and some had become completely empathetic to her situation. Hitomi had told her drink at least two glasses of milk everyday and stop eating coffee buns. Ayane insisted on stretching her out, which seemed to be an insane idea. Shizuru simply told her to be patient and people don't ruffle her hair as much.

"So, Juushinhi René," Priscilla smiled politely, making sign language gestures and communicating to the deaf girl. "I didn't know Jyosei Shounan also accommodated people with handicaps. It's quite amazing. My sister you see has a son who has dyslexia – do they accommodate people with learning disabilities as well?"

René smiled lightly and began gesturing with her hands. _Yes, they do. However, it highly depends on how bad his condition is. I know some who are badly afflicted with dyslexia and they are integrated into the normal class but with remedial classes every after class hours._

Priscilla nodded lightly until the door swung open and revealed someone from Rikkai Dai. "Ah Rikkai Dai's Sarah the Dust Eater – we're quite a mixture aren't we?"

Sarah placed down her things before joining in the circle, folding her arms with a small smirk. "Yes we sure are, Yamamoto-_san_."

"I haven't seen you in awhile. The last time we saw each other was when," Priscilla pondered for a moment before smiling slowly, pointing to the air. "Ah yes, when we took the examination for Rikkai Dai. Quite a genius, you're really a different case especially as the valedictorian of the second years."

Kiyone gaped in astonishment; Sarah Jaeger's that smart? She knew her captain was one of the top ten in her batch but she never knew a genius from Rikkai Dai other than the self-proclaimed _tensai_ from the male Rikkai Dai tennis team that Ayane had been hanging around with. Somehow, she found the place a bit too quiet and too normal. She wanted Ayane to be howling about something again pertaining to the Hyotei male diva. She snickered lightly at the image of Ayane suddenly storming the hallways and screaming her head off. Whatever it was, she could only wonder if her teammates found some good roommates. She heard Vera screaming her head off a few minutes ago regarding Momo staying in the same room as she was with her _katana_ safely tucked under her bed. She heard loud crashes and kicking, wondering if Ayane had already picked a fight with someone. She could have sworn that she heard her _buchou_ saying something "you're not doing a very good job at it" or something. The sandy blonde haired girl sighed while looking out the window.

Things were going to take a long time.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

All the tennis teams now reported to the courts, forming straight lines with the captains standing in front of them. Many of the teams watched other people warily as the other coaches started assuming their positions in front of them. Hyotei Gakuen had Sakaki-_kantoku_ standing in front of them while Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ stood near Seishun Gakuen. Rikkai Dai remained standing with Sanada as their captain until a familiar bluenette suddenly appeared right in front of them with his usual serene smile and his Regular's jacket floating off his shoulders.

"YUKIMURA-_BUCHOU, _YOU'RE HERE!"

Mai's eyes widened when she found the bluenette standing in front of them with his usual serene smile. She could feel her heart pumping at the sight of him but it slowly faded away and changed into a throbbing pain when Rena stood next to him with a huge grin on her face, latching onto his arm. The red haired _tensai_ looked away as she watched Jyosei Shounan's coach; Hanamura, Yamabuki's coach Banji and Rokkaku's coach Oji-_san_ take their positions. She looked past Ayane's shoulder as she looked at the coaches stepping forward to meet them all; her blood ran cold especially at the sight of Sumiyagi Rena clinging on to Yukimura's arm like some lost cocker spaniel. She narrowed her amber _nekojin_ eyes at the Rikkai Dai girl until someone began to poke her from behind, revealing Kiyone with her big liquid blue innocent eyes.

"Hey, who ya glaring at," Kiyone bounced cheerily as she looked at Sumiyagi Rena and Yukimura; her mouth suddenly formed a small 'o' when she made a mischievous grin. "I can scare her away if you like~. All it takes is one pixy stick!"

Mai smiled deviously at the little girl as her cat-like eyes narrowed into devilish expression, ruffling the smaller girl's hair. "He he, thanks though. I gladly appreciate it. I'll buy you some when I need you to scare the daylights out of people."

Kiyone grinned impishly while looking at the coaches. She then glanced at the boys' side for a moment and noticed Shitenhouji standing on one side, with Shiraishi standing in front of them as their leader. The sandy blonde could not help but sneak a glance at the _Kansai_ male leading his team. She noticed the way the sunbeam dropped down on the field and lit up everyone's faces and made them look extremely blazing but he looked perfectly fine. She sighed to herself with a dreamy grin on her face until a hand dropped on her head.

"You know, the more you keep staring – the more he might think you're a stalker," Haruka grinned all-knowingly as the little volleyist immediately turned pink.

"I-I wasn't looking at him! I was looking at the sun!"

Haruka giggled slightly at the smaller doubles player when she looked at the Rikkai Dai side with the whole team staring in shock that Yukimura had managed to get himself out of the hospital. But then again, this was **the** Yukimura Seiichi she was thinking about. He probably scared the whole team into submission with whatever was hidden behind that angelic face. She knew what kind of horror sat behind that effeminate face. She glanced at the _tensai_ standing in front of Kiyone and noticed her eyes narrow into devious slits. The last time Mai did that, it proved to be very disastrous and the only one who had been capable of fixing her mess was Shizuru. However, her eyes wondered towards Jackal who stood right behind Marui. As she glanced at him, Jackal also spared her a small glance until a small smile crept up their lips with a nod. She blushed a little but immediately used her pale pink hair to block it; his smile really hit home! She couldn't wait to be his partner in the mixed doubles match!

On the other hand, Tezuka had managed to sneak a glance at the brunette that was standing next to him. She had her usual calm and pleasant expression on her face but he still remembered how she managed to wrestle and fight with Fuuka. He had never seen a girl fight up close other than Fuuka's brutal punching sprees that often had other boys on the receiving end. But after seeing Shizuru, he wasn't quite sure what to think anymore. Girls definitely had a lot of surprises in store as he glanced at her peaceful expression as if Fuuka had never angered her to begin with. He wanted to talk to her but he closed his eyes with a deep sigh escaping his throat. His words were lodged in there somewhere and now even his brain refused to process. The way she made martial arts look like was more of an art – she looked like she was truly made for combat. He remembered the graceful swing her of her _naginata_ as it easily deflected the arrows and the way she danced on the battlefield. It was bewitching; it was like watching a phoenix dive in for the kill.

Soon, Ryuuzaki-_sensei_'s voice echoed out as she immediately grabbed the attention of all the boys and girls. "ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP! Each one of you will be placed in different groups under different coaches. The groups will be done by mixture the same way the dorms were done. Here, we already have a list of who will team up with whom for the groupings. Secondly, with the many teams – we will be dividing you into two divisions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Is that understood? Do you have any questions?"

Everyone remained silent as they were slowly divided into their groups.Each group had four boys and four girls in it as they all started disseminating towards their coaches.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"WHY AM I WITH HIM AND HER!?"

Ayane could only gawk and gape in horror as Vera and Atobe strolled into her view while she could feel her blood boiling by just looking at the two of them. She clenched her hands tightly before trying to calm down but it wasn't anger that started resurfacing. She remembered the humiliation and failure of losing to Jerrard even after taunting her and throwing out all her ace cards. Inhaling deeply, the tangerine haired vice captain tried to keep her emotions from bursting out and probably throttling Atobe and Vera but she immediately kept herself in check. The last thing she wanted to do is let her captain handle a whole bunch of paperwork like the last time Kiyone bitten Vera. It took a whole lot convincing that Kiyone did not have teething issues, she did not have rabies and most of all – Vera was the one who started it by flirting with Ayane's boyfriend. At least Kiyone was being supportive of it. She looked around found Vera, herself, Tachiwara Miho (she inwardly thanked herself that someone hated Vera as much as she did) and Priscilla Yamamoto. Her eyes widened when she found a small senior skipping along before realizing she was the only first year.

"Oh God, shoot me now, why," Ayane wanted to yank her hair as she groaned at the sight of the boys. Well at least Marui made it more bearable.

Marui, Atobe, Kaidoh and some guy named Zaizen Hikaru walked in to the courts and in front of them now stood Sakaki-_kantoku_. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man; she knew he was her music teacher in piano and many other things but is he just that because even his sense of tennis was way beyond normal! He strode in calmly while adjusting his suit, looking at them carefully as if they were a bunch of military troops. She swallowed hard while standing next to the blind girl, watching his eyes analyse them carefully.

"One thing common about all of you is that you all tend to lose sight of your strategies, another is that your egos start messing up your sense of understanding," Sakaki folded his arms, staring them down. "First off, we're going to partner you up with people you refuse to partner with or someone you have never partnered with before."

Ayane stared in horror; she could end up either with Atobe or Vera! She swallowed hard and glanced at Sakaki-_kantoku_ nervously, immediately chanting a prayer in her head.

_Please anybody but Atobe or Vera. Anybody but them! Anybody but them! Kami-sama, I'll do anything! I'll stop beating up people, I'll stop yelling at Kiyone – I promise to take up anger management!_

"First match, Atobe and Jerrard versus Marui and Kobayagi."

Her breath finally escaped her lips as she exhaled with a sigh. Thank God she got Marui instead! She walked towards Marui as the red head smiled cheekily with her with his bubblegum blowing up. Vera chuckled darkly as she stood next to Atobe. However, Ayane suddenly remembered the dream that she had on the train. She remembered the malicious smile on Vera's face and how her body had instantly seized in that one moment the girl had decided to taunt her. Her body seized in fear as she tried to maintain whatever was left of her composure as the words sunk into her mind. She remembered how Kiyone had also walked away from her, heartbroken that they could not become the best in the region. If anything, Kiyone had a higher competitive streak than she did. She could not going to let all of Kiyone's hard work go down the drain!

_"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU'RE THE WEAKEST AMONG THE HYOTEI PLAYERS!"_

_"You dare think that you could have become ore-sama's queen, mongrel?"_

Ayane immediately shook it away as she and Marui stood at the tennis court with Atobe taking the back and Vera up front. She could feel her body trembling but she fought back her urge to break into a hysterical fit of rage but immediately began breathing in deeply. She saw Marui standing in front and nodded at the red head boy who had a cheeky grin plastered on his face. A confident grin soon curved up her lips as she rolled up her sleeves and tossed her racquet in the air before perfectly catching it by the grip.

"Alright, time to work things out – ne, Marui?"

The red headed boy on the other hand couldn't help but feel giddy at the thought of Atobe fuming up instantly.

Although he did need tips from Rikkai Dai's Trickster, he never expected Atobe to be so – well, in his terms he'd address it as stupid. First of all, he knew it was really bad to associate with the enemy. Yanagi had gathered enough information regarding Jerrard and no wonder Ayane hated her so much. He chuckled lightly at the fury and determination dancing in Ayane's emerald eyes and he could only hope that he had the power to keep up with her. As Vera took her stance in front of him, she smirked haughtily and tossed her blonde hair back.

"Oh so you're the fake queen's new Knave huh," Vera chuckled darkly with a haughty smile. "I didn't know it was that easy for her to get new bitches."

Marui's expression darkened; he liked Ayane definitely more than a friend despite being friend-zoned but nobody calls him a bitch and gets away with it! Besides, Ayane did anything but use him as a foot stool or a stress toy. He wanted to help her be happy because that was much better than not doing anything and feeling sorry for his guts for not getting to Ayane on time. Keeping his feelings inside and not doing crap about it – he definitely knew better than to do that. He was going to make Atobe eat shit after what he had done to Ayane. Then again, it was also personal to him – Atobe was the damn reason why he couldn't confess to Ayane and make her as happy as he wanted. He had seen her smile when they played "pop-the-bubble" game and he definitely knew Atobe was more white hairs than smiles. If being her "bitch" meant doing everything he could to make her happy (except doing something with very hazardous innuendos), so be it. To outdo the king, the knight just has to trap him against the queen.

"Sorry, if there's anyone who's a bitch here," Marui smirked confidently, spinning his racquet around. "It's you and the worst part is – you don't even know you're just being led around."

Oh yes, one thing Niou had told him: one blow to a girl's pride is that the guy was just leading her around to get his partner jealous or achieve whatever personal ambition he had.

Vera paled and gasped angrily, curling her fingers and cutting through her palms. "You annoying little shit...!"

Before she could retaliate, the ball exploded right past her and revealed a hole in the fence behind Atobe and her. The Hyotei captain stared in surprise as he saw Ayane smirking in delight. When did she attain so much power in such a short time? His eyes narrowed however the moment Ayane and Marui exchanged high-fives for the next serve.

_You're becoming a pest, Marui. Ore-sama shall bring you down once and for all. And the punishment for stealing a King's queen is only one thing: death!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Uh oh, Atobe's becoming a little too dramatic or rather a little too eager. So, here's the choice ladies and gentlemen! Those who read this – it's up to you! I give you two options:**

**Marui and Ayane end up together temporarily but Atobe will suffer heavy depression.**

**Atobe and Ayane sort things out and get back together but with Marui taking hits.**

**I leave the choice to you my dear readers! Please don't forget to review! **


	65. A Spoonful of Awkward

**Me: Hey thanks for the many reviews you've sent for this story! I really appreciate it! Now, I know there are some questions that cropped up due to some stories in The Queen's Lives. Do not worry, the story will answer everything in due time especially about the very wild pairing that will soon happen! By the way, I don't own Prince of Tennis!**

Chapter 65 – A Spoonful of Awkward

Damn.

That was all Shizuru could think when she saw who her group mates were for the training session.

Dangnamit!

Well, she had thought of something a lot worse but wisely chose to keep her mouth shut unless she wanted her coach to really go bonkers on her.

Left with Ryuuzaki-_sensei_, she found herself grouped with Sanada Genichirou, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Souma Fuuka, Inuzuka Miaka, Ohtori Choutarou, Oshitari Kenya and Fukuhara Erika from Shitenhouji. Although she had not acquainted herself with the Shitenhouji team or even remembered the many faces that she had faced, Shizuru managed to keep her calm and serene composure although wondering how she was going to deal with the awkward silence between her, Sanada and Tezuka. Although the rejection had ended smoothly, she couldn't help but fathom the many possibilities that would happen between Tezuka and Sanada. The Emperor took it well that night she had rejected him and even danced with her one last time before he sent her off. Now with Tezuka standing beside her, she couldn't help but feel her heart pounding wildly and her brains jumping back and forth and racking up any way to get her out of the situation. Looking at the area surrounding them, she inhaled deeply to keep calm while looking at her coach.

"Honestly, I see no problem but if you guys want to make sure you can fight internationally then I will make sure of that," Coach Ryuuzaki walked along slowly and looking at each and every one of them carefully, as if they were in military. "After all, it's not only America who will be present in the games. There will be other countries as well."

Shizuru nodded slowly as Ohtori lightly nudged her, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry everything's going to be fine."

Shizuru laughed softly at her classmate and group-mate's optimism, shaking her head. "I don't know. It just feels a bit..."

"Awkward?"

"Yes, unfortunately..."

Sighing deeply to herself, Shizuru glanced at the other members of the group as Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ folded her arms and stood in front of them. "First, we're going to start with the warm-up. After that, we will head into physical conditioning. I don't want to break you too much on the first day because it may prove to be dangerous later on. After that, I will pair you up with certain people to rally with. Learn how to get along with them because for all you know – they may become your partners in the mixed doubles matches. Each of you will have two partners: one girl, one boy for the mixed doubles matches and the segregated matches."

Shizuru's and Fuuka's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Wait, there's mixed doubles?"

"What the fuck? How are we gonna learn how to do mixed doubles if we don't even know each other," Miaka kicked a pebble on the ground with a disgruntled snort, glaring at the coach.

"It may sound difficult but that is why we coaches are here, Inuzuka," Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ raised an eyebrow at the shaggy dark haired girl, folding her arms sternly. "Are there any other problems, Souma?"

"Tch," Fuuka scowled deeply, rolling her eyes and tapping her foot on the ground. "Fine, let's just get it on."

Erika smiled kindly at Shizuru, bowing lightly. "I hope we do get along, Kurenai-_san_."

"I hope so too, Fukuhara-_san_," Shizuru returned the gesture as they began their warm-up, jogging around for their laps.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Isane wanted to crawl and hide under a rock when she found out who her teammates were.

Shishido stood next to her on one side and Niou on the other and being the tall one, she could clearly see the tension sparking from the capped dash specialist and Rikkai's Trickster. Niou's gleaming blue eyes spelled "you're-too-near-for-my-liking" and the dash specialist's sienna eyes glared holes that clearly spelled "jerk-off-jackass". She whimpered slightly before slowly reducing her height to prevent her from seeing the tension between the two boys. Along with her, Sarah Jaeger stood next to Niou with a male known as Amane Hikaru and some other girl she had never seen before despite being a senior. Yamabuki also had one of their female members standing next to Akutsu who stood only until her waist with a pair of huge circular eye-glasses and cat-like whisker markings on her face. Although Amane seemingly had his puns and messed up, hobo hair look, what made her shiver more was that in her team she also had Yamabuki's Akutsu Jin. Well, not that she had any problems with Amane but Yamabuki's Akutsu Jin looked like he wanted to skin her alive or something.

"Alright," a young woman walked out with magenta coloured hair, tipping her glasses as she did so. "It seems I'll be the one handling your group. Do you have any questions before I give your training schedules and your partners?"

Isane swallowed hard before shaking her head vigorously.

"Alright, the event consists of three divisions: male's tennis division, girl's tennis division and the mixed doubles division," Hanamura smiled as she folded her arms, looking at them carefully. "Now, I have all the data given to me by your coaches on what your strengths are. However – that is not what we're going to deal with today."

Isane swallowed hard as an evil glint appeared on the woman's glasses; she knew that completely spelled trouble.

"Uchiha Isane – according to records, they say you're a terrible volleyist," Hanamura smiled lightly with her glasses tipped down, causing shivers to run down her spine. "Another is – your sense of self-esteem is horrible and that you're easily intimidated by stronger opponents especially by those who are stronger physically due to your lanky stature correct?"

Isane swallowed hard; if there's anything she knew about Jyosei Shounan's coach, she had crazy teaching methods! She immediately began looking around for any other person to join them but somehow, things were just getting uglier every minute. Her eyes widened as she found Niou and Shishido in some weird stare off with Niou keeping some calm and composed demeanour but she saw past his liquid blue eyes that he was seething deep inside. Unlike Niou, Shishido expressed his hatred openly. The capped dash specialist pursed his lips and after being his classmate for three years – Isane knew he was plotting some murderous plans for the Trickster standing next to her.

"Miss Uchiha?"

Isane instantly snapped out of her daze and found everyone standing next to one another with their partner except her, shamefacedly scratching the back of her neck with abashed smile. "Eh? I-I'm sorry, who's my partner again?"

"It's me, weirdo."

Isane froze as she slowly turned her head towards the gruff voice that called her. She swallowed hard upon realizing that her partner was Yamabuki's Akutsu Jin, trying her best not to faint out of fear. She knew how brutal his tennis was and how powerful his shots were. She gulped and fought back her urge to have her fear paralyse her on the spot. Never mind fighting against Sunamyou Shina and her crazed attitude or going against Ayane when Atobe had done something wrong again but having Akutsu within a small proximity of her sent shivers down her spine. Fighting back her fear, Isane trembled and dragged her feet towards her partner as Hanamura clapped her hands with a slow smile.

"Good, let's begin!"

Niou snorted lazily as he walked away with whom she heard was Metsuku Yokome from Yamabuki and Shishido ended up with Sarah Jaeger of Rikkai Dai. Amane on the other hand didn't seem to mind that he was paired up from someone from his school as they started taking their positions on the court. The silver haired sniper swallowed hard as she saw Shishido and Niou take courts right next to her. Ignoring the tension between the two, she immediately began focusing on her rally match with Akutsu.

_I'm gonna die before the whole week ends!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Game, Marui-Kobayagi: five games to three!"

Atobe managed to conceal his urge to gawk in admonishment at the instant change of tides of the match. The first round – Marui and Ayane barely showed any signs of cooperation and now they were working together without even talking to each other. He shook his head in astonishment but a little happy deep down inside. Ayane had grown up so much without him but it also hurt to see her working well with another man who wasn't even her boyfriend. He quickly snapped his mouth shut before he could say some witty retort as he found Ayane laughing and smirking with Marui as if they had completely outsmarted them and as if they had been playing doubles for this very moment. When did Ayane start going near Marui and when did that red headed idiot forget their deal? Many questions began to run through the king's head until another volley promptly flew right past them with both opponents grinning at them as if they were going to crush them. He then glanced at his partner up front with a snort of annoyance; the girl barely had half of Ayane's skill or strength yet how was she able to defeat Ayane until he noticed how quiet she was during the game.

_Psychological warfare – Tch, she's a mind player like Kurenai except Kurenai has the physicals to show off. _

Because Vera could barely match up to any of the regulars, her mouth did all the fighting. Atobe scowled darkly as he remembered the day Ayane had lost because Vera wouldn't stop badgering her with her words. Talking during a match definitely got on to his nerves but he never expected the margin to be extremely big between Ayane and Vera. Then again, he could handle the both of them on his own prowess so why didn't he? Atobe kicked himself internally; he could've saved his face ages ago! Seeing a serve flying out from Marui, Atobe immediately ran past Vera much to the blonde girl's surprise.

"Atobe-_kun_," Vera blinked in shock as Atobe sent a drive volley down at Ayane. "What are you doing?"

Atobe for once refused to talk; if anything, the way the blonde had added "-_kun_" to his name made his skin crawl and cringe at the tone of her voice. Ignoring the shiver running up his spine out of pride, Atobe continued volleying with Marui who smirked triumphantly at him. How dare he smirk at him when he was playing against him! Worst of all – how dare he play doubles with Ayane! What was Sakaki-_kantoku_ thinking? He'd rather pair up with Ayane rather than the crazy blonde following him around. Marui grinned boyishly as Ayane smiled in return as the two stepped up the attack. The purple haired king of Hyotei snorted as he continued volleying with Marui as the exchanges became faster. Ayane stayed behind with her emerald green eyes darkly staring back at him. He bit his lower lip while trying to maintain his concentration against Marui. The red head volleyist started moving around easily as his bubblegum began to make bubbles, much to his annoyance. The moment however he looked at Ayane, he saw a huge smile on her face.

"Go get 'em, Bunta," Ayane lowered her stance to prepare for her ground shots.

"Heh, you got it," Marui twisted his body to launch more power into his volleys, knocking the ball to clip the net.

When did Ayane start calling Marui by his first name? The king glared holes at Marui as the Magician shrugged it off nonchalantly. Atobe fumed darkly but continued to ignore it as his opponents seemingly played doubles without even breaking a sweat against them. His icy eyes blue met for a moment and saw the mirth shining in the Hyotei vice captain's eyes as she started switching places with Marui. He pushed himself back as Vera went to confront Ayane with whatever skill he hoped she had. The tangerine haired girl however had completely dodged Vera and sent a speeding forehand towards him, forcing Atobe to lightly deflect the shot before it sent him tumbling backwards. As the ball flew, Ayane stood there for a moment before switching with Marui the last minute and having the Magician attacking Vera's left side. Shocked by the sudden development, Vera immediately dashed for the ball but tripped and fell to the ground, resulting to a light drop. Marui immediately dropped it a wee bit higher, smirking as Atobe went to cover for his partner to give her time to regroup. Atobe, fuming deep inside, sent a far shot towards Ayane's side as she backhanded it with the Magnolia Blade right towards Vera. The blonde girl winced as the ball slammed against her racquet and ricocheted right off it and spiralled straight towards Marui. Seeing his chance, Marui sliced the ball as it spun right on the net and began rolling on it before falling onto the ground.

Vera could only gawk in astonishment and admonishment. "That's the...!"

"Game and match: Six games to three," Sakaki inhaled deeply as he rose from the chair, deeply disappointed with Atobe but more impressed by Ayane's capability. "Ayane, you've been improving."

Ayane grinned happily before casting a sly and evil smirk at Atobe and Vera. "Oh yes, I don't intend losing to the same opponents," – crushing the poor tennis ball in her hand to the point of deflation as she heavily emphasized on the word "opponents". "Twice."

Marui immediately tried to restrain his chuckling and his snickering with not much success as he noticed how pale Vera became when Ayane had deflated the poor tennis ball. Although he too pitied the tennis ball, Marui couldn't help but sit beside himself with glee as he found the colour draining from Atobe's face and noticing how powerful Ayane's shot had become after their little meetings in Rikkai Dai. Sanada had worked on her power and Niou taught her a thing or two about pissing off Atobe although Sanada always had Ayane clobber the other male on the head with something. Marui chuckled upon remembering how Ayane managed to randomly fish out a baseball bat from her bag, chased Niou down and hit Niou straight on the head with it. The Trickster had gone home with enough bumps to even make Sanada shrink in comparison in terms of backhanding power. Kirihara loved Ayane's fool-hardy nature especially when they started playing video games. A true button masher, Marui grinned fondly at the memory. He remembered the multiple strawberry short cakes she had made with him in the Rikkai Dai Baking Club room especially because they took so long since he kept trying to lick the spoon. He chuckled sheepishly on that memory especially when he remembered how hard Ayane could hit him with a wooden spoon. How the heck could she hit so hard? He could only wonder if the Hyotei girls did have their eccentric sides even though they looked like prim and proper girls.

"Oh well," Marui shrugged nonchalantly while looking at Vera fuming angrily at Ayane who seemed to be smug about crushing the little tennis ball, although he definitely knew in her head that was no tennis ball. "You know what they say: The more prim and proper they look, the bigger the surprise. I wonder what each of them has. I know Momo-_chan_'s a big fan of motocross racing and she loves rally racing..."

Sakaki then started pacing quietly with his eyes staring daggers into each of them. "Now that you all have your partners, understand their strengths and weaknesses because they will be your partner for the whole time you will be training here. Dismissed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wow, so many volleyist people," Kiyone blinked several times as she found the narcoleptic Jirou standing next to her before grinning. "Wow, Yane-Yane was right. He can sleep anywhere and in any way!"

Yagyuu dutifully on one side with Yukimura Ai while Shitenhouji had Shiraishi Kuranosuke and another member – Tatsumi Yukari, standing next to one another. Kikumaru on the other hand jumped onto the unsuspecting Mouri Enma who seemed to be more or less used to the sudden ambushes done by the hyperactive acrobatic player. The sandy blonde haired girl grinned lightly to herself as she found the bluenette from Rikkai Dai jumping around and pulling out candy from her pocket. Liquid blue eyes widened with amazement and awe as Kiyone started moving towards her. Ai on the other hand had started chewing her _Pochi _candy until she found a shadow looming over her. Her lavender eyes met liquid blue ones that were staring expectantly at the batch of strawberry jelly-filled _Pochi _in her hand.

"You like _Pochi_," Yukimura's expression suddenly beamed expectantly as the smaller girl nodded vigorously; with this, Ai's eyes widened with joy and happiness as she threw herself into the arms of the smaller girl. "Waaaaah, candy sister!"

"Yay, someone who appreciates candy as much as I do," Kiyone jumped into the younger Yukimura's arms as they began dancing around. "I know a place with A LOT OF CANDY!"

"Ah, I must be in charge of this group then?"

Ai suddenly stopped as she looked up to find her older brother, serenely smiling at them. "Seii-_nii_, what are you doing here?"

"Why I'm going to be your coach of course," Yukimura smiled with a soft chuckle before glancing at the liquid blue eyed volleyist narrowing her eyes at him. "Oh, you must be Hyotei Gakuen's Getsugan Kiyone. Well, quite a pleasure in meeting you. I've seen many of your games and you're quite an adversary against Rikkai Dai."

Kiyone didn't know what to say but remembered how much Yukimura meant to Mai. For the _tensai_ to cry, she never expected someone so dynamic to break at the sight of someone who looked more feminine than her own captain. Blinking for a few moments, she untangled herself from the Rikkai Dai captain before looking up at the tall bluenette. Kiyone cocked her head to one side before blinking at him innocently as if trying to examine him for something. The Hyotei baby had many ideas how to make him suffer for not remembering her _senpai_ but right now – she needed time and a whole lot of materials if she wanted her plan to work. Pixy stick or no pixy stick, wasabi chips or no wasabi chips or if they were to deprive her of her whole bottle of Tabasco sauce, it would be fine! As long as she managed to fix this man's brain to make him remember her dancing _senpai_, a sly toothy grin appeared on her lips. Rubbing her hands together devilishly, Kiyone started coming up with plans.

"Now before any of you decide to try and beat me," Yukimura smiled slowly, instantly sending shivers down people's spines. "Someone please wake up Akutagawa-_kun_."

Kiyone shrugged nonchalantly, folding her arms with a snort. "We can't, he has narcolepsy. Only a few stuffs wake him up."

"Give him candy," Ai punched the air in delight, grinning childishly and walking up to him and ruffling his curls. "But he's already cute as is!"

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Yukimura-_san_," Shiraishi scratched his head sheepishly, looking at the sleepy Hyotei team member. "Narcolepsy is something more in the body system. Even if you throw in a whole bunch of candy, it would take forever to get someone like Akutagawa-_kun_ to wake up."

Yukimura nodded solemnly, looking at the curly haired volleyist that grabbed his younger sister's attention. "Hmm, I guess we must try a much harsher method then."

Ai's eyes widened as she embraced the sleeping volleyist protectively, knowing how scary his wrath could be. "Noooooo, don't hurt him!"

Yukimura smiled serenely at his younger sister although the others knew better what hid behind that smile, shivering at the dark aura the Rikkai Dai captain started to emit. "Don't worry Ai; we're just going to need a little water is all."

Kiyone shivered slightly as she watched Yukimura walk to his water jug, serenely smiling as he walked back to them and pointed the water jug at Jirou. "He has five seconds."

The moment those words left Yukimura's lips, Ai frantically began shaking Jirou. "Akutagawa-_kun,_ wake up!"

Kiyone swallowed hard fearfully as Shiraishi and Yukari took a step away from Jirou with Yagyuu shaking his head in defeat. However, Jirou literally hung his head slept his day away with a slight snore, causing the whole team to sweatdrop at the oblivious narcoleptic. People could only stare at Yukimura and then at Jirou while wondering how the narcoleptic couldn't even sense the fearful captain that was Yukimura. Yagyuu glanced at his captain; there has to be something wrong there. Yukimura's threats alone got Niou and Kirihara running laps willingly and those two were the most rambunctious and crazy among them. Yukimura on the other hand sighed, looking at the sleepy boy not even budge despite the aura of murder spilling out of his body. He then tried squirting the water into Jirou's face to which the volleyist just snored away without even batting an eyelash.

_He's either extremely oblivious, his condition is that severe or I must be losing my touch_.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lunch time rolled around as many of the teams found themselves staring at a very high tech and posh cafeteria. Ayane gawked at the sight of the three vending machines and the tables had a modern flair to it. The table tops were made of glass and the legs were made of stainless steel with the chairs being made out of white leather. Huge windows gave everyone the sight of the whole club area, including the tennis courts, the swimming pool and everything. Kiyone however found herself staring in awe at the huge red bottle sitting on the condiment bar.

"HOT SAUCE," Kiyone immediately jumped for it until Momo grabbed the back of her shirt. "But, Momo-_senpai_...!"

"Kiyone, behave," Momo wagged her finger while chiding the smaller girl, ignoring the childish pout.

"I WILL NOT CONFORM TO THE STANDARDS OF SOCIETY," Kiyone yowled and started kicking and struggling against the _Shinigami_, trying desperately to reach the huge bottle that read **TABASCO SAUCE**.

The whole Hyotei Team blinked and stared at their little volleyist with everyone else gawking at how easily Momo lifted Kiyone off the floor and dangled her a few inches off the ground. However, the sandy blonde volleyist continued swinging and kicking to force Momo to lose her grip. All the teams could only stare at the whole scene unfolding in front of them as Kiyone tried to bite off Momo's hand with very little success. The _Shinigami_ however seemed to be perfectly fine from dangling Kiyone from the garter of her tennis skirt. Shiraishi could only gape at how easily Momo lifted Kiyone off the ground: was she that light? However, he remembered the match between the Hyotei Doubles Pair against the Jerrard-Ryuuzaki pair and for Kiyone to easily leap up on Ayane's shoulders and for the other girl to balance her proved how light she was. But the whole Hyotei Team stared at astonishment with one thought in mind: who knew Kiyone knew words that big and profound?

"Hey, I'm not stupid – Yane-Yane's the oblivious one," Kiyone stuck her tongue out impishly, folding her arms childishly.

"HEY!"

Haruka sighed deeply while separating the two regulars, still holding onto Kiyone's shirt. "Okay guys that's enough. No Tabasco sauce unless you behave."

"I'm not a dog," Kiyone pouted impishly as she allowed herself to be dragged away from the condiment bar.

Soon, the teams found their tables – each school eating separated from one another. There was the usual loud chattering between teams along with the low humming of the air conditioning unit. Ayane went to the cafeteria line and saw the long buffet of food, with her eyes widening with surprise. She knew it wasn't the usual Atobe class food otherwise she would have seen lobster or steak somewhere in the buffet. She sighed deeply before glancing at Atobe who seemed more occupied by his friends as she found a cup of pudding – well more like the last cup. A devilish smile appeared on her lips as she grabbed straight away and walked towards her chair without looking back. It does seem petty, Ayane mused for a moment as she waited for Atobe to get to that part of the line. But it's the petty things that the mole diva seems to notice the most.

"Ayane, you must be desperate to resort to something that simple," – Ayane swivelled her head around and found herself facing her teammates, letting out a groan in defeat.

Ayane sighed deeply before plopping down on the chair, placing her tray down. "Sheesh, does it really look that desperate?"

Rin shoved a dumpling into her mouth with her chopstick with a slight shrug. "Only to a few since I have Insight, _buchou_'s a walking emotion detector, Mai knows these things, Haruka has a maternal instinct and Hitomi-_chan_ knows things about you inside out. So yeah, basically more than half knows. But I think so do the others but they just don't want to say."

"Clearly Atobe has gotten a new bitch to play around with so why stick around for that," Mai shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip from her drink.

"It's probably the same reason why you stick around Yukimura even if he has a new bitch," Ayane sharply retorted before grabbing her spoon roughly, shoving a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

Mai darkly narrowed her gaze at the tangerine haired girl. "Ayane, you've been nothing but seething ever since that match. What's going...?"

"FUCK OFF," Ayane slammed her palms against the table and stormed off, nearly catapulting the plates if not for Momo's and Shizuru's quick reflexes to hold down the table.

The whole cafeteria suddenly fell silent as Ayane slammed the door with enough force to shatter the hinges, letting out a loud _bang_. People stared at a few moments at the door where the tangerine haired girl had stormed off to before resuming to their meals. As the chatters grew louder, the other girls started staring at them and Haruka cast a withering glance at Vera's smug triumphant smirk. The Hyotei girls stared at the door as they all turned to each other, biting their lower lip. Kiyone hid her face slightly while feeding herself a little faster than normal whereas Mai had remained silent. Shizuru exhaled deeply before standing up, feeling nauseous slightly from the tension.

"I'll be right back," Shizuru quietly made her way to the door without disrupting anything else.

As their captain left, Momo glanced at the red haired _tensai _with a shake of her head. "Mai, you're one to talk considering you've been bumming over him like a lovesick puppy."

"But the thing is – Yukimura didn't do it on his free choice and that's because it's still biologically reparable," Mai narrowed her eyes at the _Shinigami_, slicing out a piece of chicken. "Atobe on the other hand clearly made his choice and decided to be a douche. He doesn't have any psychological illness."

"Other than narcissism, he's definitely sane," Haruka mused lightly as she drank her tea quietly. "But, Momo's right. You know that the wound's still fresh. She just realized that someone is stronger than her out there, not only that – that same girl decided to take her boyfriend just like that and to top it off, she's really frustrated and doesn't know what to do. Mai, I don't think she needs a quadruple whammy right now."

Mai remained silent and prepared to look for Ayane until Momo grabbed her hand. "What?"

"Wait here," Momo tightened her grip on the red haired girl's hand, narrowing her dark eyes at the amber cat-like ones of the dancer. "Walking to Ayane when she's angry is like throwing yourself into a pit of lions. Let Shizuru fix this."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"ARGH, STUPID CAMP! STUPID EVERYTHING! I HOPE A STICK IS SHOVED UP HIS ASS!"

Ayane kicked a pebble straight into the sky with an annoyed snort while continuing to saunter around the tennis grounds. The trees swayed gently to the wind as the leaves started rustling floating towards her as she whacked the leaf away from her face in annoyance. Purple flowers started dancing as the flowers floated right towards her with the wind blowing right beneath her skirt. Her emerald eyes gazed kindly at the flowers as she held one in her hand, fingering the soft petals. The purple colour brilliantly gleamed under the sun as Ayane continued stroking the small petals gently.

_It's so soft like his hair..._

Ayane bolted out of her daydreaming, flicking the flower off her hand as she continued on the stony pathway. The defeat remained fresh in her mind as she remembered the howling laughter of her nightmare. How could she possibly think of Atobe after everything? She shook her head vigorously and tried to take out his image from her mind but remembered seeing his bright ice blue eyes gazing back at her. She hissed in annoyance before picking up a rock and throwing it as hard as she could, suddenly hearing a car alarm in the distance. Mouthing a small "oops", Ayane spun around and began to whistle while taking another path and pretended not to know anything about the car. She bit her lower lip as Vera's haughty laughter echoed her ears as her body began to violently tremble underneath the fear. Marui had woken her up day and day again as he made sure she had a peaceful sleep during their breaks of their training. Sanada had really worked her down to the ground and she winced upon remembering how strong Kirihara's shots were when she was told to practice against him, massaging her wrist.

"Ayane, there you are."

The tangerine haired girl swivelled around and found her captain standing behind her with her usual calm expression. "_Buchou_, how did you know...?"

"Being an empath has its quirks," Shizuru walked towards her before smiling kindly, extending her hand. "Walk with me?"

Sighing deeply to herself, the tangerine haired vice captain walked along with her senior as the summer winds began to blow and tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. "_Buchou_, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to blow up at Mai-_senpai_ like that. I guess I'm just being very edgy ever since..."

"Vera has cornered Atobe-_senpai_," Shizuru cut her smoothly as she continued to match her stride and slowed down her pace. "The loss against Seigaku has always been the hardest to recover from. Believe me; it was agonizing the first time I had Fuuka launch strong shots like that to pop out my arms from their sockets. However, Vera had overstepped her bounds. She did not have the right to rub in that pain. I understand your rage towards her but you should not forget that we are here too to help you with your pain."

Ayane scornfully snorted, folding her arms. "Tch, this is coming from a person who hides her own pain."

"I say because I have the most experience of knowing the pain of being alone and frustrated," Shizuru's red eyes seeming flashed with fury, causing Ayane to slink away slightly. "I suppose you still have nightmares of your defeat?"

Ayane's eyes widened with astonishment. "Who...?"

"It is a common thing for those who are new to defeat," Shizuru smiled kindly and let out a bittersweet giggle, letting her angry aura die down. "I too once had those. When I first entered the circuit, my opponents fell before me one by one. I was climbing higher and higher and probably, I had become very arrogant. The time when I had to fight Seigaku came – well, let's say the fight did not end too well. In fact, I took defeat a whole lot less gracefully than you did..."

Ayane swallowed hard; her _buchou_ capable of anger? "What did you do?"

"I broke down and cried in front of the whole world," Shizuru chuckled sadly as she sat down on one of the benches. "It hurt to lose. Definitely, especially when I told myself that the whole game had been sewn up. My teammates felt bad and I felt that I had let them down. Worst of all, I felt that I had let down the people who had given me a chance to become great."

Ayane remained silent as Shizuru continued with a soft whisper.

"Not only that, I felt that I had let **him** down. I knew he was somewhere there in the crowd watching me yet I had failed to make a good impression of being a worthy opponent. But enough of that, what matters is – you have taken action to make sure that the defeat you incurred shall not happen twice."

"Ah, I guess you're right. Who's him by the way," Ayane swivelled her head towards her _buchou_ as she noticed a letter in her hand. "By the way, where did that letter come from?"

Shizuru blinked several times, realizing that she held her mail in her hand and never had opened it. "Oh, whoops. I just received this today. I was going to start answering it since the morning batch is done for the day."

Ayane, sneaking a little closer to Shizuru, grabbed the envelope with an evil grin. "Hmmm, I wonder what it says..."

The captain, not realizing she had let her guard down, saw the letter in Ayane's hand and frowned. "Ayane, give that back."

"No," Ayane stuck out her tongue childishly and scream at the top of her lungs, waving the letter and making a mad dash to the cafeteria. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

Shizuru, sighing deeply and shaking her head, smiled lightly as she at least accomplished one objective and now – she had to hound her vice captain for her own **private and personal** matters.

"Kobayagi Ayane," Shizuru twitched furiously with her voice slowly rising. "YOU WILL GIVE THAT LETTER BACK TO ME RIGHT NOW!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rin found herself placed with the afternoon batch starting at 1:30 PM as she found Gakuto sulking on one side. Kirihara walked in while talking to Torinaka Yui and Rokkaku sent in two of their members: Saeki Koujiro and some girl she could not recognize as well. Seigaku's Inui Sadaharu and Shibuya Rangiku also had joined the group as she swallowed hard at the sight of the extremely happy-go-lucky little girl. The black haired acrobat sighed and began looking around, wondering which group Kajimoto got thrown into. The black dragon inhaled deeply while looking at each of the members lining up when Banji of Yamabuki decided to walk in. Rin knew the rumours surrounding Banji – his doubles pairs were always amazing but who could she pair with? Gakuto barely had the stamina she had! Kirihara, she shivered upon remembering the rumours about him. Kirihara practically manhandled anything that came across his path!

"Alright," Banji continued to keep up his smiling expression as he folded his arms across his chest, standing erect. "Tell me your schools and the positions you usually handle."

Seeing he was the first from the right side and everyone was looking at him, the two toned haired male nodded stiffly. "Saeki Koujiro – Rokkaku Chuu, Singles Two."

"Touhou Kameko – Rokkaku Chuu, I play in Singles Three," – Rin noticed a brown haired girl with a straight bob cut and wearing a crimson red hobo hat, bowing humbly.

"Rikkai Dai's Devil Kirihara Akaya, Singles Three," Kirihara folded his arms with a huge arrogant smirk on his face.

"I am Torinaka Yui from Rikkai Dai. I usually play Doubles One _desu_," the auburn haired freshman smiled cheerily, swinging to and fro with her low pigtails. "Please take good care of me!"

"Inui Sadaharu," Inui adjusted his glasses with his usual business smile, reflecting off some sunlight. "I am from Seishun Gakuen, playing Singles or Doubles."

Rangiku smiled and spun around with a huge cheerful grin. "I am Shibuya Rangiku from Seishun Gakuen, I play Singles Three!"

"Mukahi Gakuto, Hyotei Gakuen and awesome acrobat for Doubles Two," Gakuto gloated with a fold of his arms, chuckling with a smug expression.

Rin remained silent as she started wondering where Kajimoto had been placed. She sadly sighed upon remembering Ayane storming out with her _buchou_ going after her but where would the two have gone? Hyotei could not lose their commanding powers so early in the game! Sure Momo had some sense of authority due to seniority but Shizuru still had the power as their captain. But that still didn't mean that Ayane could go off storming out. She bit her lower lip, remembering how tense the atmosphere became in the bus especially when Ayane and Atobe had sat next to each other. None of them had said a word and nobody could get a word in edgewise. Rin sighed as she watched another group and saw Kajimoto running with them for jogging.

_I wonder who he's under._

"Oi, Shorty!"

Rin snapped out of her daze before instinctively whacking Gakuto at the upside of his head, pursing her lips impishly. "I'M NOT SHORT!"

"I didn't even call you "Shorty", idiot," Gakuto snapped heatedly at the black haired female acrobat, sticking his tongue out at her. "Did that even sound like me?!"

"You're the only one who calls me "Shorty" when clearly you're shorter than me, _kuwee_~," Rin pursed her lips distastefully, averting her eyes from Gakuto.

"Alright, that's enough," – Rin and Gakuto found Saeki pushing the two of them apart, shaking his head distastefully. "We're here to train not fight our daylights out. Kirihara-_kun_ was calling you because you haven't introduced yourself yet."

Rin saw a snickering Kirihara before throwing a withering glare at his direction before smiling sweetly at her coach. "Ah, I'm sorry! I'm Shimohi Rin – Hyotei Gakuen and player for Doubles Two!"

Banji nodded lightly as he clapped his hands together, smiling serenely. "Well then, let's start making some progress then. It seems that one of the main problems with your pairings is that one has lower stamina than the other. Am I right, Ms. Shimohi, Mr. Mukahi?"

Rin swallowed hard, hanging her head guiltily and twiddled with her fingers. "Y-yeah, it's kind of like that."

Gakuto spat in annoyance and smugly snorted, folding his arms. "Heh, I've solved that problem long time ago!"

Banji remained completely serene despite the rude outburst, pulling out some sheets of paper from his pocket. "Very well then, I will start training you now. By the end of the day, I'm very sure that all of you will be able to achieve new heights. For starters, let's begin the warm-ups. Thirty laps around the tennis court and then after that, we'll have a little footwork."

_Thirty laps only? Buchou makes us run 60!_

Rin began running her laps as Gakuto started off pretty slow, giggling slightly when she found herself running next to Saeki Koujiro. She had heard about Rokkaku being number three Seed in the Kantou Region but she wasn't quite sure if that applied as well to the female division. Hyotei never had to face them since Seigaku always eliminated them early in the tournament. Even now that Shibuya Rangiku had joined them; she knew Seigaku had become more formidable. She glanced at the dancing trees as the wind passed by, tossing around her black tresses.

"Geez, when did you learn how to run like a monkey?"

Rin swivelled her head to find the male magenta haired running right next to her, huffing and puffing. "You said you conquered that problem long time ago!"

"Pshe, I'm catching up to you aren't I? I'm just getting warmed up," Gakuto snorted as he continued heavily gasping for air, trying to keep up the speed.

Rin rolled her eyes at her fellow acrobat before pushing herself to move faster. She watched Kirihara and Saeki take the lead with Kameko and Yui following behind them, kicking up her pace a little bit more. As she continued to run, the wind continue to blow against her cheeks as she vaulted over Yui and Kameko much to the two girl's surprise and landed right in front of Saeki and Kirihara. The two boys gawked in astonishment as Rin continued running past them. She smiled brightly as the sun began beaming down on her, kicking up her pace.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, this is a surprise," – Momo swivelled her head up and found herself looking at a Yamabuki female Regular. "I never knew that the _Shinigami _would be in my group. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Momo narrowed her eyes suspiciously, biting her lower lip. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Sengoku Tohru," she smiled with a more regal bearing, nodding curtly. "You must be Sanada Momo."

Momo glanced at the orange haired girl as her layered messy orange hair cascaded smoothly down past her shoulders. Her black eyes seemed to have a sharpened gaze instead of the usual goofy blue eyed expression she had gotten used to from her boyfriend. The orange haired girl stood with a more imposing stance as her arms remained folded as her eyes met with Momo's dark ones. The _Shinigami_ could easily detect the hostility in her tone and her action alone proved a few things. The tanned skin girl then sat next to her with a small smirk, folding her legs.

"Sengoku may be the kindest, goofiest and probably not the brightest crayon in the box but you have no right to take advantage of that," Tohru stared darkly at Momo as the _Shinigami_ stood her ground, glaring deep into the female _samurai_'s eyes. "If you ever do hurt him, I will hurt you so bad that I'll make you want to slit your own belly."

Momo narrowed her eyes at the girl, desperately fighting her urge to threaten with her hidden blade inside her racquet. "And who are you to tell me that?"

"_Nee-chan_, I didn't know you were part of my group! And Momo's here too – I'm so lucky!"

Momo and Tohru turned around and found Sengoku happily jogging in with his tennis bag. The purple haired girl noticed the murderous aura fade away instantly as Tohru beamed sweetly at her younger brother. The _Shinigami_ maintained her usual calm and composed expression but wondered who this girl was. She knew that Sengoku called a lot of girls older than him "_nee-san_" although, he never did tell her that he had an older sister. The female Sanada regained her composure while watching Sengoku moving closer, smiling cheerily at the other orange haired girl.

"Ah, Kiyo-_chan_ – it seems the coaches believe that we would gel very well with one another," she smiled sweetly as Momo rolled her eyes with a sideward sarcastic snort. "I am not quite surprised. We are the Sengoku siblings after all. You did eat lunch before you ran here right?"

"Of course I did," Sengoku stared aghast as his sister started ruffling his hair. "I'm not that forgetful, _nee-san_!"

_Tch, what an actress._

Momo bit her lower lip with a slight sigh; sure there were sisters who cared deeply for their younger brother's welfare. But at the way Tohru had fired at her, Momo felt more than a declaration of war. Brushing her hair aside, Momo then found herself standing next to Oshitari Yuushi who lazily sauntered in with some other of the male tennis players. Momo sighed deeply as the blazing sunbeams lit up her skin while she saw Shitenhouji walk in with Tooyama Kintarou and Amakusa Natsuki along with Seigaku's Mouri Enma and Momoshiro Takeshi.

"Alright," Momoshiro stretched his arms to loosen up with a determined grin, cracking his knuckles. "Let's get this party started!"

Natsuki drawled with her thick _kansai_ accent with a tousle of her charcoal gray hair, chuckling lightly. "Well, this will be a lively party. But make sure you can keep up, Momoshiro-_san_."

Watching an old man saunter in, Momo bit her lower lip as Tohru glared at her while Sengoku had gone off to chat with Momoshiro.

"You stay away from my little brother."

The _Shinigami_ however had a confident smirk on her face, folding her arms. "Well then, if you think I'm such a useless whore – prove it to me through your tennis."

"Before you guys start steaming up the place with your little cat fight," Natsuki smiled before pushing the two girls apart with a smirk. "I do suggest someone wakes up our coach."

As the two broke away from eye contact, the whole team sweatdropped as they found the old man from Rokkaku sleeping peacefully on his own two feet. The Hyotei _Shinigami_ sighed deeply to herself as the coach continued to snore peacefully without even being disturbed by the tension between the players. She cast a withering glance at Tohru as Sengoku continued chattering away with Momoshiro.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Haruka groaned lightly as she continued doing the pull-ups, swinging her legs and feeling the ache in her abdomen. She watched her other teammates do it as Hiyoshi began testing his stamina against a treadmill. Jackal had been grouped up with her as well luckily and made things a wee bit more bearable for her considering that her coach was being insane about making her do 200 pull ups. With another huff, the pearl dragon pulled herself up as her arms began to ache.

"That's pretty agonizing."

Haruka looked down to find Jackal standing in front of her as she dangled a few inches off the ground. "You don't say?"

Jackal chuckled humourlessly as Aoi and some other member of Rokkaku were stuck doing weights. "I know Yukimura-_buchou_ would have done the same thing if we had the equipment. The thing is – instead, he makes us run constantly or play constantly with conditions people would consider inhumane."

"I bet you haven't been made to play tennis with butter and cream cheese on your fingers," Haruka giggled lightly as she continued doing her pull-ups, slightly letting out a grunt as she did so. "Kotetsu was crazy back then."

Jackal chuckled lightly, doing leg ups with two weights on them. "I've played with lard smeared on my hands. Where Yukimura-_buchou_ managed to find that much lard I have no clue."

Giggling softly, Haruka raised an eyebrow while continuing to do pull-ups. "I'm guessing for the reaction time training he went for the dodge ball game right?"

"You have no idea what his version of dodge ball is."

Haruka chuckled lightly before doing her last pull-up, wincing at the pain in her shoulders, abdomen and arms. "Does he throw basketballs at you?"

"I never thought a watermelon and a pineapple could be so harmful," Jackal shuddered violently as Haruka could only giggle at the expression on his face. "What? I don't even know how he managed to get all those watermelons and pineapples! He said he got it from this place called the Philippines. I never knew Pineapples could grow that big!"

"Wow and I thought Kotetsu was crazy," Haruka chuckled lightly, taking a seat next to Jackal. "At least Shizuru makes sensible ones instead of going for those although she always makes something like training come out really fun. I guess it's because she knows us too well."

The Brazilian-Japanese scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, say Haruka – what exactly do you do?"

"Huh? Oh, we have our own version of target practice via cones and tennis balls and then we sometimes go laser tag," Haruka pondered deeply, placing her fist on her hand. "Oh yeah then, we sometimes have a marathon race."

Jackal shook his head, blinking as she continued listing down her training schedule. "Um, Hikifumi-_san_...?"

"Then we sometimes have some rallies but with limitations! Oh there was a time Rin and I had to play barefoot since Hitomi said it would help with giving another way for Synchronization..."

Jackal slightly frowned; how to make a girl stop babbling was way beyond him. "Hikifumi-_san_!"

"Eh," Haruka swivelled her head towards Jackal as the tanned skinned Regular finally sighed in relief after getting her attention.

"I meant, what do you do asides from tennis?"

Haruka literally gawked at his statement and here she was blabbering about what Shizuru had done to their training schedule! She mentally slapped herself; she had given out the secrets to their success! The pearl dragon sighed at her blunder before looking at Jackal again, realizing that she had begun to space out.

"Oh Hehehe, nothing much really," Haruka blushed shyly, shaking away her embarrassment. "I do _Wu Shu_ in my spare time and practice a little for Dragon Dance performances since I'm part of the Foreign Cultures club in Hyotei Gakuen. But..."

_Come to think of it, what was her version of fun?_

Most of the time, she stayed at home balancing accounting books and managing the Hikifumi Enterprises. Her father had hired a governess to make sure she learned everything and knew everything by heart. She let out a frustrated snort before casting her glance towards Jackal with a small sigh.

"You know, I never went to a carnival before," Haruka suddenly remarked off handedly before it took her five seconds to realize what she said. _Shit, what did I just say?_

Jackal blinked several times as he noticed her face seemingly staring off into space. Did she say she never went to a carnival before? That was downright awful! As his mother would say, people who had never gone to a carnival in Rio de Janeiro had committed an act way beyond sacrilege. He began to ponder whether or not Japan had a nearby carnival but with the Goodwill games going on – finding one would be almost downright impossible. Biting his lower lip, Jackal immediately began racking his thoughts until a bolt of realization just hit him.

"Wait, have you at least gone to the Festivals held in Kanagawa?"

Haruka blinked several times before suckling the air sharply; he had heard her? "Well, no – the governess never allowed me to go to those things..."

"I can take you to the Fireworks festival. It's just along the Tama River," Jackal scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, waiting for her response. "It's going to be happening this Saturday so I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go with me."

"YES," Haruka almost squealed in delight, her eyes widening on what she had done before becoming more composed. "Um sure, what time?"

Jackal fought down the urge to laugh at her as he clasped his hands. "Well then, let's resume training before Ryuuzaki-_sensei_ comes back and murders us all for slacking."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hitomi on the other hand began running through the analysis as she found herself rallying against Seishun Gakuen's Fuji Syuusuke. Biting her lower lip, the blonde sent the ball flying towards Fuji's blind side as she prepared to launch another shot. Surprisingly, Yukimura seemed to lighten up a little more than she expected. According to most of her sources, the way he trained people absolutely had some horrifying element to it. She glanced around and found St. Rudolph playing with their two representatives Fuji Yuuta and some other girl she had never seen in the games. With a slight sigh, Hitomi dashed forward with a quick volley as Fuji caught up with her.

"Saa~, for someone who barely plays in the games – you play pretty well," Fuji sent a backhand towards the left side of the court.

Hitomi immediately sprung towards it before sending it a quick drive attack, smirking with her usual business-smile in all confidence. "Heh, just because I don't play as much as the other eight players doesn't mean I don't have the capacity to play well."

The blonde mastermind continued keeping her eyes on Fuji without it moving away from her opponent. Despite him playing with his eyes shut, Hitomi managed to catch his movements while watching his foot or leg twitch in whatever direction he needed to go towards. She bit her lower lip as Fuji changed his strategy and went straight for a strong forehand instead of his usual counters. Hitomi clucked her tongue in annoyance; was he holding that much back? She quickly set a spin on the ball as Fuji's eyes finally opened. A smirk appeared on her lips as she started analysing him before his eyes shut again.

_Here it comes, the Tsubame Gaeshi_...!

However, much to her dismay, the ball did not roll and instead jumped right over her racquet instead of rolling on the ground. Luckily, she managed to bend back to delay her reaction and clumsily send it back. As she teetered backwards, Fuji took the opportunity to strike with a quick drive volley as she sprung forward with a swing of her body.

On the other hand, Fuji seemed to be more amused by the blonde's facial expression than her tennis skill.

He knew that the Hyotei Girls needed someone with an analytical, cold and calculating precision on their opponents almost to the point of ruthlessness. Hitomi definitely fit the profile as he continued watching her mannerisms. Her eyes never tore themselves off him, watching instead of his closed eyes but his leg twitches and his body movement. A chuckle bubbled from his lips as he remembered the story he had heard from Oishi about how fast she easily hacked into the security system of a huge castle. He chuckled upon remembering how bright red the vice captain's face became upon mentioning the times they had constantly bumped into each other.

"Well then," Fuji chuckled in amusement as he attacked the shot again. "Who is the Mastermind really behind the glasses?"

With a quick dart from her former position, Hitomi lunged at the shot before scoring right behind Fuji. "Heh, you should concentrate on the match more instead of trying to figure out my personality type."

The tensai chuckled lightly as he walked away to let Kurobane play next with their Challenge-the-Winner themed practice and so far, the girls hadn't had a shot to play considering Hitomi had cleared off the other players. He then glanced at Yukimura wondering where the bluenette had begun staring at before changing his direction towards the other court where Mai had been pitted against a pair of doubles players. The red haired _tensai_ danced through the match without breaking a single sweat as her confident smirk curved up her lips. With a finishing spin, Mai sent a whirling smash and sent the two players falling back, catching both of them off guard.

"Well, you're being a bit negligent for once," – Yukimura suddenly spun around to face the _tensai_ standing in front of him, narrowing his eyes.

"Ah Fuji-_kun_, shouldn't you be doing the rally," the bluenette's eyes narrowed into deadly slits, revealing a darkened glare replacing the usual serene expression.

Fuji however remained completely undeterred. "Well, I only wanted to see whether or not you were just using the rally as a way to pass time while you're trying to figure out your fragments."

Yukimura's expression visibly changed into that of bewilderment. "Fragments?"

"Ah yes, memories can be so powerful and so fragile at the same time, no," Fuji took a seat next to Yukimura, taking a drink from his water jug. "One day you can lose them yet they're the one thing that keep yourself whole. Even divinities have memory problems and they always have this one thing that allows them to be who they are."

Yukimura smiled serenely. "Oh Fuji, don't you realize how I can have my hand accidentally slip and do something to your training schedule?"

Fuji chuckled in amusement, looking at the demi-god with a challenge-accepted smirk. "I wouldn't mind."

_And I may just have the right pieces to make a little intervention._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Night slowly descended on them as Isane emerged from her room to go get a drink from the soda machine outside at the end of the corridor. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Isane trudged along in her pale blue bunny slippers before dragging herself to the end of the hallway. At the end of the hallway, the rooms on the same floor had a common room where there were two vending machines that catered to drinks and another that catered to food. The silver haired Sniper was certain that her dorm-mates had raided the food fridge considering how much ramen they managed to get out of it. Upon finally reaching the vending machine, she shoved her hand into her pocket before giving the bill and punching the numbers. After that, the machine suddenly stopped with her drink only halfway falling down to the bin.

"Aww not this again," Isane fumbled miserably with her pyjama pockets before staring at the brightly lit up machine finally deciding to bang her head against the machine. "What do I do now?"

What she didn't notice was the gray haired boy sitting in front and watching in amusement and annoyance as she banged her head against the machine.

Akutsu only wanted to have a good smoking session. After four months of abstaining from it, Akutsu chuckled in pride that he managed to stop himself from becoming a horrible chain smoker and saving up some _yen_ to spend on speed racing. Sengoku would constantly bugger him for being a heavy smoker along with Dan Taichi. The two even went as far as confiscating his wallet and hiding it in the girl's bathroom. Despite being the self-declared badass that he was, Akutsu knew where the line was. One, he never entered a woman's sacred haven: the bathroom. Two, his mom taught him better than to enter the sacred haven where a woman was at. Three, he didn't want to burn his eyes out too early nor get a fine critical hit to the nads in an early stage in his life.

Yes, even he, the badass and rebellious Akutsu Jin had a set of morals and a good honour code.

Now, Akutsu found himself giving the Sniper's back a droll stare as he puffed out a small puff of smoke. She didn't seem to be stupid if she could calculate and target exactly where the ball should land with her service and Hyotei definitely didn't just accept any rich kid. Unless he considered the magenta jumping moron that he found the other day, Akutsu chuckled in dark amusement. What the hell was the Sniper doing pointlessly banging her head against the vending machine?

"Aww man, why are vending machines always like this with me?"

Akutsu rolled his eyes; geez, the girl must've been really drunk or really dense to not notice that she could just kick the damn thing instead of headbutting it! Isane seemingly just leaned on the machine before letting out a whine, much to his chagrin. If he didn't get that drink now, she was going to do something a whole lot worse. One thing he learned from his mother: women are vicious when they don't get what they want. He remembered the times that she didn't get her soda and went bonkers on him. Sighing in reluctance and annoyance, Akutsu rose up and shoved the sleepy lanky girl out of the way before giving the machine one powerful hammer kick. A loud _kablam_ echoed throughout the hallway as Isane flinched from the loud crunching sound from the machine. Her emerald green eyes widened as the drink rolled out into the bin as he roughly shoved it at her.

"Geez, you could have just kicked the damn thing instead of being such an idiot and headbutting it," Akutsu scowled before falling back onto the sofa, continuing to smoke.

Isane stared in amazement before bowing politely. "Um, thank you..."

Akutsu scoffed before puffing out a small puff of smoke, snorting in annoyance. "Tch, just don't act stupid. I didn't know Hyotei students were that dumbass."

Isane hung her head lightly as she stood quietly, looking at her soda. The rally she had with him awhile ago was extremely intense and she found herself getting tangled by her own legs. Akutsu had shifted back and forth from one position to another without even flinching. She quietly took a seat next to the sofa as she plucked the can open and proceeded to drink the juice.

"Why the hell are ya still here? I could break your bones for all you know," Akutsu scowled darkly, stuffing his box of cigarettes into his pocket. "Besides, I hate rich kids."

"...Um, I just wanted to say," Isane swallowed hard, fighting back her urge to run away in fear. "Thank you in advance for putting up with me for the next three months as your partner..."

Akutsu let out a hollow chuckle; when did girls actually thank him? "Tch, it's no big deal. I'm just here since Sengoku dragged me over with Dan. Besides, you think Rat-Tail and Gangsta-Boy are gonna settle peacefully if one of them became your partner? Are you that fucking retarded? They're guys. They will fight and kick each others asses until one of them is broken in eight different directions."

Isane's eyes widened. "You..."

"Before you got there, the two douche-bags were spouting off shit about whooping each other's asses with the Gangsta-Boy getting his ass kicked," Akutsu snorted as he played with his lighter, watching the flame dance around. "You tangoed with the wrong set of bastards. I thought you rich bitches liked guys with enough dough to buy a villa in France."

Isane twiddled with her thumbs, averting her eyes. "Not all of us are like that."

"What makes it even more fucked up is you have two idiots fighting over you like you're some damn trophy," Akutsu flipped his lighter open again, lightning another cigarette. "Damn it, man up! Jyosei's whack job coach was right. With the way you are, Sleepy Boy won't even have to lift a finger to kick your ass."

"Sleepy Boy," Isane cocked her head to the side in bewilderment until she remembered Jirou. "Oh, you mean Akutagawa-_kun_?"

"Yeah, that moron that keeps sleeping all the time," Akutsu scowled deeply, brushing away the smoke. "Well, since I'm stuck with your sorry ass..."

Akutsu stood up and stared down at her, flicking her forehead and earning him a yelp from the silver haired Sniper.

"Fucking hell, I'm gonna make sure you're gonna know how to make those two douche bags suck their own balls."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sighing in relief, Shizuru finally managed to grab back the envelope before Ayane had manhandled it into nothing more but a crumpled piece of paper. She walked towards her side of the room before pulling out a clipboard and her sign pen before gawking at the sight of her teammates. Fuuka slept upside down with her feet on the headboard and the pillow on her stomach. Ai on the other hand had not returned from somewhere and mumbled something along the lines of "Sugar Sister". Natsuki on the other hand started playing Battle Star Galactica on her laptop in silence. Seeing that her roommates were currently distracted, Shizuru silently opened the letter and began reading its contents.

_Dear Shizuru-chan_,

_Congratulations on being selected for the games. It will be quite a challenge but something I know your level of skill can handle no doubt. Your teammates must be awestruck and inspired to follow someone of your calibre. Your creed as a captain in itself is a source of inspiration enough to your teammates and I do believe it is what will propel you to the Nationals. I will be watching your matches and I pray that you will attain the victories that your team and you have dreamed of. About us meeting each other, I will certainly be most happy to be able to see you. There is something that I must convey that I believe on face to face will do. I believe we can meet somewhere in the tennis camp. How does 2:30 in the afternoon this Saturday at the red brick pathway heading towards the gardens sound to you?_

_I will be awaiting your response._

_Anonymous_

Shizuru blinked several times before frowning slightly. The letter had been unusually short but a small smile curved up her lips as she prepared to write. Her auburn red eyes gazed at the starlit night sky while placing the pen against her lips, pondering on what to say. Sighing softly, the Hyotei captain uncapped her sign pen and began to write.

On the other hand, someone else had been waiting and wondering about her response.

Tezuka found himself staring at the night sky, inhaling the cold night air. His towel draped itself on his shoulders as his hair remained wet after a refreshing hot shower. He glanced at the small envelope peeking out of his bag where he had tucked away all the letters he had received in response. His heart pounded wildly as he slapped himself mentally. How did he suddenly gain the gall to ask to see her? The Seishun Gakuen suddenly froze in realization before he shook off the daze. Now she was finally going to see the man behind the letters! He exhaled deeply before pulling out one of the letters she had sent. Glancing at the last letter, he glanced at one line that caught his eye.

_I guess the only reason why it caused me so much pain is because I love him..._

Now, if he had no discipline – Tezuka would have been jumping for joy but no, this is Tezuka Kunimitsu. He inhaled deeply and tried to prevent himself from rushing over and shocking the poor girl but he had to be patient. Sitting down on his bed and holding the notebook in his hand, he began skimming through his drawings until he found one unfinished drawing. He pulled out his pencil to finish the image but found himself unable to do so. He traced his fingers lightly on the piece of paper before sighing deeply.

_I can't... complete this..._

Tezuka bit his lower lip and shook his head; why couldn't he complete a simple picture? Why couldn't he finish the drawing? Exhaling again, Tezuka stared momentarily at the notebook as his pencil tapped against the side of the page.

"Maybe it's because you feel you can't capture the emotion right?"

Tezuka swivelled his head towards Sengoku who sat up from his bed. "Sengoku?"

"You know, they usually say an artist can only capture an image only when he has felt it," Sengoku grinned goofily before fixing his ruffled up orange hair. "It's like me and Momo. I couldn't use a sword unless I saw Momo use it or she taught me how. I didn't know the feeling of bravery before but ever since then – I felt I could do more. When I fought Toyotomi, I wasn't joking when I said I just wanted to throw the blade and run away but Momo taught me how to stand my ground. That was the traditional sword art of samurai swordsmanship. It was because of her that I learned. Maybe it's time you really just came out clean to Kurenai-_chan_ before her whole team or someone else forces you guys."

Tezuka remained silent as Sengoku shrugged.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go back to sleep. Night," Sengoku grinned before falling onto his bed with a snore.

Tezuka found himself contemplating on Sengoku's words before looking back at the unfinished drawing. With a sigh, Tezuka leaned back and closed his eyes while leaving a notebook open with an unfinished image of two faces closing in towards one another with their foreheads pressed together.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**There's Chapter 65! Wow, Tezuka finally gained some gall WITHOUT any help and how did that happen? Who knows? Please don't forget to review!**


	66. The Twin Terrors of Sugar

**Me: Wow, I'm very surprised by the amount of reviews that just poured in. I never expected that I would get seven reviews for a single chapter. But then again, this is when things start getting juicy. Hopefully, I'll be able to clear things up with you guys especially with Sengoku's sister and the "coincidental" teaming. Thank you for all the beautiful reviews! 283 reviews, only 17 more to go for a 300! Go go, keep reviewing! So sorry that this has been taking EXTREMELY long! I had summer class and a whole lot Molecular Biology and stuff to deal with. :(**

**SapphireWitch13: **Thank you for pointing out my error for me. I only realized I double mentioned him in the chapter after you pointed it out to me in a review and also my cousin told me. Oh yes, I am just going to clarify that Mai and Yukimura are not in the same team and neither is Hitomi and her pairing. I'll let you figure out who is Hitomi's pairing also. I hope I've cleared up the ambiguousness. :)

**choconifflercat9: **I know right? Saeki – he's boyish and hot at the same time. :)) Thank you for the review by the way!

**aL**: Don't worry; I'll explain why Sengoku's sister is a third year like him when she's supposed to be older. I'll explain it soon. ;)

**Also, I kind of added a few things to Chapter 64 especially about the teaming. I guess I forgot to make it clear that there will be two shifts: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Again, I do not own Prince of Tennis!**

Chapter 66 – The Twin Terrors of Sugar and Spice

Mai stretched her arms as she prepared to go training with her teammates. She caught a glance at Hitomi who had been assigned to Yukimura. The bluenette just had to choose a court nearby and Rena kept following him around with his bags and everything else. She even sometimes openly kissed him in front of everyone. Blech, Mai twisted her features into disgust. If Rena was gonna go make-out with Yukimura, do it somewhere else. She felt her heart snitch ever so slightly while noticing Rena hang onto Yukimura's every word and also dote and cling onto him like some Cocker Spaniel puppy and become extremely possessive like a cat but – they were together. What could she do? The red haired _tensai _bit her lower lip before trying to focus on the matter at hand. But Mai couldn't help but take notice also of Hitomi who had been volleying with Fuji. Lucky girl, Mai sighed dreamily. At least she has someone who will bluntly tell her if there is something wrong in her style. Although Osamu did have his quirkiness and also frankness as a coach, Mai could only wonder how Shitenhouji became so strong when they were playing...

"We're playing D-dodge Ball," Sakuno stammered as she shakily held the ball in hand, swallowing hard. "B-but everyone is bigger than m-me..."

Oishi smiled and pat Sakuno's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Ryuuzaki-san. We'll do just fine!"

Juushinhi René stood on one side with Wakato Hiroshi as both of them held other Dodge Balls. The half of the Soul Link Pair tapped Wakato's shoulder and began making hand gestures, pointing at the other players. Wakato made hand gestures as well and took her hand to make more hand gestures before smiling at her. Mai found it amazing how someone like René despite her handicap had been ranked as a Nationals Calibre player. Her perception to vibrations and sights were completely impeccable when she remembered watching them play against their pair. René nodded and glanced back at Mai and the other players determinedly. On the other hand, the _tensai _grinned lightly as she glanced at the other people getting ready.

"I guess we're really gonna go head on," Mai tossed the ball up in the air while spinning it on her finger. "Better make sure you're fast enough, Kabaji."

Kabaji let out a grunt, taking a ball as well. "Usu."

Mai glanced at Team Seigaku with Oishi and Sakuno on one side. She had to admit; the girl was really small and even Kiyone stood a bit taller than her. Wakato and René at least knew well enough how to communicate via sign language. She also saw two members of Fudomine standing on one side, revealing Kamio Akira and Koizumi Yuma. She had seen Fudomine fight but always had been eliminated by Rikkai Dai or Jyosei Shounan since the Soul Link Pair really dominated through the Doubles and Florence always won her match. Hence, their usual opponents were always Jyosei Shounan, Rikkai Dai or Seigaku. Fudomine had once reached the quarter finals when she was still First Year. Hanabusa Jun had assumed captaincy but many of their most talented players had graduated hence forcing them to bunk back.

"Alright," Osamu clapped his hands in delight, directing people left and right. "We're going to have three rounds of Dodge Ball. First round is based on the same school. Hyotei with Hyotei, Fudomine students as one pair and so on. The second round is a boys-versus-girls competition and the third one – I'll be deciding the teams, alright?"

Mai nodded slowly as she glanced at the other competitors with a sly grin on her face. She never knew training in the Goodwill Camps was going to be fun but she had slight ideas. Tossing the ball up in the air, Mai sprinted forward the moment she heard the whistle blow. Sakuno, being the smallest among many of the members, found herself shocked when the ball went straight to her face. René on the other hand danced out of the way before throwing her first shot at Yuma who dodged out of the way before using Kabaji as a shield. The big man however managed to move despite the balls screaming towards him before giving Mai a boost. The red headed female leapt high into the air before throwing two spinning balls at Oishi and Wakato.

"Well then, let's kick things up a notch," Yuma hurled a fast ball towards Mai, smirking lightly.

With Yuma now targeting her, Mai immediately shifted her position in the air before sailing down towards another player before hurling a ball straight at Yuma. Kamio however intercepted her attack and sped towards her before throwing the ball with enough force to knock her out. Kabaji however managed to catch a ball and send it roaring towards Wakato who let out this weird squeak and ran for his life. She immediately bent back for a bridge before picking up another ball and hurling it towards Fudomine's speed demon, quickly recovering to push herself to attack the other members. Sakuno stumbled as she took another hit in the face as Oishi started throwing his shots against Kabaji who took the hits without really minding that it smacked straight into him. While Kabaji functioned as a shield, Mai immediately took advantage and threw the shot straight at Oishi with the ball clobbering him straight in the stomach.

"Heh, it's an honour to be facing off against Hyotei's Queen of Spades," Yuma smiled lightly as her ball flew straight towards Mai who managed to vault over it, dodging Sakuno's feeble attempt to hit her.

"Well, I'd like to see what Fudomine's capable of. I've barely seen you guys in the tournaments," Mai let out a cocky smirk before sliding right in between Kamio's legs as he took his stance before clobbering both Yuma and Kamio with a ball. "Hehehe, that's two points for Hyotei!"

Kabaji hurled the ball with enough force to knock down Wakato as the said boy tumbled on the ground while the deaf female managed to slide past Kabaji and hit him straight in the head with not much success. Mai could only gawk at how Kabaji could continue playing without feeling the agony. He must've had nerves of steel! Well, considering he was stuck with Atobe – Mai snickered lightly at the thought. Kabaji needed the patience of God if he was going to become Atobe's loyal friend.

"Alright, time's up," Osamu clapped his hands with a huge grin as he looked at his paper. "Now, you're probably wondering why you're stuck with a coach who asked me to do something as ridiculous as this."

Kamio rolled his eyes with an annoyed snort. "Yeah, why did you? It makes no sense! We're here to play tennis!"

"Well, you'll see after you start finishing up the next two rounds," Osamu grinned as the others sweatdropped at his over-enthusiastic self, watching the man clap his hands. "Alright, get ready for round two!"

Mai found herself glancing towards the other court where Yukimura had been coaching Hitomi and the other people under him. She saw Rena happily swinging her legs while ogling at whatever she was looking at, much to the annoyance of the red head. The dancer sighed deeply as she shook her head, wondering how Rena managed to manipulate someone like Yukimura when he was the master manipulator. She felt her chest tighten slightly at the sight of Yukimura then watching his team do rallies as he kissed Rena lovingly before sitting on the bench, supervising the other members. The Hyotei _tensai_ bit her lower lip before looking away and moving towards her team of girls.

"Nagisaki-_san_?"

Mai looked up and found Sakuno looking concerned at her. "Nagisaki-_san_, would you like to rest?"

Before Mai could say anything, Kamio hooted with laughter and a condescending sneer. "Well yeah, maybe we should let the girls rest. I mean – we guys can take it but I dunno about them."

_Well, well, well, it looks like we have another chauvinist who needs to have his ass kicked. _

Now Mai knew she had her fair share of violence along with her captain but if there was one thing that irked her very badly it would be how men thought women couldn't do things properly. She remembered the last time Atobe had made some comment about the girls' team not being capable enough to bring home the gold for wrestling and other sports but ever since Ayane had shown up and clobbered him with anything she managed to swing as a bat - men had feared the Hyotei women's team. No man cannot just walk in and talk down a girl in Hyotei without being harshly "whipped" for it or being beaten for it. Momo beat any male who doubted her in _kendo_ with her own capabilities and Haruka definitely outshined everybody as part of the debate team. Gakuto although in denial had to admit that even Rin had a whole shelf full of trophies be it gold or silver in gymnastics. Shizuru – well, Mai knew very well what her friend was capable of. Isane being a part of the National Shooting Team for Japan excelled as a rifle specialist and had gold medals hanging on her wall. Hitomi had her Chemistry set and her crazy math skills to break into any security system and Kiyone had her own fair share with yo-yos and other things. Well then, Mai smiled sardonically before turning to face Kamio. It's about time he gets his ass whooped by a girl.

"You really shouldn't say those things, Kamio-_kun_," Mai smiled sickeningly sweet with a hint of a sardonic tone in her voice as she tossed the ball up into the air, emphasizing heavily on the "_kun_" in his name. "Especially when you don't know how badly this girl can make you cry for your mother."

Shivers ran down the male's spines (all except Kabaji) as the women seeing that Mai had flared up a little decided to pick up the ball. The red head's amber gold feline eyes reflected pain that they were about to face as her nails started to cut into the material of the ball. Sakuno despite her sweet face held an apologetic look as she picked up a ball with Koizumi Yuma tossing one in the air with a huge smirk. René may have been deaf but the Jyosei Shounan player had become an expert in reading lips and seeing Mai's sardonic and devilish stare that promised the boy their funerals knew she had understood the tension and the emotion of the conversation right. No man talks down on them unless they want a full on beating.

"Prepare for _Carina_ _Brutalidad_," Mai grinned demonically as the boys knew they were in for a whole lot of Hell to come, causing them to shrink and shrivel under the sardonic gaze of the _nekojin tensai_. "You boys are going to regret it since your stupid teammate didn't keep his mouth shut. All girls in favour of turning these boys into babies say aye!"

"Aye," all the girls (except René who simply raised the ball in the air) picked up the volleyballs lying around; all had evil grins on their faces as all the boys prepared for a battle for their lives.

"I-I'm sorry Oishi-_senpai_," Sakuno shivered fearfully as she felt the tension burning from the other girls all in favour of beating up the boys.

Juushinhi René had an evil grin on her face as she waved "bye-bye" at the boys.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, I don't think Kamio-_kun_ meant anything," Wakato started waving his hands in terror as Mai grinned darkly, staggering back as the red head closed in on them.

"SILENCE, WE WILL EXECUTE YOU ALL! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

And if people were to listen closely, they could hear loud girlish screams echoing in the air.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shizuru bit her lower lip, looking at the letter she had just received. She couldn't believe how fast the reply came in and her heart simply wanted to jump to her throat. Calmly placing the letter into an envelope, Shizuru couldn't help but jump in joy while inwardly thanking God that nobody was in the room except her. The brunette glanced around before deciding to take a walk before her heart burst out in joy and she started rolling around in her bed in excitement and anxiety. Anxiety – who exactly was this man talking to her? She had been confiding in him ever since they had started writing to one another. However, as she started looking at the writing, Shizuru couldn't help but starting to imagine someone else. She imagined Tezuka speaking to her, gently pushing her and nudging her forward. However, she shook her head – he wouldn't dare do that. He didn't have time for some fairy tale fantasy like that. She glanced at the magazines that Fuuka had dumped on her bed and revealed pictures of the most phenomenal tennis players of the junior circuit. Her picture was there but on the front page well – Tezuka had become the cover boy in just a few months. To her, he had lifted tennis into something more than just a sport. Although people had praised her as well for her sense of capability, Shizuru couldn't help but feel insignificant next to the man. He led his team very well and they placed all his trust in him.

_He's so amazing..._

As she started to walk around, the trees rustled softly with the wind tossing her reddish brown tresses around. She closed her eyes and let the world fade into darkness while inhaling the wind deeply, letting the sense of ease and comfort overwhelm her. The Hyotei captain then looked at her leg before listening to the tennis ball sounds cracking from a distance as she continued walking in silence. Finally finding a spot under a tree, Shizuru sat down as she watched the flowers dance with the win and the grass leaves rustle.

_Do I have any right to hope that he would look at me? Or at least hold something for me?_

Shizuru shook her head with a defeated sigh; she realized how precocious she was. Assuming that Tezuka did like her – not a chance! The same chances rivalled the chances like a snowball in the Sahara! He had other things to worry about such as leading his own team to the Nationals. Rikkai was not going to take their defeat lying down and having Atobe beating him would keep him on his toes. However, the brunette held onto the letters, wondering and thinking who the man was. The young man who constantly showed his concern for her had always managed to respond to her letters. Then again, what stopped people from changing their gender in such an exchange?

"I must be crazy to hope that Tezuka-_san_ would love me in return," Shizuru smiled bitterly as a cherry blossom petal floated onto her hand, gently blowing it away. "That dream, that kind of love will end in a painful wound... Great, I'm going nuts. I can't even think properly."

She bit her lower lip bitterly as her eyes slowly began to close, letting the warmth of the sun and the gentle winds soothe her.

What she didn't realize however was that someone had heard her.

Sanada had been walking by only to hear someone's footsteps far away. Curious, the male had walked in to see Shizuru smiling particularly at no one but at the small cherry blossom petal in her hand. His hand clenched into fists, very annoyed at the thought about how slow Tezuka really was. He was barely showing any signs he liked her despite making his intentions clear in the Nagisaki Gala! That kind of emotional torture – he knew the pain of running around with the uncertainty that the person one liked may not hold the same feelings as one does. If he had more "balls" as Niou had quoted, he would have forced his way and probably had been more persistent in showing Shizuru his affections. To make her see that Tezuka could not love her the same way he did – but no, Sanada shook his head. That would be depriving her of her freedom of choice! Besides, it could have also turned for the worse that she could have gotten irritated with him instead. However, what kind of man would he be if he left Shizuru there to be easily exploited? He prepared to walk towards her until he saw Tezuka jogging along the path with a red head following. He was never the manipulative type but if push came to shove – he'll just have to shove Tezuka off before the idiot made any more mistakes!

"Souma-_san_," Sanada mentally had a light bulb moment; Fuuka was his partner for the mixed doubles partner for the week! "Can you please come with me? I need your assistance in training."

Fuuka blinked several times before noticing Shizuru sleeping at the corner of her eye, somehow getting the gist at what her partner was working towards. "Yeah, it's no problem. Hey Tezuka – your partner's knocked out by a tree. Can you remind her not to pass out anywhere that looks comfy to her? Stay with her while you're at it, yeah?"

Tezuka frowned slightly. "You make her sound like she's a narcoleptic."

"She's not but Shizuru has this insane ability to fall asleep anywhere," Fuuka grinned mischievously and when Tezuka saw that grin, he knew that she was up to something. "Besides, would you have any other guy do it?"

"No," – the words nearly burst out of his throat if not for his quick sense of control. "I- I'll do it."

_Tch, I let my guard down._

Tezuka didn't mind the idea of watching over a sleeping Shizuru but the way Fuuka grinned started making him suspicious.

And it frustrated him to no end what she was up to.

As the two players walked away, Tezuka found himself looking at a sleeping Shizuru. While he was always able to get himself up at 5'o clock in the morning, Shizuru barely looked like the morning type. When he had seen her in the morning as they went out to get breakfast, she looked like she refused to get up out of bed. Unlike her usual graceful composure, Tezuka found her in a loose baggy white t-shirt hanging past her thighs and covering part of her shorts. Her usual neat wavy hair looked like a huge mess and she had been dragging an orange fox stuffed toy behind her. Tezuka chuckled inwardly to himself; she had never looked so dare he say it - adorable. Although, Shizuru was kind of mute and blind when she just got out of bed and only groaning in response. Even Atobe noted that Shizuru couldn't open the refrigerator even if she tried in her sleepy state that when she couldn't get her bottle of chilled orange juice, Atobe had stood up to swing it open for her and said he couldn't bear seeing his female counterpart looking so pathetic as to even being incapable of opening a refrigerator door. The camp made him see many things about the girls that had dominated the junior tournaments.

Getsugan Kiyone drank Tabasco Sauce like water. How she did that – he didn't know but he reckoned that she and Fuji would get along fine.

Ayane had the capacity to wrench off doors and break things without trying. When she fumed at her teammates one day, she slammed the door hard enough to have the hinges of the door simply fall off. The whole door just followed soon after.

Yamaguchi Hitomi and Oishi – he may have glasses but he was certain he caught Oishi staring at her a few times.

Souma Fuuka had to have coffee. If she didn't, she'd become increasingly cranky and many of the threats she gave were a hair's breadth thickness from becoming reality.

Nagisaki Mai could beat up boys. Yes, he thought only Shizuru was capable of taking down fighters.

Sanada Momo apparently was not as patient as he thought she was. He had distinctively heard Vera screaming down the hallway something about a "psychotic bitch chasing her with a sharpened _katana_".

And now, he had no idea how to deal with a sleeping Shizuru. He quietly made his way towards her before taking a seat right next to her, looking how her neck dangerously hung on one side. When his finger lightly brushed against her arm, Shizuru immediately flinched and began whimpering. Surprised slightly at her reaction, Tezuka gently tilted her head to the other sound only to have it completely lean on the other side. He poked her shoulder to check if she was feigning her sleep but she just curled up again like a small shrimp. Blinking several times, Tezuka couldn't help but chuckle at how different she was when she was asleep. Seeing that nothing was going to become of it, Tezuka instead shifted her body as lightly as he could to have her lie against his shoulder. Shizuru softly breathed in and out as a small smile crept up his face. She looked so peaceful.

"You stupid jerk..."

Tezuka blinked several times in confusion, looking at her more annoyed expression as she slept.

"How could you do that to him? Just because he beat you, you just had to break his arm!"

Tezuka again found himself completely stupefied by the brunette; why did this story seem familiar? He glanced at his shoulder upon remembering the story of how his _senpai _had attacked his left arm just because he played with his right side, saying that it no longer had any use for him. Tezuka winced at the thought of that day of him losing his dominant arm and he could have played with his right arm but no, he just wanted to play with his left side. Playing with his right was fine but it was a little uncomfortable for him.

"Mai, I'm not letting some Seigaku douche-bag like him break his arm like that. Tezuka-_kun, _I've played against him before and he's really amazing when he has fun playing! We're supposed to have fun when we play, right?"

_She knew him from before?_

Tezuka nodded absent-mindedly at what she was saying but he couldn't help but wonder. In comparison to her sweet and gentle expression, now she was talking like some badass in her sleep. Normally, a person's true persona would emerge when the person was asleep. Tezuka chuckled lightly at her excited and determined expression as he eased her position more to have her sleep more comfortably. Actually, he had never said it but he loved Shizuru's kickass side more than the usual gentle self. Most girls had been conscious of their movement to the point they themselves had become stiff. During the time he had helped them save Momo; he remembered how she willingly stepped up to the plate and protected them all despite the crazy arrows flying towards them. What was going on her mind?

"There's one thing you bastards need to know about me..."

One thing he knew about Shizuru was that she lessened her usage of bad words but now seeing her use it made her appear dare he say it – exhilaratingly attractive. Although he had fallen in love with the sweet and kind Shizuru, seeing the strong side of Shizuru made his own heart soar. Tezuka never prepared himself for the revelation to come as he heard a very familiar name emerge from her lips. Her expression more determined as her smile seemingly promised the funerals of whoever she was planning to beat up in her dreams. She cracked her knuckles before knitting her eyebrows together.

"Takesue or whatever your name is, remember the name Kurenai Shizuru because she's the one who's going to beat your bloody daylights out!"

He knew exactly who Takesue was and the situation she was dreaming about. Although he remembered more the horror of losing the functionality of his left arm, Tezuka definitely knew the horrific aftermath after that beating.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Atobe snorted in annoyance as he watched Ayane laughing at Marui while drinking a strawberry shake. He couldn't understand how Marui managed to get into Ayane's heart despite everything. He had already warned the male away and even defeated him in a tennis match to make Marui understand. He clenched his hand into a fist before glaring at the two people sitting there. He had never seen Ayane laugh heartily as she slapped Marui lightly on the shoulder who laughed and chuckled in response, over something he had may have said.

"You know, glaring at Marui won't make him go away," Oshitari mused lightly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Why don't you just explain things to Ayane instead of having some harebrained scheme to deal with Jerrard? We already know the conclusion to this kind of protracted game of pulling out the carpet from right under but, is sacrificing your relationship with Ayane worth the stress?"

Atobe hummed coldly while keeping his eye on Marui and Ayane. He couldn't believe that Ayane had defeated him and Vera in doubles. Although he knew that he was very hopeless in doubles play (not that he'd admit it openly), Atobe found himself astonished by Ayane's quick cooperation with Marui and how Rikkai's Magician managed to make short work of him. He clenched his hands into a fist before glaring daggers at his cup of coffee. If glaring were a super power then, the cup would have melted into nothing but a puddle of melted ceramic.

"_Ore-sama_ would never let some blonde skank look down on him," Atobe hissed darkly, glaring at the small cup of coffee and took a small sip.

"Well, she is now – she thinks your some shallow low life who loves only those with power and Ayane wants to whack you with whatever she can pull out of nowhere," Oshitari sighed deeply, shaking his head with a defeated sigh. "Atobe, can you at least think out your plans instead of just jumping in with whatever _macho _hubris that you're running around with?"

Atobe remained silent as he heard a loud _thud_ from outside along with loud yelling. Everyone's head shot up before running outside. Before he knew it, Shishido and Niou stood outside in a full-out fist brawl with Shishido now sporting a black-eye and a bleeding lip. Niou had his hair all messed up, covered in dirt but had a bruised lip and his arms covered with scratches and dirt. He slightly slouched and gripped his rib area, glaring at Shishido. Everyone found themselves stunned by the two boys as Shishido prepared to launch himself to Niou again with a venomous glare. Niou had been known to piss off people but nobody had ever seen Niou so furious in their lives. The girls immediately darted outside to see Niou and Shishido preparing to clobber each other again.

"ENOUGH," Sanada grabbed Niou by the back of his shirt with Momo's blade pointed to his chin. "What is going on here!?"

Shishido on the other hand found Ohtori standing behind him and locked him in a full-Nelson and Shizuru blocking his way. "Shizuru!? Choutarou!?"

"Niou as your friend, I'm asking you to back down," Momo narrowed her eyes dangerously, sheathing her hidden blade into her racquet. "Otherwise, if you continue attacking – you'll be more than just backhanded by your vice captain later."

The silver blue haired Trickster scowled darkly as his blue eyes flared angrily at the _Shinigami_. Momo knew him as someone who could barely lose his cool in front of a crowd or over tiny things but for him to fly off the handle? That was relatively new for her. His version of causing trouble meant tricks, pranks, socially screwing someone over but for him to get physically really had her wondering what could have possibly ticked him off so badly. She knew Shishido would easily fly off the handle and probably deck Niou when he had the chance but for Niou to rise up to the bait and seeing the anger flash in his eyes – there was something amiss. She glanced at Isane who stared in astonishment at the sudden breakout before looking at the two boys. She was the only common denominator those two had other than Niou loving the idea of pissing people off.

However, Niou's eyes didn't show the usual amusement of ticking off his opponent. It flashed with something else.

Jealousy.

Anger.

And a whole lot of hell to pay.

Momo only realized the regret swimming in his own sea of turbulent emotions. A small smirk crossed on her lips; with all those bruises and cuts, he definitely deserved a pounding after what he did to Isane. The only thing that Shishido had forgotten to give him was a whooping psychological attack that could have left Yukimura applauding. Isane's break-up with him left scars and now, he wanted her back. Well, she knew it wasn't her choice but her friend's but he was going to have to work for it. Big time.

"_Senpai_," Shizuru lowered her voice into a very dangerous whisper. "Please behave yourself. Otherwise, I may resort to other methods in bringing back your common sense."

Shishido stared in the dark glint glimmering in Shizuru's crimson eyes before backing down. "Tch, he started it!"

"Heh, the little bastard just decked me! I swear," Niou raised his hands in a surrendering motion, glancing at the crowds. "I was just defending myself!"

"It's more likely you provoked it," Sanada glared darkly at his teammate before bowing apologetically to Atobe. "I am sorry for Niou's misbehaviour."

Atobe chuckled bitterly, raising an eyebrow at Shishido. "Well, _ore-sama_ knows that Shishido isn't the type either to pull back his punches and settle things with his mind."

"Tch," Shishido scowled darkly as Ohtori let him down, allowing him to smooth out his clothes and dust himself. "You cheating son of a bitch, you don't even care how many people you hurt! You're just doing it for your sick kicks! Leave her out of your fucked up jokes!"

Instead of Niou's usual sarcastic or snarky retort, the Trickster managed to slip out of Sanada's grip and prepared to throw a punch. "YOU FUCKING...!"

Before Niou's punch could make contact, another boy suddenly moved in the middle and grabbed Niou's fist before flipping the said Trickster over to one side and kicking Shishido back. As the Trickster staggered back, Niou found himself staring at an annoyed Akutsu who had a cigarette in his mouth. Shishido bowled over and lay sprawled out on the ground and found himself staring at the very furious and irritated Yamabuki regular. He had known stories from Akutsu being the type to deal with things with his fists but he never found himself to be on the receiving end of it.

"You fucking retards, what are you doing making a ruckus when the rest of us are trying to combat the heat," Akutsu angrily clamping his hand on Niou's neck for a firm iron grip and grabbed Shishido by his pants' leg, effectively hanging the dash specialist upside down. "Save your fucking dramas after we win! You're so damn noisy that even Mt. Fuji would send a fucking avalanche on you pathetic sacks of crap!"

Now Isane was not sure what to feel: admonished by the two fighting over her or horrified at how Akutsu was hanging Shishido upside down and ignoring that he was turning bright red like a tomato and that Niou was desperately gasping for air.

"Akutsu-_san_, I think you should put them down," Shizuru moved in to at least get Shishido out of his predicament.

"If you were a guy, I'd clobber your fucking ass. This is a bitch fight between two morons," Akutsu scowled darkly, suddenly flipping Niou over to grab him by his pants' leg and hung him upside down as well. "Things never get pretty especially among us guys. So stay out of it, you red eyed weirdo."

Although the two incapacitated boys barely showed any animosities during the training, Isane had spotted Niou trying to piss off Shishido whenever they would speak to each other. When Niou would try to approach her, Shishido would just drag her away. She sighed deeply, looking at the two before hanging her head. How did things end up so complicated? Her head suddenly looked up when she heard a loud _thud_ and skid when Niou and Shishido fell on the floor right by the trash cans.

"Tch, quit screwing around and actually use your fucking heads," Akutsu snorted in annoyance and strode past the crowd, shoving his hands in his pocket. "Uchiha, let's go. It smells like shit here."

Shishido gawked as he shook his head. "Uchiha?"

"Oi, Isane," Niou got up, staring in shock at the silver haired Sniper. "You're not..."

Isane blinked several times before looking at the two for a moment and shaking her head, following after her rough and tumble partner. She never expected her partner to suddenly intervene and bash the two boys. Akutsu was normally the type who wouldn't give a crap about things but staying as his partner did reveal a lot of things about him. Isane remembered how everyone gawked at Akutsu's sudden intervention and how easily and relentlessly manhandled the two boys.

"Um, thank you," Isane bowed lightly at the gray haired regular, glancing back slightly. "Shishido-_kun _and Niou-_san_ could have gotten hurt back there though..."

"Don't get me wrong, Uchiha. I just wanted a quiet time to smoke," Akutsu scoffed darkly, lighting up a cigarette. "But damn it, how long have you been staring at those two idiots fight?"

Isane twiddled with her thumbs, looking away meekly. "A-About five minutes or so but I couldn't just step in..."

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that."

Isane looked up and Akutsu stopped right in front of her with an annoyed snort. "You don't walk behind me. What century are you from – the 16th!? Get your ass in gear! I don't talk to my back!"

"U-um, okay," Isane swallowed hard in fear before quickly moving her feet, fighting her fear down her throat and moving right next to Akutsu. "S-sorry...!"

"Stop apologizing," Akutsu scowled darkly as he ran his fingers through his hair, grunting in annoyance. "You have the height, use it your damn advantage!"

Isane blinked several times; where did that come from? "Eh?"

"Those two idiots can't hurt you and you've got the height to intimidate," Akutsu spun around to face her, glaring and making her let out a small "eep". "Where the hell is your spine!?"

Isane was about to gesture to her back until Akutsu flicked her forehead. "You're an idiot. Are most Hyotei students this stupid?"

"N-no," Isane swallowed hard as she felt herself being belittled by the gray haired male, being dragged around by Akutsu. "E-Eh, where are we going?"

Akutsu refused to respond as he continued dragging the tall girl across the pathway, dragging her to a tennis court. He couldn't believe that those two actually jumped into a fist fight although Shishido was more believable. He actually heard the fight himself and expected them to just trash talk one another. Not make a huge ruckus down below. Stupid rich brats, Akutsu snorted in annoyance as he glanced back at a confused Isane. He knew that Hyotei kids had problems in the head but he didn't expect himself to be paired up with one who had a problem with her spine! He kicked the wired gate before putting her at the volley-line and throwing a racquet at her.

"Tch, things I do for girls," Akutsu scowled darkly before picking up his own racquet. "Coach said you suck at volley right?"

Isane nodded vigorously and slightly fumbling with the racquet, twiddling with her thumbs. "Y-Yes, why?"

"For starters, quit fucking stammering! Talk straight," Akutsu picked up a tennis ball, squeezing it hard in his hand and serving it straight at her. "I can't stand bastards who don't do their shit right. And if you're going to be my partner, we're gonna have to do things – MY WAY."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After Akutsu managed to toss him aside, Niou winced at the aching pain biting his back and shoulder. Luckily, nothing had been dislocated but the impact still made him wince. The Trickster mulled over as he kicked away some lonesome pebble. He couldn't understand though what could have driven him to lead on the silver haired Sniper like that. A force of habit, he didn't quite know but Kujikawa really had him wound around her finger. She tasted like cherries – he smirked lightly. He knew the girl would always put a bucket load of make-up to look great and cherry flavoured Chap Stick to make sure every man had a taste of her lips. Every girl he had seen in Rikkai did that. Almost every girl who wanted to get in his pants that is.

Suki Kujikawa, daughter of a high-rolling lawyer, managed to worm her way into Rikkai Dai and their debate team and frankly he had to admit – she had the brains to make him look bad. He had to be honest; she wasn't a failure in the looks department and with the rack she had, Niou would have thrown jokes on how she suffocated men by just hugging them. She had dated Kirihara for awhile and boy did she smash his heart right after. She dated Kirihara, allegedly tried to "molest" him (even he himself wondered if Kirihara knew what the word meant) and pretty much declared it to the world although the story came out that Kirihara had become an abusive boyfriend. Brat or not, Niou refused to have anyone tick off Kirihara except by yours truly. If anything, she reminded him of the Heartbreaker of Seigaku although he reckoned Vera was a bigger bitch.

_Tch, stupid Hyotei bastard...!_

Niou never found himself extremely cornered and frustrated in situations with women. Usually, he had the upper-hand before downright turning them down. Most girls recovered easily despite that but this was the first time for him to be on the opposite end. What he couldn't get was - how did Akutsu seemingly get along the silver haired Sniper when she looked extremely afraid of him? Heck, he had heard rumours of Akutsu being suspended several times for beating up people and he feared more for Isane's safety than he realized. If anything, Isane may be one of Akutsu's crazy casualties if ever his temper flew out of control. But the way they were talking awhile ago, she seemed to be in pretty good hands despite his rough, down-to-earth talking and crass-crude method of handling things.

Unfortunately, he found himself seeing Shishido also in the same light.

Shishido unlike him always shot straight to the point. He never gave cryptic words; it wasn't the dash specialist style. If Shishido found something disgusting and ugly, he'd say it straight out. Probably one thing that Isane liked about him, Niou mused. Even if he did lie, he probably couldn't pull it off. On the other hand, lying had become second nature to him. He easily smooth-talked anyone into doing whatever he needed done, including teachers. Straightforward and tactless – that was something Niou never found himself doing. He'd usually leave cryptic sentences for a while but when it came to tricks, well – he clearly trumped Shishido in out-thinking his opponent. However, the way he interacted with Isane – did he not get his point across? There were many dates that he had given her flowers and probably even played the piano a few times or sang to her (something he surprised himself by doing) but why?

"Why do I always chase the wrong ones? Why am I feeling this way," Niou raked his fingers threw his hair, looking at his wallet and cellphone. "Shit."

For once, he found himself in a ditch. Most girls chased after him and he didn't even need to lift a finger. Now Isane was an extremely different story. He flirted with her (to which she became very flustered, much to his amusement) but he found himself actually, exposing his own heart on his sleeve. In Rikkai Dai, he was the bad boy that every girl wanted. He had at least three fan clubs who stalked him early in the morning. At least Isane didn't know about those girls yet, her confidence would've taken a spiral down and a one-way trip to hell. He had heard the ruthlessness of the fan girls in Hyotei but because of her position – no one dared to mock her. Sure her height made her look lanky and intimidating but he remembered how adorable she looked when she embraced the grey bunny that he had earned for her in the carnival. While most dates ended in a platonic ending, he found himself feeling lighter after her happy smile with the bunny from the carnival.

"Oh God," Niou shook his head, gripping his hair. "God, I'm so deep... I... Tch!"

With a frustrated snort, Niou kicked the pebble as it tattered along the stone pathway. What made him kiss Suki Kujikawa that night? Sure she had a dress that invited rapists but even Isane looked like she could knock the girl off her throne that night. Questions flew back and forth as he tried figuring out what could have possibly sent him towards the buxom rich brat when he had someone like Isane whose merits clearly outclassed hers. He found himself walking down a stony path until he heard loud explosions. His eyes widened when he went into the field and found Ayane swinging a tennis racquet and smashing metal trash cans.

"Shit, she makes the brat look like he's Ken from the Barbie merchandise," Niou snickered as he continued walking on until suddenly, something nearly tackled him down to the ground in high speed. "What the hell was that?"

"SUUUGAR, SUGAR, SUGAR, SUGAAAAAR!"

Niou's eyes visibly widened as he turned around to see a familiar blue haired girl running around with a huge maniacal grin on her face. In her hands however is what got him horrified even more, it was a whole bucket load of sweets from every corner of the city. Pochi, gummy worms, gummy bears and everything else so sweet that would have made his teeth rot right out sat in a rainbow coloured bucket as Ai immediately dashed right past him. Marui would have had a hey-day with those sugary sweets in her bucket. The Trickster's eyes widened as he glanced back at where Ai had come from. Wasn't Yukimura aware or did he even know that his sister was eating enough sugar to bring down a muscle-bound wrestler and running around for a whole lot more? Soon, he found his captain, Marui, Haruka, Momo, Mai and Hitomi running after her with Fuuka and Natsuki.

"Did you see any blue haired retard running here with a rainbow bucket loaded with candy," Fuuka exhaled sharply and tried to catch her breath, looking around in desperation. "GODDAMN IT, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? AND WHO'S THE FUCKING IDIOT WHO LEFT A WHOLE BUCKET OF CANDY IN HER ROOM!?"

Natsuki shook her head darkly and began breathing heavily, brushing away her charcoal gray hair from her face. "Alright, who was the _aho_ who decided to send Yukimura on a sugar spree?"

Seiichi smiled serenely to send shivers running down his spine. "Oh I'm very curious as to how my sister got a hold of that bucket."

"But someone tell me which insolent human decided to give Kiyone enough _Habanero_ Chilli Pepper sauce to kill a horse," Momo scowled darkly, sending shivers running down his spine. "Niou, you better not have been the one!"

When Momo used his last name, he knew that meant she was bat-shit serious on killing him if he was the one who gave it to her. "Nope, that wasn't me."

Marui huffed and puffed in exhaustion, shaking his head. "Why was someone stupid enough to do that!? Don't they know Yukimura isn't supposed to have dose of candy by the bucket!?"

Niou stared in horror at the mere mention of Yukimura and candy in one sentence. If there was one thing that small girl was not supposed to have, it was candy. The last time someone gave her chocolates on White Day, she refused to sit down and went running in the hallways. Rikkai Dai had a screaming Blue Banshee as everyone had nicknamed her every time she popped in another chocolate in her mouth. Heck, even her brother could not stop her. Despite him being very fearsome, she herself was a devil with a whole bucket of sugar in her hands. Yukimura that day couldn't believe how his sister easily ignored him and she even downed a whole can of coffee granules from the teacher's lounge.

"Shit, we gotta get that bucket away from her! Now," Niou immediately began running after Ai as the others followed him from behind.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sengoku practiced his boxing and began hitting the bag quickly, jumping back and practicing his footwork. After seeing Momo easily swing the sword, he felt sort of useless. She had more talent than him in the combat department and fighting Toyotomi looked so easy to her. When he had tried swinging that sword, Sengoku shook his head shamefacedly upon remembering how he wanted to shit his pants right there and then. However, he focused more deeply on the punching bag as he continued throwing jabs before throwing on a full-on right hook.

"Kiyo-_kun_, will you stop overworking yourself?"

Sengoku spun around to see his older sister, Tohru leaning against the wall. "Oh hi Tohru-_chan_! How did you know I was here?"

"Because you have such a one-track mind, that's why," Tohru chuckled mildly, pushing herself off the wall.

"Mou~, you don't have to be like that, _ane-ue_," Sengoku pouted impishly as the orange haired girl ruffled his curls with a grin.

"Well for starters, you're one of the very few who does boxing around here," Tohru sat down on one of the benches, watching her brother. "So tell me, this Sanada Momo – how is she like?"

Sengoku blinked several times; why was his sister suddenly so concerned? Then again, being his older sister – she always watched his back no matter what especially when he had a heartbreak or when any girl he flirted tried to take advantage of him. The orange haired vice captain however couldn't imagine Momo being the manipulative type. No way, her _samurai _code wouldn't dare make her do that. Sengoku smiled fondly at the thought of his _Shinigami_ and him being in the same team. Momo jogging with him, Momo being his doubles partner – he jumped up and down, feeling all giddy about it.

"Wow, Kiyosumi – if she really can do that to you, she must be one heck of a flirt," Tohru chuckled bemusedly, raising an eyebrow.

Sengoku pouted impishly, shaking his head. "_Ane-ue_, she's anything but like that!"

"That's how most of them are at the beginning, Kiyo-_kun_," Tohru frowned while tousling away one of her orange tendrils. "Remember that other girl? What was her name – Amari, Ame...?"

Sengoku sighed deeply, continuing to keep up his punches. "It's Amakusa Ryuna. She well... you have a point there but Momo-_chan _is different!"

"Oh really? Then do tell why she needed you to save her from that crazed samurai? You could've gotten killed," Tohru massaged her temples pointedly, shaking her head. _This girl got him good, that little whore._

"She can't take the whole world on her own, _nee-chan,_" Sengoku stopped for a moment, fixing his gloves._ "_I've seen many sides of Momo-_chan_ and she's nothing like Amakusa-_san_! Amakusa-_san_ was clearly just playing with me but Momo really showed me she was serious! She even took on a fight that she knew she may lose just to prove how much I meant to her! She does _kendo_, she's from a samurai clan and she's really independent. She works in a coffee shop called Raindrop Avenue on weekends for spending cash for her groceries – I can make a whole list!"

Tohru groaned at the way her brother started harping about his current girlfriend. She knew many girls would flock to him and he was just very affable and entertaining. He basically became a girl's bitch; doing everything even down to the homework. Most girls took advantage of his happy-go-lucky nature and often used him as a cash cow. She remembered the many girls who had tried to flirt with him; a slow smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the aftermath after Sengoku's heartbreak. Although her brother got hurt, those girls in the end got what they deserved. Many of the girls had suddenly vanished from Yamabuki and none of them ever bothered Sengoku again. She could only feel so proud of herself; after all, she was protecting her dear sweet little brother from the many heartbreaks.

However, Hyotei was an entirely new ballgame.

She didn't know the girl personally but the name Sanada echoed around a few times. The Sanada family was a pretty big clan of _samurai_, no doubt about it. However, she knew their sense of tradition always surpassed their filial piety. Their values were constantly upheld in a cold and strict environment and nothing was above the dignity of oneself. She remembered how harsh their disciplinary methods were too since she had some friends who were from ancient families as well. She knew the power the Sanada family had as one of the ancient samurai clans originating from Kanagawa. Heck, the whole family had been housed in the same ancestral home – only with a few fixes and repairs of course. However, it was their sense of conservation that made her fear for her younger brother's safety. They may have been one year apart but they've spent many days together since she was forced to enroll late. Sengoku might as well be paving the path to his own suicide! Tohru shook her head; her little brother could barely tolerate silence but what more a harsh environment like that?

"SUGAAAAAAAAR!"

"SPIIIIICY!"

Sengoku and Tohru swivelled their heads towards the outside and found two blurs, one blue and one gold running right past them. "Wait, I know her...!"

Before Sengoku could say anything, Kiyone immediately tackled him down with a huge spicy-happy maniacal grin on her face. "More, I need more Tabasco!"

Sengoku blinked several times as liquid blue eyes stared beadily at him. He couldn't help but feel very unnerved by Kiyone's wide-eyed stare as he saw other people run over. Tohru stared in astonishment as he found the seniors of the Hyotei Regulars team show up. Momo stood behind her as Sengoku looked up at his _Shinigami_ standing there. He did have a packet of chilli flakes for his pizza in his lunch box but was that a good idea? However, seeing Momo's exhausted face and her head shaking "no" – he'd rather not prolong the agony.

"S-sorry Getsugan-_san_, I don't have any," Sengoku shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.

_I hope she buys it._

Instead of letting him go, her eyes immediately started to water as she sat in front of him. If there was anything he couldn't take, it was a pair of puppy eyes from someone smaller than him. Her liquid blue eyes widened as they became more shiny and watery, prompting her to purse her lips in tears. Sengoku swallowed hard and looked over Momo, clearly with a huge expression of "HELP". The _Shinigami_ couldn't help but find him adorable as Kiyone looked like she was really about to spring a leak. With a small chuckle, the _Shinigami_ walked over to the Yamabuki vice captain.

"Kiyone, that's not gonna work," Momo plucked Kiyone from Sengoku, placing her on the ground. "I think that's enough spice for the day."

"B-B-but," Kiyone pouted impishly, preparing to cry in front of the _Shinigami_.

"As much as a terrific induce tear machine that you are, it's not going to work on me," Momo folded her arms firmly, shaking her head. "No more Tabasco. I'm starting to think that you might get haemorrhoids when you're older."

The sandy blonde volleyist pouted as Haruka patted her on the head. "It's okay, let's just wash all that down first, ne?"

"Yeah, we better catch Yukimura before she makes a bigger mess," Niou chuckled humourlessly as he shoved his hands into his pocket. "I think we'll have enough destruction for a week if she keeps it up."

Tohru glanced at how Momo and the younger girl interacted, narrowing her eyes lightly. So she has a good personality but how long could she hold it? Sengoku always had that exploitable trait of his where he would always bend his back for a girl no matter what. There were times he had woken up so early just to do something for a girl, to the point he had gotten a fever. After that, the girl just tossed him aside. He may have been a flirt himself but girls knew how to make his own plans backfire back at him. A slow smile curved up her lips as she eyed the _Shinigami_.

Let the games begin.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Oishi sighed deeply while continuing to bring in a box full of tennis equipment. He found himself walking towards the sports equipment storage room since they were finally finished with training. He let out a deep sigh before continuing to walk on, wondering what the others could be doing. Being trained by Watanabe was awfully more different than that of being trained under Ryuuzaki-_sensei_. His methods were extremely unorthodox and getting a ball planted in his face from Hyotei's Queen of Spades. He glanced towards the other courts as he saw some people training. He chuckled lightly when he found Echizen walling as he remembered how Tezuka would also go find some wall and start walling especially after that day he had lost his left arm.

"They really are alike, huh," Oishi smiled lightly until he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay...Yamaguchi-_san_?"

Hitomi laughed softly, fixing her eyeglasses. "Oh don't worry, I'm fine. So, where are you headed?"

"I'm headed to the storage room. Apparently coach asked me to put away the tennis balls since most of the ball boys headed home already," Oishi adjusted the box a little, lessening the weight on his arms. "Where are you headed?"

Hitomi smiled lightly, tucking back a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Nowhere in particular. Do you mind if I tag along?"

Oishi shook his head. "Oh, not at all!"

_Wow, I wonder what colour her eyes really are._

Although Oishi had seen people with thick glasses, he had never seen a girl with such round glasses that had thick lenses. It reminded him of one of those girls that he had seen on those soap opera dramas as the shy pretty nerd. His head suddenly shot up; where did that thought come from? He shook his head before taking another look at the blonde Mastermind striding next to him. She definitely held nothing that showed shy character – in fact, she reminded him more of Inui. Confident in her data and able to manipulate people to fall into her data, she struck fear into her opponents before they could even realize that she had manipulated them into her plot.

_She's terrifying... Her own ability to manipulate and she's a senior... Just like me..._

However, during the time they had gone to save Momo – he could see that she truly did care for the people who accepted her as part of her team. He remembered the distress and the panic in her voice when Shizuru was going to confront the veteran fighters on her own. He remembered how she desperately hacked into the system to save her friends and make sure everyone came out okay. She had immediately called up the police and everything just went in fast motion. If he was going to be completely honest with himself, he could barely keep up with her.

"Oh, Oishi-_san_ – is there something wrong," Hitomi glanced at the black haired Seigaku vice captain. _He's been staring at me for awhile now._

Oishi suddenly shot up and shook his head, chuckling sheepishly. "Oh no, everything's fine. I was just thinking about something..."

Hitomi smiled her business smile, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps about Ayane?"

Oishi raised an eyebrow, staring quizzically at her. "Huh?"

"She does have breasts that girls would kill for," Hitomi chuckled smoothly, adjusting her glasses. "And she does have an affable personality as long as you're not Atobe which you're not. Besides, you two seem to get along together no?"

_Yeah a lot of guys would want Ayane. Many of the girls are pretty in the team after all._

Hitomi remembered how she among all the team members got the least chocolate on Valentines' Day. Not many people liked the fact that she could easily calculate five seven digits as if she were drinking a glass of water. The boys in Hyotei, the only ones who liked her were the ones who were relatively the Otaku type and tried putting her in a Cat suit much to her horror. Mai had done a photo-shoot of animal print bikini and every boy had it but no way – not her. Her asset was her mind not her body.

"Kobayagi-_san_ is a good friend of mine but somehow," Oishi sheepishly scratched his head and admitted mildly, chuckling lightly. "I don't think I can handle her violent outbursts. Imagine the hell she could raise when she's genuinely angry."

Hitomi nodded curtly, chuckling also inwardly. "Well, she does have a temper. And to think _Latina_-blooded ones like Mai were supposedly the more feisty ones."

The bowl-cut haired vice captain chuckled lightly as he noticed a bag in Hitomi's hand. "So, what's that for?"

Hitomi blinked several times; where did that come from? "Eh?"

"I mean the bag you've been carrying around," Oishi pointed at the black suitcase that Hitomi had been holding for awhile. "I-It's okay if you don't want to tell me..."

Hitomi laughed softly, shaking her head. "No it's fine. Mai wanted us to perform since tonight is Song Night here in the Sports club. I have no idea what's going on in her mind sometimes."

"You're going to sing," Oishi slightly gaped before shutting his mouth, removing his surprised expression. "Wow, where are you guys going to do it?"

Hitomi shrugged lightly, shaking her head. "I'm not quite sure. Nagisaki's family is the one who owns this big sports club so I'm guessing it's going to be the bar. You guys are all invited to come. Why don't you bring your teammates or something?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Night fell as many people started filling up the bar area in the sports club. Hitomi swallowed hard as she saw the huge sea of people, shaking her head. She looked at her clothes, noticing the leopard print on her off shouldered shirt and leather pants with high heeled dominatrix black boots. Whoever had designed her clothes or even assigned these to her, Hitomi shook her head. She was never letting them close to her clothes ever again! She had only agreed to do the rapping and now she was going to do it in leopard print!? The blonde girl swallowed hard for a moment before grinning at Momo who had a tight fit sparkling silver and dark green dress.

"God, I can't use this," Momo scowled deeply as she rang her fingers through her long violet hair. "This is too... tight and skimpy! Who the heck can wear this and walk," –gesturing to the black four inch heels. "Walk in these without killing anybody?"

Haruka shrugged lightly before flashing her dress with the United Kingdom flag design, smiling at her friends. "Well, at least you don't have a hard part to play. This was Mai's idea; I feel bad for Shizuru though. Which reminds me – where is she?"

Mai rushed in, checking everyone and looking at her clipboard. "Okay, everybody ready?"

"Sorry, sorry!"

Mai swivelled her head as her best friend came running into backstage. "Where the heck have you been? You have five minutes to change!"

"I'm on it, I'm on it," Shizuru immediately threw her hands in surrender the moment she saw the fury flash in the _tensai_'s eyes darting towards the dressing room. "I'll be done in two!"

Nodding approvingly, Mai glanced at her seniors seeing Isane come in blue jogging pants and a light blue tube top along with a sleeveless zip up dark blue vest. Rin trotted in with a happy grin in a white summer dress and a pale pink cardigan. Nodding happily, Mai clapped her hands before adjusting her clothes.

"Okay guys, you guys are for the opening act. So, the host will introduce and then Hitomi – wait three seconds and then you start. Make them hear your black lady voice," Mai nodded and smiled serenely, causing a shiver to run up their spines. "Got it?"

All seniors nodded; Mai was a demon when it came to theatrics that even Shizuru had to surrender. "Yes ma'am!"

On the outside, people started piling in along with the coaches as each team took a seat. Oishi sat next to Kikumaru as his teammates took their places around the table. Atobe and the rest of the Hyotei team stayed next to them Rikkai Dai stayed on the left side to avoid any confrontation between Niou and Shishido. Yamabuki and the other teams took the other surrounding tables while most of the patrons of the sports club sat in front. The host strode towards the microphone, nodding to everyone as he tested the microphone.

"Good evening everyone! Tonight as you all know is Song Night! The day when the Nagisaki Enterprises' heiress and her family performs! However, tonight is rather a special night," the host glanced at his card, looking at the audience. "Miss Nagisaki is not singing with her brothers or her cousins but this time with her group of friends! Here they are – please welcome the Hyotei Female Tennis Team!"

The lights went out as they heard the drumsticks clack a few times. There were applauses until it slowly died down when the stage lights flashed brightly. Soon the cheers went loud the moment they saw Hitomi step out in her dominatrix black boots, leopard print off-shoulder blouse and black leather pants.

**(Wannabe - Spice Girls)**

_**Hitomi:**_

_Ha ha ha ha ha!_

_Yo, I'll tell you what I want_

_What I really really want_

Oishi could only gawk in astonishment at the blonde Mastermind that had been walking with him a few hours ago, blushing bright red. "Y-Yamaguchi-_san_?"

_**Momo: **_

_So tell me what you want_

_What you really really want_

Sanada wasn't sure whether to have his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates or to stare in astonishment that his cousin was out there in a tight fitting dress that was sparkling with silver and green. Sengoku rubbed his eyes, blinking several times in disbelief. She had black mascara on her face and pink lipstick and the orange haired vice captain had himself whacked under the jaw by Akutsu.

"H-hey," Sengoku rubbed his sore jaw, pouting childishly. "What was that for?"

Akutsu rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Just shut up and watch. You were about to eat flies."

_**Hitomi:**_

_I'll tell you what I want_

_What I really really want_

_**Momo:**_

_So tell me what you want_

_What you really really want_

_**Hitomi (Momo with the other seniors):**_

_I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!)_

_I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah_

_**Haruka:**_

_If you want my future_

_Forget my past_

_**Rin: **_

_If you wanna get with me_

_Better make it fast_

Jackal blinked several times at Haruka's dress, wondering how someone could actually wear something increasingly sparkly and shiny. Rin was twirling around in a white summer dress and Kajimoto couldn't help but continue and stare as she smiled while singing. Jackal bit his lower lip, trying to contain his shock and amazement. Shock - that Haruka actually wore something like that and amazement that she could carry it well. Rin winked cutely at Kajimoto, causing the brown haired acrobat to blush bright red.

_**Isane:**_

_Now don't go wasting_

_My precious time_

Niou was stupefied. Despite just wearing a pair of jog pants and light blue tube, she looked gorgeous. Although he had seen her in her tennis outfit, Isane looked amazing. He finally saw the curves that she had been hiding under her cardigan all this time. She looked very pretty and even with her short pixie cut silver hair and her gleaming green eyes, Niou found himself gaping. He couldn't keep his jaw shut; and the line, it sort of stung. He shook his head in disbelief; how could she easily hurt him without even intending to?

Shishido on the other hand watched Isane dancing around with the other girls and couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was usually the lanky shy girl of the team but now she was singing out there as if she were some pop diva. He blinked several times in shock; what did Mai put in her drink? What the hell did Akutsu do to her?

**Momo:**

_Get your act together_

_We could be just fine_

**Hitomi:**

_I'll tell you what I want_

_What I really really want_

**Haruka:**

_So tell me what you want_

_What you really really want_

**Hitomi (Haruka with Other seniors):**

_I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!)_

_I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah_

**All five seniors:**

_If you wanna be my lover_

The whole audience jumped up and down. Niou wasn't too sure whether or not they were just jumping because they were really good or because the clothes were just sparkling. Well, whatever got the audience for a standing ovation – it had some ability to it. Niou himself had done a few performances. He watched Isane shed away her shy self as she started dancing around and thankfully, she was in rubber shoes unlike the other four who seemingly managed to move in high heels. But what he found himself more amazed by was how she was able to carry herself despite supposedly having a self-esteem issue.

**Isane, Rin, Momo and Haruka:**

_You gotta get with my friends_ (**Hitomi:** _Gotta get with my friends_)

**All five seniors:**

_Make it last forever_

_Friendship never ends_

_If you wanna be my lover_

_You have got to give_

_Taking is too easy_

_But that's the way it is_

**Haruka:**

_Oh, whatcha you think about that_

**All five seniors:**

_Now you know how I feel_

**Isane:**

_Say you can handle my love_

_Are you for real?_ (**Other seniors:** _Are you for real?_)

Upon seeing Isane flick her hair at that last statement, Niou blinked several times as he shook his head. Who was he kidding? He had been staring at her the whole night! He couldn't help notice how graceful she was as she glided across the stage with her microphone in hand. He glanced at the playing cards that stared at him from his pocket, the same one she had earned for him. He had two choices now: up his game and prove that she really did mean something to him or get stepped on. No way was he going to let Akutsu have the last laugh nor was he going to let Shishido have that victory!

**Rin:**

_I won't be hasty_

_I'll give you a try_

**Momo:**

_If you really bug me_

_Then I'll say goodbye_

**Hitomi:**

_Yo, I'll tell you what I want_

_What I really really want_

**Momo:**

_So tell me what you want_

_What you really really want_

**Hitomi (Momo with Other seniors):**

_I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!), I wanna (Huh!)_

_I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah_

**All five seniors:**

_If you wanna be my lover_

**Isane, Rin, Momo and Haruka:**

_You gotta get with my friends (_**Hitomi:**_ Gotta get with my friends)_

**All five:**

_Make it last forever_

_Friendship never ends_

_If you wanna be my lover_

_You have got to give (_**Hitomi:**_ You've got to give)_

_Taking is too easy_

_But that's the way it is_

**Hitomi:**

_So! Here's a story from A to Z_

_You wanna get with me_

_You gotta listen carefully_

_We got Em in the place who likes it in your face_

_You got G like MC who likes it on an_

_Easy V doesn't come for free_

_She's a real lady_

**Haruka:**

_And as for me, haha, you'll see_

**All five seniors:**

_Slam your body down and wind it all around_

_Slam your body down and wind it all around_

**All five seniors:**

_If you wanna be my lover_

_You gotta get with my friends_ (**Hitomi:** _Gotta get with my friends_)

_Make it last forever_

_Friendship never ends_

_If you wanna be my lover_

_You have got to give_ (**Hitomi:** _You've got to give)_

_Taking is too easy_

_But that's the way it is_ (**Hitomi:** _Oooooh!)_

_If you wanna be my lover_

**Hitomi:**

_You gotta, you gotta, _

_You gotta, you gotta_

_You gotta slam!_

**Isane and Rin with Other seniors:**

_Make it last forever (Oh!)_

**Isane and Haruka:**

_Slam your body down and wind it all around_

**All five:**

_Slam your body down and wind it all around _(**Hitomi with Other seniors:** Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh)

_Slam your body down and wind it all around_

_Slam your body down and zigazig ah_

**All five:**

_Ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah-ah ah ah (Hitomi: Oh, woah, oh!)_

_Ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah-ah ah ah (Hitomi Oh, woah, oh!)_

_If you wanna be my lover!_

As the song ended, the cheers were roaring and all the teams were clapping in astonishment and amazement. The five girls stepped down as Sengoku ran to Momo, embracing her really tightly. Kajimoto could barely move as Rin started swinging her hand in front of his face in hopes of getting his head out of the clothes. Jackal well – Haruka had him speechless but the one all four were concerned more with Isane. They found her walking down the stairs as Niou finally found the chance to approach her.

"You're one hard lady to catch you know that," Niou chuckled bittersweet, smiling at her. "You were amazing."

Isane however narrowed her eyes slightly as she bit her lower lip, inhaling deeply. "Thank you, you flatter me a bit too much. Now excuse me, I have to go."

Niou stared in shock as Isane's once shy and meek demeanour had become more similar to Momo's: cold and calm. His hand slowly lost its grip as she walked away and immersed herself into the crowds.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That must've taken so long! I am so sorry! I promise to update faster! I had a horrible writer's block for this! Please don't forget to review!**


	67. Music Speaks

**Me: Hello my friends, I know I took so long with the last one! Hopefully it won't take as long! Actually, the reason for delaying it was that I wasn't sure how to make Isane appear that she suddenly grew a nerve or something. But now that I was able to insert it, I can now write smoothly again. Also, a little note: the "Queen's Lives" is not exactly what happened after. But rather little drabbles of the "what-if" questions. Such as, what if Atobe and Ayane never made up in the original fic Queen of the Suits? Would they still find a way to each other? But there are some truth elements there like Miaka and Ohtori being together and also Sanada and Fuuka being boyfriend and girlfriend. So, on with the story! Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites – all are appreciated. However, I'd like to hear your thoughts also (which in this case, it is called reviews)! Don't feel shy about pointing out my grammar, some inconsistent elements, corrections – writing a chapter 10000 plus words worth is quite a challenge (Thank you Kosaji for that!). I don't own Prince of Tennis, I only own the OCs, their techniques and the plotline of THIS fanfic.**

**Also, thank you to the anonymous reviewer for a song suggestion! Please put your name so I can thank you properly! Thanks :)**

Chapter 67 – Music Speaks

Mai narrowed her eyes darkly, trying to rehearse her movements for her performance and at the same time attempting the impossible.

Teaching Shizuru how to put on make-up.

With Shizuru managing to poke her eye with an eyebrow pencil, mistaking eye-shadow as rouge and failing miserably to put on mascara by making herself look like a mime, Mai groaned in defeat with a helpless sigh before wrenching out the make-up kit before her friend hurt herself even more. Her best friend was completely hopeless; even the dress, Shizuru had ended up wrestling with it and with the dress beating the brunette. In the end, Mai decided to make her wear skinny black jeans and a red coat instead of watching her friend hurt herself over a dress plus a pair of lace up boots since Shizuru had managed to fall flat on her face in 2 inch heels and smack into a wall. So much for martial arts training, Mai sighed in defeat at her best friend. The _tensai _glanced at the make-up tools she had brought, wondering how Shizuru even managed to hurt herself with a blush brush. Shizuru couldn't even tell the difference! The red head sighed and dragged Shizuru and plopped her on the chair, doing the final touches with her make-up.

"I don't get how you can forget to be a girl. Before a tennis captain and tennis Regular," Mai began patting Shizuru's face with powder, shaking her head. "YOU ARE A GIRL!"

Shizuru sighed and scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, giggling abashedly. "Mai, I never had anyone teach me how to put this stuff on…"

"Yes but you actually know how to fire a gun and clean it up," Mai rolled her eyes sarcastically as she began checking Shizuru's face, smiling in satisfaction before flicking her forehead. "I hope you do remember the steps! I'm gonna kill you if you don't! Best friend or not! You got it!?"

Shizuru whimpered and cowered slightly from the menacing glint from Mai's eyes, shielding her head from any possible attacks. "A-aye, please don't kill me!"

Seeing Shizuru's submission, Mai smiled serenely again before snapping her fingers. "Alright, it's show time!"

As she left the brunette behind, Mai checked herself in the mirror one last time. Rehearsing her movements, she glanced at Ayane who was fixing the red ribbons amongst her braids and Kiyone started fixing her shoes. The sandy blonde girl swallowed hard before checking her silver headband if it was on properly. Mai heard other people singing outside, using the karaoke machine. Frankly, she knew even a rock could sound better than that. Inhaling deeply, she began to ponder remembering how Rena started smooching up to Yukimura. She narrowed her eyes as her hands clenched into fists. The red head bit her lower lip angrily – this meant war! She had seen Rena act when she supposedly wasn't looking and the girl didn't seem so bad. If that was how Rena wanted to play, she was going to get it!

_That little bitch...!_

"I'VE HAD IT," Mai stomped the floor really hard before coming to a realization, shocking the two freshmen who were tidying up. "Wait a minute, that's it...!"

Ayane and Kiyone stared at her weirdly as Mai immediately rushed back to the dressing room.

"What happened," Kiyone stared questioningly at the tangerine haired vice captain.

Ayane shrugged unknowingly, blinking her eyes several times. "I dunno, you got me."

Outside however, many of the guys and girls managed to grab a microphone and start singing. The some of other members of the Sports Club decided to head home and hit the hay after having quite a party, leaving the tennis players to use the bar in whatever way they wished. Some people stayed like some of the friends of the Nagisaki family but they didn't mind the tennis players going bonkers over the food. Kirihara helped himself to a whole plate of burgers, stuffing them in his mouth. Momoshiro also jumped for the burgers until he started getting into a fight with Kaidoh. Rena jumped towards the karaoke with a huge grin, picking up the microphone.

"Sei, I'm gonna sing okay," Rena cheerfully grinned, giving him a 'v' sign. "This song's for you!"

Kirihara swallowed hard and jumped towards his _buchou_, shaking his captain's shoulders violently and shaking his head. "No, _buchou_! Don't make her sing! Please – she's gonna sing one of those yucky love songs again! She'll kill us all! We'll die by losing our ears!"

"I think the correct term would be going deaf, Kirihara-_kun_," Yagyuu tipped his glasses, shaking his head.

Yukimura chuckled lightly as he ruffled the junior's hair gently, shaking his head. "It's alright, it can't be that bad."

_Everybody needs inspiration_

_Everybody needs a song_

_A beautiful melody when the night's so long_

_'Cause there is no guarantee that this life is easy_

_Yeah, when my world is falling apart_

_When there's no light to break up the dark_

_That's when I, I, I look at you_

The piano accompaniment got everyone's attention and she had everyone's attention. People smiled as they started swaying with the music. Yukimura loved his girlfriend but he didn't expect her to try singing a song to him which nearly made him want to hide. Oh well, at least it wasn't a song full of insults. The bluenette captain sighed deeply while recalling the fabulous performance by the Hyotei Girls' seniors. Of all the years he had known Sanada and his cousin, Momo didn't look like the type who would on stage and put on a shiny stripe green and silver dress with silver pumps. Isane didn't look like the type either who would dance on stage without freezing and fainting. He could only chuckle to himself; the Hyotei girls were always full of surprises.

_I wonder how Nagisaki-san sings though._

He had heard rumours about how well the Nagisaki-heiress could sing and dance but he had never seen her perform live. Or had he, Yukimura began to ponder deeply. Suddenly, a huge red flash sparked in his face and all he saw was just a huge red blot. The demi-god winced slightly as he shook his head, trying to figure out what was going on. He had been seeing his therapist but nobody had the answer to what those red flashes were. It could have been anything; Yukimura frowned deeply as Rena bounced towards him with a sweet smile. He glanced around and then checked his watch; wow, the song was over that fast?

"Hey Seiichi, you wanna go walk around," Rena grinned sweetly until the lights darkened down, causing everyone to look on stage.

The host took his place on stage as he picked up the microphone, beckoning everyone to look at the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you all have been waiting for - the QUEENS OF THE SUITS!"

Trumpets blared out as the spotlights flashed down. The four girls suddenly emerged from the curtains with Mai dancing out in a tube ruffled black dress with a silver patterned spade in sequins along with solid metallic silver heels. Ayane spun around with an off shouldered white dress with a bright red gothic style heart shape design in the middle with a ruffled skirt and long flared sleeves, easily pulling off her bright red pumps. Kiyone on the other hand looked like a small child in a puffed sleeve dress since she was in a white blouse and a black sleeveless dress on top that was tied together with a charcoal gray ribbon with silver sequined patterns of clovers along with a sparkling silver headband and flat black school shoes. People however stared at Shizuru as she was the only one in white lace up flat boots, black skinny jeans and a red coat with white diamond patterns on it.

"Why's Shizuru not in a dress like the others," Oshitari raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly. "She would've looked amazing."

Atobe chuckled in amusement, folding his arms. "_Ore-sama_ thinks that Kurenai lost to a dress and could barely dance in heels unless you wanted her splattered on the ground."

**(Wings – Little Mix)**

**All:**

_Mama told me not to waste my life (Aah-ooh)_

_She said spread your wings my little butterfly (Aah-ooh)_

_Don't let what they say keep you up at night (Aah-ooh)_

_And if they give you hell_

_Then they can walk on by_

**Mai:**

_My feet, feet can't touch the ground_

_And I can't hear a sound_

_But you just keep on_ (**with Ayane: **_running up your mouth, yeah_)

Atobe noticed Vera visibly flinch when Ayane's emerald green eyes sparkled darkly at her. He chuckled in amusement, noticing Ayane give her a sly grin as well. She did have Mai to teach her how to be the conspiring type but he didn't expect her to pick it up so quickly. Ayane may be a freshman student but he had heard the seniors mention that if Ayane pushed through with her audition in Glee instead of the Tennis club – she would have rocketed them to the Nationals. They mentioned how she was a "very blessed lady with pipes that could shatter glass". Well, he wasn't surprised. After all, he didn't choose Ayane purely for her physiological features. Ayane definitely had more balls than Shizuru ever did when she was in first year.

**Ayane:**

_Walk, walk on over there_

_'Cause I'm too fly to_ (**with Mai: **_care! Oh yeah!)_

**Mai and Ayane:**

_Your words don't mean a thing_

_I'm not listening_

_Keep talking, all I know is..._

**All:**

_Mama told me not to waste my life_

_She said spread your wings my little butterfly_

_Don't let what they say keep you up at night_

_And they can't detain you_

_'Cause wings are made to fly_

_No, we don't let nobody bring us down_

_No matter what you say it won't hurt me_

_Don't matter if I fall from the sky_

_These wings are made to fly_

Yukimura stared in astonishment as he watched her dance, seeing her passion burn on stage. He started to wonder if she was really a tennis player but her home was on both places – the court and the stage. She looked absolutely enticing and her movements wasted no energy. Despite her being in heels, she managed to dance without any effort and was even tap dancing with three inch heels. That just proved how insanely used to it she was or how talented she was in terms of movement alone. Mai's feline-like amber gold eyes gleamed mirthfully with a mischievous glint as she started to dance around with the other four. She even managed to coordinate with the other three girls.

Rena gawked in admonishment as Mai got the whole crowd standing up whereas she could barely get them to give her a standing ovation. She got the swaying but that was it but Mai and her friends easily worked the audience into a dancing frenzy. She narrowed her eyes at the red haired girl as she clenched her hands into fists. Yukimura stared in amazement and Rena felt her blood boil at the sight of the _tensai_. She did rile her a bit, much to her amusement. But now, she could feel her blood boiling at Mai flirting with Yukimura outright!

**Mai: **

_Hey, hey – Take it away, Shizuru!_

**Shizuru:**

_I'm firing up on that runway_

_I know we're gonna get there someday_

_But we don't need no ready steady go, no_

**Kiyone:**

_Talk, talk turns into air_

_And I don't even_ (**with Shizuru: **_care! Oh yeah!)_

_Your words don't mean a thing_

_I'm not listening_

_Keep talking, all I know is_

Shiraishi gawked in astonishment; Kiyone looked like something just popped out of an Otaku's dream. She was small and her liquid blue eyes sparkled under the right amount of light from the spotlights. She easily moved around since she strode around in shiny black school shoes. Her dress made her look like a small doll and he wondered if he was the only one who found her extremely adorable. She had this cheeky grin as she started spinning her microphone around.

"Damn, she looks like a Loli," Zaizen rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "But I gotta admit – she's got a voice. She sounds like one of those dolls singing on TV except it's not so pitchy and irritating."

**All:**

_Mama told me not to waste my life _

_She said spread your wings my little butterfly _

_Don't let what they say keep you up at night_

_And they can't detain you_

_'Cause wings are made to fly_

_No, we don't let nobody bring us down_

_No matter what you say it won't hurt me _

_Don't matter if I fall from the sky _

_These wings are made to_

**Mai:**

_I don't need no one saying_

**All:**

_Hey!_

_Hey!_

_Hey!_

_Hey!_

**Mai:**

_I don't hear no one saying _

**All:**

_Hey! (Hey!) _

_Hey! (Hey!) _

_Hey! (Hey!)_

_Hey! (Hey!)_

**Ayane and Kiyone:**

_You better keep on walking_

_I don't wanna hear your talking, boy_

_You better keep on walking_

_I don't wanna hear your talking, (boy)_

**Shizuru and Mai:**

_Your _(**Mai: (higher note) **_words don't mean a thing_)

I'm (**Mai: (higher note) **_not listening_)

_They're just like (water off my) wings!_ (**Mai: **_wiiiings!_)

Tezuka had never heard the brunette sing. But considering her Martial Arts training and given that Mai was a veteran and a genius in theatrics and performances, he found it quite possible for Mai to turn her instantly into at most interscholastic level singer. He did notice that her voice was a little deeper than the other three girls but it didn't sound too deep but still had a feminine ring to it. Kiyone sounded like a child, Mai had a _Latina_ spin to her voice and Ayane pretty much had the lungs for ballad if she could scream loud enough to be heard five courts over. However, the girls managed to get the crowd standing up and dancing much too many people's surprise. Despite her not being in a dress, she looked great.

_Yeah, you're in love with her._

Tezuka inwardly scowled at his conscience before continuing to watch at the performance unfolding before him.

**All:**

_Mama told me not to waste my life_ (**Mai: **_Ooo whoa!)_

_She said spread your wings my little butterfly_ (**Ayane: **_My little butterfly!_)

_Don't let what they say keep you up at night_

_And they can't detain you!_

_'Cause wings are made to_ (**Kiyone**: _Fl_y)

_And we don't let nobody bring us down_ (**Shizuru: **_We don't let nobody, nobody!_)

_No matter what you say it won't hurt me_ (**Ayane**_**: **__Yeah, no!_)

_Don't matter if I fall from the sky_ (**Mai: **_Oh, whoa!_)

_These wings are made to_

_Fly_

_And we don't let nobody bring us down_

_No matter what you say it won't hurt me_

_Don't matter if I fall from the sky_

_These wings are made to fly_

The moment the song ended, everyone gave them a standing ovation. Howls and cheers emerged from the crowd as glitter and shiny confetti rained from the ceiling. Shizuru nudged Mai forward as the red head took a bow before gesturing behind her, revealing her teammates.

"Thank you," Mai got the microphone, grinning slightly before chucking one of the microphones towards Shizuru. "Now, we're gonna have another round. But this time, it's just me and my best friend. Now this song is for tonight you know – for those who are gonna fight us in the Goodwill Games and also to a few, they're gonna have to know this."

Shizuru paled instantly, seeing the whole sea of people. "M-Mai, what are you talking about?"

The red haired genius grinned sardonically at her captain, causing Shizuru pale even more and realized what she was getting into. "Anyhow, each pair will do a duet and right now – this is my duet with Shizuru. This is the song," – Mai ditched her dress and revealed that she had been wearing a dark blue mid-riff tube along with denim shorts under as someone pitched her a black jacket with silver studs on it. "That will play our message – it's time they "Give It Up"!"

Loud cheers echoed as people soon started taking their seats. Blinking at each other several times, Ayane and Kiyone exited at one side as Shizuru sighed deeply, throwing off her coat as well and revealed a black mesh shirt under. The brunette captain knew exactly what that song was for. She didn't expect Mai to make a move like this so late in the game but it was about time too.

_Flashback_

"Are you sure you wanna do this," Shizuru held a piece of paper in hand, running through the lyrics. "This is like a declaration of war."

Mai let out a light chuckle and smirked confidently, folding her legs in an elegant fashion. "That's true. But that's the thing – haven't you seen the way she flirts with Yukimura?"

"She only does it in front of you," Shizuru raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "Well then, that sounds like quite a bold declaration."

Mai chuckled lightly as she clenched her hand into a fist, determinedly grinning. "And what do we do to bitches that piss us off?"

To people who didn't know Shizuru too well, the dark smirk that curved up her lips would have terrified anyone. In fact, Mai had not expected her captain to agree to her plan. But now that she lay out the evidence – even Shizuru felt the urge to crush her.

"We tear them apart. Just like the phantoms we are."

_End of Flashback_

Mai chuckled in amusement as the song began to play, inhaling deeply. She then glanced at Shizuru, nodding at her to begin. As the synthesizer and the drums began to play, Shizuru had changed her shoes into belted black motorcycle boots with black cuffs and a black bangle. Oshitari gawked at his once sweet and smiling _kohai_ now had this aloof and cocky smirk on her lips while Mai had a sultrier smile, tossing back her straight red hair.

**(Give It Up – Arianna Grande and Elizabeth Gillies)**

**Shizuru:**

_Someday I'll let you in_

_Treat you right_

_Drive you outta your mind_

_Oooh_

**Mai:**

_You never met a chick like me_

_Burn so bright_

_I'm gonna make you blind_

Everyone stared in shock how the two girls had instantly changed their personalities. Shizuru's smile curved up into a challenging smirk and Mai had walked over to Rena's table, raising an eyebrow at the girl. The female Rikkai Dai student staggered slightly as Mai tapped Yukimura on the nose with a wink, making the bluenette turn bright red. Sure he had girls flirting with him but the way Mai pulled it off made him completely freeze in his tracks. With a few cat calls and whistles, Mai then sashayed away before facing Shizuru and singing as if in a stand-off before standing back to back.

**Both:**

_Always want what you can't have_

_Is it so bad if you don't get what you wanted?_

_Make you feel good_

_As I whip you_

_Into shape, ya boy_

_Let's get it started!_

_Give it up_

_You can't win_

'_Cause I know where you've been_

_Such a shame_

_You don't put up a fight_

_That's a game that we play_

_At the end of the night_

_It's the same old story_

_But you never get it right_

_Give it up_

Sanada blinked several times as he and his cousin exchanged glances. Even Momo seemed to drop her jaw at the sight of her captain taking a whole new stand. Haruka blinked several times and Rin shook her head, staring in amazement. Shizuru and Mai blended their voices easily and the team didn't even know Mai was planning an attack like that. Momo knew exactly where the song was aiming. She glanced at Rena, watching the said girl shift uneasily in her seat.

**Both:**

_Come a little closer_

_Baby, baby_

_Come a little closer_

_Come a little closer_

_Baby, baby_

**Shizuru:**

_So stop trying to walk away_

_No you won't ever leave me behind_

**Mai:**

_Noooo_

_You better believe that I'm here to stay_

**Shizuru:**

_That's right_

**Mai:**

_Cause you're the shade and I'm the sunshine_

_(Ooooohh)_

**Both:**

_Look at me boy_

_'Cause I got you_

_Where I want you_

_Isn't it so exciting?_

_Wanna shake you_

_Wanna break you_

_Take a backseat boy_

_Cause now I'm driving_

Akutsu chuckled in amusement, glancing at his doubles partner who was staring in amazement. "Even your red eyed weirdo for a captain has more balls than you. Heck, even your junior."

Isane blushed bright red, twiddling with her thumbs. "Eh, b-but..."

"You did a good job in shoving him off," Akutsu placed his feet on the table, clapping his hands. "It'll probably make you feel shitty at first but you'll get used to it. That bastard deserves it."

_Give it up_

_You can't win_

'_Cause I know where you've been_

_Such a shame_

_You don't put up a fight_

_That's a game that we play_

_At the end of the night_

_It's the same old story_

_But you never get it right_

_Give it up_

**Mai:**

_A-oooh yeaaah_

**Shizuru:**

_Ah oooho heeey_

**Mai:**

_Hey yeah yeah yeaaaah oooh_

**Both:**

_Come a little closer_

_Come a little closer_

_Baby, baby_

_Come a little closer_

_Come a little closer_

_Baby, baby_

_Come a little closer_

_Come a little closer_

_Baby_

_If you are my baby_

_Then I'll make you crazy tonight _(**Mai: **_niiiiiight!_)

_Look at me boy_

_'Cause I got you_

_Where I want you_

_Isn't it so exciting?_

_Wanna shake you_

_When I break you_

_Take a backseat boy_

_Cause now I'm driving_

**Both:**

_Give it up_

_You can't win_

'_Cause I know where you've been_

_Such a shame_

_You don't put up a fight_

Mai watched Rena glare at her best friend for a moment before narrowing her eyes at the said girl. She may tick her off but nobody lies to her friend and makes him into a vegetable and bullies her best friend. She walked towards Yukimura and Rena, exchanging places with Shizuru. With a smirk, she stomped on the table while watching everyone stare in admonishment in what she was doing. Mai could feel her brain to just the grab the said girl and strangle her but no – murder is against the law. She had to settle for something else whether she liked it or not. The _tensai_ could feel her blood boiling as she leaned down closer for a darker sneer before picking up Rena's drink and threw it in her face, drenching the girl.

"Whoa," Kirihara gawked in astonishment. "Where did that come from?"

Marui whistled as he blew up his green bubble gum. "Whoohoo, looks like someone's declaring war."

Picking off the food, Rena gaped in admonishment as Mai vindictively sneered with a sickeningly sweet smile before walking off to continue her song.

_That's a game that we play_

_At the end of the night_

_It's the same old story_

_But you never get it right_

_Give it up_

_Ohhhh_

_YEAH!_

The whole crowd jumped up and down, clapping and giving a loud applause. However, Rena stood up and grabbed the strawberry slushy before throwing it in Mai's face. The red head winced as the cold water splashed in her face, biting her lower lip. Instead of a distressed expression, Mai had a more solid and more vindictive stare.

"You bitch," Rena hissed angrily, glaring holes at her. "How dare you-!"

Mai grabbed a huge amount of red ice that was on her face before slinging the ice at Rena, narrowing her feline-like eyes into dangerous slits. "Yeah I dare, if you're going to play that little flirt-jealousy game with me. You picked the wrong queen to mess with."

Rena lunged at Mai, spitting venomously. "YOU BITCH!"

Everything just happened really fast. Before Rena could attack Mai, Shizuru suddenly stepped in the way, grabbed her arm and popped a few points in her arms. As the said girl staggered back, Ai caught the said girl and spun her behind her while taking a stance behind her. The brunette blinked several times as she stood there, waiting for Rena to at least show some hostility. As Rena tried to lift her arms, Ai immediately stood in front of her and narrowed her eyes at Shizuru.

"You might want to keep Nagisaki in line, Shizuru-_chan_," Ai smiled serenely, glaring at Mai. "That was certainly uncalled for."

Shizuru narrowed her eyes darkly, keeping a beady stare on the other girl. "Well, do note that your friend is not exactly the most likable person either. Mai normally doesn't get this riled unless someone has ruffled her feather first."

Rena bristled darkly before storming out, heading straight towards her dormitory room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yukimura blinked several times, wondering why Mai suddenly decided to do that to his girlfriend. He prepared to go after his distraught girlfriend but something held him in place. Despite the vindictive cruel look in the dancer's amber gold eyes, he felt something else. Her eyes were gleaming with sadism and malice but a hidden emotion.

Sadness.

Anger.

Jealousy.

But why would she be jealous of Rena? He had never known Mai personally but she acted as if she did. The way she reacted towards him gave him so many questions. Whenever Mai was standing around, Rena would instantly become a flirt and a seductress even going as far as licking his ear lobe. He shuddered at the feeling but something felt amiss about Mai. Last time he met her in the courts, she had been relatively controlled and probably what he'd call calm and collected. However, the spectacle tonight showed a vindictive side of her; something he never expected himself to see.

_Why would she do that? It looks so painful to see her angry._

Now, he couldn't understand why those thoughts were running through his head.

He had his own girlfriend to dote on yet, seeing Mai on a vengeance spree and declaring war hurt him and made his blood boil. He shook his head as a huge red flash knocked him over, causing him to fall flat on his back on his bed. Thankfully, he was in his room otherwise his teammates would have gone bonkers if they found out he still suffered from Red Attacks as Kirihara named it. He had consulted his doctor about it and the doctor said it was him still trying to adjust to the stress since his mind had just recovered. However, he didn't dare believe it.

_Those red flashes mean something. But what?_

He wanted to yank his hair out, letting out an indignant huff and folding his legs. Yukimura pondered deeply, trying to find himself and what those flashes meant. He had told his teammates about it and all of them had their own explanation. Sanada said it was probably just a side-effect from his recovery medicine, Yagyuu proposed that the doctor may have rewired something wrong, Kirihara said the doctor put a zombie virus in his head and it was his brain telling him to eat other people. Yanagi had proposed that it was the stress coming from his therapy. Marui said he was just low on sugar and Jackal also felt the same about the surgery that something may have gone wrong. However, Niou had the explanation that did throw him off guard.

_Maybe it's trying to remember something?_

Yukimura bit his lower lip while trying to sort things out but in the end, closed his eyes as sleep overtook him.

He wasn't the only one thought with problems.

Atobe looked at himself in the mirror, wondering where he suddenly gained eye bags. Then again, Vera had this unholy ability to wake him up at 3 AM in the morning especially when Momo or any of his fellow schoolmates were annoyed with her. It was either Momo who had gone on a vengeance spree with her _samurai katana_ or Hitomi trying to poison her. He sighed deeply before washing his face and taking a walk alone outside into the bar seeing the karaoke machine. After the whole spectacle of Mai declaring war, not many of the people remained. Rikkai Dai had left although some like Niou, Yagyuu, Marui and Kirihara decided to stay. Seigaku decided to stay for awhile with Shitenhouji, Jyosei Shounan and Yamabuki. Hyotei however decided to stay.

"So, who's up next," Rin grinned cheerfully, putting a potato chip in her mouth.

Ayane shrugged lightly, drinking a bottle of lemonade. "I don't know. I guess anybody, ne?"

"Heh, why don't we have a little dare off," Haruka snickered lightly as she drank another can of _Pomelo_ juice. "That sounds like fun."

"Yeah, give a specific genre the person has to sing," Rin grinned in delight, nudging Isane. "You up for it?"

The silver haired Sniper nodded with a small smile, keeping her voice soft. "Ah, that sounds great."

Momo nodded and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at her cousin and chuckling. "So, you up for it, Niou?"

Niou chuckled lightly, keeping his trickster smirk. "You got it, babe."

Momo however definitely could see the annoyance and frustration in the boy's eyes. She glanced at Isane who was chatting lightly with the other girls and sometimes with Akutsu. She herself knew that Akutsu may have not been the softest cotton ball in the bunch from Yamabuki – Sengoku already took that position. However, she couldn't shake the tension floating between Atobe, Vera and Ayane. She could feel heavy tensions as she glanced at her captain.

"Tell me I'm not the only one feeling that this room is full of tension," Momo leaned over to her captain, glancing at everyone talking and eating.

Shizuru smiled lightly, shaking her head. "You're not the only one, Momo-_senpai_. Don't fret too much though. It may make the tension worse."

"Keeeeigoooo, sing for me," Vera leaned against Atobe's shoulder while batting her eyelashes, smiling and singing in a weird sing-song voice.

Atobe snorted lightly, shaking his head. "_Ore-sama_'s not in the mood for it."

"Yeah why don't you, Atobe," Ayane narrowed her eyes with a menacing glare, folding her arms. "What? You too chicken to try?"

Atobe bit his lower lip to snap back but he couldn't come up with a witty retort. He remembered her words back at the tennis courts and frankly, they still stung. His icy blue eyes met Ayane's whose emerald green eyes sparkled with a challenging smirk. If there was one thing he couldn't say no to, it was a challenge especially if it was issued by a rival or by her. Atobe chuckled with his usual haughty and holier-than-thou smirk.

"Be prepared to be awed by _ore-sama_'s prowess," Atobe chuckled determinedly, picking up the microphone.

Ayane snickered with a snooty snort, folding her arms. "Alright, your highness – go do a rock song."

"Ugh, is that like all that's in your head," Vera tousled her blonde hair, snorting mockingly. "No wonder you lost."

The tangerine female's emerald green eyes flared up immediately. "Go screw yourself in a ditch!"

Something in him seemed to click as he began checking through the list of songs. He could feel his body forcing back his stage fright. Although he had done speeches, he had no idea how to sing. However, the king really wanted something to knock Ayane off her feet. Something to get into her thick skull and get his message across. The question though, it was more of what could possibly dent her thick head? Thankfully, she wasn't as stubborn as Shizuru otherwise he'd have a heyday trying to convince her. Why Tezuka fell for the girl – he had no clue. Did the Seigaku captain think he was being discreet? Think again, Atobe dryly snorted as he continued scrolling through the song choices. The only idiot who wouldn't notice his advances would be Shizuru since she was worrying her own ass off of him not liking her back. Finally, he came across the song as he input the numbers and inhaled deeply to calm himself down. Soon, the song began to play as he brought the microphone nearer to his face.

_(Adam Lambert – Whatya want from me?)_

_Hey, slow it down_

_What'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

_Yeah, I'm afraid_

_What'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

Ayane's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates; what was he doing? Did he even know the song? The heck with it, he didn't sound as bad as she thought he'd be. Everyone stared in amazement as Atobe's actions and even his voice fit the song perfectly. In fact, since when did he at least know who the heck Adam Lambert was? The Atobe she had known only went as far as classical music and the more elegant jazzy or Bossa Nova music. The tangerine haired girl saw the emotions flickering in his eyes; she wasn't looking at a king.

She was looking at a man who wanted her back.

He was trying to tell her something.

_But he completely,_ Ayane stopped midway in her thoughts, trying to reassess the situation. What if Atobe had been right all along? If so, what was he doing remaining near Vera? She noticed Vera swooning her daylights out but Atobe's icy blue eyes remained directly on her, unwavering as he continued to fulfil the dare.

_There might have been a time_

_When I would give myself away_

_(Ooh) Once upon a time_

_I didn't give a damn_

_But now here we are_

_So what'ya want from me_

_what'ya want from me_

_Just don't give up_

_I'm workin' it out_

_Please don't give in_

_I won't let you down_

_It messed me up, need a second to breathe_

_Just keep coming around_

_Hey, what'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

"It's clear the song's for you, Ayane."

The tangerine haired girl swivelled her head towards Hitomi who started drinking a bottle of vodka. "Of all the, where and HOW THE HECK DID YOU BRING THAT IN!?"

Hitomi shrugged plainly, continuing to drink down the bottle. "Brought a water jug, emptied the contents, grabbed a bottle and filled it up. But don't evade the question," – the blonde chuckled in amusement, raising an eyebrow at her. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean, what do I want," Ayane scrunched up her nose, snorting in annoyance. "I just wanna be the best and beat the bat-lights out of Vera while I'm at it!"

Hitomi sighed deeply, taking off her glasses to wipe the lenses. "I meant, what do you want from him – Ayane? As much as I could compliment the capacity of his Insight, Atobe's not a mind reader, you know."

Ayane blinked several times, only to realize what Hitomi was right. What did she want from Atobe? Why had she been so hard on him? He had apologized to her after leaving without a goodbye. And it wasn't his fault that Vera may have decided to use him as a scapegoat. Atobe had been nothing but doing his best to be patient with her, even if it was in her opinion – a very retarded way of doing it by gloating like a weirdo. She hung her head in silence and continued watching Atobe.

_Yeah, it's plain to see_

_That baby you're beautiful_

_And there's nothing wrong with you_

_It's me, I'm a freak_

_But thanks for lovin' me_

_Cause you're doing it perfectly_

_There might have been a time_

_When I would let you slip away_

_I wouldn't even try but I think_

_You could save my life_

Vera scowled at the thought of losing Atobe.

If she did, it was the same as losing to Ayane. She could see the emotions in his eyes as her heart began giggle evilly to itself. She had proven herself to be able to knock down the Queen of Hearts and of course, Atobe being the victory-hungry king that he was – where else would he go to? A king wanted nothing but power and Ayane had failed to satisfy that need. She chuckled darkly in amusement, watching Atobe sing. However, a frown curved up her lips as she found his line of sight more directed to Ayane. Her blue eyes gleamed darkly as she did her best to keep up her prim and proper appearance, smiling as best as she could to his singing.

_That tramp is nothing. I'll beat her and prove to the world that I'm the better girl!_

However, what made Ayane so attractive to Atobe in the first place?

She had been trying to figure the answer to that question yet nothing had appeared to be plausible. Was her hair to stringy and dry? Vera gasped to herself; that couldn't be it could it? She immediately began fingering her hair only to sigh in relief that it was still soft and silky as always. Not sexy enough? She glanced at her clothes as it still clung tightly to her body and she began feeling out her face. Frustration continued to build up as she narrowed her eyes at the Hyotei female vice captain.

What did she have that she didn't?

_Just don't give up_

_I'm workin' it out_

_Please don't give in_

_I won't let you down_

_It messed me up, need a second to breathe_

_Just keep coming around_

_Hey, what'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

_Just don't give up on me_

_I won't let you down_

_No, I won't let you down_

Atobe glanced at Ayane for a few moments as the whole scenery faded into him looking straight into her emerald green eyes. He knew their eyes had made contact and his body simply froze on stage. His shoulders shuddered from the sheer fatigue of performing a power song. He had taken voice lessons – once, twice just for the sake of being EXTREMELY multi-talented and refusing to lose. But he had never trained for a song this heavy. He could feel his lungs burning from the power he had to put into the next note. The adrenaline kicked in and all he wanted to do was to get Ayane to listen to him even if it was just for thirty seconds. Inhaling deeply, Atobe psyched himself out for the high note.

_So_

_Just don't give up_

_I'm workin' it out_

_Please don't give in_

_I won't let you down_

_It messed me up, need a second to breathe_

_Just keep coming around_

_Hey, What'ya want from me_

_Damn, he's really putting out his all for this._

Everyone gawked as the whole world broke out into a standing ovation. Oshitari watched his captain really put his heart into the song. Atobe hit the high note and he didn't even expect the diva to do such a thing. Atobe wasn't the type to do a ballad even with someone putting a gun to his face or even challenged him. But this definitely took the cake. He knew Atobe as the arrogant, strong, annoying, flamboyant and charismatic bastard that he had to deal with on a daily basis. Atobe did insult him too; calling him a "poker faced bastard" the first time he found out that Atobe was going to be captain. However, sentimentality had never been Atobe's strongest ace card – in fact, he had been more of the "I-am-a-king-I-don't-do-that-kind-of-thing" type of guy. However, the moment the _kansai_ prodigy had glanced towards Ayane – he realized that there sat both Atobe's weakness and strength.

_He's trying to tell her something. But, will she understand what he's trying to say is the question._

_Just don't give up_

_I'm workin' it out_

_Please don't give in_

_I won't let you down_

_It messed me up, need a second to breathe_

_Just keep coming around_

_Hey, What'ya want from me_

_(What'ya want from me)_

_What'ya want from me_

_What'ya want from me_

As the song ended, Atobe's eyes became more morose and in that one moment in time – Ayane caught a different side of the king. She could see the begging and pleading in his eyes as he sauntered off stage and walked down. As soon as he got down, Vera immediately ran towards him and tackled him into a huge hug.

"Aww, Keigo, you're so adorable," Vera crooned and latched herself onto his left arm, sneaking a sly smile at Ayane.

The tangerine haired girl however completely ignored her as she looked straight into Atobe's eyes. In all the years she knew the boy, Atobe was not exactly as stupid as she often scolded him about. When she refused to listen to him, Atobe had switched towards a different medium. She bit her lower lip and tried to figure out the song and saw him walk with Vera as she dragged the King along. As she watched Vera drag him to the pastry bar, she felt her chest tighten considerably. Her hand unconsciously made its way to her shirt as she stood there in confusion.

What did she want from him?

That question shot straight through her again and again. She racked her mind for answers but nothing fit the bill. Ayane tightly shut her eyes before exhaling sharply and looking at the Hyotei team who had all their eyes centred on her. She pretty much knew that they all had the same question in mind. Raking her fingers through her tangerine hair, Ayane shook her head before walking out.

"Excuse me, I need to think."

As feeble as it was, it was the only excuse she could come up with.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yukimura strolled around outside, inhaling deeply and began wondering to himself. The red flashes were getting worse; they struck him from all sides and sometimes even during the middle of a tennis match. If he were fighting someone who was a smart player, the bluenette was certain he was toast. Demi-god or not, Yukimura knew there was only to some extent that he could keep up those kinds of returns. Now if only his brain would work properly. The bluenette groaned to himself before knocking into someone, causing his eyes to widen.

"Nagisaki-_san_, what are you doing out so late," Yukimura blinked several times; what was she doing out there? Why did he always seem to bump into her whenever he thought of her?

Mai bit her lower lip, letting out a hollow chuckle. "I don't know really. I had a hard time sleeping."

"Guilt trip?"

Mai shook her head with a small smirk, chuckling bitterly. "Actually, throwing the slushy at her was the mildest thing I had in mind. I wanted something a little more brutal but there were too many bystanders. I'm just having a hard time since I'm not used to cold air. Spain has a better night air that doesn't freeze a person to death."

Yukimura nodded wordlessly as they slowly began to walk right next to each other. The night air brushed past them as the two continued walking along, letting the trees dance along and leaves rustling around. The bluenette glanced at the silent red head and immediately began racking his brains for any ideas. The red flashes – her hair was in the same shade but not as explosive as to knocking him off his feet. However, he couldn't understand – how did she induce it without even trying? All she did was sing and throw a slushy into his girlfriend's face. It could be anger but how could a song anger him? That would have been so petty!

"Nagisaki-_san_, why," Yukimura breathed out deeply, shaking his head.

The red head swivelled her head towards the bluenette. "Hm?"

"Why did you have to throw that slushy at her? I mean, what did she ever do to you," Yukimura shook his head, staring at her in confusion.

Mai bit her lower lip, trying to find the right words. "It's not because of anything romantic but a friend always looks out for a friend, right?"

_Goddamn it, girl. You're a really good liar._

Mai smiled curtly, sighing deeply to herself. She shook her head while trying to figure out better ways to jog his memory because currently – nothing was working! It frustrated her to no end and even Kiyone said it was starting to make her look weird. For Kiyone to notice, that meant the whole team noticed what was running through her brains.

"We are friends," Yukimura repeatedly softly, raising an eyebrow. "Then what happened?"

Mai shrugged lightly, letting her voice trail away with the wind. "I don't know... I really don't know..."

Yukimura felt his chest suddenly tighten, looking at her downcast expression. He remembered her confident and dynamic personality on stage but in reality – she was like any other girl. Mai had a smile that could literally grab the hearts of an audience but he had to admit; she was a very talented actress. Everyone believed her dynamic, powerful and feisty personality but the way she showed herself to him seemed different. There was something in her eyes that made him want to move in. Suddenly, his hand began to move by itself and it laced his fingers with hers.

_What's happening to me?_

Yukimura couldn't believe himself either but his body refused to take his commands. His left hand went straight for her cheek and made her face look at his direction. Her amber eyes widened as he dipped his head down to suddenly press his lips against hers. Mai's eyes widened in surprise but the softness made her melt. In his case, he could feel the urges of the red flash simmer down into soft comforting humming in his mind. The Rikkai Dai captain pulled her closer as everything began to fade into a soothing silence. What was he doing? He had a girlfriend and here he was kissing the girl who threw a slushy at his girlfriend! Who was she? Why did Mai matter so much?

But everything seemed so right.

As he parted away from her, his eyes widened as Mai blinked several times. Why did he do that? More questions began swirling in her mind and found Yukimura stepping away from her.

"S-Seiichi?"

Yukimura and Mai suddenly swivelled their head towards the sound of the voice and found Rena with all her things in hand, dropping her bag on the ground with an inaudible _thud_. Mai swallowed hard; that definitely wasn't part of the plan! She wanted to bang her head on the wall – how is it every coincidence she manipulated never worked out but everything that she never touched did? She wanted to yank out her hair and maybe scream at some random bystander but now that Rena saw that – what was going to happen now?

"R-Rena, wait – let me explain," Yukimura began to move towards her as Rena stormed past him. "It's not her fault!"

"Not only did you throw a slushy at me now you kiss him," Rena slapped Mai in the face, with her face contorting with rage. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU WHORE!"

Mai winced slightly from the blow but her own eyes blazed with fury, grabbing Rena's other hand to prevent her clawing her face. "Do you even love him!? You don't even listen to him when he's trying to explain something to you!"

"You freakin' seduced him," Rena screamed and prepared to claw her out as Mai stepped aside, avoiding her clawing. "Good thing I manicured my nails well enough to shred out your face!"

"Like you even can!"

Yukimura immediately stepped in between them, shoving Rena down accidentally. As Rena fell to the ground, she saw Yukimura putting a distance between Mai and her. She shivered and trembled violently, staring in horror. Why? Why was he defending Mai? What did she do wrong? Mai was the one kissing him! It isn't fair! Yukimura didn't do anything wrong, Rena chanted mentally in her head. He is just recovering from his surgery.

It was then she realized... she never wanted him to recover.

If he were to recover completely, his memories would come back. Mai would be in his life and she would just be a lone dot that made a mark in his life. No line – just a simple dot. No, no, no, Rena tried to sort herself out as she hissed in denial. Yukimura can't forget her! No, he's her boyfriend – Mai's the villain here! She grit her teeth darkly while staring at the red head, watching her stare in shock and admonishment at what Yukimura just did. Why did that girl even care that she was shoved down? Stupid bitch, Rena stood up and angrily stared back at her but regained her composure with a calm and still silence.

"Well, sorry – I didn't realize that you were THAT talented," Rena tossed her hair back haughtily, narrowing her eyes but suddenly smiling sweetly at Yukimura. "Seiichi, my parents are going to pick me up already. I'm tired of staying here. Walk with me?"

Yukimura blinked several times, hesitatingly looking at Mai before following after Rena. Mai stood there as she pressed her fingers on her lips, trying to piece together why Yukimura suddenly kissed her. Although the feeling felt good, Mai knew exactly who to look for in the middle of the night. She immediately dashed towards the dorms and began banging on a specific door. However, nobody was answering and the door didn't look like it was going to open any time soon.

"Grghnnn..."

Mai groaned in annoyance as she kicked the door down with her fingers in a gun like position. "FREEZE, FBI!"

The door flung open to the sight of Fuuka began snoring her daylights out, Ai suddenly tumbled out of bed with her tangled in her bedsheets and Natsuki threw a pillow in her face to which she dodged and where was Shizuru? Mai's eyes widened when the door smacked straight into Shizuru's face as the brunette staggered backwards and fell straight on the ground.

"Owww," Shizuru whimpered as she rubbed her forehead and sat up, staring at her like a lost puppy. "Whaaaaaat?"

Mai laughed sheepishly before helping her friend up, bringing her outside. "Walk outside with me. I'll get you some ice."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Okay, give me five good reasons why I should not beat your daylights out right now," Shizuru stared deathly at Mai, looking incredibly deprived of sleep.

"Don't worry – I think one good reason is enough to soothe your rage," Mai winced visibly, looking at how Shizuru had the face of death.

One more little tidbit about the brunette: Shizuru's old personality of being violent resurfaced when she was forcefully dragged out of bed.

Well, it was one out of two things: if woken up normally and gently, Shizuru would have a sleepy and lost puppy disposition and became completely vulnerable – being incapacitated even to being unable to open a refrigerator door. The other one was the rude awakening to which Shizuru now made death threats that were a hair's width of becoming a reality and being smacked by a door wasn't on the how to wake up kindly list. Fuuka was more the "smash now-ask questions later" type; at least Shizuru hadn't adapted to that personality or Mai was definitely sure she'd die. Thankfully, the red head captain was a VERY deep sleeper and not even a heavy metal rock concert or a bomb was going to wake her up. Ayane's volume probably wouldn't wake up the said girl either.

"I saw Yukimura awhile ago," Mai started explaining her side, trying to keep her best friend awake.

Shizuru slumped with a whine, falling onto the sofa. "Mai, you don't wake me up for things that will want me to put two guns to my head."

"He kissed me!"

"At the same time – wait, what," Shizuru's eyes widened, now the brunette was fully awake. "Say what now?"

Mai smirked triumphantly; now that got her captain's attention. "Yukimura kissed me. It happened all of a sudden! I was just taking a leisurely stroll since Miaka turned up the air conditioning unit high enough to freeze a person into the next Ice Age!"

Shizuru shook her head, raising an eyebrow. "Do you at least have an inkling as to why?"

"I… I don't know," Mai clasped her hands together, handing her a glass of milk tea. "Here, I bought this on the way back knowing I'm going to do this to you often…"

Shizuru's expression immediately brightened up like a light bulb. "Wintermelon Milk Tea, Lite Sugar level with Pearls?"

"Ye," before Mai could finish her sentence, the brunette immediately snatched it from her as the red head sweat-dropped at the sight of her captain's rage simmering down into nothing. "God, you memorized the order down to the last letter. They even say that thing is cancerous and here you are drinking enough for a whole country."

Shizuru hissed venomously before resuming in drinking her milk tea, holding it protectively. "THEM LIES!"

"Okay, okay, I get it you Gollum you. I'm just saying," Mai stared at her best friend weirdly as the brunette happily began to drink her milk tea, shaking her head in defeat. "Point is – I don't know why. I don't think he's the type to cheat on his girlfriend. It doesn't make sense."

Shizuru shrugged nonchalantly, sucking up another pearl from the straw. "Hmmm, you did say he underwent surgery right?"

"Yep, that's right. But what does that have any relation to his character," Mai folded her arms, leaning against the chair. "Any explanation? You're the psycho-warfare person."

"I think it's more his body," Shizuru elegantly folded her legs, continuing to sip up her milk tea.

"His body?"

When Mai stared at her in bewilderment, Shizuru continued on explaining. "When his mind won't consciously recall his memories, there is a possibility his body would remember something. Did you guys ever do a play where he had to kiss you?"

Mai pondered deeply, biting her lower lip until realization hit her. "Yeah, it was my first debut as… the Black Swan…"

"That could be it but it usually takes a really strong stimulus to send his body doing that," Shizuru tousled around with her brown locks, thinking up several scenarios. "There could be one thing – his emotions during that event. But we can't exactly rely on that because we don't know what he's thinking."

The red head sighed deeply, shaking her head. "What are we going to do now?"

"Let it play out and wait for another episode – if it doesn't involve you doing anything then, it's not you and more him. But if it involves him responding to you then, you might actually be solving your own problem without you doing much," Shizuru smiled sweetly, finally finishing her milk tea. "Ah, that was delicious."

Mai grinned lightly, leaning against the backrest of the sofa. "Thanks, I needed a little clarification. I just hope that I didn't ruin things for him. I just wanted to give him the truth. I mean – romantic feelings aside, it's only right. I mean, according to Momo – she's not sure that we're actually dealing with Rena..."

"Hmm, I don't think you did. But, either way – just watch your step," Shizuru grabbed her milk tea glass, sipping instinctively before staring disappointedly at the empty glass. "You really want to thank me?"

Mai looked at the brunette as an empty 24 ounce tumbler of milk tea was shoved in her face.

"Get me more milk tea and we'll call it even."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tennis training passed through uneventfully now that Niou and Shishido found themselves hammered down by Akutsu. Well, it was more like Akutsu just dragged her to the farthest end of the court and took his position on the other side. After a few warm-up rounds, the rally intensified with Akutsu pushing Isane to a corner. At first, Isane started getting terrified but the moment her eyes focused on the ball. She found herself staring in amazement that she could easily now catch the ball. Shishido however was amazed by Isane's new air of confidence as she slowly began combating her fear of the net. Akutsu immediately changed his position before attacking the ball and sending towards her. Isane quickly sent a drive volley and with her height, she sent it far from Akutsu's reach. Akutsu had a smirk on his face as he sent it back at her all of a sudden, forcing her to dodge the shot instead of returning it.

"Goddamn it, Uchiha! Don't dodge – confront the damn ball! What has a brain – you or the ball," Akutsu snarled as he sent another fast serve.

Isane bit her lower lip as she forcibly pushed the ball forward, stepping up her attack. "A-Alright!"

"Damn, she's getting better," Shishido chuckled with a dark smirk, facing his partner. "Oi, let's get this moving! We're not going to improve with that kind of combat capacity!"

Niou on the other hand, tried to get Isane's attention.

Ever since that night in the Rikkai Ball, she never returned his phone calls and neither did she text him back. He tried talking to her after so long and Isane just brushed him off. It was highly uncharacteristic of her; he knew that Isane shied away from scary arguments and stammered often. But now, she stood up against him and that really threw him off guard.

No wonder she was also known as "The Unpredictable".

He knew her fighting pattern in tennis was unpredictable but he didn't expect her to be like that off the court. Then again, it was the more quiet ones who snapped first in comparison to Ayane. The vice captain lashed out at Atobe and it was almost easy to predict when she would blow up at Atobe. Then again, Atobe was infuriating to a certain extent. The man knew how to piss off people without exerting any effort. The Trickster absentmindedly continued playing against Yokome, wondering how she became part of the Yamabuki regulars if she could barely keep up with him.

Then again, not many of the teams could hold a candle to the Hyotei team.

Shishido and Niou glared at each other as they continued rallying against their partners, not realizing that their shots were getting a whole lot faster. The Trickster glanced at Isane once or twice but found her completely occupied with something else. Akutsu stood next to her now, teaching her how to move faster despite her lanky body composition. His eyes widened when she went for a double lunge and easily covered the distance of half the court. Akutsu looked around for a moment, checking if Hanamura was around. Niou raised an eyebrow – what the hell was he doing to Isane? If he harms her, Niou felt his blood boil as his hand curled up into a fist.

Akutsu picked up a couple of tennis balls before hurling it straight at Isane. Niou and Shishido lunged out of their courts to help Isane until their eyes widened with what happened.

The Sniper caught the ball and with a snap of her wrist, Isane hurled the ball straight back at Akutsu.

Akutsu smirked and kept up the pace and instead threw 2 balls instead of one. The exchange became fast as Isane forced her body to keep on moving. Using her range, Isane lunged forward and sent the ball back – not realizing that she had closed in on the net considerably. She continued to keep her eyes on the opponent with her feet shifting and pivoting to punch up her speed. Niou and Shishido could only gape at what the silver haired girl was doing. Where did she suddenly gain that kind of speed and in a week no less?

"I knew Akutsu would be the perfect partner for her."

Niou and Shishido glanced back to see Hanamura walking up towards them with her arms folded. "Uchiha Isane – she was a work of art, definitely. Her eyes could see even a bird flying high in the sky and not waver. However, because of this – she became too reliant on her eyesight to anticipate. She is scared at the net because she cannot plan ahead of time what her attack would be. Akutsu however is different – his body has the ability to quickly shift in position and scare an opponent. In partnering the two together, Akutsu had smoothed out Isane's rough edges or more or less – is working on it. I must say – I guess it's a good thing I don't interfere as much."

Niou nodded wordlessly as he watched Isane completely push herself to her limits. However, something else had caught him off guard as Akutsu smirked.

"Where's your Illusion Play," Akutsu threw the ball with harder force, glaring and snarling at the taller girl. "Show that fucker you're not some run-in-the mill player!"

Niou's eyes widened when she suddenly took on a new form, revealing the tangerine haired vice captain. As if she were able to completely alter her body, Isane threw the ball the same amount of force Ayane would have towards Atobe. Akutsu grinned widely before throwing another fast shot and to Shishido's shock – she changed into him as she dashed to one side. Catching the ball, she immediately changed into the Trickster much to the other male's surprise and sent a Laser Beam towards Akutsu who caught it easily.

"Heh, you're gonna have to fire that thing a lot faster if you're gonna get to the Goodwill games," Akutsu sneered before throwing three balls. "Come on!"

Isane suddenly changed her form once more into Rin as she threw her entire body to deflect. She parried two of the balls with her feet before catching another one and throwing it straight back. The silver haired Yamabuki male smirked as he watched her sweat and run herself to her limits, noticing the two boys standing on the side. He knew that kids could be morons – he himself had done stupid things like smoking his daylights out. But, Shishido and Niou were basically fighting one another for something that could easily be decided through a tennis match but then again, they're boys. Fists do the talking better than a racquet.

_Let's see what they think now. Heh, Uchiha's gonna become badass before they season ends._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**That's Chapter 67! I can't believe I put so much drama in this story. Actually, I did feel that Mai's romance lacked progress so now she declares war! What's going to happen now? Why did Yukimura suddenly kiss her? What is Atobe trying to tell Ayane? Find out in Chapter 68! Please don't forget to review!**


	68. Bittersweet Surprise

**Me: Hi guys, I was almost done with this chapter and something just had to go wrong! :( So, I had to rewrite the whole chapter and hopefully I can remember exactly how I wanted to write it and how it came out. Argh, it's so annoying! But I really think that my Hard Drive needs to be changed soon. I'll have to transfer my documents into the other computer. Anyway, I hope this chapter is enjoyable! I don't own Prince of Tennis, only the OCs!**

Chapter 68 – Bittersweet Surprise

Shizuru swallowed hard as she looked at herself in the mirror, glancing at the black racer-back she was wearing while smoothing out her dark stretch slim jeans. She glanced at all her clothes, gawking and groaning in annoyance. Everything in her suitcase either was a black sleeveless body hugging shirt or a racer-back or whatsoever or anything she could use for sneaking away. She laced up her black converse sneakers before inhaling deeply, locking on a leather arm guard and her black g-shock watch. Even though she looked pretty, Shizuru knew the very reason why most men went after Mai more.

Mai was more affable while she looked like a bad-ass.

Most boys feared her when in her black attire although in her uniform, boys would look at her for awhile but not before looking at Mai. Shizuru actually didn't mind. The less attention, the better – she always told herself. But sometimes on Valentines' Day – those things would really fly out of control. Their lockers would be loaded with candies and she could have sworn someone sent Ayane a huge bouquet of roses with red petals on the floor (everyone knows who this extravagant man was) and Kiyone had been laughing herself sick most of the time. Shizuru at least found some useful things in her locker for Valentines – a self-designed notebook, a studded bag hook, a small potted orchid plant and jewellery (something Mai had scolded her for lacking in severely to the point she had to borrow from the said redhead). She sighed deeply and looked at her other clothes, groaning in annoyance. Shizuru then began digging through all her clothes and found nothing but...

"Black, black, black," Shizuru threw it over her shoulder, digging deeper into her suitcase. "Black, more black, combat suit, knives, hidden blade gauntlet, poisons and underwear... Oh great..."

The Hyotei captain could only whine and whimper in defeat, seeing that her side of the room was a complete mess. She walked towards a wall and banged her a few times. Another thing was that, it was already scary enough that her clothes screamed bad-ass but so did her achievements and capabilities. Most of the boys she knew barely wanted someone who achieved more than them. She knew what artery to target for an easy kill, what parts of the body to disable and what weapons to use but talking to someone of the opposite sex? Couldn't they have at least included social interaction in the assassin regimen?!

2:15.

Her eyes widened with fear; her scheduled meeting was at 2:30 and she still looked like she could kill someone! "Oh no, oh no, what am I going to do? What if I scare the guy off? Am I wearing too much black?"

"God, will you shut the fuck up already?"

Shizuru swivelled her head towards Fuuka who rose from her bed groggily with a sleepy glare.

"You've been worrying yourself sick! Will you just get out there," Fuuka lazily slammed herself on her bed, lying on her side. "Besides, it's just a guy! I don't think he's gonna give a damn if you look like Selene or Pinkie Pie!"

Shizuru shrank from Fuuka's snarling and shouting, lowering her voice into a timid whimper. "B-But, that's the thing...!"

Natsuki chuckled lightly, drawling with her thick _kansai_ accent. "Ahm pretty sure ya look suh-weet, Sugar Cube. I reckon that the man who wants to tango with ya is in for a pretty big surprise."

"Oh yes, indeed. Keep your shy demeanour – men love those kinds of girls. The meekness is just absolutely endearing along with your toughness," Florence smiled and chuckled softly with her thick British accent. "And do not mind the black, it is quite slimming and with your fair skin and elegance – you do it enough justice. I daresay; this man must be head over heels to continue this letter writing. Although," – she chuckled with a coy smile, "I prefer for someone with more class."

"If ya mean someone like Kenya, he got the class of a cow," Natsuki chuckled in amusement and earned a glare from Florence, waving her hand dismissively. "But doncha worry about it, Sugar Cube. I'm pretty sure ya look good enough to sweep a man off his feet."

Shizuru smiled meekly, scratching the back of her neck. "Y-you really think so?"

"Absolutely positive," Florence patted her head affectionately, smiling in confidence. "No need to come out as the extremely shy type. This man must've loved you for being the lovely shy yet powerful creature that you are!"

"Yeah yeah," Ai jumped in front of her face, grinning hyperactively and enthusiastically. "After that, we can have a huge party and cake along with lots of candy and...!'

Fuuka swat Ai's head with a pillow before proceeding to shove Shizuru out of the dorm room, rolling her eyes. "God, I swear she must've switched places with that pink pony! Just get out there and do it already!"

As the door slammed behind her loudly, Shizuru swallowed hard and gulped audibly before continuing to make her way to the gardens. She slowed her walking pace down to a crawl as the silence in the hallway seemed deafened the whole place. Her heart pounded hard against her chest and all she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears. The Hyotei female captain continued to step inaudibly, trying to figure out the situation. She hated situations like this and it could be anyone. She never had found herself in the position to be caught off guard and nervous. Her body tingled as she tried to sort out her emotions; she had never been on the receiving end of being confessed to before. Well, it was more direct instead of something as prolonged as this pen-pal relationship. The night before, a letter had slipped under the door and all it said was simply:

_Main Garden. 2:30._

If she knew any better, it would be someone from the tennis community. How else would he know that she was here in this specific camp? He could be a really good stalker, Shizuru mused lightly and tried to figure out and eliminate suspects. Think, Shizuru think. It has to be someone who knew her well enough considering he had seen her tennis matches and how she risked herself for her friends. It couldn't be anyone from Hyotei – the letter was too elegantly written and being part of the student council allowed her to examine everyone's handwriting. She couldn't recognize it. Narrowing her eyes in annoyance, it could be anyone from the outside the school. For all she knew, it could have been Tezuka.

_Yeah right, that's wishful thinking._

Why would Tezuka actually bother to look at someone who had such a disarrayed personality such as her? He would have gone for Mai – the red head was always sure of herself and her identity. Everything she did made boys look upon her with awe and astonishment instead of fear. Mai danced and sang in different plays and was a talented fashion designer. She was an assassin – trained from three years old and was gifted with the ability to kill people. All her life, she knew how that was and managed to tamper it down. Or Momo, the purple haired senior looked amazing and she was more of the strong silent type.

Shizuru's eyes widened when she realized that she now stood in the red brick road of the whole facility right in the main garden. Her eyes widened as the wind began to blow and her hair began to dance in the wind. Shizuru anxiously rolled her eyes and began observing the trees and the leaves rustling in the wind. The Queen of Diamonds bit her lower lip while drawing her black zip-up sweat jacket closer to her body. A smirk curved up her lips – Mai had done everything in her power to throw away her favourite sweater but she should have known Shizuru would have never parted with it.

Suddenly, a branch cracked and the rocks clattered on the ground. Shizuru's hand immediately went to her knife bag behind her. Her eyes immediately rolled behind her as a hand dropped on her shoulder. Instead of shrieking or freezing, Shizuru immediately threw her jacket away before grabbing the person's arm. Without any warning, she jumped over his shoulder and twisted the perpetrator's arm and twisted it behind while revealing a hidden blade in her gauntlet. However, her eyes widened when she realized who exactly it was she attacked.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tezuka knew he was going to finally meet her but he didn't expect himself to have himself cornered. The cold steel caused his hair to stand on its ends as he found himself in an arm-lock. Surprisingly, his shoulder was not suffering but he could feel his muscles straining. Tezuka blinked several times as he tried to replay the whole event that had just flashed before him and he couldn't even remember how he was on his knees and if she ever did kick him.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Shizuru immediately let him go and lowered her voice into an ashamed whimper, picking up her jacket and hiding her gauntlet. "I-I thought you were someone else."

Now Tezuka knew she was talented in martial arts but what bewildered him more was the weaponry she carried around. For the first question, how did she manage to sneak it in here without tripping the metal detector? He had never seen a gauntlet with a hidden blade before. However, he wasn't willing to piss her off to see what she could do with it or how fast she could use the blade.

"It's alright," Tezuka could feel a chuckle bubbling from his throat, dusting his pants.

There it was. The silence once again wedged itself between them.

The bespectacled male found himself now stumped on what to do. He couldn't believe that he finally managed to get this far! He was beside himself with giddy deep inside but refused to let his enthusiasm get the better of him. He glanced around and saw how she started looking at the little dust bunny that drifted along on the floor as the wind brushed past them. A small smile curved up his lips as he found her shyly hiding herself in her black jacket. He had seen Goth girls before but at least Shizuru didn't paint her nails dark violet or any other crazy colour or wear black lipstick. She had a gentle appearance and no wonder many people underestimated her.

On the other hand, Shizuru found herself struggling on figuring out what to say. Her throat tightened considerably and she could feel her palm becoming clammy. The brunette had imagined looking at the guy and telling him thank you but she never imagined it would be Tezuka standing in front of her. She always imagined herself staring into his intense gaze but now she could barely look at him. She started kicking around the little dust bunny, averting her gaze away from him.

"U-um, Tezuka-_san_ – did you see anyone passing around here," Shizuru began glancing around, praying that she wasn't in the worst case scenario.

"No, I don't think I saw anyone else here," Tezuka shook his head.

Shizuru swallowed hard and couldn't believe what was happening. Tezuka couldn't possibly be the man who had been talking to her in her letters! Her mind whirled quickly and messily as she tried to set herself in the correct composure. Her hands refused to move and even her body completely froze at the thought of seeing him. She had several good reasons as to why Tezuka couldn't be the man. If he knew everything about her (as is, she believed that what he saw was already too much), Shizuru was definitely sure that the combative side of her terrified him. Most boys would think twice! Secondly, why would he waste his time on someone who had a disarrayed personality?

The silence was killing him as well, seeing how she looked so adorable. Her eyes looked so shocked and astonished when she faced him. In fact, her gaze had been more directed to the floor and the light illuminating her hair and skin made her beautiful. Her red eyes glimmered shyly as she continued kicking a pebble around as he tried to get the words out of his mouth.

_Will you tell her already!? It's killing both of you!_

_**I surprised her and shocking her with more news might scare her! I could at least wait for her to calm down!**_

_Goddamn it, Tezuka! Pull yourself together!_

Tezuka hated these inner arguments with himself. If he knew any better, he would have been on his way to the loony bin if he continued to argue with himself and stare blankly at her. He could see Shizuru shrinking away shyly from his intense gaze. As he watched her breathing softly, he finally steeled himself to tell her. He could feel the suspense weighing down heavily on his shoulders. Slowly, he extended his hand to grab her hand.

"Well, well, well, look who it is! If isn't Kurenai Shizuru!"

Shizuru blinked several times as she swivelled her head towards a young man walking towards her. In an orange and green jersey, a dark blonde tanned skin athletic male slowly walked towards them with a mismatched set of molten amber and crimson red eyes. A small smirk curved up his lips as he strode towards them before bowing in front of her. Tezuka blinked his eyes several times; of all the rotten times, why did people end up interfering with his every chance to tell her? Or then again, it might be some fan boy...

"I have heard everything about you, my little ruby eyed butterfly," the male chuckled smoothly and tipped her chin upward to look into her eyes, smirking haughtily with a holier-than-thou expression and tone. "I have heard many of your great victories against many of the teams here in Japan. Your style was so graceful and very captivating with the power and shine that I've been watching all my life. And with Ra as my witness, I couldn't resist – I just had to meet you. What kind of man would I be if I did not come here to meet you personally, my dear?"

Tezuka's eyes widened slightly with fear; if Shizuru understood his approach wrong, she would think that the guy was the one who sent her the letters! "Shizuru-_chan_...!"

Shizuru blinked several times in disbelief, cocking her head to one side innocently. "Um, who are you?"

"Oh silly me, a king always must introduce himself to his beloved. I am Awi Jahi," he held both of Shizuru's wrists as he pulled her close, closing in the proximity of their faces. "Perhaps, we should get away from here to talk better."

_Damn it!_

Tezuka had been known for being a man of composure and as someone who never let his guard down. He bit his lower lip darkly, silently berating his bad luck. Well, the male wasn't bad-looking and the way he spoke probably would have had the whole female population swooning. Tezuka groaned inwardly to himself; it was the Egyptian version of Atobe! Then again, Atobe didn't use pet names and easily called his own girlfriend a "screaming banshee" if he heard right although the title suited the girl perfectly. Now, he found himself completely cemented to the floor and his blood boiled wildly. He had never felt that kind of burn in his life. The feeling wasn't the same as the kind of annoyance when Fuji decided to do something crazy again or if someone played dirty. No, the feeling was more feral and somewhat primitive. In a tennis match, things would have been okay. Playing dirty, he can handle. Someone wants to play a protracted game and bust his shoulder – fine, bring it on! But having some random dickhead trying to steal Shizuru in the very moment he worked so hard to make...

There were going to be three things that he had to worry about: his team's reputation and his own reputation, what Shizuru was going to think of him and most obviously the man's face and wellbeing.

Tezuka forced his body to move but his ethics started fighting back. Inwardly cursing his sense of ethics, Tezuka continued to struggle with his mind and trying to find a way how to politely tell the guy to "shove off and leave his girlfriend alone" without scaring Shizuru. From what he got from Fuuka, there were times Shizuru had such a strange bipolarity that she'd even be afraid of her own shadow even though she could fight even at gunpoint! Now, he had two options: should he just talk her and move away or forcibly take her away?

_Tezuka Kunimitsu, go get your fat ass moving in there! Just take her away, you fucking idiot!_

_**I can't just do that! She'll freak out!**_

_And you'd rather what? You prefer that this bastard lie to her and break her heart in the end!? You're picking the vibes up too! What would you rather do – let this dipshit take her away from you from your opportunity that you worked for? Ain't you got no balls!?_

_**Do you really think I'd just take her away in the angry state that I'm in right now?**_

_... Heh, that's the first time that I've seen you show some balls. That's a good sign. At least you're not such a rock. Now stomp on the little shit and get your queen outta there!_

"_Buchou_!"

Tezuka rolled his eyes slightly and groaning inaudibly; what now? He turned around and found Momoshiro and Kikumaru running towards him. Seeing that there were more complications coming in to play, Tezuka decided to do something that he never dreamed himself to be doing.

Without any hesitation, he grabbed Shizuru's wrist and wrenched her out of Awi's grip before breaking into the fastest sprint he's ever done.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Yay, I finally found what I needed!"

Kiyone, skipping happily towards a shaded place, cheerfully hummed to herself as she swung around a paper bag. She began inspecting the place, looking for a good shady tree and a bench to sit down on so she could proceed on reading. It was not because her room was not nice or anything but having Vera constantly yelling in the hallways because she had pissed off Momo one way or another had become quite a nuisance. She inhaled deeply before her liquid blue eyes widened in delight and found a huge _Nara _tree standing in the middle of the garden. It wasn't shedding season yet, much to her delight and the wind wasn't too humid either. With a huge grin, Kiyone skipped merrily towards the benches and plopped herself down on the stone benches under a tree.

"Wow, this must be the best day ever," Kiyone excitedly shoved her hand into the paper bag, pulling out the British Covered Harry Potter book she had in her bag. "Not only do I get to enjoy my book with some peace and quiet but I also have this...!"

Not only the book made her day but also that the commissary in the sports club had been selling her favourite flavour of _nori _strips: CHIPOTLE TABASCO FLAVOUR.

Now, she had loads of vegetable chips in her bag and enough sweets to tide her over training but she needed refills. Since Ai had become her partner-in-crime in terrorizing the people with her sugar outbursts and her with her addiction to spice and sugar, things were prone to becoming very ugly around the area. If it took five of her seniors to stop her plus two other random boys running around, she grinned evilly – a new force to be reckoned with!

"He he, all I have to do is put sugar in my mouth and then," Kiyone giggled evilly until she heard metal clinking from her wrist. "Eh?"

Her eyes widened when she found a silver bracelet on her arm. A nostalgic smile curved up her lips as she began fingering the charms one by one. The snake gleamed with bright green emerald eyes. Next to it, there was an otter with bright blue eyes moulded into a way that it looked like it was running. After the otter, there was a pheasant laced with gold flying in the air and a frog with orange spots. Finally, next to the silver letter 'K' – a shark with dark red eyes swam around with a menacing gaze. The sandy blonde lightly smiled as she closed her eyes, letting the wind pass by as she remembered the day she bought the bracelet.

_K's not only for Kenya but also Kiyone. _

She remembered the light brown haired boy's goofy grin when he had bought her that bracelet. Snorting in annoyance, Kiyone groaned upon remembering the fight they had over it. Although, it was more one-sided on her part since he managed to tune out everything she said about "paying for her own things".

_Flashback_

"Where we going?"

Kiyone praised the high heavens for helping the officials decide that it was Golden Week for the holidays. That meant no homework and no nothing for her to do. Her captain shortened the training time for them from the usual 3 hours; it had shortened into an hour and a half. So with that, Kenya had decided to call her up one night and asked her out. Fortunately, her mother was out on a business trip otherwise – it would be the death of her if she found out a boy had her number. In fact, her mom would have just put the phone down on him and Aidan certainly could not answer the phone. The sandy blonde haired girl sighed as she sat on the bench on the bullet train, swinging her legs and sitting next to Kenya.

"I figured since you always see a lot in Tokyo. I thought you wanted a change of scenery," Kenya chuckled lightly, folding his arms at the back of his head. "And besides, I know you're quite a lover of animals so it's gonna be a surprise."

"Aww, tell me," Kiyone pouted childishly, pursing her lips and giving Kenya the "puppy dog eyes".

He chuckled sheepishly, waving his hands in front of his face. "No, no, not the puppy dog eyes! I can't resist those! Aww man..."

Kiyone grinned evilly in her mind, chuckling darkly as she did so. _He he, jackpot!_

_Must. Resist. Cuteness. _

Kenya struggled with the look in her liquid blue eyes and he had to be honest; this was the first time he had seen her eyes so up close. How did her teammates deal with a cuteness factor like that? Momo basically held Kiyone by her scorts and made sure she didn't monopolize the Tabasco Sauce from the rest of the players. Shizuru easily brushed her off although Kiyone didn't seem to pester her as much. Probably because she was the captain, Kenya mused as he remembered the other times Kiyone tried to weasel something out of Ayane. That never turned out well.

"All passengers docked for Osaka – we will be arriving at the station in 2 minutes."

Kenya sighed in relief as the PA sounded off but he had to admit; he had to give credit to Kiyone's insane ability to hold her Puppy Dog Expression for a very long time. As the train slowed down to a stop, the Speedster quickly whipped out a blindfold and blinded the smaller girl as she staggered and stumbled around while he continued to lead her around.

"Hey, this wasn't part of it," Kiyone whined childishly as Kenya continued to hold her hand. "Where are we going?"

"We're here!"

Kiyone blinked several times as the bandana was quickly removed off her eyes, causing her to gape in awe. "Wow…"

In front of her, a newly constructed zoo stood with a really short line and her liquid blue eyes sparkled in delight. "I've never seen this place before…"

"Well, it's new and they had a lot of animals brought in," Kenya sheepishly scratched his head, grinning boyishly. "So, you wanna go in?"

"Yeah, definitely," Kiyone jumped up and down, grabbing his arm and dragging him behind her.

If Kenya didn't run fast, he was pretty certain Kiyone would have left him in the dust.

The moment they got in, they entered a huge dome that had five different pathways. Each pathway led to a certain classification of animals. Being both reptile lovers, Kiyone and Kenya first went inside the Reptile Tunnel. Snakes stayed behind the glass as they looked aimlessly at the wall until Kiyone gently rapped on the glass. The snake slowly turned to face her as it stared into her bright liquid blue eyes. The Black Mamba swivelled its head as Kiyone began to disjoint her neck and act like a snake charmer. Much to Kenya's surprise, the snake seemingly followed the way she tilted her head. People were starting to look at her queerly until the snake opened its jaws, flashing its fangs at her.

However, Kiyone showed no fear.

Instead, she changed her stance and began hissing angrily in another language. "_Bie-o-kem-fae, ssi ʃedorʃe aeshessunai_!" (Sorry, it's hard translating it when you only got an audio to do it for you…)

The snake immediately froze in fear, cowering under her gaze and shut its jaw shut.

Kiyone on the other hand smiled contentedly. "Good boy."

Kenya blinked several times, staring disbelievingly. "W-What the heck was that?"

Kiyone grinned victoriously, giving him the 'v' sign. "Every Harry Potter fan would know that I just spoke Parseltongue!"

"You can learn that stuff? What the heck did you just say," Kenya gaped in astonishment, shaking his head. _She never ceases to amaze me_.

Kiyone waved her hand dismissively with a careless shrug. "Oh, I just told him to behave and don't dare try to break the glass."

Blinking several times, Kenya followed after Kiyone as they started seeing the salamanders, the iguanas and the other lizards. They would have gone home with a runaway animal if Kenya didn't notice a Chameleon blending in with Kiyone's sweater after the girl had given it some treats. She laughed and giggled instead of freaking out before gently returning the creature back into its habitat. How it managed to get out, Kenya had no idea. Crocodiles rested quietly under the bridge they were crossing as some kids started dropping little biscuits. The crocodile however didn't seem to mind. Kiyone and Kenya stared in amazement when they found a tortoise laying her eggs while a turtle started swimming around before pulling off a piece of a vine. However, she also took a picture with a snake as she began to talk to it in Parseltongue. The snake seemingly smiled before nuzzling against her nose and coiling around to rest its head on her hers. The cobra hissed darkly at her for awhile until she snapped in Parseltongue once again.

"Wow, snakes really do listen to you," Kenya watched in amazement as the snakes seemed to shrink away or be more benevolent.

"Hehe, I know right," Kiyone grinned enthusiastically as she and Kenya exited the hallway. "What's the next one?"

Kenya and Kiyone then went towards the bird class hallway. The owls stared at her contentedly as they started cocking their heads in the same angle as she was. She disjointed her neck and began bobbing back and forth, causing the owl to also try. Kenya messed up his hair to look like the Crown Pigeon with a silly face, allowing a laughing Kiyone to take a picture. A falcon perched on Kenya's shoulder while a canary began whistling with Kiyone on her head. An emu angrily snapped its beak at them for the popcorn, causing them to make a break for it. Swans gracefully swam in the pool while the peacock flashed its feathers at them.

"Oh oh, it's Atobe," Kiyone jumped up and down excitedly, laughing loudly.

"What? Where," Kenya then saw her pointing to the peacock before breaking into a fit of laughter. "Haha, no kidding!"

Kiyone and Kenya watched a Kingfisher bird swoop down and grab a fish. Woodpeckers pecked holes in the tree and they had an ostrich hiding its head in the dirt. Cockatiels and macaws spread out its vibrant feathered wings and began squawking around. Canaries whistled and chirped sweetly and swans continued to glide across the water. Kiyone and Kenya fed sardines to the penguins as one started pecking at Kenya for more food. After that, they headed towards the fish display where Kiyone began throwing chicken heads at the pool full of coelacanths. Kenya fed the _koi _fishes and they both took a boat moving towards the mammalian hallway. When they reached the hallway, lions lazily lounged around as the tiger watched them intently. The jaguars roamed around in their cage while the panda started chomping on a piece of bamboo.

"Wow, they really have everything here," Kiyone stared in amazement until a white Samoyed dog sat in front of her. "Aww, how cute!"

She immediately tackled the dog who didn't seem to mind, licking her face contentedly. Kenya chuckled lightly as he snapped a picture of the huge grin on Kiyone's face. His eyes widened when more dogs started moving towards her. A Saint Bernard slumped right on her lap, giving her this huge grin. Puppies followed behind as they started nipping at her cardigan. Kenya chuckled lightly as he began ruffling their fur while one of the puppies climbed up and began licking his face. He chuckled lightly but relaxed considerably with a smile when he found Kiyone laughing her daylights out.

_I wish this could last forever._

After the whole trip, Kiyone and Kenya headed towards the souvenir shop. Many girls started buying bags and stuffed toys but Kenya wanted something more unique. He looked around until a charm bracelet display caught his eye. Sneaking away, Kenya watched her go look at the stuffed toys as began stringing a bracelet together. He quickly grabbed one of each animal kingdom before finding a green glimmering letter "K" for the final bead. Locking it on together, Kenya darted towards the cashier in hopes of dodging Kiyone.

"Ooh, what's that?"

"Whoa," Kenya spun around and found Kiyone behind him, holding onto a stuffed toy. "How did you get here so fast?"

Kiyone shrugged nonchalantly before cheerfully holding up a stuffed penguin. "I'm gonna name him Erik! You know, from Happy Feet!"

Kenya let out a boyish laugh and picked it up from the freshman before handing in a few bills to pay for everything. Astonished, Kiyone gaped and her eyes widened as she started searching for money in her wallet. However, Kenya had already gotten a hold of her wallet and held it over her head.

"No, no, no, I wanna pay for it," Kiyone jumped for it but Kenya's height completely prevailed over her. "No fair!"

"I'll handle this," Kenya smiled lightly as he received his change and picked up the plastic bag. "Alright, we're done."

Kiyone pouted childishly, shaking her head. "Humph, meanie."

Kenya chuckled lightly as he scratched his head sheepishly before handing her the stuffed toy. "Come on, Kiyone. I did invite you on this trip after all."

"Humph, you paid for everything including lunch," Kiyone whined childishly, folding her arms with a huff. "I have my own money!"

Kenya shook his head with a sigh. "It's alright but here – your stuffed toy and your bracelet."

"Yay – wait, I didn't buy a bracelet," Kiyone blinked several times as Kenya opened a white box and revealed a bracelet. "Eh? You bought this for me too!?"

"Yeah," Kenya smiled as he put it around her wrist. "K's not only for Kenya but also Kiyone."

_End of Flashback_

Kiyone stared at the bracelet for a moment, placing the book down. She smiled softly as she fingered the charms attached to the bracelet until a realization had hit her.

"K's not just for Kenya and Kiyone," the sandy blonde smiled melancholically, staring at the glimmering letter 'K'. "But also for Kuranosuke... W-Wait, what am I thinking? Kenya was the one who gave me this!"

_But who is it you like?_

Kiyone groaned in annoyance, being unable to enjoy her book. She stared at the bracelet while watching the sun reflect off the shiny silver. What kind of mess did she get herself into? The sandy blonde groaned while slamming her head into the book. Who could she ask help from? Hitomi could give her academic information but she felt a migraine coming on from the information overload. She looked like she didn't have a boyfriend so – would she know? Haruka had Jackal and did have a very motherly disposition but wouldn't she be busy? Kiyone ruled out Rin also; Kajimoto and Rin already had each other. Mai definitely knew her romance expertise but she could barely handle Yukimura. Ayane and Atobe were currently fighting and Isane had Niou and Shishido to deal with. Shizuru would just be well – Shizuru. Besides, her captain could be a bit slow on romance sometimes that it took five people to explain it to her. So much for assassination training – she couldn't even pick up the slightest hints and details of a man swooning her!

"Aww man, what am I gonna do," Kiyone banged her head again against her hard bound book.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ayane kicked a small pebble lying around, looking at the bright blue sky above her. She glanced at the other scenery before lying against the tree, inhaling deeply. She couldn't believe that Atobe sang that song! Adam Lambert was one of her favourite singers yet she didn't remember when she ever told him that. Most of their conversations usually involved her telling him how crazy he was and making sure he didn't burn a hole in his wallet. Yet, did she ever know what he liked? As far as she was concerned, she didn't even know he was capable of belting out high notes let alone singing. There were just so many things she didn't know about him.

And that realization exhilarated her.

The tangerine haired female groaned before taking a bite out of an apple. She sighed deeply and tossed the apple core in the air, catching it once more. Ayane couldn't believe she barely knew things about Atobe. He may be the loud, crazy, rich brat who was willing to burn a hole into his wallet but he did show that he cared. To think he went to pick her up personally after she had been kidnapped and pampered her like crazy (much to her surprise). Ayane sighed deeply again, staring into the sky, catching a purple coloured flower in her palm.

"So pretty," Ayane smiled nostalgically as she remembered a few people with striking appearances with purple colours.

Momo's dark violet long _hime-cut_ hairstyle.

Atobe's straight cut slightly styled purple hair.

Marui's amethyst coloured eyes.

…

Amethyst coloured eyes…

Marui always had stood there for her. No matter how many times she had thrown tantrums, he had taken everything with her blow per blow. Ayane bit her lower lip as she inhaled deeply, wondering to herself. Why had Marui done all those things? She found herself liking him in a different way. Somehow, Atobe had a constant blazing cold. He pisses off people and knows how to stand above them yet people follow him nonetheless. Marui on the other hand had a warm and cheery feeling. The only thing that probably would have altered his demeanour is if Japan banned the import of his favourite his bubblegum or that all the sweets in the world had been condemned to burn at the stake.

"Ayane-_chan_?"

Ayane swivelled her head up as Marui suddenly dangled himself in front of her, causing her to yelp. "Ah, Marui-_kun_! Wait, what are you doing hanging from a tree?"

At the moment, Marui hung himself upside down on one of the branches with a huge childish grin on his face with his legs hooked onto the branch.

"Hehe, hiding from Niou and the others," Marui grinned before swinging himself up again on a branch. "Besides, I want to get a good nap before I start training. Niou might bomb me out of nowhere."

Ayane giggled softly, looking up. "How's the view up there?"

Marui extended his hand with a boyish grin. "I can show you."

Nodding lightly, Marui helped Ayane climb up the tree as they sat on the thicker branches. Ayane stared in amazement as the sun shone brightly but not in the eyesore way. The clouds drifted away as the two people sat on the branches. Marui glanced at Ayane for a moment, remembering the song that Atobe had sun to her that night. Of course he was there to see the whole fiasco. Rena had thrown a bitch fit although who wouldn't? Mai just wasted a strawberry slushy! That was extremely unforgivable! All the sugary cold goodness was gone and wasted on some fight over his _buchou_. Then again, both girls were fighting for the same guy although he couldn't find out why Mai would suddenly declare war.

"Wow, your _senpai_ must've been in love with _buchou_ for a really long time," Marui remarked offhandedly, shaking his head. "I knew girls were scary but not that scary."

Ayane giggled softly, smiling nostalgically towards the ground. "Yeah, we've had really bad bullying cases in Hyotei. It's mostly through a legal battle of who has more money than the other. _Buchou_ used to be bullied before because she was friends with Ohtori-_senpai_ and Shishido-_senpai_. Girls didn't like me either for being stuck with Atobe. Actually," – she smiled bitterly. "When I became his girlfriend, the fan girl attacks got worse..."

Marui saw the tears slipping out of Ayane's eyes, remaining silent.

"Despite all the fights and the poor anger management that I have," Ayane clasped her hands together, shuddering to restrain her sobs. "He always stayed with me and did everything without a complaint. The only thing he did was probably complain about my lack of volume control but other than that..."

Marui wanted to tell her that he liked her yet he couldn't push himself to do so. Hearing Ayane talk about Atobe the way she did made his hopes sink like a rock in water. He couldn't just kiss her right there and then now could he? Now he understood why his _fukubuchou_ was very hesitant to confess to the tangerine haired girl's superior. Seeing that she loved someone else, he couldn't bring himself to force her to love him. He had two choices although he was very elevated to choose the first...

_Kiss her and tell her he loved her._

Ever since her defeat from Vera, he had seen her pick herself up again and fight to bring herself to better heights. However, there were other things to consider. He did promise Atobe to stay away from her but after all the emotional warfare they managed to put themselves through – that was enough. They were in a pretty good relationship if he remembered right. Although they had their petty fights, Ayane and Atobe at the end of the day managed to pull through. Their arguments had built their relationship to see each others' flaws but Vera had blown them all out of proportion.

"I," Marui stopped himself immediately, shaking his head. "I'm sure he loves you no matter what... I don't think he's the type to flirt with another woman just because the first woman didn't give what he wanted. He demands perfection sure but I don't think he's the type to impose..."

_What are you doing, Marui? You're giving up!?_

_**I have to concede. Forcing her to like me isn't going to be good for either of us.**_

"Eh," Ayane blinked several times as he wiped a tear from her eye. "M-Marui-_san_?"

Marui smiled bitterly as he started laying out the facts in front of her. "If Atobe really loved Jerrard to pieces, don't you think it's a little awkward for him to be so mellow and quiet around her? Not only that, during the party – he seemed a bit edgy... Maybe you could try listening?"

_**I have to do this.**_

Marui didn't know for sure if his body was hurting or his butt was hurting simply because he sat on a sharp and uneven part of the branch. The red haired _tensai _volleyist shook his head while trying to sort himself out. His emotions rolled back and forth as he slowly put his arm around Ayane's shoulder, pulling her closer. Ayane sobbed softly against his shoulder, hiding her face. He could feel the whole weight of the swirling emotions as he noticed a purple haired male walking their way. He never knew he would have to let go now but it was now or never.

"Come on, it's getting uncomfortable up here," Marui leapt off the branch, extending his arms. "Come on down, Ayane-_chan_."

Ayane nodded as she slipped off and landed in his arms. Or what she believed was his arms. She slowly looked up and found Atobe standing in front of her. Her eyes widened with his icy blue eyes looking at her with a forlorn gaze. She bit her lower lip anxiously before shaking her head. She was going to have to bite her pride and although it hurt – the truth was right there: all the downs of a relationship could not be taken on by one alone. His arrogance may have been a complete pain to deal with but she couldn't say her temper was easy to deal with either.

"A-ah," Ayane averted her eyes away as Atobe nudged her cheek to make her face him.

"_Ore-sama_ doesn't like it when you don't look into his eyes, Ayane," Atobe chuckled humourlessly while trying to keep his arrogant tone but unable to do so, placing her head against his chest with a smirk. "Heh, all this trouble was for a woman who has a temper of a beast but truly a beauty."

"Like you're any better," – a feeble response, she knew especially in her crying state. "You're an annoying moron."

"Your insults are losing their fangs, Ayane," Atobe chuckled lightly as he looked straight into her emerald green eyes. "But what do you want from _ore-sama_? _Ore-sama_ meant every word in that song. To be honest," – Atobe hung his head and lowering his voice, admitting mildly. "_Ore-sama_ wasn't sure if he was capable of singing that song properly..."

For Ayane, his humility was a big change. Instead of his usual arrogant self, she saw someone who had been frustrated after using every possible method. He had tried speaking to her (with at least 50 calls to her cellphone a week) and even in school. She had ignored him and constantly went to training but Atobe had really gone his lengths. A king must have the will that surpasses all his people put together so they will be inspired to follow him. It was something he had. She always believed that he was simply going to conquer her heart before tossing her aside but after the years they were friends and now in some wacky relationship...

Was it truly him who was afraid or was it her?

Whatever it was, she couldn't always let him take the brunt hit of everything. That would've just shown that she was a coward and that she didn't care about him. Ayane inhaled deeply, her chest loosened considerably. She brushed her palm against his cheek with a small smile.

Meanwhile, Marui stood on one side and shook his head to himself. I made the right choice, Marui kept telling himself as he dragged his feet away. His body seemed like to weigh so much heavier as he watched Atobe talk things over with Ayane. The tangerine haired girl seemed to listen to him and her expression seemingly brightened up. He sighed in relief as a wave of a bittersweet happiness washed over him. He would have taken the girl **IF **she wasn't in love with Atobe. Watching her fold her arms and listen to Atobe as the purple haired male somewhat explained himself – he smiled before walking away towards his dorm.

Upon walking to his dorm, he began packing his things one by one. The games didn't really interest him too much and with Ayane working alongside Atobe, he knew his role in the play was over. After running a final check, Marui slowly crept out of the room as he looked at the sunset fall. Although he wanted to probably gain Ayane's affection as well, somewhere deep in his mind – he knew that was impossible. Atobe had known Ayane for a longer time and had more exposure to her. Although the two of them trained together during summer, was it enough?

Clearly it wasn't.

"Where you headed?"

Marui swivelled his head up and found himself looking at Niou. "I'm going home. I didn't even want to join this anyway."

"You're a big fat liar, you never lie to a Trickster," Niou chuckled darkly before resuming a more serious and darkened expression. "It's about Ayane isn't it?"

Marui rolled his eyes, grinning. "Yeah right, a genius doesn't need to bother himself with that kind of stuff."

"For a self-proclaimed genius, you're an idiot, you know that," Niou shook his head with a sarcastic roll of his eyes, folding his arms. "I see you've taken a dip into the Friendzone."

The red head raked his fingers through his hair tiredly, slinging on his bag. "No kidding. But what would you do, Niou?"

Seeing how serious Marui looked, Niou raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about Ayane?"

"No, I meant Isane. What would you do if she chose Shishido over you?"

Niou suddenly fell silent as he looked straight into Marui's amethyst eyes. Come to think of it, he had never thought far. He did his best to be optimistic but when he looked at the situation again – the Trickster knew that he was on the losing end. Isane didn't even want to talk to him. She spoke to Shishido in a kinder tone whereas whenever she spoke to him – it was formal and more composed. That kind of bipolarity in her didn't exist unless, she held a rifle or did something she was EXTREMELY confident in herself in. However, Akutsu's interference made things a whole lot worse. At first he thought he could catch her off guard but with Akutsu watching over her like a hawk, he had been blown back by her sudden change in personality.

"You know," Niou chuckled confidently, rolling his eyes. "I've got my plans."

Marui chuckled humourlessly, smirking lightly. "You're a big fat liar too you know. You're clueless."

"At least I'm trying to come up with something," Niou folded his arms with an annoyed snort.

Marui nodded in consent; that was one of the few differences. Niou continued to fight but the main difference was how the relationship was. Ayane was already in a relationship with Atobe from the very beginning. Isane didn't have a relationship. Another difference was that Niou had more balls than he did. Probably being the shameless bastard flirt that he is, Marui chuckled wryly to himself.

"Well, I'm going," Marui walked past Niou, dropping his hand on his shoulder. "Good luck."

Without saying another word, Niou had let his teammate walk past him. However, the Trickster chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"Don't worry. I don't plan to lose."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Haruka smiled softly as she swung around her Chinese blade, dancing around in the isolated garden. The soft humming of the Chinese blade filled her ears as she started swinging her blade around and letting the leaves land on the blade. As she continued dancing around, she remembered the festival that Jackal had taken her to near the river. She never expected such a brilliant display of colours since she had always been stuck in the mansion, trained to be the heiress of the Hikifumi Industries. Ino had more freedom but that freedom came with a price: her father had disowned her including her mother. The two of them had divorced – each taking one child with them. It was only recent that Ino had returned to the family.

_Flashback_

Jackal and she were walking around the streets along the Samegawa River. The sunset had faded into a bright orange and purple hue in the sky as the river started glistening with the sunlight. She watched the fishes leap around while inhaling deeply the country air.

"This is so much better than the city," Haruka looked at the light foggy skies, seeing the birds fluttering around. "You don't get this kind of view in the city."

Jackal shoved his hands to his pocket, nodding lightly. "Yeah, no kidding. In Kanagawa, I never had a chance to enjoy myself. Everything moves too fast..."

Haruka and Jackal continued to stride along the road as he led her down the hill, right in front of the shrine. Haruka stared in amazement at all the lanterns being hung around and all the stalls around. She looked at the masks being sold and even bought an ice cone. Jackal chuckled lightly as he started playing for a gold fish until someone started calling out for him.

"Jackal, bro!"

Jackal turned around and found a couple of boys walking up to him, slapping his back and slinging their arms around him. "Wait, Paolo – you're here?"

"Ya man, we've been talking it over through our parents and we managed to get over here," he punched Jackal playfully on the shoulder. "So how have ya been, man? It's been ages since we last saw you!"

Jackal chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it's been good."

"You've been workin' out," one of his other friends tackled him from behind. "Still the same bald self I see."

Jackal brushed him off with a teasing snort, setting his friend down on the ground. "I see you haven't lost weight."

His whole group burst into laughter until Jackal realized he had left Haruka to her own devices.

"Jackal where are... oh."

His whole group suddenly looked at her. While most girls were out in short mini skirts and a little more Latina looking in their country, seeing Haruka's bright pale pink hair and her dark chocolate brown eyes was a whole new thing for them. Not only that, Haruka had a dark gray beanie on her head and a light cream sweater and a black pleated skirt along with leggings and a pair of black flats. Haruka was pretty sure she wanted to run away since she could feel the judging eyes on her.

"I-I'll wait for you at the," Haruka managed to rip away from her throat, watching the other boys exchange glances with one another.

"So, who's this cute babe," Paolo chuckled with a huge grin, immediately swinging over to Haruka. "Never seen anyone with pale pink hair before."

"Um, my name is Hikifumi Haruka," Haruka watched the boy get close, narrowing her eyes and preparing to flip him over if he tried anything funny. _Be calm, feel out the situation before flipping him over._

"Well, well, Hikifumi," – Haruka bristled slightly at his teasing tone. "Let's say you and me go on through this festival together. Jackal can go stay with the boys while you and I get to know each other more – preferably in a little tango, _señorita_."

"Tango as in the literal sense or tango in terms of me thrashing your daylights out for getting too close," Haruka calmly stared him down, narrowing her eyes darkly.

"Ooh feisty – I thought it was only that red head chick from Hyotei was a lunatic along with the crazy brunette who chopped people up," he grinned amusedly until a crisp sound echoed throughout the air. "What the-?"

Haruka's eyes narrowed darkly after she slapped him, keeping her heiress demeanour. "What did you say?"

"What? So what if they're crazy," Paolo dusted himself, staring in shock. "Whoa, take it easy babe. I didn't mean you..."

"I know you didn't mean me," Haruka's heiress demeanour suddenly became a stolid draconic glare. "I know those two girls. Those two girls are my little sisters... Mai is not crazy; she's very dynamic and just very determined. Secondly, Shizuru does not just chop down people. People just feel that way because they sorely underestimate her capacity."

Paolo backed up, narrowing his eyes before snorting at Jackal. "Geez, I didn't know you were dating a Chupacabra, Jack."

Jackal shoved Paolo aside, rolling his eyes. "She's only a Chupacabra to you because you decide to be an ass to almost every girl. Now I remember why I stopped hanging out with you."

Paolo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, she just wants a good time with you, man."

"You little," Haruka was about to lunge and rip him to pieces until Jackal stood in front of her. "J-Jackal-_kun_?"

"Leave him – he just does that to make more stories," Jackal narrowed his eyes darkly, putting his arm around Haruka. "Let him go. No use wasting your breath on a dickhead like him. But it was good to see you again, Rodrigo. You lost a lot of weight."

Rodrigo, a lanky tanned skin male with dark brown hair, scratched the back of his neck. "Well, you did tell me to push on with something that I liked a lot. I hope you get to see my soccer game!"

"Will do," Jackal chuckled lightly, ushering Haruka away. "Let's go, Haruka. It was nice seeing you again, Rodrigo. Carlos, make sure you put Paolo on a leash. He forgets to stop being a dick sometimes."

The two continued walking around the shine area as the fireworks started flashing around. Her eyes widened with delight and astonishment, slowly leaning against Jackal. However, a sudden arm snaked around her and pulled her closer as she looked up at Jackal. His black eyes softened as her chocolate brown eyes focused deeply into his. She felt her body floating as her hand slowly pushed Jackal's head closer for a dip as he willingly went in for the kiss.

_Flashback End_

The whole night had been enjoyable after that, Haruka mused lightly to herself as she continued swinging her blade. She remembered how Jackal had brought her to riverbed as the fireworks started flashing in the sky. She blushed madly upon realization; she must've looked so stupid when looking at the fireworks! It had been a long time since she had seen so many fireworks in one sitting. Jackal had brought her to all the stalls and bought themselves food. Dancing around with her flashing silver blade, Haruka continued dancing around before throwing her blade straight forward and nearly impaling the male she had been thinking about.

"Whoa," Jackal ducked as the blade imbedded itself in the tree, hyperventilating. "Whoa, whoa, please don't kill me!"

"Oh my God, Jackal," Haruka immediately rushed to his side and yanked the sword out of the trunk, tossing it aside. "Jackal are you okay? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to impale you to the tree!"

Jackal sheepishly chuckled, scratching the back of the neck. "It's alright, actually I came here to get away from the loud ruckus. Apparently, Vera's on this murderous outrage and the girls are having some bitch-fight out there."

Haruka's eyes widened. "What kind of bitch fight and who's going crazy?"

Jackal shrugged as Haruka and he ran from the gardens and into the main lobby. There, she found Ayane and Vera throwing a whole lot of yelling and tearing out each others' hair. Vera had already sustained a couple of scratches and bruises from Ayane's fist while the tangerine haired female barely sustained anything other than dirt, sweat and a messy hairdo. Haruka gaped at the sight; no one was insane enough to stop a bitch fight that had Ayane in it! Ayane literally tossed the blonde vice captain of Seigaku aside as if Vera barely posed a threat to her to begin with.

"You bloody whore," Vera hissed darkly.

"Wow, ironic – since you're the bitchy whore," Ayane drew her fist back to punch her daylights out.

"That's enough!"

Everyone's eyes swivelled towards the door way and revealed the coaches standing with a disapproving stare. Ayane swallowed hard as she let go upon seeing Sakaki, immediately straightening out. Vera glared darkly at Ayane before picking up a pebble and making one last ditch attempt. The pebble smacked Ayane in the eye right away, causing the girl to yelp all of a sudden. Atobe's eyes widened as he jumped for Ayane and caught her. Vera sneered maliciously until someone grabbed her by her hair, revealing her very own red haired captain yanking her by her hair.

"Ugh, what are you doing? Like, who the fuck are you to do... oh," Vera paled considerably when she found Fuuka glaring darkly with her lavender eyes gleaming ominously. "_Buchou_ – w-what are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't toss yourself off a ledge you can't climb out, you dumb shit," Fuuka pulled her up to her feet, swatting the blonde girl at the back of her head. "You don't throw one of your bitch fits just because Atobe broke up with you. Since when were you so pissed over a guy who broke up with you? You were fine with the other bastards who did!"

Vera seethed with rage, preparing to lunge at Ayane once again until Shizuru stepped in between.

"Sheesh, what's with Hyotei? Did you guys do something to the food or something," Fuuka raised her eyebrow and struggled to keep Vera from clawing at her. "I know Vera's a brat but I didn't know she would fly off the handle that fast."

"I can assure you; Ayane had nothing to do with this. It was _ore-sama_'s choice."

Everyone swivelled their heads towards the purple haired male walked forward, staring down at Vera. "After all, Vera was never equipped to deal with her own attack thrown in her face now was she? _Ore-sama_ figured out the Heartbreaker after staying with her."

Ryuuzaki pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Alright, that's it. Vera, fix yourself up. You've been doing nothing but disorienting the players!"

"Of course she does," Atobe narrowed his eyes darkly, folding his arms. "That's the only thing she can do. Everyone does not fear her for her skill but only for her empty threats. After all, her only skill is based on how much money her father is willing to spend on his brat of a child."

Vera's eyes widened and paled. "K-Keigo, you wouldn't..."

"Don't you dare even call _ore-sama_ that," Atobe hissed darkly; his icy blue eyes gleaming with malice. "_Ore-sama_ remains loyal only to one. You can use as much make-up and plastic surgery as you want but that does not change who you are. You can look like a princess but be rotten to the core. After all, _ore-sama_ has seen what you really look like and how you managed to stay in Seigaku. His Insight sees everything."

Oshitari had never expected his captain to show such malice. Sure there were times he has put off girls but to pull out the red carpet right under the girl after her victory. That was sadistic cold revenge on his part. It was something more he imagined Fuji doing, never his captain! However, this again was Atobe. The man himself was very unpredictable and it could be extremely annoying. But he glanced at Ayane who was getting her eye attended to after Vera had chucked a sharp pebble in her face. Love does make people do irrational things after all.

_He really does love her. For him to resort to a dark tactic like that, she really holds a huge grip on his heart. _

Shizuru never expected that from her senior colleague let alone someone of his stature. Atobe had always reiterated that he would never shame a woman but now here he was completely defying his code. The brunette glanced at Atobe, watching the movement of his eyes. He didn't show any signs of remorse nor did he show any signs of stopping. She glanced at Tezuka as the shock had not completely subsided after the whole incident with Awi. She swallowed hard upon remembering what had happened after they had suddenly run from Awi.

"_Shizuru-chan, I've been waiting to tell you this for a long time. Forgive me for not telling you sooner because... I'm in love with you."_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Dun dun dun! Tezuka finally confessed his feelings to her after how many chapters? Geez, he can be so hard to write some times. I have to make sure that it stays within his character. I'm so happy – I managed to give some fluff to Haruka and Marui. Although, my heart still breaks for Marui *sob*. Please don't forget to review and comment! **** I take constructive criticisms. **


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